Where can I get nice A cup bras?

[Newdaynewplan]

Hi all so I was a 32b for ages but after feeding two babies my bras just look and feel a bit loose. The band fits fine it's just the cups are a bit big. So at a guess I'm down to a 32a. I live rurally so it's not like I can just go and try some on - is likely to be a mail order situation.

So, two questions:
-Your best online bra shopping recommendations for this size please, and
-How does bluebella sizing compare to h and m?

Logic? I'm quite tired... I hope you understand where I'm going with that, as in why do clothes start at six yet bras start at 32, in general? Wouldn't that suggest there is an association with the smallest size tops they offer and the smallest back size on the bras, if in the same shop?

Thank you @Reachersloveinterest I'll have a look, maybe a comparison purchase!

At size 6 you aren't a 32. I'm a size 18 wearing a 34 - you and I do not have the same back size!

You probably won't feel comfortable in a 26 even if you do find it but it would be worth you experimenting with 30B and 28C both of which you will find.

And @pennylane83 !

[quote Newdaynewplan]@Branleuse yup lol.
So being a size six means a 26 back? Yet you can get a size six anywhere (an 8 when I first started buying adult sizes) but standard bra sizing starts at 32 in those same high Street shops, a back size 12? Is my logic correct here or is something amiss?[/quote]
youre right and its annoying because so many shops are taking ages to catch up even though this measuring system has been going for years now, and people wonder why some people find bras so uncomfortable. Its probably not as big a deal if youre relatively small breasted, but those who are slim but with big boobs will usually be pretty uncomfortable if they cant get a band size tight enough to support their breasts without relying on the shoulder straps, but even for smaller breasted women, the correct size bra is more flattering and gives better shape

@Newdaynewplan

But *@olderthanyouthinkolder* if your ten pound h and m 32b fit just fine then why would you go to some specialist retailer to spend extra £ for some 28d?

I understand what you are saying but just going to a 30b rather than a 32a may be better and a 30b isn't too hard to find.

It's because bras have always been fitted wrong - something about old-fashioned methods adding 4" to the rib measurement to allow for movement when bras didn't have elastic, but now they do meaning that everyone is adding 4" to a band that is now stretchy. Also everyone assumes that a B cup is the same no matter what size band it's attached to which is not the case - it indicates the difference between the underbist and overbust measurement, so a 28B is the same cup size as a 30A.

26DD sister sizes are 28D, 30C

Am I the only person who didn't get on with Boob or Bust? It gave me a 28 back size but a 32 is the smallest I can wear and still be able to breathe.

Agh! Wrote a long comment but lost it…

The TLDR was 1. BOB is not so applicable for small boobed people in my experience (if you look at an A cup bra it’s clearly not made for someone with only an inch more round boobs than ribs so just doesn’t make sense anyway…), and 2. try The Outnet - might have to look a few times but often find some gems there in the right size.

Pricey, but here’s a 32A:

www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/cosabella/lingerie/bras/never-say-never-sexie-stretch-lace-underwired-push-up-bra/4394988609175444

And a few 30Bs that might work:

www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/wacoal/lingerie/bras/eternal-jersey-paneled-corded-lace-underwired-bra/4394988608813941

www.theoutnet.com/en-gb/shop/product/calvin-klein/lingerie/bras/ruffle-trimmed-flocked-stretch-lace-underwired-bra/3589493616164195 - £12 Calvin Klein - I like Calvin Klein the best of my bras

@AnnaMagnani I can only assume your bras are measured differently to mine! A size down in band size on the brands I have would be too tight guaranteed.

@MilduraS

Am I the only person who didn't get on with Boob or Bust? It gave me a 28 back size but a 32 is the smallest I can wear and still be able to breathe.

Yes, same. I got chest pain trying to wear the 30DD that Boob or Bust recommended… and I’m not a 32D either - I have tried many many different makes/models and 32C/34B work best.

You need to have a bigger cup alongside the smaller back though as if the cup is too small that makes the bra feel tight too

Most brands start at a back size 28?

I think what I would do in your situation is order a huge pile of different sizes from Next, where you can get 28 bands up to pretty big sizes, and try your boob or bust sizes, sister sizes and what you think your size is, try them at home and then just send them all back if you don't like them.

@MilduraS

Am I the only person who didn't get on with Boob or Bust? It gave me a 28 back size but a 32 is the smallest I can wear and still be able to breathe.

it probably depends which brand of bra you wear. BoB can tell you what your actual size is, but that doesnt mean that every bra in that size will fit you, because womens clothes dont tend to work like that, and certainly not bras. If you go onto the boob or bust boards, theyre not just talking about sizes, but shapes, and some bras are more suitable for soft breasts, some for firm breasts. Some suit full on top, some suit full on bottom, some suit wider set breasts etc etc.

In reality theres only a couple of brands that I know ill fit "my size" in, and then theres others that I have to go up a size in the band, or some that just never fit me properly at all.

Just come back to say thanks everyone for your suggestions and recommendations. I've decided, though I may be wrong of course, that high Street fashion shops equate a 32 to a size 6, but actual bra retailers don't. Not sure about this stretchy band business and adding 4... That makes no sense to me why would you measure based on a stretchy band (of variable stretchiness no doubt) rather than a firm one? And why would you not be able to find a 26 anywhere even though size 6 is common enough...? High Street for small tits I guess, specialists and Bob for bigger ones!

The difference is an overbust 32 (clothes size) compared to an underbust 32 (back/bra size)

But if that were the case OP then an H&M size 32 wouldn’t fit me (the aforementioned size 12 with post-children ribcage spread!) and they do… I’d at least experiment with trying a band size or two down, you never know, you might be surprised!

A size down in band size on the brands I have would be too tight guaranteed.

Try them back to front first. In fact, try your current 32 bra back to front, and check if it's really that tight - you should not be able to pull the band more than about an inch or so. The trick is that if you go down in band size, you also need to go up in cup - and too small cups mean that the bra feels tight, even if the band itself might be too big.

high Street fashion shops equate a 32 to a size 6, but actual bra retailers don't

No, really not the case. Of course some brands fit smaller and some bigger, like with clothes. But I'm a 30 back in almost all bras, whether specialised or high street, and I do not need a 36 in any of them.

@KatharinaRosalie

A size down in band size on the brands I have would be too tight guaranteed.

Try them back to front first. In fact, try your current 32 bra back to front, and check if it's really that tight - you should not be able to pull the band more than about an inch or so. The trick is that if you go down in band size, you also need to go up in cup - and too small cups mean that the bra feels tight, even if the band itself might be too big.

i think stuff like this is why people give up on the method too quick. If I could only pull out the band an inch, that would mean that if the band was let go, it would still be very tight. Someone with small breasts does not actually need the band to be that tight, and someone with a narrow lean ribcage as opposed to a well padded ribcage - that is going to be constricting their actual ribs, not just displacing a bit of chub.

Bra fitting isnt an exact science because bras are not standardised enough in sizing, but also because different people have different comfort levels.
That isnt to say that everyone needs to add 4inches to the band, because thats OTT and will mean the band rides up if the breasts are heavy and pull the front down, but with small breasts, this wont happen in the same way, and a bra is more to provide a bit of security and shape than actual scaffolding

Yes you're right that a smaller bust doesn't need as much support, but if a person measuing 26 inches claims a 32 bra is too tight, my bet is still on too small cups.

@KatharinaRosalie

Yes you're right that a smaller bust doesn't need as much support, but if a person measuing 26 inches claims a 32 bra is too tight, my bet is still on too small cups.

definitely, but someone whos perfectly comfortable in a 32a or 32b that they can get for a fiver from primark or h&m, probably doesnt need to go searching to find a 26dd just to pay £40 for a bra that takes getting used to

whereas someone thats getting backache from a 38Dfor instance, when they should be in a 32GG, its more important as they actually need the band to support their breasts