Why are 28 band bras so rare?

[magicalkitty]

I don't think I have a particularly narrow rib cage, but I require a 28 band bra. I can't be that rare, but it's very hard to find bras this size without spending £££.

M&S and the like don't carry many styles under a 30 band. I'm sure a lot of women actually require a 28 but settle for 30 or maybe even larger because they have to.

It's easier to find things in very large sizes than it is in smaller, even though 28 isn't particularly tiny anyway.

Teenage dd has a small band and large cup size. I had to take her to a specialty bra shop and the bill for 4 bras was over 300. I had done my research and knew I wouldn’t get the bras any cheaper online. this was also our second trip in 6 months because she outgrew her first set in cup size.

bras outside of the most common sizes are always expensive and hard to find. I’ve got a large cup size and pay a small fortune for my bras. Luckily as an adult, mine had been stable in size for a long time.

I'm size 8 and wear a 28E/F, although I went up to 28G/GG in pregnancy. I've given up, truthfully. I stopped wearing underwires some years ago because they were always in the wrong place and stabbed me agonisingly. Now I just wear sports bras and crop tops, and save a few moulded wireless bras in the right size bought online for work.

@user2468101214 I'm a size 14/16 and a 32 bra band.

Both band and cup size reflect weight as I used to be a size 20 and was bigger in both band and cup - much much more in cup.

However so many women are wearing the measurement + 4 inches size that you get posts all the time from women who are a size 10 saying they are a 34B when in reality they are probably a 30 band and a bigger cup.

I'm a 20/22 and wear a 36 back (36GG/H).

I'm a size 10/12 and wear a 34 d or dd and I have tried boob or bust it put me in a 30 f I couldn't hardly do it it up, I tried it on back to front, as someone on here said its because its still to small in the cup, thats why its tight, so try it on backwards but I can't hardly do it up , so how can I be a 30.

Another 28 G here! And agree I’m really not that slim anymore ( sadly) as a size 10 ( sometimes 12 even) but am a more petite frame. I do sometimes just go for a 30 it’s true. And agree it’s frustrating having to always pay a lot for bras!

Here is the answer to your question, OP. Because women aren't wearing the correct back band size and have been brainwashed into thinking they're 38Bs.

DD is an adult woman and is a 28 band. She has just stopped wearing bras.

Bikinis are difficult cos all the fashion ones just come in dress sizes

That’s why I wear tie bikinis with adjustable cups.

I buy bikini separates and buy bra sized tops with plain bottoms or sometimes the matching bottoms- depends what they have in stock

I'm a 28F (and a 28E in a sports bra) and share your frustration. Am currently trying to find a post surgery/mastectomy bra with a 28 back and it's near impossible and has taken weeks. Prior to this, I mostly wore Cleo by Panache and Freya. But it would be have been wonderful to buy a bra that costs £20 rather than north of £35.

I don't think having a 28" back is as rare as some think, but this belief persists as a result of the following issues -

• Incorrect measuring
• Many women are wearing the wrong size bra
• Many women have no idea how a bra should fit. Ergo, they are wearing a band that is too large (and a cup too small)
• Many manufacturers and brands don't make a 28 or even a 26 band because they're still married to the old idea of adding 4 or 5 to the back measurement. Or maybe they're just lazy and can't be bothered to invest in research and produce bras that correlate to how women actually measure

All in all, it's a bit of a vicious circle.

I am less than 8 stone, size 6-8 and I cannot imagine wearing a 28" bra - is this why Mumsnetters always take their bras off when they get home? I wear a 30 or 32 and my bras are comfy enough to wear all day.

Whereas I always buy 28” as substituting with 30” leaves me with shoulder and backache. I need the band to be tight to hold most of the weight. I suspect it’s partly bust size (you can get away with a looser band if there is less breast to support) and partly bone structure.

I find it baffling too. I’m about 5kg overweight, BMI at the bottom end of the overweight category (not because of muscle - I’m no athlete). I am short but only 2-3cm below average uk height so I’m not tiny. I wear a size 12 usually and my bra size is 30E. I was below 28 as a teen/young woman (and would be now if I wasn’t fat) but a 28 was impossible in those days and 30 was difficult in the cup size I needed. I remember bras in topshop only went up to a C cup (early ‘90s).

Yeah, same. At my slimmest (size 10 on top) I needed a 32 band not to feel like I was wearing some some of Victorian corsetry. Now size 14 on top, a bit fat at BMI 27, I need a 38 band. My bras are comfortable and supportive, with no back hamsters or riding up.

I took my tall, slender 12yo bra shopping yesterday. She's a dress size 6 and she was most comfortable in a 30 band. We're both tall and small breasted, both tried Boob or Bust and found the recommendations really uncomfortable, and it's left me wondering if it doesn't work so well for certain body shapes.

I am less than 8 stone, size 6-8 and I cannot imagine wearing a 28" bra

What has imagination got to do with it? If your rib cage measures more than 28” you would be daft to wear a 28” band bra. I can wear one comfortably all day, and don’t always take it off when I get home.

Band size and top size doesn't match though, ever. I wear a 32 H. I measure 42 around bust which puts me in the 16/18 tops and dresses, which is utter nonsense. I wear 10/12.

OK, leaving my imagination out of it. I seldom see women who are smaller and slimmer than me, so I am not surprised 28" bras are rare as they must have a teeny market (quite literally )

I am not surprised 28" bras are rare as they must have a teeny market (quite literally)

I’m not that teeny. I weigh more than you.

Wait, what? We’re not supposed to add 4 inches on anymore? I’ve just always bought a 32DD. Maybe I need to get measured? There should really be public service announcements for this sort of thing!

If you have a 30 inch+ back measurement then size 6-8 tops simply won’t fit you.

I'm a 16/18 (boobs mean I need an 18 sometimes but too big on waist) and in a 34 brand. It's not tight, I can fit my hand under the back and is comfortable enough to sleep in

Ok so having measure myself, I should be wearing a 28FF 😵. At least I’ve learnt something today!

If you go to M&S they will still measure you and add 4 inches.

But really since the invention of elastic, which was quite some time ago so you would have thought M+S would have noticed, there has been no need to add 4 inches.

If you go to Bravissimo, Rigby and Peller or an independent shop, the fitter will just look at you and say 'I think you are x size' and 99 times out of 100 they will be right. They don't use the +4 system either.

Dd is a size 6-8 depending on brand, she wears a 30. M&S have 28 band