Truly single-sex bra fittings for DD13

[Secretsquirrelshh]

Inspired by threads on here re: mixed sex fitting rooms, I need to find somewhere for DD13 (very shy, incredibly embarrassed by EVERYTHING) to have her first ever bra fitting.

M&S is obviously right out, and we don't have a lovely independent shop anywhere near us.

I see John Lewis no longer enforce single-sex changing spaces.

Does anyone have any recommendations of nationwide stores that do truly single-sex bra fittings?

M&S and John Lewis don’t have communal changing room so even if a man did accidentally book himself in for a bra fitting at the same time as your daughter he’d never know your daughter was in one of the other cubicles.

The problem is that men in women's underwear changing rooms aren't there accidentally.

Goulds department store in Dorchester used to have trained bra fitters in their lingerie department years ago. Their website doesn't mention it at all, but if you are within reach it could be worth a phone call.

That’s bollocks. Up until the last few years most big stores, including M&S and John Lewis, had clearly marked fitting rooms; men’s and women’s.

No decent man would even linger near by the women's.

Yes it would if you don't do the +4 sizing!!

I dont agree the likelihood of encountering a man is tiny. I shop a lot alone and with female family and encounter men in fitting rooms regularly- most often ‘waiting’ for the woman they’re accompanying.

Why they can’t wait outside the fitting room area instead of directly outside your cubicle is beyond me. The staff used to tell them to wait outside but no longer.

Measuring is fairly easy and comfort is key (I don’t know why they get so hung up on ‘support’ as though the risk of a droopy boob is a moral failing!)

The real issue is not being able to try on as the fit is so inconsistent between brands. My daughters used to order in several sizes to local Next and try on there if comfortable to do so, or at home if not.

Go and look at the M&S on-line store guides which DO specify Men's and Women's.

But her size would likely be e.g. 28AA or 28A - I don't see how this could possibly correspond to a Bravissimo size. Besides which, as other posters have said, it's apparently not female-only.

To be clear, I don't think there's an imminent safeguarding concern whilst I'm with her. I'm not imagining paedophiles are excitedly peering over every cubicle. I'm just trying to find an environment that is guaranteed to be completely free of men for her first bra fitting.

Rigby and Peller had mens evenings and a waiting area. Stern ladies who brook no quarter.

Fwiw I don't buy in M and S because it's like father Ted. My husband would rather stick pins in his eyes than follow me around a knicker department. Coercion perhaps from these foot shufflers?

I love the idea of Rigby and Peller but it's wildly impractical (OK, I admit, expensive) for a 13 year old who is likely to need new bras every 6 months or so. Maybe for myself one day as a treat!

Location-wise Milton Keynes and London are striking distance.

Getting measured there doesn’t t mean you have to buy from there

if you already know roughly what her size would be why do you even need a fitting? Lots of teens would find that mortifying. If you look at the bra threads on here everyone slags off the various chains at doing it completely incorrectly anyway.

Different bras will fit completely differently anyway even if the 'correct' size. Just order a selection and get her to try them on at home. It's impossible to get the width part wrong anyway as it is literally just her measurement, so worst comes to the worst she might end up wearing an A when the 'professional' might have recommended an AA - so what? It will hardly impact her development.

Thinking female only changing rooms are important is fair enough but it is really does not seem to be necessary or beneficial for your dd in this specific scenario. If the prospect of a man being in the vicinity is so distressing for you and dd then just do it at home and remove the potential from 1% to 0%.

Allow men into the changing rooms

An A cup just means there is 1 inch of difference between under bust and over bust measurements. B cup is 2 inches, and so on. It really is that simple to measure!
I can see why women with "awkward" breasts might benefit from an experienced fitter, but no young teenager needs one.
Just get her to measure over bust and under bust, with a tight t shirt on if she's awkward. Then order loads of bras and let her have a fun trying on session at home.

I'm sure you'd be quite happy with a man measuring your 13 year old for their first bra.

OP I don't think there are any bra sellers where you can be guaranteed there will be no men as customers. It's fairly unlikely though. I, through necessity, buy bras from M&S. I took my youngest there for a bra fitting a few years ago, the lady who measured her was lovely. The fitting rooms are were all solid doors, and the bra fitting room had a little antechamber rather than opening directly onto a communal area. This was a branch in the North West. You had to get a timed appointment. I went back there a few weeks ago. I'd been informed I needed a specific type of bra just prior to something medical. The female staff member who saw me almost immediately was very kind. Everything else was a bit of a blur. M&S got a mass of bad publicity last year when a tw staff member spoke to a young girl about bras, I think they'd be very careful not to have a reoccurrence of that.

Eta. Though we did get a bra that fits, my youngest mostly wears sports bras.

Like M&S, Next allow men into changing rooms. None of these busineses have any care or respect for their women customers.

Any of these near you?

https://sweetdreams-bra.co.uk/

https://thepantryunderwear.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoo2xYrlvjsA43NIuO9M_EMnii8TFkVaBqq-r8Y-jsDqtzdsLc1q

Just buy a variety on line! My DDs were not measured. They would have hated it. Just see what she’s comfortable in and return the rejected ones. This seems a lot of fuss.

Also Bella Rosa do online fitting
i am an awkward size and she’s very helpful and will send bras out to try with easy returns

https://www.bellarosalingerie.co.uk/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaARIm1FleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAadCsuNnNlH0GZ6-yFhBXRZtbK354WY8M28sHBzyhxE5kMPwUPcEPn6Z5jd3og_aem_ZveWNtgP2iUDhQASfCuFFQ

Of course I wouldn’t, but by all means intentionally misunderstand a fairly clear post

Its bloody awful you even have the write this question @Secretsquirrelshh.

What has happened to the world???

Go to Peter Jones in Sloane Square or John Lewis in Westfield. Taken DD a few times. Westfield in particular has a lovely fitter. Separate lingerie fitting rooms. Never seen any men in there.