Do you REALLY know your bra size?

blue_monkey_2

Hi Ladies,

I am a bra fitter so if you have any questions then please ask.

Do you have to be naked? No. you can have your back to the fitter and she will pass the bras to you, lean into them to get them on and then she can do the back up. However, she will have to see you with the bra on to be able to see if it fits.

As a rule it tends to be that if you are a size 8 you will have a 28 back size, 10=30, 12=32, 14-34, 16=36, 18=38, 20=40, etc.... I have had many a lady come to see me thinking they are a 40-42 and they have been 4-6 inches out. If you are a size 16-18 then you are probably a 36-38 bust size. There are exceptions to this but from experience I can pretty much apply this rule to each of my customers.

I do not use a tape measure either, a fitter might use a tape to get the initial measurement but a good fitter will not measure any further with a tape.

Everyone should have one good fitting so you can then tell, for the future, what you are looking for in a good fitting bra and I would recommend this being done at an independent as they do tend to have more experience but JL and Debenhams will also fit well. Steer clear of La Senza, M&S, BHA and other 'High Street' stores that offer their own brand bras. You will not get fitted into the correct bras, however, once you know what to look for in a good fitted bra then go there and try them on and see how they fit.

Not all styles wills suit all figures. Balcony bra will fit all body types, to the lady in 38G looking for a balcony bra, try the Panache Tango II or Panache balcony bras, they go to a K cup. Fantasie also make one called Anna but it is being dicontinued so get that while you can, it is a wonderful balcony fit up to an H cup.

Plunge bras will not suit you if you have lost the elasticity at the top of your boobs, you'll end up falling out and they will sit at the front of the bra - not a good look, nor very comfortable.

Side support bras suit everyone. Moulded bras are not to everyone's taste as they can feel quite heavy on.

If you have one boob smaller that the other fit the bigger.

MOST IMPORTANTLY. The bra strap should fit around the MIDDLE of your back. Run an invisible line under your boobs around your back - do not ride this up, it should sit 2-3 inches under your shoulder blade. This is where the band should sit, it should be snug and firm, raise your arms - if your bra moves up the band is too big (go on, give it a try!!). Go down a size but remember to increase the cup size for each 1-2 inches you go down. The middle of the bra should sit flat against your rib cage. If you do not like it sitting so high look for Freya bras in a 'balcony plunge' style. Freya Pollyanna is a fantastic fitting bra and really compliments how you look.

If I had £1 for everyone who asks me what I do then says 'I am in the right size' and isn't, I would be a wealthy! Somehow, no matter where we are and who we are with, I always end up fitting someone and telling them what size they should be. Kind of funny really.

And lastly, take a look at Freya's Banish Bad Bras campaign as it has an excellent fitting guide: http://www.theholyfit.com/#/getting_fitted/

Any questions, please ask.

PinkLipgloss

Excellent post blue_monkey!

Thank you :T

blue_monkey_2

Ladies who work at Debenhams, Selfridges and John Lewis, have to attend an accredited fitting course so you will get the correct fitting from them. I would urge anyone to avoid M&S and La Senze for being fitted. the name M&S is like nails down a blackboard to us trained bra fitters!! They are the reason so many women in the UK are in the wrong size. Most of the larger busted ladies I measure have been fitted at M&S because they feel they have nowhere else to go and the majority are in sizes 46-48 when they are a 36/38. Smaller busted women *can* get away with wearing the wrong size, larger breasted women cannot and it is so important to wear the right size for your health and posture.

And if anyone wants a virtual fitting PM me and I'll see if I can help. I will need to know your ribcase measurement (as mentioned, under your boobs, around your back, quite snug) and the size and brand of bra you wear now. I've been helping other ladies so its no bother. Some people just cannot get out so if I can help in someway I'd be happy to.

Think shoes, you'd not wear shoes 3 sizes too big would you? It always amazes me that people will shop for an hour and on 20 pairs of shoes but will pick up the first bra they find and just wear it without it being fitted. I can spot a badly fitted bra a mile off and I soooo want to go and tell them.

blue_monkey_2

Once you know your size, buy mail order and wear a bra for 10-15 minutes before taking the tags off to ensure the bra is for you. What feels nice for 30 seconds in the changing room can sometimes then start digging and poking in. While Mail Order has it's pitfalls I'd certainly recommend shopping this way AFTER you have been fitted so you can get the feel of a bra. Nothing like spending £30 on a gorgeous bra for it to feel like a cactus in your armpit after 5 minutes and then being stuck with it.

Oh, and put your top back on afterwards to ensure you like how it fits with clothes on. This is also important.

I am a bit obsessive about this and on a mission to get all women in good fitting bras so you might just have sent me off on a tangent now. Sorry.

I hate the summer as women only wear thin tops and there are so many badly fitting bras. People think they are 'fat' and so wear larger sizes than they are but a good fitting bra will actually lift everything up and wil make you look slimmer as it hold you up and improves your posture.

*sigh* sorry again. I think my jacket potato is ready now....

PinkLipgloss

blue_monkey wrote: »

I can spot a badly fitted bra a mile off and I soooo want to go and tell them.

:rotfl:

The minute I walked into the bra shop the assistant said, "You know you are wearing the wrong size don't you?" To be fair, I did however I had put of fitting for years. However, I was shocked when I realised how big an error I had been making!

blue_monkey_2

xXMessedUpXx wrote: »

I'm the same dress size, and being a 40-42 aint't as bad as you might think, you can still find some nice bras!

Absolutely yes!! Have a look here, they run to a 58 back size: http://www.elomilingerie.com/

However, a size 16-18 will should start at size back size 38, possibly 36. People do think they are bigger than they are and I NEVER add 4 inches onto my initial 'measurement' if I measure. Those of us know know, just know.

blue_monkey_2

PinkLipgloss wrote: »

:rotfl:

The minute I walked into the bra shop the assistant said, "You know you are wearing the wrong size don't you?" To be fair, I did however I had put of fitting for years. However, I was shocked when I realised how big an error I had been making!

I had a lady last week who called me in to measure her sister (I do home fittings and her sister was disabled) and I measured her and her sister said 'your turn' and she said 'no, not me I know I am in a 36B'. Cue for me to say 'right' no your not'. And she was a 32DD. It is so easily done as people feel comfortable and think that comfort = it must fit.

Someone came to see me last week that thought she was a 42/44 but she was a 36. I've seem almost all the boobs from up the school now word has got out what I do (its a church school so i cannot advertise'. The playground was full of ladies comparing boobs and bras on the last day. :rotfl:

smspencer

Blue_Monkey - what you've said is so interesting. I know I'm in the wrong size, but I have no idea where to go locally. I'm worried about buying online because I think 90% won't fit any better than what I'm in now. I've just watched a Figleaves video which tells you how to measure your band size, and from what you've said I guess I must be a 32 or 34 as I'm size 12-14, but how do I find my cup size?

blue_monkey_2

smspencer, what bra size are you wearing now and how does the cup fit on it (the bra you are wearing this minute, not the one you think you should be wearing)? is it bulging, flapping around, gaping, etc... If you do not want to say here I understand that so PM me and I can give you a starting point. You can get it quite easily from the bad fitting bra if you know what you are looking for.

I'd advise watching the Freya video on fitting, it is very thorough (not seen the Figleaves one tbh).

smspencer

Thanks for the reply :-)

I'm wearing a 36C. I had been in 34Bs for ages but they were too small so I got this one recently which is better, but to be honest it is sort of gaping a bit at the top of my boobs, well not gaping but I feel like I'm not quite filling it if you know what I mean. It does go round my back much better, because my old bras all ride right up at the back.

I've just measured round my back and it's 33inches. According to a size chart I've just looked at that makes me a 38?!? Is that right?