What the heck is the correct way to measure for a bra? Most sites I go to say “measure around your rib cage and add 4-5 inches. That’s your band size.” Why do you have to add five inches? If I measure and get 37, why wouldn’t my band size be a 38 (i have to add at least one inch, because no one makes odd band sizes)? I know that a 42 or 44 would be loose and hang off me.
The next step is usually “measure around the fullest part of your bust, if the result is x inches, subtract that from the band size and you’ll have your cup size.” Well, according to that logic, I would be a 42 A or B. No way in hell am I a B. Maybe in 7th grade I was a B for about 4 seconds. I am a D cup. (used to be F before the operation)
A very few other sites I go to say your measurement around your rib cage IS your band size. No adding crazy inches (except to get an even number). To me that makes more sense.
Can anyone shed any light on this? Why in the world add 5 inches to that measurement to get the band size?
No one agrees on what the correct way to measure is–I did a little research when a thread like this came up a couple of years ago, and I was told everything from band size 32 to 40, from cup size A to DDD. All using the same measurements.
If you really want a good fit, you have to see a professional fitter. Upscale department stores usually have them.
I don’t know why you have to add 5, b/c the actual measurement makes more sense. However, by my actual measurement, I’d wear a 32, which just wouldn’t fit. A 36 is usually too big though, so I go with 34 for the band size. So, I guess neither way really works for me…according to the “+5” formula, I’d need a size 37.
“measure around the fullest part of your bust, if the result is x inches, subtract that from the band size and you’ll have your cup size.”
I thought this was “subtract if from the actual measurement” not the band size. My bust measurement is 35, minus the actual band size in inches (32) is 3 inches, which gives me a C cup, and it’s what I actually wear.
Most people I’ve heard say just go somewhere (Victoria’s Secret, in the STL area there is a bra shop for stuff like this, dept store) and have someone else measure you, like Sattua said.
Another vote for going in for a professional fitting, which I did just a couple of weeks ago at Nordstrom.
My band size wound up being actual rib cage measurement rounded up to an even number. The cup size was larger than anything I would have tried on my own, but then again my own attempts at selecting a size left me with straps falling off my shoulders.
The product selection and staff knowledge at a good department store is worth the time and cost.
I’m semi addicted to make over shows and I’ve seen several where the woman being made over was wearing a too large band size and too small a cup size resulting in the girls pointing in a much too southerly direction.
There was one (What Not To Wear on TLC) where the woman had been buying 38 C her whole life when her actual size once they measured her was 34 DD. Those girls were just hanging out when they could’ve perked.
The cup sizes to get larger somewhat as the band gets larger so a 32C will have a slightly smaller cup than a 38C IME.
I haven’t had success at all getting fittings, so while it’s worth looking into, I don’t think it’s the end-all, be-all. Some stores will put you in a larger band/smaller cup because they don’t carry your cup size.
I think formulas can only determine a range of sizes to try. The ultimate factor is how it fits you when it’s on. Wires shouldn’t poke out at the front (they should lie flat against your breastbone). The band should be firm on the loosest setting (it will stretch). Cups should not pucker and your breasts should be fairly high. The top of the bra shouldn’t cut your breasts in half, but lie flat on the curve. Different brands fit differently…different styles fit differently.
Here’s a site that might be helpful for getting in the ballpark: bra-fitting.
Also, try different cup coverage and style. You may find that a balconette supports you better than a full cup. Sometimes, it’s just a bad bra that’s the problem. For example, you can try on every size within reason of a particular style and find that the front wires poke out no matter what.
Here’s a site with info on how to determine if it fits you. I think how YOU feel it fits you is how you determine the size. I’ve had success just going down a mental checklist of fit checks, and if it doesn’t meet all the criteria, next!
I just recently discovered that I’ve been wearing a C-cup my whole life, wondering why my brad were always uncomfortable, when I really should have been wearing a D.
I just recently discovered that I’ve been wearing a C-cup my whole life, wondering why my bras were always uncomfortable, when I really should have been wearing a D.
Everybody is slightly lopsided, and you may be up to a cup size bigger on one size.
If you go to a reputable store, not only will they give you your correct size, but you should also be able to try on a lot of different bras from different manufacturers. Because one manufacturer’s 38C can be another manufacturer’s 34D. I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. YM, of course, MV.
<P.S. which only concerns one person> badbadrubberpiggy, you’re female?!!! Damn, user names are misleading!
</P.S. which only concerns one user>
Hah- I measure 25 inches below my bust and 35 around it.
25+5=30
35-30=5
AA=-1, A=0, B=1, C=2, D=4, E=5
I’m a 30E or a 30F depending on the style and make.
I know this because 32 anything is way too loose to support me, and I spill over all 30DD and some 30E bras.
Sorry for the hijack but there was a series of 3 or 4 of the most hilarious threads on the subject of a male ho wanted to become a professional brassiere fitter.
Were these lost in the Winter of Our Missed Content? Can’t seem to find them anywhere…
Victoria’s Secret will totally do this, as they have done it to me. They told me once that a 36D is exactly the same as 34DD ('cause they don’t carry 34DD in all styles).
That’s because they aren’t equivalent. According to my plastic surgeon, for each decrease in band size, your cup size goes up. Assuming your actual breast stays the same size.
So if a 38C woman loses weight and now wears a 32 band size and doesn’t lose any breastage, she would wear a 32DDD. In the reverse, a 32C with same breast size would be a 38AA.
Not that easy. With breasts that large, most bra makers (at least in the US) create bras that are like straping yourself into a tank. And generally only a white tank, a beige tank, or a black tank. Or, in the alternative, stores don’t carry that size at all.
ms wonderland, i would suggest you haunt the off price stores. i see 32dd’s in ross and daffys all the time. they range in price from 20 dollars to 2.99! ya want me to send ya some, eh?
