Voted “best response to a snarky comment”, 2008.
Isn’t there some stat about how 75% of women are wearing the wrong size bra?
It seems that everyone I know who has had a professional bra fitting has had to go up a cup size or two and down a band size (or two). I went from a 36C to a 34DD in one day! The women I talked to for my fitting said that the band should be as tight as you can stand it. She fitted me into one, I wore it out of the store, and then later I was having trouble breathing, it was so tight!
Also according to the sales lady, you shouldn’t wear a bra for more than six months, as they lose there elasticity. She was appaled at the bra I was wearing, since I had it for over a year.
Not being able to find a bra that fits right is what chased me into wearing exclusively sports bras. I’d rather have an uniboob and be supported than have to spend days looking for a bra that fits. Since I wear t-shirts everyday, I can get away with this. If I have to go back to wearing button up shirts, I’m doomed.
That sounds like a crock of hooey to me. What’s the point of being any more uncomfortable than you absolutely have to be.
My problem? Finding a large band size with a smallish cup. 42B bras are nearly non-existent. I’ll stick with sports bras and the uniboob look.
I must be an anomaly. I had a few bras in 36C and a few in 34C. I got measured at VS and was declared a 34C. Of course then I went and lost weight and now none of my bras fit properly.
If I use the bra calculator on the Hanes site, it says I wear a 40AAA or some shit (they then say “sorry, we don’t have any bras in this size” :rolleyes: THAT was helpful!). I keep meaning to go in and have a person other than myself measure, but in the meantime I wear a 36C pretty comfortably.
My big gripe is finding a bra without 2 cup sizes worth of padding in the damn things.
I got a similar, and equally wrong result; I know for a fact that a 38 band hangs off of me, so how could that possibly be the right size? Why on earth do these calculators add 4 inches to the band size over the actual measurement of your ribcage? I thought they did away with that absurd adding to find the right measurement idea years ago.
See, I think that’s completely ridiculous. Bras shouldn’t be that uncomfortable; if they’re supposed to be, there’s an inherent flaw in the design. And they are gonna stretch but that’s what the hooks are for, get one that fits initially on the last hook and then you have room to tighten it as it stretches.
I did that for years. (well, not actually sports bras but those stetchy cami type bras) And then I was mocked by my friends. And they were right, a good fitting bra really does make a huge difference under clothes. But shopping for them sure isn’t fun.
Wow, that is a big change. You know, I bet you had stretched out the band so the cups would fit but it would pull the band away from you chest. And maybe ride up a lot. The new bra probably fits less “skimpily”.
Gosh, thanks. And that was totally my thought. I know I have more muscle that the average woman. If it makes me bulge out, these something wrong with the whole concept of bras. But you know, that’s one of the things I always notice on “What Not to Wear”. Supposedly they send the make-overees out for a good bra fitting but a lot of time I notice rolls. I think if a bra fits correctly, you shouldn’t have those, not matter what your weight.
That makes sense. I’ve had my bras way longer than the six months people here have heard. Like closer to 2 years. I’m wearing one of my 34Bs now, and it feels okay but it does ride a little. That’s what I meant earlier, about it “flipping”. I can fit a finger between my chest and the underwire.
You’re probably right, though. I am not the most fashion-forward person on earth and will happily wear jeans until someone points out that they’re falling apart. So trying to look at myself with a fresh eye is a good idea.
The lady told me they determine cup size by measuring underneath (where the band goes) then above (the swell of your breasts). Every inch of difference is a cup size. Don’t know how they determine the band, because I’m measuring myself at 28" where the band sits and I wear a 34.
I wore that new bra all day yesterday and it was uncomfortable. The band, cups, and tightness of the straps felt right, but the placement of the straps was wonky. They’re on the outer edge of each cup instead of the top, and they rub. Wonder if they’ll exchange it for me.
ETA: When I think DD, I’m thinking Scarlett Johansson. Am I just ignorant or does that sound right to anyone else? I consider myself more of a Natalie Portman, boob-wise.
I can’t believe no-one has asked for pics…so, pics?
Ew, no. You’re not supposed to constrict your chest with your bra. You’re supposed to be able to slip one or two fingers under the band without it pinching. Even corsets aren’t supposed make you unable to breathe.
I know what you mean. My underbust measurement is 35 inches, and I wear a 36 band. My bust measurement has increased lately, but not too long ago my bust measurement was 40 inches, which would be what band size some calculators would suggest. There is no way on god’s green earth than I am an A cup. If I am, then I’m a Romanov.
Some calculators suggest you take your upper bust measurement and use that for your band size. Your upper bust is taken above your breasts, under your arms and around your back. Mine happens to be 36 inches, which matches neatly with what band size I wear.
Of course, your best bet is just to try on hundreds of bras until you find one that fits. The size calculators might get you in the ballpark, but there’s nothing like trying them on.
Sisters, I feel your pain. The most irritating thing is when you finally do manage to find a bra that fits and is comfortable, they stop making it. You go to buy a couple more and quel surprise that bra is no longer being made and you have to start the miserable quest all over again.
I switched from underwired to no wires. A whole other level of torture. Added to this was the astonishing discovery that the ONE lingerie shop in my area that used to cater to customers recovering from breast cancer no longer does so.
About the only useful advice I can give anyone is to take a friend with you to run back and forth carrying bras for you to try on. It is such a complete pain to have to keep putting your shirt on to go find another candidate.
This thread is worthless without pics.
If you’re in the US, JCPenny’s line Ambrielle is my own personal bra shop. I’m a 42C now, but I’ve been a 42B, 40B, and 38B in the past. Unusual sizes, and really cute.
I’m a 30E.
That’s 25 inches under the boobs and 35 inches over the biggest part of them.
I wear a 30F in plunges and strapless (because the girls tend to overspill otherwise), and if it’s Elle Mcpherson a 32DD because they are big in the cup and small in the back. Otherwise, only 30E fit properly.
Bra ladies always do the “ooh, we’ll just try a bigger band size and a smaller cup, it’ll be fine” and then are forced to admit that no, it really won’t work when I can fit my fist between the band and my chest wall.
I don’t have the option of discount underwear because none of the high-street lingerie lines make my size, the specialist stores that do stock it run out quickly (so no sale stock) and anywhere where they are likely to have extra stock of my size at a discount price tends to look as if it is geared at the sex worker market. The extra money is worth it to not wear cheap red lace!
There is literally nothing as depressing as walking into a lingerie department of a new store, looking at lots of lovely, affordable bras and asking if they stock anything with larger cup sizes “oh yes, all the way up to G”. Great, and what size do the bands begin at? “32”. So I’ll pick up a 32D, a 32DD and 32E and try them on, just in case they’ll fit. They don’t. I then leave dejected, knowing that there isn’t one bra in the place that will fit me.
Figleaves, Bravissimo and a high-end local lingerie shop that will order in my size for me are my only options.
When I first got sized at Victoria’s Secret they told me I was wearing two sizes too large. I was wearing a 36D and they measured me and told me I needed a 32D, of which they only had about three bras because it is such an uncommon size. I tried on the 32D and thought I was going to die it was so tight. Ultimately I ended up with a 34D, but it still wasn’t comfortable to me. All of my VS bras are 34D, but I don’t wear them a lot because they just don’t feel right.
I think my problem with bras is that I have a boob job. Even though I am amongst millions of women who has had a BA, there are no stores that cater to that market. Because if you are relatively petite and get enhanced a few cup sizes, normal bras will not fit you properly. They just don’t.
So, I wear camisoles with built in bras, or I wear wireless bras from Kohl’s. I’ve given up on ever finding a sexy bra that fits comfortably.
This was my experience. I was wearing 34B and 36B before I was measured at 32C. Like the OP, I didn’t believe it – band size seemed too small, cup size seemed too big – but I got measured twice more at two different stores with the same result, so I suppose I should stop being so suspicious.
It doesn’t really made a difference, anyway. For one thing, I’ve had almost no luck finding bras sized 32C in any of the stores in my price range. I’m especially bummed that VS, my old favorite, told me they discontinued the size entirely 
Actually, to be honest, I’m not certain if I even own a single bra in “my” size.
Sizing aside, my boobs in no way resemble the shape or position of any bra’s interior, so I’ve got that going against me as well.
But most annoying? If I put on a bra one day, it’ll be completely comfortable and I won’t even notice I’m wearing one. Two weeks later the same exact bra will be the most annoying, uncomfortable one in the world.
Alas. I just have to accept that I will always be unhappy about bras.
Not being familiar with the boobs of either of those ladies, I can’t answer you for sure. However, I thought about this when I was sized, and reached a pretty reasonable conclusion/theory.
Assume the statistic about 75% (or whatever high percentage) of women wearing the wrong size is true. If almost everyone is wearing the wrong size, chances are your idea of what a certain size looks like is also wrong just because it’s nearly impossible to get a realistic picture.
I think you’re in the right size, but the wrong cut. Every maker of bras cuts them differently - I can try on the same size bra from a dozen different manufacturers, and some will look ridiculous, they’re so far from the right cut for me. All you can do is try them on for hours until you get one that feels right. For me, “feels right” means that things are all well-supported and nothing is squeezing out the top, bottom, or sides, or hurting.
(I don’t like the straps on the sides, either; it feels precarious to me. I just want things all hauled up to where they used to be, nothing fancy. )
I think their calculations can’t process smaller frames, because like you it claimed I must be an A too. 3.5" difference between bust and underbust is an A? When it’s a C by the 1 inch/cup size method? If you can by a 34C by one method or a 38A by another, no wonder 75% of women are alleged to be wearing the wrong size! I think, just to amuse myself, I’ll have to try on a 38A sometime 
Not for nothing, but this thread has me perusing different companies bras. I have a severe beef. How in the hell are we supposed to tell how a bra is supposed to look if every damned model has fake boobs? It is insane. I can’t stand full coverage bras and much prefer demi cups or balconettes, especially with wide set straps. Do you have any idea how ridiculous a demi push-up looks with hugemongous fake boobs perched atop the bra?
Are any national chains good for getting sized? With the caliber of help I’ve noticed in most places, I can’t even fathom them knowing what size I would need better than I do. I recall going to Burdines looking for 36D’s and not one sales person had a clue what line would even have them. I can dig around the racks as well as you can, trust me. (Another beef, not that I have that concern any more, but why on earth is a 36D such an impossible size to find?)