I chose “other” because I have no problem finding a bra that fits, given a helpful salesperson. However, as others have pointed out, bras stretch and bodies change, so keeping a bra fitting properly is a challenge.
Pretty much this. I finally found a good bra that I liked, then I got pregnant, and now I’m nursing, so adding that into the mix, I’ve just given up for now. I wear solely nursing tanks from target, gilligan & o’malley. They do nothing for looks or nipple hiding and don’t really give me that much support, but they are comfortable enough and cheap.
I think a lot of it has to do with the limited size range that many stores offer. If you fit within their parameters (and that’s not just a particular cup or band size, it’s a particular combination of cup and band size) you’re golden. If not, it’s very difficult. I used to wear a larger band size with a smaller cup, and bra shopping was fairly difficult. Now that I am a 36C, pretty much every bra made is available to me, and I can easily find bras that fit me perfectly. Being a standard size also saves a lot of money. Before I used to have to go for the $60.00 and up bras; now I can fit into the $19.99 special.
I’ve never been fitted, so I just do a wild-ass guess on a bra every 5 - 10 years or so. I’ve never had the nerve or patience or whatever to wait around in a department store lingerie department for some 17 year old gum-chewing part-time sales clerk to mess with my boobs. Ugh! All those makeover shows say you should get fitted, but where do you go to do that? What store actually employs anyone who knows anything at all about boobs and bras?
I also keep reading about how most women wear bras with the band size too big and the cup size too small, so with that and my current brassiere discomfort in mind, I bought a smaller band size/larger cup size. Of course it’s too bleeping small in the band (it pulls up right over my boobs for pete’s sake) and sure enough, the stupid cups are too bleeping big.
And I’m an average size. I cannot even imagine what it would be like for someone who needs a J cup a 28 band.
Many times I do this (big band, small cup) because my size is just not something that is available. Currently I’m a 32 H (I"m nursing) and I was thisclose to buying a 36 F just because they were on sale half off at the Bay. I talked myself out of it because wearing the wrong size bra not only makes me grumpy, but it doesn’t look good when you can see the band riding way up in the back and I’m having enough ‘I don’t look nice.’ issues right now without the girls giving me grief as well.
Nordstrom’s. No 17 year old gum chewers, more like 58 year old matrons with measuring tapes (who don’t even need the measuring tapes, their eyes are just that good.)
I made the investment for a couple of good, well fitted bras at Nordstroms for $65 each. (ETA: Not all of Nordstrom’s bras cost that much. But all of Nordstrom’s bras in my size cost that much.) Then I discovered Catherine’s, as mentioned above, with a knock off of the same bra (slightly cheaper material and stitching), for $22. Even though they don’t last quite as long, the cheaper price - enabling me to own more than two bras at once - is way worth it.
I think in March when it is the ceremonial buying of the undies time I may indulge in some custom undies from them, and a couple tank shirt dresses for lounging around the house in [looks more comfy than a mans shirt from a tall/pudgy store]
It’s hard for me, but a]I know enough about bras and fitting to know that b]I’m an unusual size, so no ‘real bras’ that fit properly and flatter are carried anywhere in the USA. Incorrectly sized bras are uncomfortable or even painful for me to wear as I have really sensitive breast tissue, it can’t be squeezed or poked by a poorly-fitting bra for very long or I will get lasting soreness and sometimes, cysts.
Since I have shipped in all of my correctly-fitting non-sports or flattening ‘training’ bras from Britain or Scotland, I voted ‘very hard’.
ETA: I usually wear a 28C, so I’m stuck in the no-man’s land between kid sizes (28A and B) and the many specialty brands that cater to the small-backed, larger-busted woman (28D+). I think I’ll make it into the second category if I gain the weight I want to.
I votes “Somewhat hard”, for reasons that have already been mentioned: I’m a hard to find size, many of the available styles don’t feel right or are otherwise not what I want, and some styles I did like have been discontinued. I recently found a Vanity Fair bra that I like (after literally trying on EVERY BRA IN THE STORE that came in my size), and I stocked up – I have four identical ones now and am planning to buy more. I’ve been burned by the discontinued style thing too many times before.
Lots of women have never been properly fitted or believe they should still be wearing the same size they have for years. The fact that bras get stretched out over time can add to the confusion – if a woman has gained weight her stretched-out bra band may still fit fine, but when she goes to buy a new bra in the same size it will be too small. There can also be a lot of variation in fit with different styles or manufacturers.
Another common problem is that when a bra doesn’t fit right, it can be difficult to tell why. For instance, if a woman’s bra keeps sagging down in front she might reasonably assume that she needs to tighten the shoulder straps…but this just causes it to ride up in the back while still sagging in the front. She might then wonder if she’s wearing too big of a cup size and try something smaller, only to find that her breasts bulge out at the sides of the smaller cups. In this case the actual problem is likely wearing a band size that’s too large, but this isn’t exactly intuitive.
From a guy’s standpoint this is interesting, as you would think it wouldn’t be such a difficult thing, but evidently it is.
One of my tests of a great bra is whether or not I keep it on when I don’t really have to. Sometimes taking the bra off is the greatest aaaahhhhh of the day.
There are so many variables (band size, cup size, underwires or not, padding or not, minimizer or not, color, strap detail, etc.) that the likelihood of finding the perfect bra in a department store is small. In my experience.
In my lifetime, I’ve owned more bras that weren’t right than bras that were.
Recently, I found THE ONE and I bought several of them. Now they will either discontinue it, or my weight will fluctuate and they will no longer fit. I love my breasts and love how they look when properly presented. But I hate the search for the perfect vehicle that supplies comfort, attractiveness and support.
I’m a 36A. It seem manufacturers have decided that I’d better have boobs if my rib cage measure all of 36. It’s really hard to find an A cup in something larger than a 32.
And I don’t like to order online since the cups are usually too narrowly spaced in the front. Apparently, my boobs are too widely spaced.
Finally, I need some padding to avoid the nips showing if I don’t wear a sweater or something over my shirt. I can find teenager bras to fit, but they usually don’t have any padding.
Honestly, I look in the mirror and I don’t appear to be a mutant with too wide boobs that are too small for my oh-so-giant rib cage. But I must be one.
We didn’t want to say anything…
I totally feel you - I bet when you walk into Victoria’s Secret and inquire about their sizing run they don’t gape at you like you’re a hideous mutant when you mention your size though. 
Not really hard for me. I got measured once at a nice bra shop with bra experts, and I’ve just gone with that size and that particularly brand. (I have noticed that with some brands, my size is a little off.)
I gave up trying to find a nice bra years and years ago. I’m a big girl AND a weird size to boot.
And finding a PRETTY bra? Im-fucking-possible. The American lingerie industry does business under the assumption that fat girls never have sex.
I’m not bitter, noo …
I don’t know about that. (Although the last one might give me a permanent headache from the sticker shock!) But yeah, compared to the 13 dozen cute cheap bras at Victoria’s Secret, it does take more looking…and more cash.
Timely thread. I read an article several years ago about how important it is to get a good bra and how big a difference professional fitting makes, etc. and since I needed some new bras anyway, I went to Nordstrom and got the fitting and splurged on some pricey bras.
MAJOR difference. Totally worth the money, imho.
Anyway, just yesterday I went to Nordstrom and went through the whole shebang, got a couple bras and today was BAD. The bra that felt great in the dressing room became increasingly uncomfortable as the day went on. So, even with a professional fitting, getting the right bra can be a challenge. (Although this is the first time I have had a problem with a bra from Nordstrom.)
Fortunately, since it’s Nordstrom, I had my salesgirl’s business card and called her up to make sure I could return it, and she assured me I could. Yay!
I felt this way when I was wearing a 32A. Turns out my boobs are not too far apart - I’m just not an A cup (even though I have very small breasts). If your actual ribcage measurement is 35 or 36" (or if you’ve already heard what I’m going to say), then my point is moot. But if it is something like 34 or 32", you might want to try on some 34Bs and 32Cs.
I’m just happy that I’ll finally be able to walk into a Victoria’s Secret and see if they carry my size! Yay for one opening in the spring!
Of course I could be horribly disappointed, but hope springs eternal…
Another problem I find, that I’m suprised hasn’t been mentioned, is that different shirts look better with different bras. Strapless, one shouldered, halter tops, even a wide neckline on a shirt, can all look bad with the wrong bra. But that wrong bra may be the best one to wear under some other top. So I think that even within the range of bras that fit properly I still need bras that flatter properly, a function that may vary.