bra fitting

zenzen

Can anyone reccomend a good store to get a bra fitting done in? I got one done in Marks and Spencers and came out as a 36B, said it to a friend who reckoned someone a size 10/12 shouldn't be a 36 back usually and that Marks and Spencers often measure a big back size and small cup...what do yee reckon?? Are La Senza good for getting measured? I am based in Cork.

Rb

Post pics and someone here might be able to help you....

Oobie

M&S are useless. I got measured in 3 M&S shops over two days (bit of an experiment) and I varied from 32DD to 36C. I went to 3 other stores to get measured the following week and they all gave the same size which I take to be my real size.

boffin

Oobie wrote:

M&S are useless. I got measured in 3 M&S shops over two days (bit of an experiment) and I varied from 32DD to 36C. I went to 3 other stores to get measured the following week and they all gave the same size which I take to be my real size.

Total agree M&S are hopeless. The measurement they gave me was completely wrong...where else tho can you get measured???

Niamho!

La Senza do Bra fittings!!

And you can be a 10/12 and a 36 back....I am.
just head for the Fitting room in La Senza and ask one of the girls to do it for ya! they're dead nice!

Niamho!

isn't there a way that you can do it yourself with a Measuring tape? i used to know how.....its Accurate too coz i tested it on myself at the time. lol

boffin

Niamho! wrote:

La Senza do Bra fittings!!

And you can be a 10/12 and a 36 back....I am.
just head for the Fitting room in La Senza and ask one of the girls to do it for ya! they're dead nice!

La Senza bras I think have the best fit and are pretty/sexy at the same time. I never knew they did fittings tho -- Must get one done the next time I'm in there.

I think you can - at least for your band size all you have to do is take a measuring tape and measure around you where your bra strap should go - this will tell you the number of inches you are and the size of your back strap.

Niamho!

boffin wrote:

La Senza bras I think have the best fit and are pretty/sexy at the same time. I never knew they did fittings tho -- Must get one done the next time I'm in there.

I think you can - at least for your band size all you have to do is take a measuring tape and measure around you where your bra strap should go - this will tell you the number of inches you are and the size of your back strap.

i didnt realise they did them either til i asked about one of the sizes. i noticed they were a bit Squishy on me and she offered.

Nevyn

http://www.blooberry.com/bformfaq/measure.html

Knee-Vee

The first time I was measured in M&S the lady who was doing it didn't use a tape. She looked at me, said "I reckon you're about a ****" (I'm not telling you my size!) and then proceeded to fling bras at me. She was right, but I felt kinda embarrassed. I would prefer to have someone use a tape. The bigger Shaws branches are very good at it, and they have decent basic bras there. Nothing remotely glamorous but they have a selection of those sensible bras we all have at least 2 of.

tSubh Dearg

I find La Senza have quite tight fitting backs, I'd wear a 36 but with them it's always a 38 and that can be tight!

M&S are crazy at measuring, I used to work in the trade and a woman came in looking for a EE (a size which doesn't exist) after being told that's what she was by them.

I know Ann Summers do measuring and they have a branch in Cork, or if you're in Dublin, Arnotts are definitely the best fitters I've found.

Niamho!

Some of the La Senza Bra's can be a Weird fit alright. sometimes i buy one and i cant move an awful lot without Poppage. lol

Frankiestylee

Niamho! wrote:

Some of the La Senza Bra's can be a Weird fit alright. sometimes i buy one and i cant move an awful lot without Poppage. lol

That maybe on purpose :P

I asked a friend who works in La Senza and she said that most of them are excellent at measuring etc.... she then gave me far too many details about the whole process, I mean, she's like a bra-nerd or something. My idea of her job being super sexah is now shattered with maths. Damn.

microgirl

Personally I'd go to www.bellalusso.com and order one of their special bra fitting tapes and do it yourself.

M&S are rubbish, and so, frankly, are any other non-specialist shop I've been to here. I would agree with your friend that you really can't be a 10/12 and a 36. I was measured as a 36 for years, in every shop I went in to, until I went to a Bella Lusso Perfect Fit party and taking one look at me she said "You're a 36 my foot". I am, in fact, a 30/32. And a size 12/14

(I'll say to the other girl who said you could be a 10/12 and a 36, because she is - admittedly I've never seen you but I would be very, very, very, very, very surprised if you are. I'd even go so far as so say "No, you're not" except that would be appallingly rude . But you could also have been measured incorrectly for years as I was)

Now, I've never been to La Senza for a fitting as they don't do anything remotely approaching my size (I need to go to specialist specialist shops, like Bella Lusso or Bravissimo ) so I don't know what they're like. But bear in mind that the *average* correct bra band size is 32, not 36 as many would seem to think, and that most women wear their bras far, far too loose in the back. I was shocked and horrified at how tight the size the Bella Lusso girls told me I should be wearing was when I first wore it, but oh dear God were they ever right! I wore one of my old 36-- bras the other day in desperation and there was *no* support.

Ideally you should just about be able to get two fingers under the strap in the middle of your back. Not with wiggle room, but honest-to-god just the two fingers (some say one, but that can be very tight). It will feel very tight to begin with, especially if you go from something like a 36 to a 32 (oh, and it should be that tight on the first hook. You should not be wearing a new bra on the 2nd or 3rd hook - they're there so you can tighten the bra as it loosens over the couple of years that you'll get proper use out of it) but you will get used to it and never go back

As for the la Senza bras being weird sizes - all bras are. Just like every other blasted item of women's clothing there isn't really a standard size (despite the fact that bras are made directly from dimension measurements! Agh!). Panache for instance tend to fit quite loose, Kalyani tend to fit a bit tight. I have bras in three different sizes in my wardrobe, and all of them are the "right" size for me. So be prepared to try on a few different sizes in different styles.

Right, um, I've evangelised enough for one post I think!

Niamho!

im no bigger and no smaller than a 12 on top even with my quite large boobs and i swear to you after numerous measurements....I'm a 36. its most definitely possible....unless im a freak.... i must just have a broader back. anyway if you look at the Size Guides of most clothes shops i think a 12 is a 35.5 - 37.5 bust...im only thinkin of one particular shop there anyway.

boffin

Well went in at the weekend and got fitted by la senza - compared to my m&s fitting - they ranged in difference by one size on my back (not surprising as I'm between) but scarily they differed by 3 cup sizes! The la senza fitting seems to be right as it is the best fit I've had in a long time - so note to everyone don't go to m&s as they seem to just tell everyone that I have spoke to that they one particular size!!

fits

I wouldnt go by size alone anyway. I go on whether the bra fits or not...

To assess this properly theres a good guide here..

1. The strap around your body should be firm but comfortable. When you stand side-on at a mirror, the strap that runs around your body should be horizontal and should not ride up at the back at all.
2. The wires at the front should lie flat against your rib cage and should not dig in, rub or poke out at the front.
3. Your boobs should be enclosed in the cups and you should have a smooth line where the fabric at the top of the cup ends and meets your bust. You shouldn't have any ridges or bulging over the top or sides of the cups, even if you are wearing a balconette or lower cut style.

I-like-eggs,mmm

microgirl wrote:

...I would agree with your friend that you really can't be a 10/12 and a 36.

Yes you can.... I'm a size 10 with a 36" back... Everyones anatomy is different. I've tried on different back sizes, 34" sometimes fits, but there's nothing worse when a girls bra is too tight on their back and it's visible throught their top...

Niamho!

I-like-eggs,mmm wrote:

Yes you can.... I'm a size 10 with a 36" back... Everyones anatomy is different. I've tried on different back sizes, 34" sometimes fits, but there's nothing worse when a girls bra is too tight on their back and it's visible throught their top...

Yay! was startin to worry!

starstella

I can highly recommend lingerie store "Change" for a good bra fitting. I have just had the best service I have received in any store in there. The assistant could not have been more helpful and ran back and forth bringing me different sizes in many styles and colours. She also checked every bra I tried to make sure it was a good fit, in her expert opinion! She didnt give me a definitive bra size that I was and said the only way to know is to try. I went in wearing a 34D and came out in a 32E. I knew I was wearing the wrong size anyway. They also have a loyalty card which, as well as giving you points gives you 10% off purchases. They have a good range of prices so there is something for everyone. There is a store in the Pavillions, Swords(the one I went to) and also in the Omnipark, Santry(never been) I cant recommend them enough! Keep up the good work girls!:):):)

Twee.

I got measured in Arnotts recently and the assistant was very helpful. Went from 34B to 32C, which isn't a huge change, but I can certainly feel the difference!

KatiexKOUTURE--

Was in M&S a while back and they didnt have a bra in my size so the assistant says to go up a back size and down a cup.. Couldnt believe she would think of doing that!..

Pythia

I think the most common problem with bras is people buying too big a back size and too small a cup

RentDayBlues

Another problem is that although there are set sizes, each manufacturer sizes are different! La senza sizes seem to be a little smaller - what fits me from La Senza wont fit me in M&S. I think its always a good idea to get fitted in each store and go with that.

By far, La Senze were the best

what2do

Arnotts are good - try and get one of the older ladies working there and they are very helpful and totally practical.

starstella

I cant comment on La Senza from personal experience but my boyfriend bought me some underware there last year and they gave him some pretty bad advice. He had my size and although I know it can be dodgy buying for someone else, it would have been fine if the assistant gave good advice. He went in with a 34D and size 10 knickers. She said thier sizes were smaller than the norm and recommended he get a size 12 in the knickers (which were too big) and let him get the size in the bra he came in with(which was too small) He said all they were bothered about was how cute it was that he was buying underware for his girlfriend! Never tried arnotts but it gets great reports. I've been to M&S too and from my experience and all reports they seem to be the worst for fitting.

SugarandSpice:)

Hey! Know this is an old thread but I was looking for somewhere to get a bra fitting done and I did a search and came across this! I decided to go to La Senza as there seems to be a lot of good reports and I was very happy with them there! The girl who measured me was really lovely and helpful and suggested bras that I never would have thought of! So I'd definitely recommend them!:)

Jaino

Hello! I must confess I've never got my boobs measured. May I ask, do you have to do it topless?

marko91

Rb wrote: »

Post pics and someone here might be able to help you....

ye what he said:rolleyes:

Tbh OP I spent about half an hour or an hour in M&S at one point just trying on diff sizes and finding out what felt best. Bra sizes vary depending on bra types anyway so you might not be one size in all of them at all

sam34

Jaino wrote: »

Hello! I must confess I've never got my boobs measured. May I ask, do you have to do it topless?

any time ive gotten it done they measuew you over your own bra or eben over a tight top, then get you to try on various bras and they look/tug/hoik them to see if theyre the right size.

its not daunting at all, the assistants are all clued in and practical, imo

nesbitt

I sorted out correct bra size last summer. I must say it makes a huge difference to comfort and fit of my clothes. I took under bust measurement and got a friend to ensure the tape was straight across my back to get my 'band size'. Dont have tape too loose or indeed held to tight. Then measure your bust and fullest point to try to establish your cup size. The difference between the band size and fullest measurement is your cup size. Bra manufactures have different ways of calculating the cup size but generally 0" difference between the band size and fullest measurement size is 'AA' cup, 1" difference between band size and fullest size is 'A' cup, 2" difference is 'B' Cup and so on. So measure your band size and try on several cup sizes of the exact same bra and you should get the best fit. I went down a band size and up 2 cup sizes when I got the correct sized bra. :eek: So it is well worth getting the proper fit sorted.

biddywiddy

Can anyone recommend somewhere in Galway for bra fitting? We don't have a La Senza here