Bra sizes - help needed!

cosmic

Hi,

So I am trying to buy a bra online but they don't have my size. I am a 36D and I wear my bras on the tightest loop. The closest size they have is a 34DD. I'm not sure if that would fit me though. Isn't it the general idea, though, that going down a back size and up a cup size (and vice versa) is acceptable, or am I way off the mark?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Cheers

rainbow kirby

A 36D and 34DD have the same cup volume, so if you wear your 36D bras on the tightest hook you should be able to wear a 34DD on the loosest hook relatively comfortably unless your current bras are very stretched out.

Have a look at the reviews too for the bra you want and see how it fits for others - if the general recommendation is that it isn't true to size then you may have to make further adjustments.

Lastly - 36D and 34DD are fairly common incorrect sizes, it may be worth getting fitted somewhere that does a decent job of it.

Toto Wolfcastle

Going from D to DD probably wouldn't work. There's not enough of a difference. (Open to correction on this.) You'd have to go to E I would say, but regardless of that I wouldn't advise going down a back size without being able to try it on because the bra could end up too tight. It would be safer to go up a back size and down a cup size so that the back is not too tight but again, unless you can actually try the bra on (or at least return it easily) I wouldn't advise it.

tatli_lokma

yeah, you can generally get away with decreasing the back and increasing the cup, but in my experience it doesn't really work like that - Particularly for women like us who are above a C cup. A/B and small C cup sizes might get away with it, but not the larger cups. A lot of women seem to think the other size fits them just as well, but it usually doesn't!
Also the style of bra makes a difference - so balcony, full cup, half cup etc changes how the bra fits you.

I am generally one size, but half cup just wont fit me right. Certain brands I can need a bigger cup size, but rarely need a different back size. In one brand I am a full cup bigger than another - but I know that now so know to order different for each brand.

Personally if it were me I would buy my actual size and if they didn't have that I wouldn't bother. If it is a brand name - like panache, freya, la sensa or whatever, I would prefer to at least try it on in a shop and then buy it online if it were cheaper. In my experience, bra's are worth a decent investment and the right size and shape does wonders for your whole look, your posture and can even make you look slimmer. So they are definitely something you need to try on. I have never bought a bra where I didn't have to try a few on before finding the 'right' one!

cosmic

Thanks for the replies!

I am definitely a 36D - I got measured in M&S a couple of months ago.

God, I hadn't even checked the return policy! I'm such an idiot! I just have though and it can be returned at any branch for a full refund so even if it doesn't fit me I might as well give it a shot.

Also, I should have mentioned that I'm only getting it to wear under a particular dress. All my regular (nicely supporting) bras can be seen under this dress and it looks awful.

Thanks again!

rainbow kirby

cosmic wrote: »

I am definitely a 36D - I got measured in M&S a couple of months ago.

That's your problem, M&S are AWFUL at measuring - it's quite common to get put in a band size 1-2 sizes too big and correspondingly a cup size 1-2 cups too small. Try Bramora or Arnotts if you're in Dublin.

tatli_lokma

M&S are generally good, but not as good as they used to be for measuring. Every time I buy a bra I get measured - your body can change without you realising it. The time before last that I got measured she was completely off the mark. told me I was 4 inches bigger and 3 cup sizes bigger than I am! Erm, I think I would have noticed a growth spurt like that! lol And she was adamant that she was right! I ended up going to Arnotts and getting measured, and I was the same size as previously.

Toto Wolfcastle

rainbow kirby wrote: »

That's your problem, M&S are AWFUL at measuring - it's quite common to get put in a band size 1-2 sizes too big and correspondingly a cup size 1-2 cups too small. Try Bramora or Arnotts if you're in Dublin.

They're fine if you're buying bras in M&S. They measure and fit to their own sizes. I've never had an issue in there, but as with every shop that sells bras, I never buy without trying on because sizes vary so much even within brands.

cosmic

Interesting! I usually only wear M&S bras but I'm curious now to try another brand in 'my size' to see if it will fit. I reckon I'll get measured in Arnotts too to see how they compare :pac:

tatli_lokma

I find freya brand and panache are very good - very consistent with their sizes (which M&S are not always). Once you get measured and know what size you are, you can be pretty confident that that size and cup shape will fit you in any of the designs. You can get good prices on both brands online and can often get good bargains in Debenhams and Arnotts in the sales. They keep their shape well too and don't loose elasticity as easily as I find M&S bra's do. You need to take care of them when you wash them, which is the only disadvantage - you can't sling them in the washing machine with a normal load, but worth the effort.

bscm

I've also found M&S bad at measuring.

Also OP, the tightest hook should only really be used when the bra is coming to the ends of it's life and has stretched. You may be wearing the wrong band size if you're mostly wearing bras on the tightest hook.

Moonbeam

also remember different brands are different sizes.
Change bras are smaller fitting then m and s etc

Tiddlypeeps

If you have to wear a bra out of the box on the tightest hook then you should try going down a size. Do you find the back of the bra rides up your back over the day? You probably find that bra's wear out very quickly on you if it doesn't.

Once you know what to look for it's very easy to tell if a bra fits correctly.

Set on the loosest setting the back strap should sit parallel to the underwire no matter how much you move your shoulders around, if it sits higher than that the back size is too big or is on too loose (sometimes it's not always possible to find a bra that fits well on the losest setting).

It shouldn't cut into the skin and hurt to wear if it does the back size is too small.

When you put the bra on you should have your torso roughly parallel to the ground, this makes sure all of the breast tissue ends up in the cup.

The underwire should touch the chest under the breast and in the center if the underwire goes up that high, the underwire should at no point be raised off the skin if it is then it's likely the cup size is too small.

The cup shouldn't cut into the breast tissue at all, its common for women to wear bras like this resulting in what I've heard referred to as 4 boob syndrome.

The breast tissue shouldn't be oozing out the side of the bra near the under arm part, this means the cup is too small.

There should be no excess fabric bunching around the cup or if it's a padded bra then the breast tissue should meet the bra at the top or middle of the breast depending on the bra style, there should be no visible gap, but as above it also shouldn't dig into the skin.

Bra sizes can vary a lot form brand to brand and from bra type to bra type. Getting measure no matter how good the attendant is will only give you a rough starting point. You need to try the bra on. A good attendant will usually come and help you in the changing room, the really good ones are very hands pulling and playing with straps to make sure everything fits correctly. Knowing what to look for yourself can help a lot tho because it means you're not relying on the shop assistant.

I used to shop in Marie Sue in Carlow before I moved to Dublin, they have the best shop assistants I've ever experienced. They come into the dressing room with you once you have the bra on and they start playing with the straps moving stuff around to make sure it fits correctly. I've never bought a bra there that I was unhappy with.

Some people think they wear the wrong bra size because it doesn't hold them like Christina Hendricks, a well fitting bra will not hold you like that. To get that type of look you need to wear a cup size or two too small or wear a corset. Both of which are fairly uncomfortable.

I have successfully ordered bras online but you need to order from somewhere that is willing to accept returns. I ordered from Oxendales before, they do nice styles but the quality of the bra's weren't great. They have a good returns policy, I had to return about 3/4 bra's before I got one that fit correctly. It was way too much effort for what it was and I won't be bothering again. I now always buy in a shop.

Faith

I got a couple of new bras, and they're rubbing against my shoulder/arm fat. Is this a sizing issue or just bad design? They feel like they fit perfectly on my boobs and around my back, but the straps run just above my armpit .