Hello everyone, I’m Lucy-Jayne and I’ll be talking about all things lingerie - how bra sizing works, figuring out your size, checking the fit, what styles and brands to try etc. The world of lingerie can be a real minefield but I have 5 years of experience in bra fitting and have seen bodies and breasts of all shapes and sizes, so if I can help make that a little easier for even just one other person then that’s a win to me!
Bra Sizing
Before I jump into how you can find the right fitting bra and where to look for styles that will work for you, I want to take a moment to explain how bra sizes work because surprisingly I find not many people know how the letters and numbers correlate. Bra sizes are made up of two things: the number which indicates your band size, and the letters which make up your cup size.
Your band size is a simple measurement of how big your rib cage is, right where your bra band should sit - aka your underbust. The cup size is where things get a little complicated, as this is a volumetric size (based on your overbust measurement) and is relative to your band size - bear with me while I try to explain this…
In standard bra sizing, a cup size is roughly 1 inch. Let’s take the band size 32 for this example - this means having a measurement of roughly 32” around the ribs. Someone with a 32” underbust measurement and an overbust measurement of 33” would be looking at a 32A (33 overbust - 32 underbust = 1 inch or 1 cup size difference), where someone who measures 37” around their overbust would be a 32DD (37 overbust - 32 underbust = 5 inches or 5 cup sizes difference).
It gets a little more complicated because with cup sizes being volumetric and based on the size difference between your bust and rib cage, they vary by band size. A 32DD, 34DD, 36DD and 38DD might sound like they would fit the same in the cup, but they don’t. The ‘DD’ cup size simply means the overbust measures 5 inches bigger than the underbust, and so a ‘DD cup’ looks bigger on bigger band sizes:
On the flip side, the sizes 32DD, 34D, 36C and 38B technically all fit the same volume in the cup but on different band sizes:
I hope this helps you visualise bra sizing a little better and understand how it all works before we jump into finding your perfect fit!
I hope this helps you visualise bra sizing a little better and understand how it all works before we jump into finding your perfect fit!
Finding Your Fit
As a professional bra fitter I know there’s a balance between wearing the technically correct size, and also finding what is comfortable for your body. The key part of your bra is the back band - this should ideally be offering around 80% of the support in your bra, meaning there’s not so much weight on your shoulders, but there are some people who will find this isn’t suitable for them due to chronic pain or sensory issues that makes it feel too uncomfortable to have a firm band. If this is you, I would recommend getting the band as tight as you can cope with to give the most support, and look for a bra with extra wide shoulder straps and added structure in the cups to help reduce the pressure on your shoulders that can come with a too-loose band.
So where do you go to get fitted? The sad truth is that many stores on the high street like Victoria’s Secret and Marks & Spencers do not offer reliable fitting services. Any store that uses a tape measure and a simple equation to work out your bra size should really be avoided if possible. If you have a reputable independent boutique near you these will generally be your best bet; the bra fitters who run these stores are usually trained in fitting by eye with years of experience, know their stock and styles by heart, and will work with you to find your perfect fit without needing to take your measurements. With COVID, many reputable stores and brands are offering online and virtual fittings to help you find your fit without leaving your home, such as Brastop, Curvy Kate, Nudea, Beija and Attollo to just name a few that I know give accurate results.
If you really want to go down the measuring route, the only online calculator I would recommend is the A Bra That Fits calculator. It isn’t 100% accurate, no calculator is, but this is the most accurate I have found as it takes a number of measurements into consideration. This should really be your last resort if you’re not able to get a decent in-person fitting and don’t feel comfortable doing a virtual fitting.
Bra Fit Checks
How do you know if your bra fits? All the components of your bra work together to give the best fit possible, but the three key things to look at are the back band, the straps, and the cups. When putting on your new bra, make sure you ‘scoop and swoop’ all your breast tissue into the cups (lean forwards slightly, and use your hand to reach into the cup and pull all your breast tissue forwards from your armpit) and then assess the fit.
As I touched on previously, the back band of your bra is what gives 80% of the support so this needs to fit firm around your ribs in order to give the lift to do this. Always start your new bras on the loosest set of hooks so that you can tighten them over time as the fabrics begin to stretch out from wear and washing. Ideally, you should only be able to get a couple of fingers under your band and be able to pull it away from your body by around 2cm to an inch.
The shoulder straps of a bra are mainly there to hold the cups in place, and should do minimal support in order to avoid strain on your neck and shoulders. I suggest adjusting your straps to a ‘two finger tension’ - enough to comfortably run two fingers between the strap and your shoulder and only pull it up by an inch or so, depending how stretchy the strap is.
When it comes to the cups, this is the most variable factor in the fit of a bra due to the different cuts and shapes available. Whatever style you go for, the key things to look for are ensuring the wires of the cup sit around your breast tissue (not pressing into it at your underarm) and tack against your sternum at the centre gore (the front of the bra where the wires meet in the middle). The fabric of the cup should also sit flush along your breast tissue, without digging in to cause overspill or gapping excessively.
[instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CGe-YCPAbxK/]
Common Fit Issues
So you know what to look for in the correct fit, but how can you tell if a bra doesn’t fit? There are some common issues that I’ll outline below:
Bust spilling over the cups: go up a cup size
Excess fabric/gapping in the cup: go down a cup size, and make sure your straps are adjusted correctly
Band riding up in an upturned ‘U’ shape: go down a band size
Centre gore not tacking: try going down a band size and/or up a cup size
Hook and eyes straining at the back: go up a band size, or check that your cup size is right (a cup size that’s too small will ‘steal’ away the length of the band and make it fit tighter than it actually is)
Wires digging into breast tissue: go up a cup size, or check that your band size is tight enough (a too-loose band won’t pull the wires open enough to sit around your breast tissue)
The most common fit mistakes I see are those wearing a band size that’s too big and a cup size that’s too small. Most fittings I do just require going down a band size or two and up the correlating number of cup sizes to retain the same volume in the cup for their new band size, so if you’re really unsure that’s the first thing I would suggest.
What Brands Are Best?
There’s no ‘one size fits all’ for underwear brands, just like regular clothes sizing and fit will vary between each brand and style (think of jeans; your skinny high waist jeans fit differently to your loose fit mom jeans and the same is true for balcony bras vs plunge bras, for example). Within the bra fitting community, British and European brands are regarded some of the best for those with fuller cup sizes.
There are loads of different brands who cater for different sizes: you have brands that cater just to the ‘core’ sizes of 32-38 A-DD like Victoria’s Secret, Intimissimi, Bluebella and La Senza; then you have the mid-range brands who cover sizes up to a G-H cup like Gossard, Playful Promises, Parfait and Pour Moi; then those who go all the way through to J-K cups and beyond like Curvy Kate, Flirtelle, Freya, Fantasie, Panache, and a range of European brands like Ewa Michalak, Comexim, Nessa, Subtille and Kris Line.
Along with these brands you also have those who niche down even further - for example you have Attollo Lingerie and Katherine Hamilton who are both British brands specialising in smaller back sizes and fuller cups, while brands like Elomi and Sculptresse by Panache are ‘plus size’ ranges geared towards those larger band sizes.
Finding your perfect bra fit can be a long, trial and error process and it can be frustrating, but stick with it! The correct fit can be life changing, and once you find it you’ll wonder how you ever thought your old bras were right for you.
So What About Styles?
Just like there are lots of different brands, there are different styles and shape of bra, too! You have balcony bras (sometimes referred to as a demi cup) which is your average coverage, everyday shape. Plunge bras offer a more revealing neckline with a lower centre gore for under lower cut outfits. Full cup bras offer extra coverage and cover more of your chest, while half cup bras offer less coverage than a balcony shape. Then you’ve got t-shirt bras which give a smooth shape, and both padded and non-padded options in almost all shapes. Each style has its own pros and cons, and it’s down to your preferences and your unique breast shape as to what will work for you. This is something that a good bra fitter will be able to work with you on, to find out what your best fit is!
Bra Fitting Misconceptions
Before I sign off, I just want to address some of the myths and misconceptions I hear from those who come to me for a bra fitting.
“I have back fat, I need to go up a back size” - Every. Single. Person has some degree of ‘back fat’ when wearing a bra. You have what is essentially a giant elastic band around your ribcage, it is going to displace some skin and tissue and cause it to bulge out from the band, but I promise you nobody notices it as much as you do. Besides, by going up a band size you’re only going to exaggerate it as the band will then be too loose, and cause even more spillage as it rides up your back.
“I can’t be XYZ cup size, my boobs are tiny!” - Cup size is relative to your band size; a 30DD will look a lot smaller than a 38DD! We’ve been conditioned by the media to think that anything above a D cup is humongous thanks to how they report on celebrities without knowing the first thing about bra sizing, so don’t get hung up on the labels and just focus on what fits and feels good.
“My bra leaves red marks at the end of the day, is it too tight?” - No, not necessarily. Just like other tightly fitting garments such as jeans, socks, and knickers leave impressions on your skin at the end of the day, a bra does too. It has a lot of work to do by supporting your bust for 8+ hours, so some redness is normal. If you’re experiencing pain, or are being bruised and cut by your bra then check the fit or try a brand with softer fabrics.
“Padded bras will make my bust look bigger, I don’t need any extra padding!” - Actually, if you’re wearing the right size, bras with a thin foam lining won’t make your bust look bigger at all; instead they just help to give a rounded shape with a fuller appearance, and help conceal nipples if that’s something you’re concerned about. The only bras that will make your bust look bigger are those with the thick gel padding in the bottom of the cups that claim to boost your cup size by 2-3 sizes.
So there we have it! I know this was long and it is a lot of information to take in at once, but I hope it helps you understand how bras work and encourages you to find the right fit for you and your body - they don’t have to be uncomfortable.
Lucy-Jayne x
BIO:
Lucy-Jayne is a British lingerie blogger, model, and bra fitter with 5 years experience in the lingerie industry. She truly believes in the power of a well-fitting set of lingerie, and is an advocate for small back/full cup sizes.
Instagram: @thelingerieprincess
TikTok: @thelingerieprincess
Blog: https://thelingerieprincess.com
Virtual bra fitting: https://brastop.com/pages/bra-fit-consultation