bra fitting 101

photo by Cecil Williams

It's -14°C today, which is the coldest it's been all week! And even though it's a little chilly, I've been looking for dressy tank tops to go with my skirts because my office is just too warm.

The search for tank tops also had me searching through my bra basket for skinny straps, and I figured that I should share my bra fitting experience with you because it's been awhile since I posted it on journalspace. I'm not just a life insurance saleswoman - I'm also a lingerie specialist :)

Measure first!

Wearing a bra, place a measuring tape around your rib cage, directly under your breasts. The tape should be straight across the back and sit exactly where your underwires would sit in the front. For this exercise, I'll use my own, which is 38".

Next, measure the fullest part of your bust. Make sure the tape is still straight across the back. This measurement is 42".

42 - 38 = 4 inches. This is going to be the depth of your cup, and the scale goes like this:

1" - B cup
2" - C cup
3" - D cup
4" - DD cup
5" - DDD or E cup
6" - F cup
7" - G cup
8" - H cup

So if my rib cage measures 38" and my bust measures 42", my size is 38DD.

Trouble Shoot

- Do your straps fall off your shoulders? It's likely that your band size is too big. Remember that 90% of your support comes from the band, and only 10% from the straps. If you measure 32" or 33", try not to buy a 34.

- Do your underwires dig in at all? It's likely that the wires are too narrow, or the cup size is too small. Look for wires that go back further and take in ALL of your breast tissue, even that fleshy area under your arm.

- Does it slide up in the back? Go down a band size.
- Do the wires get pushed out the center? Go up a cup size.
- Do your breasts push out the underwire at the bottom? Go up a cup size.

Other Tips

- Hand wash expensive or perfect fitting bras. Machine washing them is equal to wearing one twenty-five times.

- Molded cup bras are not for adding fullness, rather they are for hiding nipplage.

- Buy a bra that fits the ribcage nicely on the middle set of hooks. This way if you gain or lose it'll still fit.

- You cannot wear a comfort strap bra with a tank top.
- You can wear a black or coloured skinny strap bra, but beige or white is usually a fashion faux pas.

More than 70% of all women wears the wrong size, but if you go into a store with a little more knowledge, unknowing salesgirls can't steer you wrong.

Have a good one!