How a bra should fit aka am I really wearing the wrong size?
Your bra should be comfortable and not really noticeable throughout the day. It is common for a woman’s bra size to change multiple times throughout a lifetime so if even if you’ve been measured before it is possible that you may need an update. Here are some tips to see if you are indeed due for a refresh!
- The center gore of an underwire bra should be flat against your breastbone.
- The (underwire) cup should completely encapsulate your breast tissue, including on the sides under your armpits. In non-wired bras, look out for underboob poking out.
- The shoulder straps should not be sliding off or digging in.
- The band across the back should be parallel to the underbust in front and fit snugly. The band is where most of the support in your bra comes from.
- When you first purchase a bra, you should start by wearing the band on the loosest hook. This way, you can get the longest wear by using the tighter hooks as the band's elastic stretches out over time.
How to determine bra size aka fix the problems listed above:
You can measure yourself to get a benchmark for your size. The band size is the circumference of your ribcage just under your breasts in inches. Your cup size is the difference in measurement from your band size and the measurement of the circumference of your torso around the fullest part of your breast. When you subtract the two measurements, begin counting the difference by letter starting with AA.
So, band size of 32" minus bust measurement of 38" = size 32DD). Many bra companies will fit true to this measurement, but not all of them. It is important to try things on because there is sometimes variation in the way different brands fit.
Most of our brands follow UK sizing standards, but there are variations. In general, a 1" difference between band and cup measurement will be an AA, 2"=A, 3"=B and so on. In the UK system, there are no triple letters, so once you pass DD, there will be E, F, FF, G.
Troubleshooting a bad fit can sometimes be tricky because cup size is relative to band size — meaning that, for example, a DD cup on someone who wears a 32 band size is much smaller than on someone who wears a 38 band size. This is because the cup size is an indication of the difference in measurement from the volume of the breast tissue and the circumference of the ribcage and not a universal measurement of a DD cup.
Have you ever heard of “sister sizes”? This describes the possibility of someone being able to wear multiple bra sizes because the cup on different bands are the same on ratio scale. So for example bras labeled 32C/34B/36A all use the same cup. So, to make things a simple and to make you deal with the minimum amount of math and questioning if OMG am I really an A/C/F cup??? we recommend trying on your favorite bra and evaluating the following to determine if you need to change sizes:
- Does the center of the front of the bra (center gore) fit flat against your breast bone? Are the cups floating away from your ribcage? You may need a smaller band size and possibly a larger/deeper cup.
- Are the cups gaping or puckering? If so, try adjusting the shoulder straps a bit tighter. If this doesn’t solve the problem, you may need a smaller cup size.
- Is your breast tissue spilling out of the cup anywhere (sides, bottom, front/top)? If so, try loosening the shoulder straps or increasing your cup size.
- Band too loose and cups just right? Go down a band size and up a cup size (36A --> 34B)
- Band too tight and cups just right? Increase the band size and decrease a cup size (34B --> 36A)
- Cups too big/small and band just right? Decrease/increase the cup size.
- Straps digging in? You need more support from your band - decrease your band size.
- Band riding up in back? Decrease your band size for more support and a firmer fit.
- Cup and band size too small? Go up a band size.
- Cup and band size too big? Go down a band size.
- Band too big and cup too small? Go down a band size and up two cup sizes. (36A —> 34C)
- Band too small and cup too big? Go up a band size and down two cup sizes. (32C—> 34A)