I am certainly willing to get sized in a lingerie store, but I'll have to find one. I was in Macy's where there were thousands of bras but no salesladies in sight. Maybe Nordstrom would be better?
I would try to search online for bra stores in your area. More cities have independent stores that deal specifically with lingerie and will be more knowledgeable than those in dept stores. Good luck!
The online size guidelines never work for me. That whole business of measuring around your rib cage and adding 5" to get your band size? That would put me in a 42" band, which would mean that my boobs would hang out underneath the band because it would be way too big.
I *so* agree. You'd think that a tighter band would *cause* back rolls, but I mostly find the opposite is true. When it's loose, the bans rides up into the rolls, accentuating them, but when it's snugger, it sits across or below them. Not to mention what actually having some lift in front (which a riding-up-band can't give you) does for your look.
I usually only add 1-2 inches to get the band size. Of course that will vary by brand. I actually saw at least one bra-fitting site that only recommended the 4-5 inches for torso measurements below 33 inches (I think, but it was something like that), otherwise only 3 inches.
Really, just try on smaller and smaller bands (any reasonable cup size) until it's snug and doesn't ride up at all. Then increase the cup until you fit in it. Then forget about the formulas. Most women will actually look best in a smaller band and bigger cup than any formula will tell them. Which, I think, is why we have a skewed idea of what constitutes a "big" cup, because we don't wear the right size.
One big thing I'd like to say: YES, bras are worth it. Especially for us larger ladies. Our boobs and back need good support, irrespective of how much back fat might be hanging over the strap (been there, done that, got the extra-large t-shirt to hide it). Having a well-fitting bra is good for our health, posture, and mood. So do invest what you can in making sure you're well-fitted!
I totally agree with this.
not so long ago I went and tried on a bunch of what I thought looked like cute bras at Lane Bryant, EEEEKKKK! so yes, I get the down side of it! sometimes style makes a huge difference, the same size but a different style.
you can also read about how to measure yourself (I saw an Oprah show about it), and try on bras that way.
Me too! It's like even an A cup is GIGANTIC on a bra with a bigger band size. I'm broad, not stacked...
Unfortunately the same is true at the other end. Not so easy to find 32D. I think I'll end up with a 30 band, but have a feeling my chest will shrink more with the last few pounds ... but even a 30C can be hard. The lower band sizes are almost all A and B cups.
My bras always ride up the back and the straps fall down, so I'm probably chronically wearing the wrong size. And my boobs usually look not that big but kind of saggy.
Windchime I like the looks of the bra on the link you posted, but I'm sort of scared to try ordering online
I am also to the point where I need to get a new bra, but the idea of going bra shopping is so overwhelming to me!
I am thinking about getting over my embarrassment and going to a bra fitting place in Atlanta called Intimacy. There are several locations in the US - has anyone been to one?
The Atlanta one is located in an upscale mall so I'm a little concerned that I'm going to be completely out of my element and shunned by the salespeople - think a much chubbier, less sexy Julia Roberts when she walks into that store in Pretty Woman and that's kind of what I'm envisioning, heh.
My bras always ride up the back and the straps fall down, so I'm probably chronically wearing the wrong size. And my boobs usually look not that big but kind of saggy.
Hi ubergirl If your strap is riding up at the back, then your back size is too big. Shoulder straps are less of an issue as they're adjustable; in theory (sometimes I wonder if the "theory" was written by a chap whose wife had "small to medium" size boobs ) the main gravity-defying work of a bra is done by the cups and the back strap, rather than the shoulder straps.
Whenever I go bra shopping these days, I actually hardly ever get measured with a tape measure or the like. The assistant and I find a bra in my "current" size (the style doesn't matter at that point) and, I try it on, and then we talk about the fit, is anything bulging where it shouldn't, etc. Once I've got an idea of the size I'm looking for, I'll ask after the things I'd like in terms of style, fabric, and so on (I hate lace on my bras, fwiw).
One tip a lady gave me: once you've tried on a bra you think you like, put your shirt on and see how it falls over your figure
My bras always ride up the back and the straps fall down, so I'm probably chronically wearing the wrong size. And my boobs usually look not that big but kind of saggy.
Windchime I like the looks of the bra on the link you posted, but I'm sort of scared to try ordering online
It does sound like you're wearing the wrong size. Do you have a Nordstrom within a reasonable distance? That's where I buy my bras. If your bra is riding up in the back, I can almost guarantee that your band size is too big for you.
Like someone else mentioned, I went to Macy's once but the only girls that were there were silly girls barely out of their teens who tried to shove me into a bra that didn't fit, simply because they didn't have my size.
One tip a lady gave me: once you've tried on a bra you think you like, put your shirt on and see how it falls over your figure
I do this, too. There is nothing worse than driving 120 miles home from Seattle and putting on my new bra, only to find that my boobs look like pointy cones or flattened melons under my shirt.
I also hate lace on my bras, or seams across the bust. I don't like seeing all those bumps and ridges through my shirt. It's seamless all the way for me, baby!
Are you in LA? San Diego has one of the best independent bra stores I have ever been to -- it's called Enchantress. I highly recommend it. They do NOT work on commission -- which means a lot to me.
After YEARS of being talked into whatever bra they had in stock (like at Lane Bryant), I found out that I was not a 44-46DD but a 38HH. My bras fit so well now, it's crazy. I look thinner and feel way more confident in my clothes. Good luck!
Are you in LA? San Diego has one of the best independent bra stores I have ever been to -- it's called Enchantress. I highly recommend it. They do NOT work on commission -- which means a lot to me.
After YEARS of being talked into whatever bra they had in stock (like at Lane Bryant), I found out that I was not a 44-46DD but a 38HH. My bras fit so well now, it's crazy. I look thinner and feel way more confident in my clothes. Good luck!
That is the only place I buy my bras! I've been a customer of theirs for over 10 years.
Are you in LA? San Diego has one of the best independent bra stores I have ever been to -- it's called Enchantress. I highly recommend it. They do NOT work on commission -- which means a lot to me.
After YEARS of being talked into whatever bra they had in stock (like at Lane Bryant), I found out that I was not a 44-46DD but a 38HH. My bras fit so well now, it's crazy. I look thinner and feel way more confident in my clothes. Good luck!
Alas, my residence in La-la land is only a state of mind not an actual physical location.
I was thinking Town Shop in NYC, but I read online comments to the effect that they are snobby toward the plus-sized lady.
At my highest, you could just forget about bra shopping. I ended up sticking with my 46Cs that had stretched to the point that they fit even when I gained weight. I could not get in a 46C in the store... and I realize that they stretch (obviously) but you have to at least be able to wear it for that to happen! Even Lane Bryant never seems to have 48+. I've lost about 10lbs and went to get a bra again. I got one 48C and one 48D at the Avenue (or maybe I got 46? too lazy to get up and figure out)... the D cup is just too big. C fits perfectly, but it's still a tight so I'm using an extender until it's stretched out enough. I was going to take the D cup one back and get another C but of course, they don't have any.
I've tried online calculators before and they said I should be a DD... I don't understand how that's possible when I am swimming in a D. I really don't understand bra sizing, haha.
... but even a 30C can be hard. The lower band sizes are almost all A and B cups.
If your strap is riding up at the back, then your back size is too big. Shoulder straps are less of an issue as they're adjustable; in theory (sometimes I wonder if the "theory" was written by a chap whose wife had "small to medium" size boobs 
) the main gravity-defying work of a bra is done by the cups and the back strap, rather than the shoulder straps.
