I HAVE to add a few inches to my band. If I go by the measurements, I get severe bruising. Maybe I am buying a brad of bras that are made "smaller", dunno...but if one tries to fit me in a bra that is 34 around, I would be in pain, and I mean tears kind of pain. I measure 34 but I wear 36 band ( I even have two 38's that fit VERY well; flat on front, not riding up etc). I have very full breasts, I have not lost volume from the top part (volume loss seems to be typical for a 45 year old woman). -- Funny; I have gone braless as much as I could; maybe the French study is right on? :rofl:

My rib cage measures 34
Bust 41

Which means 34F by some "experts"... but I am the most comfortable in 36E

Fitting is an art form. One has to look at each individual body and type. ( I worked for a bra store as a store manager for 2 years whilst in college).

Good luck finding a well fitting bra!

And about Panache... I have their sportsbra, and I absolutely love it...again I had to pick an odd size to me; 38DD. -- Someone here at 3 FC called it a "boob armor"; very fitting :lol3: Does Panache make other bras as well?

Good thing you brought that up - I have the Panache sports bra as well and love it. The wires aren't nearly as deep their normal models and don't dig into either my arms or sternum. The support is excellent, too! I completely forgot about that bra but it was the best sports bra purchase I've made in awhile and the only one of the Panache line I can comfortably wear, as a short torso body type.

hey everyone :D

i went to lane bryant, and found out i fit into 38DDD's and 40DD's. i chose the 40DD because the band was not as tight. AND i got a great deal on it! usually the bras would have been $45 each, but there was a sale going on AND we opened the free credit card from them (hello cute dresses that are actually IN MY SIZE) and we ended up paying only $35 for TWO bras! can you say JACKPOT!?


adding this info to the first post

So glad you found some bras that work for you. It makes a big difference in how you feel and how you look in clothes.

This does happen! It has something to do with the shape of your ribs. So while underbust equals band size for MOST women, it's not true of all women. Usually what I see happening is women find tight bra bands uncomfortable so they go up a size when in reality they should be wearing them tight (Not you! Bruising is definitely not supposed to happen haha). It really is something you have to get use to if you are use to wearing a looser band.

Makes sense that our needs are indidual. Just like some people look best in low rise pants, others in mid-rise and others in high rise. Skinny, straight and boot-leg, etc.

All our boobs are different shapes. Our rib cages are different shapes etc.

Here's a chart I found long ago about boob shapes:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g8...me-picture.jpg

I can't find something similar for ribcages, but that varies too, obviously. I have a very round ribcage. Like a barrel. It doesn't flare out and the underwires don't dig in (usually). I do have wide breasts though, so getting it all INTO the cup can be an issue. As far was what shape my breast are. They have ALWAYS been like mailbags. They have always pointed to the ground, been pendulous and heavy. Though, they aren't flat, just not perky 'upright'.

Oh, SO true! And let me tell you, NO ONE is happy with her boobs! Seriously. Client after client, and all of them think their boobs are shaped funny/hang weird/sag/etc. etc. Just like the way we feel about our stomachs/hair/etc. lol.

I rock a 40DD myself. Personally, I hate being braless even for a hot minute in the shower. i wear my bras to bed...I get some admiration for the ladies, but boys don't realize that bras do all the work, make them look pretty! hahaa. I have always been large chested though - I was a C when I was only 13 years old, so it's just what I'm used to. I like to think that if I ever lost the puppies I would happily walk around 1970s style - free hangin' with a tight sweater! Who knows? Maybe the future has it in store...hahahah

I JUST read some articles about this a few days ago. This touches on it a bit, but I liked this article better.

And if you go here, it answers why men can "jiggle" or go topless and women can not....women with jiggle around the work place deemed less worth to become executives by both men and women.

Oh...the shame.

But yeah..I'd go braless. When I was a FFF, no way in heck. But now that I am a D, you had better believe it!

ETA: Worth mentioning I had Breast Reduction Surgery and had 6.23 pounds of mammory tissue removed...BEST...EVER!!!!

that's awesome! i used to have a friend who was a KK but her body was QUITE thin, so she had horrible back pain... and now she's a D and she looks much more in proportion and doesn't have back pain. idk how many lbs she had removed but it must have been a lot!

Pretty much flated chested here - I'm a debateable C cup and I just became comfortable w/ going braless like a month ago. I would do it more often if I was afraid of my nips becoming cold! lol. Only fear. I feel so uncomfortable w it on! Maybe i'm wearing the wrong size, who knows!

I would love to go braless! However, the back ache wouldn't be worth it! Hopefully as more weight comes off the girls will shrink too, then just maybe....!!!

I'm bra bound all the time now. I totally destroyed my boobs from years of excess weight gain, going braless, and stuffing them into a 54 DD when what I needed was an H cup. Now that I finally have the right size bras and have taken some weight off, the tissue migration has stopped and instead of awful hanging saggy things, I actually have a pretty nice 42H rack. What more weight loss will do is anyone's guess.

Ugh. I totally feel you on this. I used to wear an a to b cup and I miss it so much. I gained more around the ribcage than cup size, but it's horrible to wear an uncomfortable bra all the time.