Bra size confusion!!!
 

ok, I found this info on the Victoria's Secret Web site, and got to measuring at home...

"Step One: Band Size
Using a soft tape-measure, measure around the ribcage directly under the bust. The tape should rest on the lower band of your bra. Be sure the tape is snug, smooth across the back and level with the front.
Add 5 to this measurement to obtain your band size. For example, if your ribcage measurement is 29" + (5) = 34" band size. If the resulting band size is an odd number like 33", you can usually go to the next even band size (34"), but you may also want to try the next lower band size (32")."


• So I measured for band size and came out with 32.5. So with the 5 added, that's 37.5, or a 38. Which is what I am now. Weird how every other part of my body is different, OTHER than that number.

"Step Two: Cup Size
Measure completely around the bust at the fullest point, holding the tape measure straight but not tight. The difference between this measurement and your BAND size is your cup size. Each inch of difference is equal to one cup size. For example, if your band size is 34" and your bust measurement is 35", you wear an "A" cup.
if the difference is:
less than 1 inch =AA
1 inch =A
2 inches =B
3 inches =C
4 inches =D
5 inches = DD"

• My measurement was a 36.5...so if I'm doing this correctly, that'd make me an A cup? or an A 1/2....almost B?


Another site put me at a 36AA!!!!


I might cry...

That is the correct info. I work with bra fittings everyday. I would try both the A & AA and see what fits you better. Every bra style is going to fit a bit different. Due to the cut and material used.
Good luck
Kellsua

I've been wearing the same 38D bras I've worn for years (waiting for cash to get good new ones), and I would've SWORN I wasn't any smaller than a C, or at worst a B, the way they fit. maybe my bras have shrunk...

You might want to get fitted/measured by someone else. It's hard to measure yourself correctly.

Also, since your measurements are in half inches, you might be able to go down to a 36 inch band size which would bump up your cup size. You want to make sure the band is snug enough since most of a bras support comes from the band. Whenever I've been measured, they measure not just the band area, but also over and above the breasts to get a better feel for size.

Most women wear the wrong bra size (and probably have been for a long time), so it's always good to get fitted at a reputable store.

You're probably right, Zenor...I'll get measured by someone who knows what they're doing before I continue to spaz out.

??? But - the last time I measured myself around - I was 37. If I add 5 - that is 42. I curently wear a 36D and the bras I have fit me nicely - they are snug, but don't really leave marks - and my boobs do not spill out of the cups. I tried a 38 once, and it was too loose... so a 42 would be WAY too loose.

Anyone want some of my 36Fs? There's enough to around, sadly, lol. :(
I can't even shop at Victoria Secret. The most they go up to is 36D, and it's not even a real 36D. I hope when I lose weight I will also lose some of the 'girls', cause I don't what I'll do if I'm a 32 or 34 and still have F's.

Hi! I have another observation about the measurment thingy which might make going to a bra fitter even more attractive.

Think about the fullest part of the bust being measured on two women with the exact same amount of breast tissue. Woman A is nice and perky and was blessed with strong skin. Woman B was not so genetically gifted, and her girls like to just hang loose. So, Woman B's tissue is distributed over a larger vertical plane. Even though they have the exact same size breasts, Woman A would get a larger cup size from her measure than Woman B would.

So, don't spaz! ;) Go find a qualified fitter and let her help you out!

Yeah, time for a fitter. I had the husband help me last night, and we came out with a 36C. So who knows? I was hoping to get out of paying $50 or more for a bra I may or may not be able to wear for too long, but maybe that part of my body is done shrinking.... Thanks y'all!!!

Stupid ? probably - you do measure cup size with a bra on, right?

You need to be properly fitted by a "professional" someone who knows what they are doing.

I thought that I was a 36D but like most women, I got fitted and lo, my band size was too big and the cup too small.

I have been properly fitted as a 34DD. :o

My jaw dropped to the floor. :fr: I am a bigger girl than I thought. It is a wonder I don't topple over. :dizzy:

VS actually go up to 38DD these days. Though finding a 34DD with a wide enough band to handle the extra skin under my arms/on my side was a challenge...... sometimes they can be all style and no substance. But sometimes a girl just wants to wear something frilly and to **** with anything else. :) ;)

The ladies at Victoria Secret and not the best to fit you for a bra. Go to a big department store and get fitted. If you are on a budget, Penny's has bra fittings periodically.

You do not wear a bra when measuring. That would not be accurate.

:o For me, there's a 10 inch difference. :eek: I guess my breasts are OFF the CHARTS in a BIG way! :lol:

That's funny because in my mind it seemed like it would be more accurate, and then after I posted the question, I saw on VS site that you should measure yourself wearing an unlined or lightly lined bra. :?: For me, at least after having 2 babies, it's kinda hard to measure them in their natural positions sans bra!

Many of the current bra measurement rules (like the one you mentioned) are outdated and/or do not work for plus-sized women. This is a good one: http://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Your-Bra-Size

I tried the link above & it doesn't work for me. I measured and I'm a 30C according to it. I don't think I'll be finding any bras in that size!

This IS confusing!
 

Hmm. Yeah. Bra or no bra when measuring?

I was in a 34 C, and was measured at Gap Body, and told that I'm actually a 34 D or even DD, but was measured with my bra on.

Would the bra on during measurements make my measurements bigger or smaller than they would be otherwise?

I think you should measure with a bra on, otherwise the girls won't be anywhere near where they should be and the measurements will be off (in my case at least.)

Also, get fitted for a bra at a store that only sells bras or at a reputable department store that trains it's employees. If you don't like the answer (and the size is obviously not fitting) get another opinion. This happened to me once because the person measuring me was new (and couldn't count~had to use fingers~Yikes!) I went to another store and found a perfectly fitting bra in the correct size.

I find I always look a lot better if I take the size those formulas give, then go down a band size and up a cup size. I know at least one web site says that if your under bust measurement is 33 or more, only add 3 (not 5) to get your band size, and that has been helpful for me. If the band is too big, you're just not gonna get lift.

http://www.biggerbras.com/how-to-fit-a-bra.shtml

I measure my size with a bra on, those that aren't padded. But to be on the safe side, I still go and fit the bras on so I know how it feels on me.

:rofl:

FINALLY! I get to get a bra that actually FITS tomorrow, and find out what size I've become....wish me luck!!!

I always wore a cup size that was too small for me. A month ago I went to a bra fitter, and she told me that the 40C I was wearing should actually be a 38D or 38DD. I now werar the 38DD, and the girls look much more natural, without that "cup runneth over" look. I can now wear a low-cut top without feeling self-concious.

....deedee....

A couple of comments . . .

My measurement at my ribs is 34" . . . I comfortably wear a 36 bra. I just went down from a 38" after losing just over 40 pounds. You need something fairly snug around your ribs to hold the girls in place . . . otherwise, all the weight of your breasts is across the top of your shoulders. If you read about professionally fitting bras they say the vast majority of the work should be done by the chest strap. If the strap is too big, it slides up your back and the girls slide down your middle.

I don't care what any guideline says, I'm going to buy what holds me up and is comfortable to wear.

On to cup size . . . whoever suggested you could get a more accurate measurement without a bra on must not have very large breasts. What do you suggest large breasted women do?? Hold each one up?? One in each hand while a friend does the measuring? lol. Not trying to be insulting, just trying to give you a visual.

Soul - You crack me up!! :)

I love Bali bras because a lot of the styles have very FULL cup sizes.

I laugh when I see the Playtex commercial and the girls have space between their breasts. I have NO SPACE between them. None at all.

I consider my bras to be weapons against time. GIVE ME STRENGTH!!!