Odd Bra Sizes
 

Have you ever gone bra shopping and noticed that there is never that ribcage size to match your cup? Or they just don't seem to think that you need the straps to be so long or so short?

In my lifetime, I have cried at least six times while hunting for bras. I have had saleswomen make fun of me. I have gotten disgusted looks from jealous women and pitying looks from others who understood my problems. I've gotten the, "Well, it's not my problem if you can't find bras," while shopping before. I've also gotten the, "I don't know why you're whining about bras if you're that lucky, anyways."

You see...I'm 4'10", about 110 lbs., and I currently wear a 34 or 36DD (depending on brand). But the clothing industry doesn't seem to think that small people can have (naturally) large breasts. So, if you've ever had issues finding that perfect bra, or have suggestions for stores that cater to oddly-shaped women, let us know. Us crazily-disproportionate gals would love to hear from you, and share our stories. :D

Apparently, EVERY woman is supposed to be between a 36 and a 40 C. It drives me insane >.<

I feel your pain, hun.
Same with dress shopping.
There's only been 1 time in my life when I didn't have to wear a stiff, uncomfortable 24-hook corsette-style girdle bra with a dress. And the dress had a laceup back so I couldn't breathe anyways lol

Last time I went bra shopping at JC Pennies, the little Asian woman who was assisting me laughed at me and said I should just leave.

You're telling me! I reported her to the store manager and I guess she got moved out of lingerie for offending myself and other customers, lol. I've found I prefer Carsen's to JC Pennies, though. And I've had good luck at Target the last few times I've tried on bras there. My newest "good boob" bra is from Target :D

I've never done a mail order bra myself, but consider looking at Bravissimo. They generally carry 30-38/40 DD-I. They're actually geared toward regular sizes but large cup size (they don't go much into plus sizing.

http://www.bravissimo.com/error404.a...th=/about.aspx

I'm a 36 (depending on the bra) but it's the cup that's my problem! c's are too small and D's are too Big!! I need a C and a half!

Some companies DO make half-sizes. It's hard to find them above a C (in fact, no one makes a D.5) but they're out there, somewhere. Playtex is the brand to look for for half-cup increments.

try fredericks of hollywood. Its kinds like a victoria secrets, but carries larger sizes. they have lots of stuff on their website. www.fredericks.com

Even when you are these sizes bra shopping is a nightmare! I'm a 36 C and I still have problems finding bras that fit well. I think the main problem is that most bra manufacturers seem to have forgotten what quality is. Plus there seems to be no really standard of sizing. It's truly frustrating. I used to love Bali when I was larger, but find their bras have no support in the smaller sizes. Hello? I don't have 18 year old boobs anymore.

On top of all that, if 36 C is the "average" size, how come I can't find a button up top that actually buttons? I digress... that's a complaint for a different thread.

I always have to buy my bras online. I can't even go into Lane Bryant to get them bc they don't carry them big enough. I hope by losing weight the girls will shrink too so I can just walk into the store and get a cute patterned bra!

My sister had a successful breast reduction in June. She went from a DDD to a C cup. And even SHE can't find good bras.

The lucky b!tch doesn't even really need a bra anymore, because the plastic surgeon made them so firm for her................:mad:

I wish! Lucky girl!

She used to be twice my size and could never wear my clothes...now she wears them and makes them look better than me. Not so good for the sibling rivalry ;) lol

The best things that you can do if you are having trouble with bras:

~Get professionally fitted. Preferably at a BRA store-like the Playtex/Bali/Hanes outlet stores, or other stores that are bra specific. (I don't really care for Victoria's Secret for bra fittings...) One problem is that women are often wearing an incorrect size. Bra sizes can change with a 5 or 10 pound gain or loss, and change multiple times throughout pregnancy, nursing, etc. Get refitted a couple of times a year, or whenever making bra purchases.

~If you wear a hard to find size (large band size/small cup...or small band size/large cup) and are having a hard time finding the right size in Target or Wal-Mart...go to a specialty bra store.

I recently had this discussion with my mother, and DRUG her to the Hanes/Bali/Playtex outlet store. She has a small band/HUGE cup size...and nothing she owned fit right. Her bras were riding up in back, and her boobs were falling out of the front. She was wearing a 38DD. After she was measured...they told her she was a 36DDD! The smaller band, and larger cup made a WORLD of difference. Because of the small band/huge cup size-she will only be able to get her bras there, or order them online. Wal-Mart and other stores like that don't carry them.

I got refitted recently. I was a 40DD 6 months ago, and now I am a 38DD.

I have small boobs but a larger frame (38B). My smaller side could almost be an A cup, so I actually put a little padding in the left cup just to keep me from being too lopsided. Anyway, there are SO many brands out there that don't even come in a 38B. Can it really be that rare of a size?? I mean just because you have a wide body doesn't mean you have big boobs! Victoria's Secret only carries that size in CERTAIN styles of bra, which I also can't understand. It's so frustrating. The bras I always want are the ones that don't offer my size. :(

I just found out that before I leave my mom is treating me to new bras. Coming from someone who owns FOUR, this is exciting.
Moreover, AFTER I leave I will be within a two-minute drive of some of the best shopping in the state, plus Chicago is only a train ride away.
If I can't find bras with my ma, I at least know I'll be able to find some after I leave :D :D :D

Bra shopping is TERRIBLE for me. I have quite the lopsided set of boobies. My left boob is about a 38D and my right boob is about a 38B+

My left boob started growing first when I was little and the right boob just never caught up, haha!

It's soooooo noticeable when I don't have a shirt + bra on, when I'm wearing a good bra it's not super noticeable unless I wear a particular tight shirt. It's also noticeable when I wear a low cut shirt and my boob's ready to fall out of my C up and the other is just filling it. Boooooooo!

Have you ever thought about buying bras to fit your larger half (38D) and then sewing cookies carefully into the other side, so that your bra cup is filled out, and you look more symmetrical underneath your clothing?

This would take some work, but the result is very good. I have addressed this issue when making costumes for people before (especially belly dance ones) and it works nicely.

Try le mystere bra's. I get mine off ebay. I'm on the other end, I have huge girls:( but these seem to work well.

Ugh, I can relate. I am a 34F and it is a nightmare. When I find ones that fit I buy seven at a time and end up spending upwards of 400.00 JUST ON BRAS. Having a small ribcage and big cup size is just really frustrating. Particularly since most solutions offered by sales clerks (I remember this from LB, which is notorious for improperly fitting folks for bras) trying to make me go UP a band size and then fasten it on the tightest clasp.

I'm going through this very issue right now. I recently got a nice business-casual outfit and I just want one bra that actually fits so that I look good in it. I know my size is going to change drasticly over the next year, so I figure one really good fitting bra now and one again in six months should at least give me the opportunity to look good for scholarship interviews and classroom observations in my degree program.

But if I measured myself correctly (following instructions off a bra store in Vancouver, BC which is a bit far of a drive) I'm a cup size K!!! Where the heck am I gonna find a K??

Ohyeah, Canada.

I really don't want to order online or over the phone. I'd like to have it on and know it fits before I hand the money over, because I'm terrible about returning stuff.

I hate bra shopping. I especially hate Victoria Secret's bra. I love their panties, hate their bras. They say they make D's and DD. The Ds are more like Cs and the DD are more like Ds. WTF?!? Their sizes run so small because they cater to a "smaller" group of women. Its just annoying.
I do, however, like Lane Bryant's bras. They have those "odd sizes" and they are actually quite sexy/cute. I got a bra from there recently that I love. It plunges down real low in the middle and is really comfortable. My boyfriend loves it. lol.

Torrid also has a good collection of bras for pretty cheap ($20/bra).

How about this...we burn all bras! WOO! haha

I'm in the same boat as you. I find few bras that fit my chest without having a ton of room in the actual cups, even if they're A's.

I've had reasonable luck at JCPenny's; all of my sports bras are actually girls' extra large, and they fit me quite comfortably.

I am joining in too. I hate bra shopping. I am somewhere between a 42C and a 40D. I prefer to have the ladies corraled, but then the underwire pokes me in the arm. If I don't have an underwire, my ladies sag. =(

I work with a gal that is a hostess for home bra shopping. Someday I will attend one of her parties, but those bras ain't cheap. Like $40 - 80 for one bra....yikes !!! I can feed my family for a week with $80.

As we speak, the newest bra I bought, that actually fits me well, is missing. I do believe the laundry fairies took it and hid it with all those sock matches. *sigh* I have been putting off buying a new bra because I hate shopping for them so much...gah.

I have a very weird bra problem - my back/ribcage is small but my breasts are very full. So I wear a 34G, which is extremely hard to find. I either have to order online or go to specialty lingerie stores, but I can never just run to the store a pick up a bra.

I guess this may not be a popular option for many but it works for me. I just wear sports bras all the time. Not the big heavy duty ones with thick straps but smaller ones with spaghetti straps. VS used to carry them but they stopped but The Gap does now. Anyway, they aren't sexy or lacy but I never liked those kinds of bras anyway. And the best part is I have never had to deal with any of these frustrations since I switched over. Oh and they are a lot cheaper too.

A friend of mine who has an odd size (38A) wears the sports bra type bras all of the time...but for me, being a 38DD, it doesn't work. I end up with uniboob, and they get all squished down. Fine for working out, but in regular clothes, no.

Yeah, I thought about that afterwards - I bet it only works for those of us who are, ahem, less endowed. Man I hate my boobs. :(

The quality issue gets me too. I am a 38 to 40 DD, so there are all kinds of them out there, but no matter how much I spend on one, they break. Some as soon as a month. I started sewing just to fix bras, either the wire comes out the end and pokes my arm or the wire just breaks and I have to reconstruct them. If anyone knows a good STRONG bra, that would be good news. the last one, the little plastic piece that connects strap to bra broke.

I hate hate bra shopping. I'd love to have pretty ones that they sell in the Juniors sections, you know, with all of the lace and polka dots, but my bra size means that if I can actually find a bra, it's a granny bra. I'm 18! I've got an average rib cage, and a large bust. (36 DD-DDD) but I usually end up getting a 38DD and taking in the band. either way, anything larger than a 34C is disqualified from the land of the cute bras. I was disappointed on my first trip to Victoria Secret when I realized that they have tiny cups, to make the "less endowed" feel more "blessed". Also, it seems like everything but my sports bras end up going to heck before I've really worn them, or they are uncomfortable, or otherwise, something's wrong. I've really only got one good bra that's my size. Otherwise I'm still wearing my tiny ones from when I was younger and smaller because 4 years ago bras were made to last :(.

i see some people have already recommended some website to solve the problem here....i also would plug the website approach.....generally you can find a lot wider selection than your general run of the mill 'Target' type store.

I know, right?!?

Like if your band size is a 38 or 40, SURELY you're a D cup or bigger. Try being less than an A and big in the ribcage - it's just impossible.

as a 38-40B i fully understand!

I like shopping at VS, because if they can't find a bra that fits you perfect the little sales women will run around like mice to find you one! Its a bit expensive, but totally worth it, cuz I usually find one eventually. At my heaviest, I didn't fit in their bras (stupid 42DDD)..... but now that I'm back down to 38dd, its back to sitting in comfort in a dressing room while they find bras for me!

OMG !!OMG !!!! I just came back from bra shopping. I always wore a 40DD. I was never measured, it is what I guess I came up with. I finally went to Nordstroms and a very sweet woman measured me. I am 36 not 40 and I am a G !!!!! I hate myself even more now !! 36 G. I cried in the dressing room. She told me in this particular bra, G comes after DDD. If that was supposed to make me feel good, it didn't. Well I bought 4 bras for $198.00 !!! I had to charge them but the difference is AMAZING !! I feel so much better and actually look better because I am not bulging out !
I guess you have to have the attitude, "it is only a number".
Suzy

aww, suzy, you don't have to feel bad about it! Most women love to see the number go down and the cup size go up!