So this is coming from working in retail and fitting a lot of ladies over a few months, but here's some bra advice...
For most bras, if you go up a cup size the band also tends to be a little looser, so up a cup size down a band size is sometimes called a sister bra. It works the same for going down a cup size and up a band size. There's a small difference, but sometimes it's the change to make a really close fitting bra fit like it should.
You can measure your own bra size at home if you're not comfortable having someone fit you in a store, it just requires the help of a friend or family member at times. Oh, and this applies to plus size women. I know for petite and average, bra sizing is slightly different. Here's some tips:
- Wear a bra before you fit yourself. If you're not wearing a bra, you won't get accurate results.
- With a tape measure, measure just below your bra line. Have your arms down while measuring. If it's an odd number, round up to the next even number. This is your band size.
- Lift up the straps of your bra to your ideal support level. Have someone measure your bust.
- Looking at the inches of your band size, skip up 1 inches, and then for each inch until you reach your bust size assign a letter. This is your cup size. For example, a 36 band 42 bust would be: 37-38=A, 38-39 = B, 39-40= C, 41-42 = D. 36D.
This isn't 100% accurate, but it's a good starting point if you need new bras and aren't sure which size to start trying on. Each bra also fits differently. I know I have to wear a D cup with some styles and a DD with others.
Another tip is focus less on the actual size. Don't try to squeeze into a smaller bra or you spill out or bulge on the sides. Put on a bra too big and you loose all the support. Focus on finding something that's supportive and comfortable. You wear them every day! Our bodies are always changing, so our bra size will change with that too. Since average bras only last 6 months, make sure you're getting the right size before you buy a new one.
Last edited by Smiller264; 12-15-2009 at 12:33 AM.
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