I hate the darn letter system - US system goes A, B, C, D, DD, DDD, G, H....

I need a DDD. BUT...if I order a bra made in UK or following the UK system I need an E? or an F? as their system goes A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G... and the rest of Europe is the only sensible one going A, B, C, D, E, F, G... What would I need there? A G?

What I REALLLLLLLLY don't get is when I go to some of these bra sites that sell swimsuits and they talk about what to order for equivalents, some say I would need an F, others an FF others a G. Since these tops are like $80 a pop, I don't want to order three to return 2!

Oh jeeze, for reals!! It's so confusing!!! I literally ordered 30 bras from Figleaves and returned all but 3. I'm sure they hate me, but oh well... I finally found a bra that doesn't make me want to go insane! Wouldn't it be nice if they had 'normal' sizes available in store instead of the ridiculous ones that are currently available? Oh retail world, there's a dang thought!!! There is something seriously broken with the system when an average person is so far out of range that I'm singing the alphabet song to find a bra that fits!

Val...It is called MEN!!! I swear they design bras, kitchens and laundry rooms

SO true!!! I was doing laundry at my mom's house. Had to walk from the bedroom at the back of the house, alllllll the way through the house, allllllll the way through the kitchen... just about as far from the bedrooms as you can get in that huge house... to reach the laundry room. Who had that brilliant idea???? A man, clearly! I had the exact thought.

Now I'm picturing a caveman sewing a bra. "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOBS"

OMG, that is way too FUNNY!!!!

maybe they could turn that into a commercial...even a caveman can do it! And send a cavewoman chasing him; hehe!

So, I have a couple questions on this topic and I think a few of you might know a good answer. I just sucked it up and went to a local shop that specializes in bra fittings and had luck (yay!) finding a bra. However, not thinking until now, it was TOM at that time and now that it's over, I'm finding that the band size is *actually* on a normal day to day basis, too big. I will be happy to keep this as my TOM bra (can't return it now anyway) since I retain water so much and need the slightly larger size. I'll admit, I really don't want to go back to the shop and would rather figure this out on my own. I spent 3 months just talking myself to go last weekend when I did cause the ladies that do all the fitting and own the place are the rudest, most crass individuals I've met but know their stuff. Therefore, I plan to order the same bra online in the next band size down. But, if I lower the band size one, do I need to increase the cup one size since the cup differs slightly when you change the band size? The current bra is a Freya Faye (love the way their bras fit me) in a 34H. Needing to go down to a 32 but can't decide on another H or increase it to HH. If worse comes to worse, I'll order both and return one.

This question is specifically for runningfromfat (unless anyone else knows too lol). Do you know of a brand that has the cups mounted more forward facing vs pointing outward? I'll explain: my boobs sit very close together in the middle of my chest and face straight forward. Even braless, I have enviable cleavage. Every single bra I have tried on except for balconette styles pull them too far apart and it's really painful. They are connected so close in the middle that they almost look like they overlap. I get a red bruise looking sore that aches for days (not from the bra digging in, it's from the tissue being pulled apart) even with one that truly fits in every other aspect. I've given up on full coverage and stick to balconettes but it would be great to find a brand that naturally had a tendency to fit more like this.

I still haven't quite worked out what size I need so take my advice with a pinch of salt, but you might find that it isn't as simple as buying the equivalent cup size in a smaller band because your boobs might be swollen at TOM.

LadyWraith - I also have very narrow, close centered breasts. Since your bra band is too big you might want to try this alteration (it's helped me A LOT). There's a tutorial here.. It's really easy to do and it helps a lot if your breasts are very much front and center.

Hands down the best bras for breasts that are very forward (and not at all on the sides) are Ewa Michalak bras. They ship from Poland so there's a wait time but the bras are absolutely amazing (highest quality bras that I've ever tried) and they do amazingly well on any breasts but I think they're especially good on front centered breasts.

As for your size. Shoot for a 32HH (go to the English version and ignore the European sizes) and ignore the calculator on her site. If you wanted to try Ewa Michalak bras just start with your typical 32HH size.

As for brands that, in general, have the best wires for front and center breasts it's Freya, Fantasie, and Bravissimo. If Freya is still giving you this problem try Bravissimo but otherwise Ewa Michalak bras really might be the best for you.

On Bravissimo's website they have the Freya Faye in 32HH and of the Bravissimo bras I hear the best things about it's the Bravissimo Dotty Spot and Satine bra (they have both in your size).

Good luck!!

ETA: I agree with eryn_s's comment too. You need to check if it's just the band or also your breast. Can you wear the bra on the thightest hook and see how the cups fit (making sure to scoup all the breast tissue into the cups)? Also, the alteration I suggested will help too to tighten up the band.

I have yet another question! How should the wires fit under the arm? I tried on a 30DD today and it went on and the band even felt alright but the wires were so far under my arms, to the halfway point of my armpit if that makes sense. There was a couple of centimetres of each cup which were just sitting flat against my ribcage under my arms.
I think my boobs are an awkward shape, they don't fit into anything! It's great being able to tell when something doesn't fit right but it's so frustrating not being able to find something that does!
A huge thank you to everyone who's been giving me advice over the last few days!

I caved and went to get measured. Twice in fact. The first woman asked me what I was wearing (34A), threw a tape measure around me so loosely it was meaningless and said "yeah, you're a 34A". So I went to a different place and came out as a 30D. The only problem is I've fallen in love with some bras in marks and spencer (pretty much the only place I've ever bought bras before) and the 30D there is FAR too small in the bust, as is the DD, and the E is ENORMOUS! So I guess that means I won't be able to get the bra I love but I'm so excited to have a bra that fits! Thanks so much for encouraging me to finally go and get measured because I've known my bras didn't fit for a while but I just didn't do anything about it.

By the way, any UK girls- House of Fraser don't add 4 inches to your band size, Debenhams DO!

How can ANYONE say an A or a D for the same person? Like for real????

Thanks for responding! That is great advice! I'll have to try the alteration thing this weekend. I'm really wanting to check out these legendary Polish bras. I've heard the name dropped other places as well. Are they pretty true to size compared to other brands like Freya? Ugh, when I tried this bra on, I ended up putting it on the tightest hooks not thinking cause that's where I was at on my old bra. The fitter rushes you (on top of her rude tude) so I was trying to hurry and get my girls covered before she came barrelling back in. I know better than to do that and *usually* try on bras using the loosest hook setting. Even with TMI swelling, I probably could've avoided this by having tried it on properly. So, the cup fits great on the tightest hook setting. This I already know cause I'm wearing it like that right now lol. The band is just too loose and keeps trying to ride up my back. It sucks cause when you've had a properly fitted bra, it's just flat weird feeling when the band isn't in the right spot. Sides, the fitter was satisfied with the fit of the cups and even though she's a total witch, I trust the 30 years of looking at boobies in bras.

Yay for finding the right size!!! If you're in the UK, make sure to take a trip to Bravissimo because they have TONS of beautiful bras in your size too.

You also might really like Bravissimo bras because the wires are narrower. Some women have wide breasts so there are bras out there that have very wide wires. Other brands have narrower wires (Bravissimo, Ewa Michalak and to a lesser extent Freya and Fantasie). It all depends on the width of your breast on where your wire fits. If your breast tissue ends well before the wire does look for a brand with narrower wires.

I'm so sorry the fitter was not very nice. I always hate hearing when women have bad experiences! I have to wonder how professional she really was if she didn't notice that you were wearing it on the tightest hook. Hmm...

But try the alteration and that might help some. You could also see if you can alter the band yourself (I have a tutorial on that if you're brave) or get someone else to do it for you.

You definitely should try Ewa Michalak bras, they are wonderful! Check out the blog Curvy Wordy (she has by far the most reviews on them).

I was just at the mall today looking at the new swimsuit stuff and they had a couple DDs out on the rack. They are NOWHERE near the same size as a DD cup in any bras. That's 3 different brands now that claim to have a DD cup size, but they are more like C at most.

So those of you have ordered swimwear by bra size - do you find you have to go up? I'm a DDD or G depending on the maker.