Ok, ladies, I just spent the weekend and today in my new bra size and I have to say, I have not been this comfortable in years. It didn't ride up the back and the straps didn't fall off my shoulders. I cannot believe the difference. And I worked all weekend and today. I am telling everyone I know to get a bra fitting!!!!

Kerri

Even the men?

LOL TG.

Went to VS for a bra fitting, thinking i was a 36D. Came out of there having found out i am a 34 DDD, and with no bra because they don't carry them for those of us who are well-endowed. i mean, what kind of crap is that??? What, so only small chested women should get to have pretty lacy bras, while i get stuck with something a grandmother would wear? That sucks! Until i can find a place that carries NICE ones, i'm stuck in a DD while my cups runneth over. To the person who asked about how to know if you are sagging...the measurement from collarbone to nipple should be about 22cm for maximum perkiness. Even at a DDD, i'm only at 25cm, but then i wear a bra all of the time unless i'm bathing or asleep.

I work in a plus-size store and we do bra fittings too. People are amazed with some of the differences between what we tell them and what they were wearing. You have to be in the mood for Bra shopping though..every style fits a bit different and its easy to get fustrated quickly

MY rant is about working in a plus size store that doesnt carry most bras past..sometimes a 44, sometimes 48 depending on the style. WTF is up with that? Alot of our customers are a 48+ and want the nice girly bras (me included!). What irks me is that the bra/panty sets..they'll bring the panties up to the large size but stop the bra at a 46. WTF? What do they expect women to do? Extensions can work wonders but it loses its purpose if you have to stick like 3 on (which Ive seen people do). *grrr*

A male friend of mine criticized my lack of matching bra and panty sets until I finally declared, "Good art won't match your sofa!" Just had to share...

I have been having problems with the amount of space in the front between the cups. It always seems the bra would fit better if I could take that part in by an inch or even two. I now wear a 36 or 38D or 36 or 38DD, depending on the brand and, through all of my size changes, this has continued to be my problem.

Any tips?

And I agree- Victoria's Secret is the devil!!! I'm not exactly shy and I was mortified by the salesgirl/fitter who LOUDLY and very condescendingly told me that I should try Lane Bryant- I weighed 135 at the time. Nice.

Thanks!

Do they make any bra cups that are concave?
Seriously, just to add to the variety represented here - even though I am 60 lbs overweight I still have nothing to put into a bra cup. My idea of a "bra" (when I wear one) is the kind you get at sporting goods stores that is a nylon/spandex short tank top with no cups in front at all, just flat, worn under a t-shirt just in case one gets in a funny postion on some gym gizmo and doesn't want to be inadvertently expository.

They are meant for specific clothing purposes, just like a strapless, longline, etc. bra. Right now I am wearing a low cut scoop neck pajama top, and if I were wearing a real top with this neckline, I would need a demi cup bra on-because right now, about 1/8" of bra cup is peeking out the top of my pj top.

I HAVE to have a push up bra in my wardrobe. Honestly I think the term push-up is misleading. They actually push IN. As in, push them in together, with a low cup center, so that you get a larger cleavage.

Some of my dance cholis (half tops for belly dance) knot closed in the front, and I have to wear a push up bra with them. A full coverage bra would show with the top...and it just doesn't work.

There are also certain blouses or necklines that require them-such as evening wear. Not my everyday bra, but I have to have one to wear with cholis.

So, I've been reading through this thread for a while and thinking about my own bra problems. I have never had a proper bra fitting except the help of my mom when I was younger, which doesn't really count. I've been wearing between a 38C and 42D for the past few years, and lately a 40 or 42D. Being bigger on top, I always felt like I needed good support but never really felt like I got that with the bras I bought. I usually would just try on several different sizes and types and pick the one that looked ok, but I never found anything that I really felt looked great and also felt great. I found that the band never really felt quite right, and I was spilling over a little bit on the top (not enought to be completely embarrassed, but enough to notice it sometimes). Underwires never fit right, I was always getting poked in the side of the arm by the wire by lunch time.

So I broke down today out of boredom and went to Nordstrom and got a proper fitting. I went to Nordstrom because several people on this website have said they went there and said they thought it worked out well there, so I took the jump and went. I thought it might be weird to be showing the girls to a complete stranger, but I was curious about my real size so I decided to give it a try. First, the bra fitter measured my band size - I measured in at a 34! I have been wearing a 40/42 band, and couldn't believe it when she said I was a 34. Now, she brought in one bra to begin with, and it was a 34DDDD - I was pretty shocked by this. I have been wearing a D, so trying on a DDDD was not really what I was expecting but I decided to go with it. I tried on the first bra, and it felt a little snug, but the girls looked so much better! They were up higher than I am used to, but the fitter said that is where they are supposed to be, so I decided to go with it. There was no droopage, and my waist even looked smaller. So, I tried on about 5 or 6 more bras in a 34DDDD, and found several that I liked and made me look and feel so much better. I was SHOCKED at how much the bras cost (about $300 for 4 bras) but I know that it will be worth it just to look and feel better in my clothes. I also know that bras for bigger breasted women just cost more in general, so I forked over the money and went on my way. I know I will need to get a few more bras in the future, but 4 was all I could afford for the time being (can't really afford it, but that was all I was willing to fork over.)

So, in the end I am not too happy about my new cup size of DDDD (I never felt I was that big) or the money I spent today that I wasn't really planning to spend, but I am excited that I will look much better in my clothes. I have lost 30 pounds so far and have about 18 more to go, but I don't think that the girls will be going down in size since they haven't gone down yet. Oh well - I'm sure my BF won't be too sad about that.

I must say, if you haven't gotten a bra fitting in awhile, go for it - you won't be disappointed!

I wanted to add to your story, the reason that you thought you were a D cup, is because you were fitting decently well into a D before-but only because your band size was way, way too big.

If you take a 32B, and a 42B, and hold them together-the cups on the 42B are going to be wider-but they will both "project" out the same. So, with the correct (smaller) band size now-your breasts are basically being projected out properly. With the too large band, and too small cup-your breasts were basically being smooshed flatter and wider across your chest. Wearing a 40 band was also the reason that underwire wasn't fitting you correctly-because the cups were too wide, and therefore the wire was back in your armpit.

Glad you finally found the proper bra!


(*BTW-I gave bra fitting advice in the earlier thread that prompted this one by the store bra fitter-because I have been doing seamstressing/female measurements for quite some time.*)

Thanks for your explanation about the cup size aphil! It is a good piece of information to know, and I'm sure other people will enjoy knowing that information as well. I will have to get used to the idea of being a DDDD cup, but I am looking forward to trying out one of my new bras tomorrow. I'm sure it will make a difference in the way my clothes fit and the way I carry myself.

Ok, so I just spent my first day in my new size 34 bra. I have it fastened on the first hook like the bra fitter suggested, and it is feeling a bit too snug as the day goes on. It feels like it is pinching a bit in the back and it's not exactly a wonderful feeling. Do you think she might have measured too small and I should really be wearing a 36? I understand that I'm not really the 40 and 42 bands I have been wearing, but I'm wondering if the 34 is going to be a little small. I know the bra should be snug, but this is a bit uncomfortable for me. Do you think I should take the bras back and get a 36, or wait it out and wear the 34s and maybe I'll get used to them being so snug? I spent a LOT of money on 4 bras ($300) and I'm not sure if I should all of them to see if they feel better as time goes on, or return them and get a 36 sooner rather than later. Any suggestions?

I need help too.
The first time I ordered from VS, I got 34 DD in VS Cotton Unlined full coverage bra. They fit beautifully and are very comfortable. However, they are not perky enough for blouses with darts. KWIM?
So I ordered a Secret Embrace satin demi bra and Second Skin Satin Full coverage bra ... both 34 DD.

The cups are huge! I need another half boob set on top of the old one to fill them. Any tips?

I would go back and have them remeasure. You are probably a 36. Sometimes if your chest measurement falls in an odd number after they do all of the math to do the band size, and your number ended up being 35...you are in a position to have to choose either up or down. Go back and try the 36, and see if it helps.

A DD? From your photos in the goal album, I would have never guessed you to be a DD, which might be the problem.

Full coverage bras like you mentioned are usually the cotton/spandex-lycra cup, correct? They usually have some stretch to them. You might not actually be a DD...have you tried a D to see how it fits? You had also mentioned in another post about the cups puckering, and if they are puckering in the top half of the cup in a full coverage, it means you aren't filling them out enough.
Go in the store and try on some D's and see how they work. You should ideally be filling out all of the cup, but not having spillage.

Thanks for the advice aphil. I think I will go back today after work and have them remeasure, because as much as I know the band is supposed to be snug, I think a 34 is a little snug for me - it pinches, and when I took off my bra after work last night I had very deep red marks from where the bra had been. I don't think it should be that snug. I just hope they let me exchange the bras - I took the tags off of two because I didn't want to wear them with the tags on. I still have the receipt, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will let me exchange them.