At Plums Lingerie we are passionate about making sure women are wearing the perfect bra. One that makes them look and feel great every day. The fit of a bra is so important to ensuring the bra is comfortable but so many women put up with bras that dig in or rub without realising it can solved by getting a proper fitting. Over 80% of the women who come in to Plums Lingerie for the first time are wearing the wrong size. In fact we are more surprised when we get a customer who is wearing the right size.

So How Do You Get The Perfect Fit?

Fitting your own bra can be tricky and it can be easy to get it wrong if you don’t know what you are looking for. I would always recommend you get a fitting with a professional, but even then it is useful to know what you are looking for in a well fitting bra. Which? Magazine did a survey that showed that 70% of bra fittings at high street shops and department stores, including Marks and Spencer, were incorrect.

If you go for a fitting and they bring a tape measure then it’s time to politely make your excuses and leave. An experienced, well trained fitter will be able to judge by eye what size you are. When I fit I just take a look are the customer in their bra and come back with a couple of sizes for them to try on. After a lot of practice I can pretty much get it right first time.

Tell if Your Bra is a Good Fit By Checking For;

The band of the bra, the bit that goes around the ribs and fastens at the back, should be nice and snug so it doesn’t creep up the back. The weight of the bust is supported by the band and if you can get more than 2 fingers in between the band and your chest it’s too big. One test I do is ask the customer to lift her arms about her head and if the boobs look like they are falling out of the bottom the band is definitely too big.

The underwire of the bra should sit underneath the breast where the breast meets the chest. The wire should then go all around the breast without digging in to the soft breast tissue.

The centre of the bra where the two wires meet should sit flush against the chest. If the wires are standing away it means the cup is not large enough even though you would think it is a indication that the cup is too small.

The cup of the bra should cover the breast and there should be no overspill at the top. If you aren’t sure put on a tight t-shirt or vest to see if there are any unsightly bulges. Two boobs are better than four, less is definitely more in this case.

The shoulder straps are there to keep the bra in place rather than support the weight of the bust. The straps should be adjusted so there is about 2 fingers worth of space on the shoulder.

Common Problems

Fabric on the cup is puckered – You need to make sure you’ve put the bra on correctly. To get the best result put the straps on your arms. Lean right forward and the waist then scoop your boobs into the bra making sure your boobs drop to the bottom of the cup. Hook up at the back while you are still bending over. If this doesn’t sort it out it could wither be the cup is too full and a balcony style would suit you better.

The shoulder straps keep slipping – If you are shorter in the body or you have narrow shoulders your straps may need to be shortened.

Cup is too big but the wire fits around the bust – Sometimes boobs are wide and so need a larger wire but aren’t as full. Look for a bra with a little padding that gives a little oomph without add too much. Or you could add some chicken filets.

So when you go for your next fitting don’t let the shop assistant convince you something is right just because they need to make a sale. If you aren’t happy just leave and try again somewhere else. Be safe in the knowledge that you are not a funny shape and you are perfectly normal and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Tags: Bra Fit, Bra size, find bra size, measure bra size

This entry was posted on Monday, January 10th, 2011 at 9:48 am and is filed under Bra Fitting, Lingerie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.