90% of women can't shelve their bOOks? I call foul!

[Ecclecticmum]

*haven't read replies.

 

I have read this many places over the years.

 

I believe its quite true, given a few simple reasons.

 

Women start of with a training bra, or as their b00ks appear, start with the smallest bra, and work their way up as they need to. Most women do not "measure" the areas you should measure (over middle nipp** area that juts out and all around, and below b00ks across the ribs and round the back). Women who do measure, often get incorrect results, as they are not doing it perfectly (as happens when you are measuring yourself).

 

You then get into the different b00k shapes and the best type of bra for them. I will leave them at that.

 

Last of all, they then wear them incorrectly (straps done up too tight or loose, bottom of bra at weird place on back etc).

 

So yes, I believe women are not easily able to properly "shelve their b00ks"

 

But that does not mean I get professional fittings. I don't want a woman measuring me there (call it modesty or whatever, I just don't), I have had DH double-check me when I measure though, so I can compare results, and I also look in the mirror to see the way they "fall" to determine the best shape of bra to get. I am sure, still, on the odd occasion that I do not have the correct size in some bras, and probably about half the time wear the shoulder strap at the incorrect level. My mother is worse though, she definitely wears the wrong size and shape for her body.

 

Luckily for me, I don't get to hardly ever shop for bras anywhere, most of my purchases are online as the shops don't have my size. I also got some of those hilarious "ahhh bras" I use for home-wear, they aren't as comfy as they sound (possibly due to size of said b00ks) but they are a LOT comfier (they still are a lot comfy, and if I was about 2-3 sizes smaller, I would probably wear them all the time) than the bras I wear out to the shops, and I don't like feel "restrained & rigid" when at home. Its because for my size I either have to wear minimizers or specialized sports bras (these are to the bra world what straightjackets are to the clothing world) or underwires, which I abhor. I always end up having the fabric break out somwhere and the underwire digging into my underarm once it "springs" loose, then having to rush around, just so I can get in the car and yank out the rest of the evil piece of wire.

[Word Nerd]

Hmm...I did the measurement the way the Reddit post from the other thread said as well as the online calculator it recommended, and all of them gave me the same size as the calculator I just linked to. It is still a sister size of what I'm wearing now (though I think I need to go up one cup size), so it isn't as crazy as I thought.

[No More Perfect]

Dillard's is excellent. They'll size you and help you pick out bras, then while you're in the fitting room, if a bra you like just doesn't fit quite right they'll go fetch a different size for you. Truly awesome. :)

 

 

 

Thanks for this recommendation. I'll try going in to a Dillard's next year, after I've had baby and nursing has settled down a bit. Hopefully they will be able to help!

[jillian]

For good bra fittings look up "my city bra shops" or "my city lingerie stores" those in general have great options for bigger busted gals or odd sizes like 40AA or 28DDD. Also for very nice pretty bras for big chested ladies look at Bare Necessities or BiggerBras.com or figleaves.com.

 

Don't even get me started on finding a sports bra for over a D cup. I have found Enell and Moving Comfort and those also run about $50 minimum and I have to replace mine every 6 months. I went for years needing to wear two to keep the girls locked and loaded

[SailorMom]

I wear a 32C, which is impossible to find in a store- even Victoria's Secret doesn't carry them in stock, and I don't want to buy a bra I can't try on.....

I end up buying 34B's just for convenience. They fit ok - but no where near as comfortably as the 32C.

 

I think women make the mistake of buying a bra that gives them the underarm bulge (I believe it is referred to as underarm b@@b, lol). Or they get one that doesn't actually lift the girls up to the proper height, lol.

[Ecclecticmum]

For good bra fittings look up "my city bra shops" or "my city lingerie stores" those in general have great options for bigger busted gals or odd sizes like 40AA or 28DDD. Also for very nice pretty bras for big chested ladies look at Bare Necessities or BiggerBras.com or figleaves.com.

 

Don't even get me started on finding a sports bra for over a D cup. I have found Enell and Moving Comfort and those also run about $50 minimum and I have to replace mine every 6 months. I went for years needing to wear two to keep the girls locked and loaded

 

LOL. I'm a 12E/F (depending upon brand/style) so I think thats a 34F/G in US size. Last time I found bra's in my size in a store was when I went to the UK to Anne Summers.

 

I have to search around A LOT, elsewise am mostly regulated to the very granny looking bras that go right up to your neck.

 

And yeah, DH freaks when I need to purchase a new bra. I try to be thrifty with finding places though, but don't have as many nice options for online shopping in Aus, which is why I'm known to shop through UK places.

[HelenNotOfTroy]

Women who need a band size smaller than 34 and women who need cup sizes larger than DD are almost always wearing bras that are the wrong size. Very few stores carry band sizes smaller than 34. Also, many of these bras are more expensive than the poorly fitted bra at Walmart or even Victoria's Secret.

[Clear Creek]

I just have a hard time imagining that 90% of the ladies with A or B cups can't find a band that's the right size with properly fitting cups on it. In those sizes it's more about shaping and coverage than it is about defying gravity.

 

Small bOOks + back fat = cups spaced waaaay too far apart. Any band that fits around me properly has the cups lying empty under my pits, no matter what cup size I try on. Apparently band size determines how far apart the cups are, so until I lose thirty pounds ( :lol: ) I will have to make do with bOOkshelves that don't quite fit.

 

I have always wondered why bOOkshelf makers think that small bOOks are so far apart. They aren't touching, but dangit, they are on the front of the body, not the side!

[Paige]

When did stores quit carrying 32s? That's what I bought as a teen and I could find them everywhere. They were very easy to find- Sears, JC Penny, Walmart, VS....everywhere. I haven't looked for them in a long time since I realized that they don't fit, but I am surprised that they aren't available. I guess it's kind of like size 5 shoes. That's now a specialty size too!

[NicksMama-Zack's Mama Too]

Women who need a band size smaller than 34 and women who need cup sizes larger than DD are almost always wearing bras that are the wrong size. Very few stores carry band sizes smaller than 34. Also, many of these bras are more expensive than the poorly fitted bra at Walmart or even Victoria's Secret.

 

 

You are describing me (32F). Plus, the molded cup design that has taken hold of bra departments are useless to those of us with aging breast tissue. I have benefited greatly from the 3-piece design (balconette/balcony style) found in higher-end brands like Panache.

 

you could do a poll and find out how many wear <34 >D cup bras. I'd be curious what brands they wear.

[HelenNotOfTroy]

Small bOOks + back fat = cups spaced waaaay too far apart. Any band that fits around me properly has the cups lying empty under my pits, no matter what cup size I try on. Apparently band size determines how far apart the cups are, so until I lose thirty pounds ( :lol: ) I will have to make do with bOOkshelves that don't quite fit.

 

I have always wondered why bOOkshelf makers think that small bOOks are so far apart. They aren't touching, but dangit, they are on the front of the body, not the side!

 

 

Try extenders to increase the band size in the back without increasing the width in the front. You do need a larger cup size in a smaller band size (sister sizes as mentioned somewhere above).