question re: bra fit

[rubywagon]

i ran into the same problem and just wear sports bras. I have lost enough weight now that I look like I have two fried eggs which are sliding towards my belly button so I could go braless I guess but.... If you can go to champion sports they might have something that would work.

marni

+1.

I am recommending the Handful bras they sell here on TE, again. I have given up on ill-fitting/uncomfortable bras and only wear these now. They have the feel of a sports bra, but with a great shape, and headlight hiders. I have never worn such a comfortable bra in my life, and they are so flattering.

[PamNY]

No, you aren't a freak. I have similar issues. I don't think you should see marks -- maybe only a faint mark, anyway. Flesh shouldn't be spilling over.

I hate bra shopping, too. Since I started biking I'm working on upper body strength and even the piddly little muscles I've developed are making bra fitting harder. Good luck; wish I had some suggestions.

[Selkie]

I have fit problems with bras, too. Luckily, Calvin Klein and Wacoal make a couple styles that fit me (32B, but a barely B).

Agree with Greenbeam about the Handful bras. They are my weekend bras, and I've worn them to work a few times. I've found that the pads help when I'm wearing blouses with darts, too. They also solve the "headlight" issue. These bras are very comfortable.

[Bike Chick]

Nothing's more miserable than an ill fitting bra......even a correctly fitting bra is uncomfortable to me. It's one of the first things I remove when I get home at night. Ahhhhh!!! I don't think any bra should make red marks on you regardless.

VS bras have never fit me well. Even in my younger, thinner days. I went to Dillards last year and got a bra fitting. All these years I thought I was a 36B but the very nice sales lady came carrying in 32 and 34D bras after she measured me. I thought she had lost her mind but it did make a difference. She pointed out that breast tissue goes all the way under your arms and taught me the old lady trick of bending over, reaching inside and shoving everything to the middle. It made a huge difference in my comfort and fit. And I don't have red marks. Maybe you need to try a different bra fitting.

[Crankin]

Go to a real lingerie store. They know their stuff.
I buy the Calvin bras in 32A. They are just a teeny bit snug in the band, but I learned that a 34A is really a B cup, so those were huge on me. These bras are the cheapest and best fitting ones I have found.
I wear the Handful riding and running, but not sure if I would like it all day.

[ny biker]

I went to a real lingerie store a few years back and they had nothing that fit me.

Googling around, I've found a few more, but most of them state up front that they specialize in large cup sizes.

There is one open today in the Maryland suburbs so I'm on my way there now. I don't have much hope of finding something that fits, though.

I also found a website that sells different bra extenders than the ones I bought yesterday, and it looks like they have the right width extender for the bras I have.

Sigh. Finding a properly-fitting garment that almost every in this country wears every day should not be this hard.

Thanks everyone.

[mhami]

I'm another one who has that problem. However, for me it is 38 too tight, 40 good. Thirtyeight has Bs and 40 doesn't. Arrgg. Pre kids I was a nice perfect 36B, now I am frustrated.

The bra extentions sound like a good idea. I'll have to look into that.

Also, I don't know anything about these, but will Pasties help for those of you who don't wear a bra?

[Ana]

Go to a real lingerie store. They know their stuff.

+1

Go to a knowledgeable lingerie store instead of VS

Bra sizing, like all womens' clothing, varies by manufacturer Also, the traditional sizing system is to determine cup size by the difference (in inches) between the rib cage measurement right under the bust and the fullest bust measurement but after being fitted by a specialist, I realize that it depends greatly on the shape and spacing of your breasts. By conventional methods (inch difference), my cup size is completely wrong and has been for some time--two or more sizes off Luckily, I found someone who fit me well and carried nice bras in my size Her knowledge and skills helped me find some bras that work wonderfully for me (for the first time in my life!)

[ny biker]

Okay, today's shopping trip was actually a success! The store was Sylene of Washington, located in Chevy Chase, MD (just north of the DC border, near Mazza Gallery for those of you in the DC area).

I bought several of these:

http://www.sylenedc.com/detail.aspx?...&TopCategory=3

It's not exactly what I wanted, for the same reason I was hesitant about the Handfuls bras -- the band is very wide in back, and I would prefer something prettier. But the wide band makes it very comfortable and it has removable cookies to provide coverage and a little bit of shape. Under a thin t-shirt, it looks very smooth and pretty much invisible. Also it's very inexpensive. So it should work very well for everyday wear.

I can't find a brand for who makes them, although the woman at the store said they are not specific to that store. But if anyone wants to try them, you could order them online.

I got them in white, black, beige (which is slightly different -- no lace), gray and purple.

The woman at the store was very helpful. Unlike the last time I went to a (different) lingerie store, she did not try to convince me that I should wear a bra with underwires because the pain is all my imagination -- as soon as I started to say that I have never been able to find an underwire bra that didn't hurt, she said she could tell that was the case because I have a high rib cage. (And here I've just been describing my ribs as "weird" for all these years). She measured me as a 36, but did not argue when I tried one style in a 36 and it was too tight -- she could see it as well as I could feel it. She also was very good at emphasizing the positive things about my shape while acknowledging the hard-to-fit aspects -- unlike other stores where they act like there's just something wrong with me if I'm not happy with the size they think I should wear.

I also bought some extenders today, because Sylene had 2-hook extenders that are narrower than the ones I found at Victoria's Secret. And just for fun, I bought a pair of these:

http://www.sylenedc.com/detail.aspx?...&TopCategory=3

VPL is not a big issue with most of my clothes, but they could come in handy sometimes.

Another thing I tried today but didn't buy was these:

http://www.sylenedc.com/detail.aspx?...&TopCategory=3

I tried on one 38A bra that was pretty and fit across the back, but the cups were too big. We tried these cookies to fill things up better, but they didn't fill up enough for that particular bra. However, I might buy them to see if I can get some of my old bras to fit better.

This store also sells swimwear, so I might head up there someday to see if I can find a swimsuit that actually fits me. But I've spent enough money this weekend, so that adventure will have to wait...

BTW if anyone is looking for extenders in different sizes, these are the ones I was considering buying before my shopping trip today:

http://www.herroom.com/Braza-5000-Cl...xtenders.shtml

And there are also these:

http://www.herroom.com/Braza-5002-Br...tml?cm_vc=0201

Anyway, thanks again for all your comments and support (no pun intended...).

[Grog]

I'm so glad you had a good experience!

I think there is no better place to buy a bra (or three!) than a real, independent lingerie store. There are two really good ones here in Vancouver where they have a lot of stock from previous years, so if you're looking for, say, 36A you have not only this year's models but also previous years'. It's worth paying the extra $$ for me.

Which reminds me that it's been a while since I have bought some proper underwear. I'm overdue for bra shopping.