ladies - bra size measurements ?

donna_glasgow
donna_glasgow Posts: 869 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ladies, how do you measure for bra size? I've tried all sorts of online calculators and so far I have been a 40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E and a 38C .... i'm not convinced they work lol .... but my 38C it literally hanging off me ... it may be due to its age (its an oldy) any help is much appreciated :)
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Replies

  • greeneyes0809
    greeneyes0809 Posts: 422 Member
    Go someplace where you can be properly fitted! I love Nordstrom, they are trained to do it and it is free. Getting properly fitted by a professional is the best decision you can make! A good fitting bra makes all the difference :)
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    This link will give you all the info you need:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/ABraThatFits/comments/rh26h/is_getting_fitted_for_a_bra_as_humiliating_as_it/c469bi0

    Don't go to a department store or VS or whatever- trust me, I've worked in that environment and I know how poor the training really is. Either a good specialty shop or try this method. It put me in a 28G, and my bras fit perfectly. I've never been so comfortable in my life.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Go to a nice department store or lingerie shop and be professionally measured - they say that 80% of women are wearing the wrong size.

    My understanding is that the band size is the circumference around the chest under the breasts (i.e. 34, 36, 38, 40) and then the cup size is determined by measuring the circumference including the breasts and subtracting the band size. Then it's one letter for each inch over the band size. So 1 inch would be an A cup, 2 inches a B, 3 inches a C, 4 inches a D, 5 inches a DD or E, etc.

    My chest measures 38" and my boobs measure 43" and I am indeed a 38DD. But different brands fit differently too...I like Olga and Vanity Fair and can predict their fit well enough to order online. Other brands have to be tried on before buying because there might be spillage.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Your band size should always be the exact size you are around right under your boobs. (holding the tape measure snug). Don't add or subtract inches or anything. As far as cup size, I personally do trial and error. I bring a bunch of bras to the dressing room (with the correct band size) that I think are close, and try them on until I find one that fits correctly.
  • rizzy898
    rizzy898 Posts: 9 Member
    Online. I agree, a shop would be best to measure urself. I know m&s do bra fittings :D
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    I've found the most accurate way is to measure the ribcage directly beneath the breasts. The tape should be parallel and snug, but not cutting into you. Then, while wearing your best fitting bra measure around the fullest part of the bust.

    This is the calculator I prefer http://www.butterflycollection.ca/bra-size-calculator/ . When I put in my measurements it came back with 44HH...which I found out once I went into a proper lingerie store, was right on the money.

    Edit: The old measure and add inches to the band size left me with a bra that had no bust support and road up in the back.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    I've found the most accurate way is to measure the ribcage directly beneath the breasts. The tape should be parallel and snug, but not cutting into you. Then, while wearing your best fitting bra measure around the fullest part of the bust.

    This is the calculator I prefer http://www.butterflycollection.ca/bra-size-calculator/ . When I put in my measurements it came back with 44HH...which I found out once I went into a proper lingerie store, was right on the money.

    Edit: The old measure and add inches to the band size left me with a bra that had no bust support and road up in the back.
    Holy cow--by that calculator I'm a 30G or 32DDD. I'm wearing a 36C right now, admittedly on the tightest hooks, but the band feels snug enough, it's just the cups that I'm not filling out. I did try bra shopping the other day, and couldn't find anything that fit, but didn't expect the measurement to be that far off!
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    I've found the most accurate way is to measure the ribcage directly beneath the breasts. The tape should be parallel and snug, but not cutting into you. Then, while wearing your best fitting bra measure around the fullest part of the bust.

    This is the calculator I prefer http://www.butterflycollection.ca/bra-size-calculator/ . When I put in my measurements it came back with 44HH...which I found out once I went into a proper lingerie store, was right on the money.

    Edit: The old measure and add inches to the band size left me with a bra that had no bust support and road up in the back.
    Holy cow--by that calculator I'm a 30G or 32DDD. I'm wearing a 36C right now, admittedly on the tightest hooks, but the band feels snug enough, it's just the cups that I'm not filling out. I did try bra shopping the other day, and couldn't find anything that fit, but didn't expect the measurement to be that far off!

    36 C to a 30 G sounds about right. For every band size you go down you go up a cup size or so. The best thing to do, if you're able, is try on a couple sizes. Depending on the shape of the bust and whether they're fuller on top or bottom your cup size may vary a bit and different companies fit slightly different, but you have a starting point.

    I was shocked when I realized that yes, ALL of my breast was supposed to be encased in the cup/underwire. heh
  • kimmymayhall
    kimmymayhall Posts: 419 Member
    The other ladies are correct. The measurement around you chest just under your boobs is your band size. DO NOT add any inches to it like some sizing charts will tell you. The difference between your bust measurement and your chest measurement corresponds to your cup size.
    34" bust - 30" chest = 4 = D cup.
    I was highly skeptical that my new size was 30D as I had been wearing 34B before. I went to Nordstrom's to be helped buy an attendant who knew what she was doing and walked out with 30D and 30DD bras. My BF is thrilled I'm a D cup!
    Most women wear the wrong size and are shocked when they find the right one. There will still be some trial and error with how the various bra brands and styles fit, but that's a pretty good place to start.
  • majope
    majope Posts: 1,325 Member
    Thanks for the help--gives me a place to start!
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
    I agree with the recommendation to go to Nordstrom's. They do an excellent job fitting bras. If you are looking online, I like the http://www.sophisticatedpair.com/bracalculator.htm calculator. I was fitted at Nordstrom's & at a local specialty shop (as I lost weight) & they both matched up with what the calculator gave me. I had definitely been doing what most women do---going up in the band size in order to get a cup size I could fit. It was a shock for me to find out my proper size because I have never considered myself large chested & would never have considered a G or H cup. A properly fitted bra should be very snug in the band because that is what gives you support, not the straps.
  • amaranthine1018
    amaranthine1018 Posts: 36
    I second the Nordstrom suggestion. I was fitted recently and found that I'm actually a 32DD when I've been wearing a 32C since I was 14.
  • ThinUpGirl
    ThinUpGirl Posts: 397
    Measure your under bust( example: Im 36 inches around and under my bust)
    The measure your bust (example : 40.5 inches at the bust. )
    Each inch is a cup size (i wear 36D )

    Works for me.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
    so glad to see everyone here knows to not add inches to the rib cage measurement :happy:

    i'd also like to point out to the OP that size is just 1 thing to consider, you'll also need to figure out FIT. if the fit isnt right for your body then regardless of the size you get, the bra will not be right for you.

    for instance i'm very short waisted and like 99% of the full cup bras have unwires that are too long for me and the outside underwear ends in the middle of my armpit :laugh: so i know for me the best bras are going to be demi bras OR full coverage bras from manufacturers who have bras with shallower underwire U like wacoal
  • Starrblayde
    Starrblayde Posts: 1
    The best thing I ever, ever did for myself was go to a specialty shop and get sized. I'm more comfortable and I have no more problems with constant skin folding in my bra cups (translation=skin infections; not awesome). Before I went to the shop, I was wearing a 38C; after sizing I was a 34DD and then a 30E after losing 60lbs. Adoreme.com sells specialty sizing for really, really cheap--a third of what I normally pay for a bra, usually.
  • VanCityFit
    VanCityFit Posts: 105 Member
    I have breast implants which makes bra shopping a pain in the *kitten*. I have only found one brand(Fredericks of Hollywood) that fits fake boobs. I don't have the "side boob so normal bras are just baggy there and my boobs tend to fall out of the top of any bra when I bend over. I live in Canada and have to have a family member ship these bras up to me....oh yeah and the size, 34F!!
  • onlythetancan
    onlythetancan Posts: 66
    go to a bra store that provides a fitting service
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
    I've found the most accurate way is to measure the ribcage directly beneath the breasts. The tape should be parallel and snug, but not cutting into you. Then, while wearing your best fitting bra measure around the fullest part of the bust.

    This is the calculator I prefer http://www.butterflycollection.ca/bra-size-calculator/ . When I put in my measurements it came back with 44HH...which I found out once I went into a proper lingerie store, was right on the money.

    Edit: The old measure and add inches to the band size left me with a bra that had no bust support and road up in the back.

    Same here. You may need to play around with the band a bit, some brands are looser and others are tighter.
  • mom9198
    mom9198 Posts: 83 Member
    Also, bras should be replaced every six months or so. You should also make sure that you're putting your boobs up where they belong. When you're putting it on, bend down at the waist and lift the breast from the bottom up into the cup of the bra. The bra should be snug, without gaping and your boobs should not touch the skin (abdomen) below the breast. Best of luck and keep the sisters high and supported! :-)
  • changergirl
    changergirl Posts: 81
    While I haven't purchased any bras since I started losing weight....no big sizes in Korea, the online calculator had me spot on. When I last purchased bras in a specialty store in Canada last July, I was a 38G. It appears that when I'll be buying new bras I'll be a 32H or 34G. And I thought my boobs were shrinking!

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