Bra Fitting Guide

How to measure your bra size at home:

To measure your bra size at home, all you need to be wearing is a non-padded bra and have a tape measure in inches to hand.

First, you need to measure around the bottom of the band of the bra directly under the bust - making sure the tape is very snug. Take the measurement in inches and round it up to the nearest inch. If the size is an even number add four, and if it is odd add five - this will then give you your back size.

Then take the tape measure across your bust and again measure in inches, rounding to the nearest inch.

The difference in the inches between the two then gives the cup size. For example, a one inch difference would make you an A, two a B, three a C, four a DD, five a DD, six an E and so on.

So if your back size is 34 inches and your bust size is 37 inches, that would make you a 34C.

How can you tell if you are wearing the wrong size bra?

There are many tell-tale signs that you are wearing the wrong size bra.

It is estimated that most women are wearing one that is far too small for their bust.

Here are the signs to look out for:

• The straps keep falling down
• Your bust spills out over the top, sides or bottom
• The fabric on the cups does not sit right
• You wear your bra on the last hook on the back
• The bra straps cause dents in your shoulders
• The band starts to ride up your back
• The underwire in the bra pokes into your skin
• You suffer from neck and back pain because of your bust

The under bust band:

This part of the bra provides the majority of the support so it is important that it fits firmly, parallel to the cups. Look in the mirror and check that the band is at the same level all around your body. You don’t want to have back pain because of wearing the wrong bra size, do you?

When buying a new bra, fasten it on the first/outermost row of hooks. This will allow the bra to be tightened as the under bust band starts to get slightly looser after you’ve worn it a few times.

If the band rides up at the back it is probably too big. Please choose a smaller under bust size and go up a cup size.

The Straps:

They should sit parallel or slightly V-shaped on the back.

If the straps are digging into your shoulder it might be a sign that the under bust band is too big and not giving enough support. Try a smaller under bust size and a cup size bigger.

If the straps, after being adjusted, are slipping down your shoulders it might mean that the under bust band is too small. Try a bigger under bust size, and consider trying a cup size smaller.

The Cups:

The cups of a bra, especially when underwired should go right around the contour of the breast sitting flat against your ribs without digging into the breast tissue. The whole breast should also fit neatly into the cup with no excess of flesh showing on the sides of the cup or spilling out over top. This applies even when wearing push-up or low cut bras. In extreme cases wearing cups that are too small will give the appearance of four breasts. There should not be any space underneath the cups at the root of the breast or any gaping across the top half of the cup.

Before you change the cup size, please make sure that your breasts are completely “dropped” into the cups. Lean a bit forward, lift and jiggle them into the cup and smooth out the sides.

If you feel the underwire is digging in between your breasts or in the breast tissue, try going one cup size bigger, but keep the under bust size the same.

If the under bust band is curling up or standing away from the body, the cup is probably too small, go up a cup size, keep the under bust size the same.

If the cup puckers and looks baggy it is probably too big, so try a smaller cup size with the same under bust size.

The Centre Front Of The Bra:

The centre front of the bra sits between the breasts and is also called a bra bridge. The bra bridge should lie flat against the body.

If there is a gap between the bra bridge and your rib cage, or the bra bridge sits on top of your breasts, it might mean that the cup size is too small. Try to go up a cup size, keeping the under bust size the same.

In case you discover that the bras in your lingerie drawer do not fit as described, we recommend a professional bra fitting.

Nevertheless, every woman is different and no two breasts are exactly the same, so the comfort and fit may also be affected by the type of bra you’re trying on. It might be that a balconette bra fits you better than a full cup bra in the same size, or a wired, padded bra better than a wired bra. Therefore try different bra styles to find your perfect bra fit.