I have a confession to make: Until yesterday, I hadn't been measured for a bra since school. I was a 32B then, but that was about 15 years ago. I'm now a 32E. Until I went Bravissimo, I thought I was a 36D. And I honestly thought I was wearing the right bra size.Having a professional bra fitting is something that makes women uncomfortable. We know we should get it done, but we don't really need to. And it's all a bit up close and personal, isn't it? Yes, another woman touches your breasts, you stand around having conversations in your underwear, and it's strange. Not necessarily uncomfortable, just different. Tortise, the lady who helped me with my fitting was friendly, kind and actually really fun. She completely put me at ease, and I honestly forget I was standing topless in a changing room with someone I'd met five minutes earlier.
So, about that bra size. Yes, it would appear that I've grown a cup size. Of course, my breasts haven't changed at all, but the fitting has changed things. My new underwear? Fits like a dream (and those kind folk at Bravissimo let me have my favourite set for free). I think it'll take a while to get used to the smaller back measurement (I didn't realise how much my bra was riding up at the back). I've often suffer with pains in my shoulders and don't have great posture. My breasts have really had very little support and it's entirely possible that this are linked. Now? My boobs rest about six inches higher. My cleavage tends to enter a room before me and that's certainly going to be the case now. I have a waist! Basically, my figure looks a whole lot better, just from changing a couple of measurements. My favourite little black dress looks sexier.
Most of us wear a bra 80% of the time we're awake. If you're unsure of your bra size (or even if you're sure and haven't been measured in a while), I urge you to go and get measured professionally. Bravissimo offer their fitting service for free and it's really made a difference to how I think about my underwear. After all, if you're getting the smalls wrong, you're not giving the rest of your outfit much of a chance, are you? Breasts are pretty fabulous things, they deserve to be treated as best we can.
Hoorah! I'm such a bra fitting evangelist! Those ridiculous bra size calculations that everyone's told to do are absolute rubbish - being properly fitted is the only way to get a really well-fitting bra in the correct size.
ReplyDeleteI thought I was a 34B until I went to Rigby & Peller - I'm actually a 32D. Plus I now know how a bra is supposed to fit - before, I'd assumed that the reason the cups gaped and the straps fell down was because I was wearing too big a cup size. But it actually means the back is too big. Most women need to go down at least one size at the back, and up at least one size in the cups!
The problem with Bravissimo isn't their fitting service but their selection. Their bras are OVERWHELMINGLY rather ugly full-cup things, with hardly any balcony or plunge bras, and their clothes look great in the catalogue but feel horribly plastic and cheap in person - and cheap they are certainly not. I keep going in there really, really, honestly wanting to love the place, and coming out disappointed.
ReplyDeleteI really like the set they gave me (the one in the photo). It's a very pretty balconette set. I didn't like everything in the range, but I certainly don't think they're all 'overwhelmingly ugly'.
ReplyDeleteIt's at least 3/4 cup, which I find unflattering - but I'll admit that's one of their better efforts. It's just that overall I find them rather grannyish or naff looking, lacking in the darker colours I tend to prefer and so heavily skewed to full-cups that there's very little choice if you find those unattractive. I do have a slight girl-crush on one of the models in their catalogue, who always seems to be having fun in her big bras, but then I go into their stores and there's just nothing good.
ReplyDeleteYAY Siany! This is where I got fitted for the first time, three years ago. And it CHANGED MY LIFE. You didn't believe me when I told you I was a G, so you can imagine my surprise given I'd always thought I was a DD until that day! I too was wearing a too-small cup size and a too-big back size. Apparently most women do the same, and don't realise (as I didn't) that the support comes from the back strap, NOT the shoulder straps. Begone, shoulder welts!!
ReplyDeleteOnce I got fitted properly I finally started wearing bikinis on holiday and overall am comfortable and best of all, know how to find pretty bras which offer support. Before that, shopping for lingerie was nightmarish. (Bravissimo's range is nice, but limited, so I tend to go mainly to Figleaves, which has a huge range of pretty brands in a D-G cup.)
Ladies, if you ain't been fitted, DO IT NOW.
Oh fab post! I got properly measured about 3 years ago when I got married and went from a 36DD to a 32F - the difference was unbelievable. I totally appreciate the difference in posture, and now how a bra should properly sit. Funny thing is, I went to Victoria's Secret in the US a while after and the shop assistant asked what size I needed, when I told her she looked at me and said "no, you're a 36C" (ok, I was wearing a baggy tshirt) and so I tried it on just to prove her wrong...she didn't know what to say. I would recommend John Lewis as well for bra fitting, and also have some beautiful bras by Freya which come in more unorthodox sizes. Must go and get measured again soon!
ReplyDeleteHelen, I find (as an DD/E cup) that all plunge bras (with only one exception, the Panache 'Zara') tend to dig in between my boobs because they don't provide the support I need in the centre. Perhaps that why Bravissimo have so many full cup options and fewer plunge? Can't imagine I'm the only one with that problem?
ReplyDeleteI like the Kalyani brand, lots of nice balcony styles. I think Bravissimo tend to initially fit everyone in the same Panache bras (tango and harmony) neither of which are very pretty - but a hunt in the catalogue rather than the shop and there are some lovely styles available. I think they're just hidden away behind the basics sometimes, especially in the smaller branches. They also seem to be a bit slow to restock the shop floor, but if you ask they have all kinds of stuff hidden away in the back room!
They're launching a newer, younger clothing line soon which I'm quite excited about. Hoping for more pretty and less jersey.
Believe me after many years of "Doreen" (yes, there really was a bra called Doreen), the stuff Bravissimo supplies for us more generously endowed (I'm a 32 HH) is absolutely WONDERFUL!! Until Bravissimo came along, it was civil engineering. My only sadness is that although they do deliver abroad, there aren't any outlets outside of the UK yet. Anyone fancy coming to Switzerland and opening up? We need it big style :-)
ReplyDeleteAgree about Bravissimo's service. If only their range was bigger I would make them my lingerie house of worship.
ReplyDeletePanache do the best bikinis, I find. Every time I try on a new one I always go back to Panache! Although I also have a couple of Panache bras I really like. Freya do great casual bras in brights, but I find their bikinis to be a bit unflattering.
Mind you, everyone fits things differently - that's the whole point of this exercise! ;)
Bravissimo have a reasonable range. They tend to be of the fuller cup variety as these provide more support.
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of great sexy/pretty bras elsewhere. Figleaves.com are great and carry a huge range (style/price) as are John Lewis (not just own brand) and M&S.
Ideally, you should be measured and fitted every six months. A good fitter won't need to touch you and if they do it'll be with your consent and modestly.
You just might find that different brands/styles fit differently, so ask for advice as all these places have great advisors (I used to be one at M&S)
I sued to wear a 36 and honestly thought it fitted me - I tried an old bra on recently and it was HUGE! How I ever thought that was acceptable I don't know. I honestly think women just have no idea how a bra should fit. I wear a 32F now and much happier in my bras. I was genuinely suprised to be a 32 as I'm a size 18 but then again my entire body weight is on my boobs, hips and thighs and as the lovely woman in M&S told me 'Aren't your waist and back freakishly small for your size?' Erm, thanks. (she then went on to say I had a very 'full cup' while sort of grabbing at my boobs)
ReplyDeleteBravissimo forever!
I've bought bras from Bravissimo - they do have a couple of nice designs. What I love about them is their service, both in person and online; they really have that nailed.
ReplyDeleteI think they would give other retailers a run for their money if they designer more attractive bras - they're too fussy and the colours are sometimes garish, but that's just one person's opinion. I had my very first bra fitting (aged 34) at Selfridges and the woman took one look at me, standing there in my heavy winter coat and said 'you're a 34F' - I nearly screamed believing that I was a 36D. And she was right. Life has not quite been the same again.
Bra companies who get it right in the design department (for us larger cup sizes) are Freya & Fantasies. Like Helen said, I want to buy from Bravissimo - I like them! Let's hope they're taking notes...
I went to Rigby & Pellers in 1998. I HATED it. When I got home, I cried. I had gone in to get a gorgeous set of undies for my wedding day and planning to burn a huge hole in my credit card. I was brusquely measured by an old woman, told I should get my boobs sorted out for free on the NHS, (yes, they are large, but excuse me?) and she brought the fugliest bras ever for me to try on, and I ended up with a DOREEN for my wedding day!
ReplyDeleteNeedless to say I have never ever been back, and will always go for Bravissimo every time.
I'm going to weigh in with a local non London reccomendation - in Winchester there is a brilliant little boutique called Boudoir Blush. It's small, personal, friendly but with a really wide range from different suppliers - they make you feel like a goddess for the time you're in there and when waltzing out with your new beautiful figure thanks to amazing undies! As a fellow surprised 32E I can vouch for Freya (I've a couple of their plunge bras and they are brilliant) and Fantasie having some really pretty and mega comfortable sets in bigger cupsizes. (A different Helen than the previous one!)
ReplyDeleteI used to get my bras from good ol' M&S but now that I've got up a few cup sizes (I'm working my way through the alphabet), and DOWN a back size, Bravissimo is the only shop that seems to stock big boob, narrow back sizes. The last time I got measured, I discovered I'd gone up ANOTHER cup size and burst into tears and the assistant was ever so sympathetic and managed to find a lovely bra to cheer me up.
ReplyDeleteoooh I love RIgby & Peller and was really surprised to read Michelle's experience above, I'm shocked, I have always been treated beautifully there I love it.
ReplyDeleteI have to say I'm not as keen on Bravissimo for fitting but have bought from them. These places are particularly good if you are a larger cup size, it's tough out there for us G cup ladies!
As an aside - Freya and Fantasie go up to a 28J/30K in most styles :)
ReplyDeleteI need to get measured again. A surly woman in M&S told me I was a C cup recently and then made me buy bras tghat don't fit me at all.
ReplyDeleteThe time before that though was a revelation. I found out I was not a 34 B but a 34DD. Ooops.
Unfortunately it requires some savings first, as finding out the right size does make you want to get a full set of new properly fitting undercrackers.
Ah, Bravissimo. Saviour of back pain. My bras are all now terribly pretty but the discovery that I'm a 30DD was terrible for my wallet, since only the specialist or some designer (CK, oddly) places do a 30 back.
ReplyDeleteBut it is so much fun doing the 'no, really, you've got a much smaller back than you think. Watch what happens when I make your back band level.' cue their eyes bugging when their breasts suddenly jump at least two inches skyward.
I really want to like Bravissimo, but I always leave disappointed. I'm a 28ff, and they rarely have many things in stock in my size (and I mean nationwide - I've been to a lot of their stores). I'm also generally very narrow on top, and find that anything without fully adjustable straps just doesn't fit. It also means that any full 3/4 cup bras swamp my frame. On the whole I've found that the bras they stock aren't for people with a small frame like myself.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my first visit 5 years ago was a revelation. After being told by M&S that I was a 32DD and given literally the only bra they made in my side (a lot has changed in 5 years) I cried as I realised I'd never be able to wear low cut tops again. After discovering Bravissimo, and working up the courage to take my top off infront of a sales assistant I felt 10 times more confident about my silhouette.
I couldn't agree more - discovering Bravissimo was an amazing day for me as I'm a 32/34E. Their stuff can be a bit pricey, but some of it is lovely and every year I ask my family for gift vouchers for Christmas and birthday. Their "boob-sized" clothes are also great - no more gaping shirts or strained dress fabric!
ReplyDeleteI've also found Debenhams (Oxford St) to be a good source of larger, pretty bras and knowledgeable staff, though last time I went I was a bit disappointed.
I had my first bra fitting at Rigby and Peller many years ago and that was a revelation. As a proud bearer of 30G boobs I consider Bravissimo God's gift to generously-proportioned women - I would buy more from R&P if I had the cash, but in general their prices are too dear for everyday bras.
ReplyDeleteOh my, what a little girl I feel in the shadow of you generously bosomed ladies. Any recommendations for us less fortunate?
ReplyDeletei agree with the cheers for rigby and peller - they literally sized me by looking at me. incredible. i need all the help i can get in the boob department and they certainly gave me it. it's not just bigger boobs that benefit from the right sized bra!
ReplyDeleteI think if I took my little two into Bravissimo I would be laughed out of there! Last time in M&S was enough for me, I got treated like a teenager and was given one which was far too big and gave me the alluring silhouette of an elderly lady. I went back to the trial and error method after that.
ReplyDeleteI had similar experience in M&S with my little chest and am also unconvinced that Bravissimo is the place for ironing boards like me!
ReplyDeletethank you so much for featuring Bravissimo! i live in the US and i order from them, all the way from the UK, simply because they do one thing and they do it right - they help women look their best!
ReplyDeleteI had a bra fitting revolution in JL before Christmas - they measure and fit in the same way as Bravissimo. I've been measured and fitted several times in M&S over the years and always been told I'm a 34C. Well, actually it turns out I'm a 30DD, and the woman in JL knew that just by looking! Seriously, how did she know?! Anyway, as soon as I put the new bra on I could tell the old one was totally the wrong size, and best of all the very next day a friend asked me if I had lost weight, so a well fitting bra really does make you look better, hooray!
ReplyDeleteI had a bra fitting a few years ago and the size difference was dramatic. I was wearing 34E but it turns out I am a 30G! It changed my life. I say put your embarrassed behind you and go for the fitting.
ReplyDelete