I hope you answer resoundingly YES.
Decades ago, when bras were in mainstream use but the sizing depth hadn’t developed, the back band would increase to accommodate cup size. Jayne Mansfield is noted as small as 34D and as big as 40DDD. We know she probably never had a rib cage even close to 40 inches around.
We receive calls and visit with clients that still hold on to this sizing system – nothing beyond a D cup and instead they erroneously purchase a bra with a wider and wider back band to make room for the volume of the breast.
In the myriad of women we have fit in bras (we don’t sell bras but we used to have a personal bra shopping service), none of them were fit in a bra over 38 inches in the band. Although they would come in wearing a 40+ band. Most women we fit are size 32-34, with G cup being the most common. And they wear our W size range, well-endowed, the smaller bust proportion.
30HH is the smallest back/largest cup combination I personally have fit. I myself have always been a 34. Thirty pounds lighter and now. When I’m lifting weights and my back muscles become more prominent, sometimes I am 36 back band. Rib cage measurement isn’t necessarily ‘in-line’ size wise with your body. Our 30HH client has a medium frame, her shoulders and hips are size 8-10.
What about you? What is the back band size of your bra? Other than having your epiphany (hopefully you’ve had one) that you felt better and had greater uplift in a more snug back band, does that band size fluctuate?
I don’t think my back band fluctuates much at all. I’ve been a 32 for a long time, skinny or not. I’ve occasionally worn a 34, but that was for lack of choices. I’m never going back to an ill fitting bra since you recommended the brand I’m wearing now. They have been the best bra’s I’ve ever had!
Something that no one ever mentions is that women usually have one breast that is larger than the other. The methods for proper fitting don’t address this at all. The only thing that I have found to help is to buy a bra with very stretchy cups. Any other ideas?
Hi Nel,
Totally stretchy cups scare the dickens out of me as they don’t give support, and thus I fear the wearer will be bouncing her way through life. Rigid fabric gives support.
For a woman with very discrepant size breasts, we generally recommend a molded bra. Molding is light foam that has been formed to fit and is sewn in the bra cup. Many women prefer molded bras for a round, seamless look.
Panache Porcelain and Fantasie Smoothing Molded are excellent choices. Maybe another reader has another brand/style option?
I totally agree, though unfortunately this took me ages to learn.
I am a dress size 8/10 and wear a 32 band size, sometimes a 30 depending on the brand. I’d heard recommendations from fellow large-busted women that I should really try wearing the smallest band size that I could comfortably fit around my body and thought that there would be no way anything smaller than a 34 band would be comfortable. Well, I was totally wrong. If I purchase a bra with a 34 band, the cup shape tends to be flatter and more wide-set than I need (even when I’ve sized the cup volume correctly), and I only get proper support for a couple months before the bra stretches out too far to be usable. I get MUCH better cost-per-wear when I buy a smaller band size even if the bras cost more initially!
I have been on my quest to find a perfectly-fitting bra. I discovered that I need a 28 back band which is pretty much impossible to find unless you are lucky enough to live near a bra boutique that carries a full size range. Even a 30 back band is too loose on me. Things get even more complicated because I have a large bustline for my petite frame. It was a real pain when I couldn’t find a 32 band size with anything bigger than a B cup and sometimes a C cup let alone a 32D or DD. I cannot wear a 34 band because the band either wants to go every which direction or the cups are much, much too far apart. It seems the mainstream bra manufacturers think that one cannot have a small back size and a large cup size and the only people who get small band sizes are girls who wear training bras or don’t have any breasts to speak of.
It also kind of hurts when others give the implants accusation.
I really hope that bra sizing awareness becomes more widespread in the coming years.
I am so grateful that there are companies that make smaller back sizes with large cup sizes and I am glad the Internet exists so I can actually buy them. I love Freya and Panache!
I also have a friend who cannot possibly be any bigger than a 30 or a 32 band but wears a 36 band size in order to compensate for her breast size. She could really benefit from a professional bra fitting.
I am a 32HH, at 5’5″ and 128 lbs. Often I wear a 34GG or 34H. During PMS week, I’m a 34I; I have a lot of fluctuation in size, and my breasts get much heavier and denser, weighing almost triple what they do normally. Unfortunately, I’m also very narrow-hipped and small-waisted, with skinny legs, wearing a size 4 in most trousers, jeans, and skirts.
Hilariously, I discovered this site while researching prior to my upcoming breast reduction, scheduled for next month! I will likely buy some things here once I’m at my new size, though, because I’ll likely still be a D or DD–maybe larger. Because my breasts are mostly tissue and very little fat, they won’t be able to take them down to the size C I’d like to have.
I have been able to get pretty bras in my size for years now, though! (Before having a baby 2 years ago, I was a 32 or 34F or FF, depending on time of the month and the cut of the specific bra). My brand is Fantasie of England, because their cups are more generous than Freya, and they carry larger sizes. And there are a few eBay sellers who sell “seconds” of these bras at about half the cost you’ll pay normally. So I’ve been paying about $35-50 per bra, rather than the $100 they might otherwise cost, and they are lacy, attractive, comfortable, and fit well. Am I allowed to recommend specific eBay stores??? Because they have been really good to me, and they will send several sizes out so you can try them, return the ones that don’t fit, and then (if you want) get more that do!
After my reduction I expect I’ll be able to exercise more, and will likely end up as a 30 – 32 D or DD. Fingers crossed, and looking forward to being able to get some small well-endowed tops!
I’m a little confused by this — I’m a 46DDD because when I measure all the way around the largest part of my bust, its 46. Am I doing this incorrectly?
Heidi,
For us, bra fitting is an art, not a science. With one look at your body we can know your size pretty accurately.
Let me ask: is your back band snugly anchored just lower than the bottom of the underwire in the front? Does the center gore rest flat against your chest? When looking in the mirror is your bustline uplifted with a nice shape?
Ladies, hopefully there are some of you who can help Heidi with measuring for a bra. Try these links: http://carissarose.com/bra-fitting-tips/how-to-properly-fit-a-bra/ & http://www.herroom.com/bra-fitting-advice,901,30.html
Heidi,
You should check out Bravissimo’s Perfect Fit Guide as well! It gives a great visual idea of how a bra should properly fit, so you can see how your current bras are fitting you. I particularly like the Full Experience video because the customer is not of the “ideal beauty” standard and because they explain bra fitting so well. I was amazed at what size she was wearing by the end.
Here is the URL:
http://bravissimo.com/perfectfit/getting-the-perfect-fit/video.aspx
Hope that helps!
Heidi, while measuring for a bra *is* an art, I’m surprised you didn’t get a better answer to your question. The band of your bra goes around your ribcage, and so that’s where you measure to get at least an approximate band size. Then your correct cup size is the one that fits smoothly and comfortable without bulging. But a professional fitting would be the best idea.
32H here. I’m getting more comfortable with it the older I get, especially now that smart companies are starting to create clothes that fit 32H women.
I still find bathing suits too hard to squeeze my chest into. As a mom with teen boys I do not want to fall out of my swimsuit. As a mom with younger kids, too, I feel very uncomfortable at the family pool with my enormous cleavage staring out at the other moms. I’d love bathing suits to come in small band-large cup sizes. It makes such a huge difference to fit in your clothes and feel the confidence that comes with that!
Molly (32H)
Hi Molly,
We send our clients to http://www.lionslairdesigns.com for swim. Swimsuits definitely come in small band-large cup sizes. Maybe the other moms wish they had your cleavage. I wear an obnoxious sun-shirt over my bikini to protect my skin. And yes, I require my children to do the same. They love it.
Check these archive CR blog entries: http://carissarose.com/2009/02/jump-in-the-water/, http://carissarose.com/2009/06/one-piece-sport-swimsuits/.
I’m a 30J (Panache: they all fit differently.) A 32 band starts out more comfortable, but in a few weeks it’s stretched out too much and the center gore is poking out.
Anyone else feel like Panache bras wear out fast? I wear mine once, hand wash in Forever New (as instructed by the saleswoman at Intimacy), and in three months they’re exhausted. At most I’m getting 15 wearings before I can feel the elastic failing.
Tana, I’m wondering if you could line the back band with a non stretchy felt to make it more snug? And of course you could have a tailor (or yourself) take in the back band. Bras are alterable, similar to clothes. I’m sorry you’re not getting more wear out of it. I would actually wash it less, but I don’t know if that matters. I haven’t heard any other concerns about Panache’s back bands.
Ah, so this is where your blog moved to…
When I finally had my first fitting, I was told that I was actually a 32D. I got bigger, and bigger, and eventually started wearing 32DDD’s.
Finally I got fitted at Intimacy and was declared a 30 or possibly a 28. They popped me in 32DDD’s, which means I wasn’t totally off about my size, and altered the bands down to a 30 for me (they wanted to start with a 30, just in case, so they didn’t cut too much bra off). However, they still feel loose to me, so I think I need them altered down to a 28, which is as far as I know, the smallest band size most brands make. In my case, my tiny back and ribcage are very much in proportion to my small-boned size 2/4 frame. My cup size, however, is definitely not.
Carissa, I also wanted to let you know that my mom is back from vacation and loves her shirt. I’m honestly green with envy though. Is there any chance you’ll start offering an XSW and an XSR? Pleeease? Even if it’s made just for me
Maya, our new fall styles will come in dress sizes, beginning with size 4. Perhaps you should try Carissa, we’ve never had her returned in size SW for being too large. She’s cut close to the body, perfect for hourglass body shapes.
I have a 32 band size. I wore the wrong size for soooo long and it was quite frustrating. I like my band snug because the girls are so heavy. My mother-in-law pointed out that I needed to go beyond the department stores and I started ordering my 32DD bras off of websites.
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I wear a 28 back size, but it’s clearly too big. I have even had it altered, but they can’t take enough fabric off for me- I need a 24. I’m small-framed and hourglass shaped- I’m an 8 or so in bust and hips and a 0-2 in the waist.
Also, alterations are not the greatest idea, I have found out, because the underwires and the whole bra need to be proportioned differently, and altering stretches the already too-wide underwires even wider.
34 here, and DD or DDD cups. When pregnant I went up to 36. I seethed when I walked into a bra outlet store (for major national brands) and they measured me at a 38 (!) D while pregnant. Tried them on at that size just for kicks…did NOT fit, in fact the 38 band was huge and the bras had no support. Turns out that brand doesn’t go larger than a DD so the sales girl was just hopelessly misinformed. I tell ALL my friends, both large and small busted, to get fitted profesionally. What a difference a good fit makes!