Bra Fittings

Week two of the Finishing School Workshop talks about Bra Fittings. I know some of you will have never had a bra fitted properly before and may be nervous about how this is done so I thought it might help if I explain further.

In many places you can call ahead and make an appointment but all places will see you when you turn up, you just might have to wait a while.

• Most places will invite you to go into a changing room where they will ask you to remove your top but leave your bra on.  They will then measure you around the bust and decided on which bras they feel you should try.

• The bra fitter will ask you about the kind of bra you are after and then choose some appropriate to your request and anticipated size.

• You will be asked to try the bra on (in private) and once you have it on you can call the fitter back to the changing room where she can check its fit.

• The fitter should check the back strap.  The back strap should be on the loosest fitting, should be comfortable but with little give in the back.  As you wear your bra you will find it loses some of its elasticity and therefore needs to be tightened hence if you start on the loosest fitting you know you have some movement and your bra will last longer.

• The straps should be checked to see that they are allowing your breasts to be held in the right position, are sitting on your shoulders and comfortable but tight. The back strap should be horizontal across your back and not being pulled up by your straps.

• The middle section of your bra should sit snuggly on your breast plate between your breasts.  If it doesn’t lay flat to your breast plate it is not well fitting.

• All of your breast tissue should be inside the cup of your bra, not spilling out at the top or the sides, even when you wiggle and jump up and down (which you must do to test the bra properly)

• The underwiring should sit under your breast tissue not to the outside of your breast

A good fitter should be able to tell by looking and fiddling with the straps whether or not a bra is well fitted.  If they do none of these checks then you are having a bad fitting and don’t buy the bras.

If you are a C cup or above I highly recommend you make an appointment with Bravissimo which can be found at these locations.

Bravissimo do things slightly differently.  Typically the fitter will look at you, ask you what bra size you are wearing and then suggest what size you should try.  You will then be invited to remove your top and bra in a changing room (where there are dressing gowns to cover yourself whilst you wait).  The fitter will bring the bras to you, get you to put them on in private and then join you again where she will do the checks above. They fit by looking at you rather than measuring you.

All in all do not be embarrassed when seeing a bra fitter.  They have seen every breast size, shape, deformity, surgery scar, dodgy tummy, stretch mark, leaking breasts you can imagine.  Nothing surprises them and nothing should embarrass you.  We all come in different shapes and sizes and they are there to help us find the best fitting bra we can have, not to judge us on something we are unlikely to be able to do anything about!

NEVER apologise for your boobs, they are your boobs and you should be proud of them no matter what.  Odds are they have done something amazing i.e feed a baby, been through something amazing and come through i.e cancer or will at some point do something amazing.  The are amazing parts of our femininity and should be treated with care and respect and a good fitting bra is the least we can do for them!

Good fittings ladies!

Lottie -x-