If you’ve been reading The Odyssey Blog for a while you might already know “I’m a 34B” is among my most loved phrases. I love these wonderful words because I know as soon as I hear them I’m about to change a woman’s life; her confidence, comfort & silhouette are in for a make-over she never before considered possible. Here’s the truth about A,B & C cup bras and an insider’s look at bra fitting.
Did your mum fit you for your first bra; a classic 34A?
And ever since have you cycled through A-, B- and C-cups as you’ve changed?
Or jumped from a 34 to a 36 as things started to feel a little more snug?
Just like the bazillions of women I’ve fitted over the years, I too started out with a mum-fitted, and high-street-certified 34A. There were tears and gaps and bumps and whole lot of wrong-ness I couldn’t put my finger on. I too spent many years spent wearing something that made me feel like my body was wrong.
I didn’t realise all along that actually my bra was wrong.
It wasn’t until the stars pushed me in the direction of becoming a bra fitting expert – and in to a perfectly fitting bra of my own (a 30D no less!) that I discovered there’s a whole lot more to bra-fitting than the high street will have you believe.
To let you in on some insider lingerie fitting knowledge; a 32” back equates to a dress size 10, a 34” to a dress size 12 etc. So if you wear a size 12 (or smaller) top, and a 36” bra, then there’s very likely something amiss. In fact, even if you are a size 12 and wearing a (slightly better than above) 34” bra I’d still be very surprised if it was an accurate fit.
That doesn’t imply you should scale back down, for example, from a 36C to a 36B.
Bra fitting just doesn’t work like that.
Many (so many!) of the women I’ve fitted over the years have discovered they have a much neater back size than anticipated. And, hand on heart, all of those coming in with a 34C average, walk out wearing at least an E cup.
“How is that even possible!?”, I hear you say.
As I said to one client recently (read her story here): ‘Measuring’ is what you might have experienced before. But ‘a fitting’ is like slipping into a tailored suit a-la Saville Row. It feels as if it’s made for you.
There are no tape-measures involved. Just a keen eye for detail and a Jedi-like knowledge of all things lingerie.
Have a quick check of your bra right now…
- does the underwire dig in or does it rise off the ribs at any point?
- does the back band arch, ride up or can it be pulled out with ease?
- is there any gaping or bulging at the cup?
- do your straps move around or slip off your shoulders?
- Are you wearing a 34” or 36”+ back and an A, B or C cup?
If you answer yes to any of these then your bra isn’t fitting as perfectly as it could.
That’s not because you’re an odd size, or a weird shape (pssst…nobody’s a weird shape). And it’s certainly not because you did something wrong. We don’t know what we don’t know, right?
It’s more that ‘bra fitting’ is quite different from bra ‘measuring’, and 34”+ A, B and C cups are almost as rare as hens teeth.
If you answered Yes to any of the questions above and ready for a proper fitting, click here to book a Lingerie Fitting & Styling appointment and let’s find you a bra so perfectly fitting you’ll never want to take it off.
