Bras and my body over 66

Good choices on this website www.braforme.com/

Hi
Since Covid I’ve found bras painfully uncomfortable. At home go braless! Or when going out all in on soft sport bra type things ! No tightness - but size does change. I’ve got broader across the back too.
Horrendous garment of torture

Yes, Bravissimo is the place. Once you know your size in the various brands available there you can order online from the manufacturers websites where there is sometimes more choice of colours and styles

I have found bra extenders invaluable, especially since breaking a rib unless that's just a coincidence. Actually they are really cheap on Amazon. They usually come in a pack of 3, black, white and natural. I find that I need to slacken the band by the evening and the extender gives more options. However, previous posts have made me think, maybe I just need to go up a size but keep the same cup size.

I also recommend Bravissimo. The first time I visited the lovely assistant came into the changing room with me, looked at my boobs and came back a few minutes later with an armful of bras. Almost all of them fitted perfectly and I was spoilt for choice. At no point was I measured, she just asked what size I was currently wearing and inspected the fit and she was off! Brilliant!

I've seen so many people recommending Bravissimo :-) But from what I can see they only start at a D cup and I'm a B cup!
@Acciaccatura - I wonder also if it was my cracked ribs last year that somehow changed my shape/band size. I also got some bra extenders from amazon (a pack of three in different colours). By Triumph. They were two hook ones, so I got another pack of 3 from M&S that were 3 hook. In the end I went up a band size and kept the same cup size but have the bra extenders if needed in the future :-)

I came across an article about "sister sizes" which helped. I always assumed that a B cup would be the same size, regardless of whether it was a 34B, 36B or 38B but that's not the case apparently!

So when my 36B wasn't big enough I first of all tried a 36C. The cup size was right but it still felt too tight. According to sister sizes - a 38B has the same cup size as a 36C. ie the B cup size gets larger with the band size. And that seems to be the case! The 38B fits perfectly and is much more comfortable. I have it on the middle hook so can still let it out a bit if necessary.

I ame much the same size as you, and I swear by Triumph bras.

But if you can do go and be measured and properly fitted for a bra that is the right size.

The really important measurement comfortwise is not you cup size but the circumfrence of your body just under your breasts. Bras are never entirely comfortable, but wearing one that is to tight is no fun!

If the only way you can get one that fits round your body is if the cups are too large, don't worry, just stuff a pair of discarded nylons into the cups, under your breasts.

It is one of the oldest tricks known to womankind: get those two attributes as near to the gentlemen's noses as possible!

Agree with others that M&S fitters are not good but not much choice here other that an 80 miles round rip to Birmingham. Tried a small independent bra shop in the next town, fitter didn't measure me, did it by eye, and I bought 2 very expensive bras (around £80 each!) which seemed to fit perfectly in the shop but once I tried wearing them at home they were way too tight in the band. Cups were fine but I felt the bra was cutting me in two so after trying for a couple of weeks I gave up, an expensive mistake.

Although I'm 'top heavy', unless it's with a special outfit for an occasion, I don't wear a bra at all.

Women have been indoctrinated over the many years that wearing a bra is healthier and more 'attractive'.

Now that I'm ancient I can't be bothered worrying about what others think of my every day look... I'm clean, comfortable, and tidy.

Good luck finding what works for you~~

Maybe instead of trying different cup sizes you should consider going up to a 38? The cup size is bigger on bigger bras I’ve found: a b cup will be bigger on a 38 than it is on a 36.

gentleshores

I've seen so many people recommending Bravissimo :-) But from what I can see they only start at a D cup and I'm a B cup!
@Acciaccatura - I wonder also if it was my cracked ribs last year that somehow changed my shape/band size. I also got some bra extenders from amazon (a pack of three in different colours). By Triumph. They were two hook ones, so I got another pack of 3 from M&S that were 3 hook. In the end I went up a band size and kept the same cup size but have the bra extenders if needed in the future :-)

I came across an article about "sister sizes" which helped. I always assumed that a B cup would be the same size, regardless of whether it was a 34B, 36B or 38B but that's not the case apparently!

So when my 36B wasn't big enough I first of all tried a 36C. The cup size was right but it still felt too tight. According to sister sizes - a 38B has the same cup size as a 36C. ie the B cup size gets larger with the band size. And that seems to be the case! The 38B fits perfectly and is much more comfortable. I have it on the middle hook so can still let it out a bit if necessary.

I should have read the whole thread, just realised you had found out for yourself 🤦‍♀️

I second crop tops or bralettes Aveline. I have various styles and colours. I still have one underwired bra for wearing with one particular dress, but couldn’t go back to wearing underwired bras every day. I find it easier to step into a bralette rather than pull it on over my head.

The asda bras i mentioned earlier were £12 for two. Amazing value considering how comfy they are.

I have ordered several from a company called conturve. They do pull on ones which are awkward to put on but also fastening ones. They are very soft and comfortable.

gentleshores: thankyou for the heads up that cup sizes do indeed increase as you go up sizes. I think I'm stuffed because I am only an A cup and really only want a bra (padded) to give me some shape. Wouldn't you think I would be able to find a comfortable one but the bands have felt too tight for the past couple of years. Sounds like I'm going to have to continue with the extenders.

I was always a 36C but in recent years I'm now a 36F or G. It happens.

Whatever you do don’t go to Bravissimo! OMG they sell instruments of torture! They truly believe all women should be trussed up like chickens. I spent a fortune there on 2 bras they fitted for me, then could never wear them because I literally couldn’t breathe they were so, so tight!

Please go and get fitted properly by a trained fitter. Triumph train their staff really well. I worked in lingerie and it’s amazing how many women wear the wrong size. And they expect a bra to last for years! They don’t. Hand washing is best to help them last longer but, if you’re wearing a bra a couple of days, wash and repeating, it’s months not years if you want them to retain the correct fit. And buy a decent make not cheap.

Visit a lingerie shop and be properly measured and fitted

Coolgran65
I agree with you 100pct about FANTASIE bras and you can get them relatively cheap online. I wear a 40DD and they are so comfortable. M&S I find uncomfortable and to find my size anywhere else is virtually impossible anyway

Try bras by Snag ( online only)or Glamorise on Amazon, both made for mature women

As long as not M&S worst fitting bra ever, absolutely useless most uncomfortable bra I’ve ever had … returned!!
Pathetic service 🙄

When you first get a bra the elastic is tight so you put it on the end fastening, as you wear it over time the elastic isn't so tight,you gradually tighten it up
Different shapes breasts make a difference to what is a good fit, were all different and what in theory should fit comfortably doesn't always, we all have different amounts of breast tissue extending up into the armpit.
Different band sizes mean that the cup sizes are different. Often a woman will feel more comfortable in a smaller band size and a larger cup size as thee band size before had been bigger because all the breast tissue wasn't in the cups. If underwires then the wires in the middle should sit against your chest wall . Once I discovered this the number of times the wire burst out in the washer plummeted. Not had one come out since I got properly fitted. Once it does come out even if you sew it back 🔙 n it is likely to come.oitvagain, so the bra doesn't last as long,so I don't need to buy new ones as often, so dearer bras properly fitted for me do not cost more over time, because I need fewer they may even be cheaper than cheapo ill fitting ones.
Bravissimo or Rigby and Pellet, go in sale time for R and P, once you have a good fit and know what size and what make work well for you you can order again in the sales. You may not get the latest colours etc but I've never had a bad colour
There is a website called boob or bust that helps women find a well fitting bra, with careful measuring, and making sure that breast tissue actually goes into the cup
Pay attention to sudden changes in sizing, my mum started complaining she was outgrowing her bras, and actually her knickers and trousers ( in her 90s) despite not eating more, it was oedema for heart failure. Once that got under control she lost the extra water. There could be other things that affect you so worth keeping an eye on

Good point re health oodles

I'd been wearing the wrong cup size for years, it was heaven when Bravissimo sorted me out.

Bravissimo also recommended a lower band size to 32DD but as Leapyearnan mentions, way too tight for comfort, plus it squished the fatty bits out over the elastic!
She upped it to a 34D, perfect.

An assistant at M&S recently advised me that balcony bras are better fitting than plunge bras for those who have had children for example, less gapping.
(I think she was referring to me as being older generation but trying to put it nicely)