The comfy bra thing again...

A bra shouldn't hurt if it fits properly. If you are a D cup or above, seek out Bravissimo, book an appointment for a fitting. They don't use tape measures but look at the bra on you to see if it fits. They have quite honestly changed my life in the bra department.
If there is no store near you, have a look at the fitting advice on their website. The advice will apply even if you are smaller than a D.

I'd never trust M&S to fit a bra properly. Find a specialist lingerie shop and get it done professionally. You can try on all sort there and be given expert advice.

I'm a touch top heavy (34F) and my bras are comfortable and pretty.

My DD bought some new bras that are the most comfortable ones she's ever had. Yoga bras from Decathlon the sports shop. She knows my difficulty with bras and was recommending them.

Miss Mary of Sweden is online but the way you measure up is very clear and I've been happy with the results to date.
I've love to go to Rigby and Peller though they're very expensive

I've totally stopped buying bras from M&S recently not particularly because of a problem with the size but the hooks and eyes don't seem as durable. I've got bras which are 20 years old and the only thing wrong with them are the colour has faded or the elastic had gone but there's never been a problem with the hooks and eyes. Now after 2 washes the hooks of my new bras are bent and totally useless.

I've had the opposite experience! Went to a specialist bra shop and had the fitting.i am very large on top, talking GG. Bought one non wired and one under wired. The non wired gives me no shape, is slack and my daughter said it looked like a nursing bra. I think they just didn't have the stock in my size to give me a choice so gave me something barely suitable. The underwired obviously gives a better shape but the material near the hooks and eyes is already giving. Went to M and S and am happy with the unwired and the wired bras from there at well under half the price!

Berlei on Internet have some comfy bras. I am 34D/E and not keen on underwired so these suit me.

I too reluctantly gave M&S the benefit of the doubt last year.....result two bras that went straight in the bin. I should have known better the fitter insisted that the bra should be done up on the middle set of hooks despite me explaining that I had always been told it was the first set to start with but then move on the middle and even the last as the bra wears. She was almost rude about insisting it was the middle ones....I came away wondering what was the point of the other hooks.....daft how an opinionated shop assistant can render perfectly intelligent people stupid!

I now go to a very small local independent shop (I am a modest rib cage but generous cup size - so its not always easy). The ladies there are a delight, very discrete and really know there products AND understand how varied shapes can be.

Erm, you forgot his trunks? (forgive me if he has problems)

I was 34DD and M%S fitted perfectly but they started cutting down on the styles of 34 plus so I was left with a choice of only rather matronly bras.

And don't get me started on their choice of mastectomy bras...!

If you can find a Bestform stockist locally, I recommend them wholeheartedly. High cotton content, so comfortable from that point of view, but also supportive and give a good shape. I suffer with fibromyalgia and costochondritis, so comfort is vital for me. I've been wearing these for about 5 years now.

Rigby and Peller is definitely the place to go. Strongly recommend. After all, whatever else you wear, your bra is always there, so well worth the investment. I get measured there once a year and buy my bras in the recommended size and style online in between.

Bravissimo are excellent
They talked me through the process of ensuring perfect fit over the phone. I am 36F & the bras they sent me fitted perfectly. I have worn only their bras for years now.

I love my M&S underwired bras...well comfortable.

I work in the sports clothes area of a department store so I would you suggest you look at sports bras. They are soft and offer good support and come in so many colours and styles.

i wish i could find a comfy one..... when at home, by mid evening i undo whichever one i am wearing and only then am i comfortable. i despair. heaven forfend if someone comes to call.
ana I got a post surgery M&S bra for my daughter, its not underwired, but padded and very soft; design is similar to tee shirt bras on general sale, and she tells me it is comfortable. was also surprised to get l7% off the price when paying. £20 reduced to £16.

Hi
I am glad I am not the only one. In desperation I went to marks and Spencer to be fitted. I didn't feel comfortable but trusted she had gotten it right it was the nurse at a scan who told me my bra was not fitting and causing pressure and not supporting me.
They are either too painful, itchy or don't fit right and I have the third boob syndrome.
My daughter swears by Avon bras but I almost have a phobia of trying now.

My problem is straps slipping off my shoulders. I did find an M&S bra with silicone strips on the straps but it was not a good fit. Fantasie bras give me the best fit. I find the fitters at our local House of Fraser are good

My husband (he packs his own swimming kit) forgot his trunks once. We had driven at least 50 km to go to a spa bath for which we had been given a gift voucher. He was going to go back home for the trunks! I told him they'd have some on sale inside, and they did. Now those are the only trunks he wears (although he goes swimming a lot, so he'll be due for new ones soon...)

Bras - I've never had any problem, except when an underwire has escaped and started to jab me under my chin. Solved with a few hand-stitches. Can you describe exactly how they are uncomfortable? Is it the straps, the bit round your middle, the cups themselves, or perhaps the material that irritates?

Please excuse if this post appears more than once, my internet connection is playing up...

I recently discovered Optifit on the internet - I have their measuring device and have measured myself several times - not got as far as ordering yet, as they aren't cheap, but I have found them to be very helpful both by phone and email...and if the bra which they tailor for you doesnt fit correcly, they make you another one.

Worth a look...especially for anyone who like me is very large breasted and despairs of ever finding a comfortable bra.

www.optifitbra.com/about/

Thank you Tippy 22. I agree But I forgot to mention the hooks at the back are rubbish. I do actually have a nice-ish bra from M&S but the hook keeps bending out of shape and coming undone. I have tried bending it back with pliers but just rubbish basically.

Ladies I think I've alerted you to this before - but Rigby and Peller have a factory shop in Desborough Northamptonshire. They do a first class free measuring service, and in all the years I've been going, I've never been with anyone who was actually wearing the correct size bra when they went in !

Their bras are fabulous. For me with my 40FF boobs they are truly a weight off my chest. Google Rigby and Peller Factory Shop.... they have odd opening hours... and visit when they have a Sale. You'll be so glad you did.

I have problems buying bras as I am a F cup - the sizes vary so much! Another problem is that the shape of the cup seems to get distorted as the sizing goes up. I usually find a bra gets comfortable just as it is time to replace it!

I'm another fan of Miss Mary of Sweden. The type I buy has a slightly padded section at each side of the breast which gives support, and the back is comfortable too.