Sunday, October 31, 2010

Why you should go get a professional bra fitting

I realize I just told you all about how to measure yourself for a bra. But really, the very best way to make sure your bra fits is to go to an experienced fitter.

Not only are they skilled experts in ascertaining the fit of your bra, but they can tell you what styles might work best for you based on the shape and placement of your breasts, what your needs are, etc. They should also know their stock well, and, just like clothes, fit will vary from brand to brand and style to style. So they will be able to tell you, “you would normally be a 32F but this brand runs loose in the band, so I would suggest that you try a 30FF.” And it is invaluable to be able to try things on and see which ones you like the fit of the best. They should also show you how to put on a bra correctly. This can make a HUGE difference in the size you need. In addition, if you have been wearing a style that's vastly wrong for you, then you won't be used to the feeling of a well fitting bra and so anything that's better than what you have could seem perfect at first!

However, sadly, an experienced bra fitter is hard to find, especially in the US. I have heard all too many stories of women going to an “experienced bra fitter” only to have them try to convince the woman that they need the wrong size, just so they can make a sale, or because they weren't so experienced on fit after all.

This is why I told you to measure yourself. You have to go informed. See what size you think you need before you go to try on bras. Be informed on how a properly fitting bra should look.

It also might be the case that you simply cannot get to a fitter. If this is the case, I encourage you to make this a priority. However, in the meantime, you may wish to measure yourself and order online. Even if the size you get isn't perfect for you, it will probably be a big improvement!

I would suggest you research online for the best fitters in your area. If you travel, make it a habit to look and see if there are any well reviewed or recommended fitters in the place you are traveling to. If there are no fitters in your home area then this may be the only way you can get a fitting. If there are, then a second opinion never hurts anything!


  1. And the store here in LA (Century City) has Ruth and Diana, who are goddesses of bra fitting.

  2. I'm in the US, and I had a great bra fitting experience at Nordstrom. A friend recommended it to me and it completely changed my life; I actually enjoy bra shopping now. No more struggling because a store doesn't carry higher than DD, and the few bras they have in that size never fit right (turns out I'm actually a 32F). The Nordstrom fitter really knew what she was doing (unlike the ones at Victoria's Secret who tried to convince me I was a B or C), and they actually had my size in stock. Nordstrom is the only place I buy bras now. They're a little pricey (about $50-60), but that's not much more than VS charges, and my bras are still in great condition so I'd say they're worth it (my VS bras were always falling apart).

    1. Nordstrom tends to hire Certified Mastectomy Fitters (CMF) or a similar certified fitter. On their website they say they can and will help any and all breast cancer patients if they schedule an appointment. These fitters can also be found in hospitals.

  3. I also had a great experience at Nordstrom. I've never had a bra fitting or a properly-fitted bra. They do run around $50, but it's totally worth it for a bra that's going to fit.

  4. If you're in LA I absolutely recommend the girls at Jenette bra's. I swear to God the salesgirl gave me the correct size without measuring me at. all. She just gave me a once over and came back with a bra that fit me PERFECTLY. Boob whisperers. For the record I was wearing an ancient 36DD and I now wear a 34G - which, following your excellent measuring directions is exactly what I should be wearing.

  5. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad to have found your site!! This has already changed my life. I've been searching for a bra that fits me correctly since my body stopped growing, and it's been about 5 years. Not to mention, I have scoliosis, which makes finding a good bra even more important. I used your bra fitting instructions on my mom first, and it turned out perfect, and she's only wearing one band size too big. Then we did it on me - and boy was that a surprise!! I recently went from wearing a 34D to a 34DDD, which was a huge improvement - but I've been looking for a 32DDD, because I thought that was my true size - but then I just measured myself, and I'm a 29GG!! I'm never going to find a bra that fits right!! D:

    I'm just glad to know that there are other women out there that are having the same problems - this will help my self esteem so much, and I will from now on have a little more confidence about myself. (I am really sick of it, though, when I try and tell people the correct way to measure bra sizes, or that the band shouldn't ride up your back, and they don't believe me!! They never believe me!! But they have much smaller breasts which are much perkier than these big old heavy things that sag - so I guess that don't really need to worry about it too much!!)

    1. I have scoliosis too! I went to Bravissimo, wearing a 32E, and it turns out I'm a 28G, although I wear most bras on the tightest hook, so maybe a 26 would have been better.

  6. Everytime I went to get a fitting they tell me: "No, you don't have 28, we just measure 32". then they proceed to tell me not to wear my bra's on the tightest hook, but guess what even on that hook the band is too wide. They just tell me I have 32 because they want to sell something and they don't have 28.
    Now, I order my bra's online, and for the first time I have a bra that fits!

  7. I'm having a really awful time finding my size and the right brand of bra for me, currently I am wearing a 32GG in the freya deco, the straps hurt like hellp, so itchy too!.
    I have a 32H in the panache super bra, the band is fine, the cups are the right size, BUT i feel like the wires are too wide for my breasts, i feel like they poke my under arms.

    I should probably mention that I have sensory integration disorder issues, so this makes all of my bras almost un-wearable. the main issue I have is the underwires are too close to my armpits and the straps are too far towards the edges of my shoulders, They are too narrow for all of the large cup bras that I have had.

    Do you have any advice on brands that accommodate large breasts as well as narrower shoulders and narrower(but still deep)cups?

    I've heard that Ewa Michalak is good for this issue, but I have no idea how the sizing works for that site.

    I have a 31/32 Underbust measurement(changes due to pms etc) and a 43/44inch bust measurement. That is a 12 inch, that puts me at a 32HH approximately, but I feel like a HH would just be way too big in the cup for me, because my breasts are much narrower.


    1. I have similar issue. Did you ever find a bra brand that you are happy with?

  8. Hi,
    I'm in US just since 2 weeks, and I'll stay just 2 months more...
    In my nearest shopping center there is the very first Victoria's Secret. I've checked their's sizes on web... for me (30 under bust) they have only A or B. My twelve years old sister wears D...
    So I was very glad what you wrote about Nordstrom, becouse it is here too. They have fine website, but I ofcourse prefer do bra shopping in a shop.
    I've been there yesterday. They had beautiful Freya Ivy bra (that longer) in size 30 G, wich sometimes suits me (swemsuit from Curvy Kate, my latest purchase). But it was too small. That means that in Freya I need GG or H. But this bra is made only to G - a lady in shop was right.
    It is so unfair. Shop lady was nice, but when I asked her for something in 30 G size she gave me four bras 30 D. Fortunatelly I found this Freya, and Fantasie 30 FF - too small, but probable, so I have something to take to fitting room

    Do you make any bra shopping in real live, or only by web?
    Do you know good shops between San Francisco and San Jose?
    I ofcourse will check any Nordstrom I met, but I don't realy belive in it by now.

    I like my Warsaw. I've been in at least 8 stationary shops where they had my size. I can complain only about prices ;)

    I do not have Effuniak (Ewa Michalak bra), so I can only say what I've read on polish web sides: her underbust size is quite tight, so usualy you take a smaller number than in other brands. About letters (cups) I do not know.

  9. Marianna, you've probably already checked out the San Jose and Palo Alto Nordstroms. Last week I checked their sale racks and found a few 30Gs, in Freya. That brand's wires are too narrow for me. I didn't see any Panache, Parfait by Affinitas, etc--brands with the wider underwires I need--on the sale racks, so I didn't bother checking out their 30 bands that may have been available but not on sale. The San Francisco Nordstrom in Market Centre near Union Square probably has a bigger selection of 30 bands than the San Jose or Palo Alto ones. Have fun in the Bay Area, and good luck!

  10. Today I went out looking for a professional bra fitting in Dallas, and I am afraid I didn't get good results. I tried two stores, Intimacy and The Maddox Shop, which are pretty much the only places I could find in the area that offer "professional fittings." I am afraid that neither met my expectations (or found my size!) but thanks to your site I did end up with some great bras!

    They were very helpful at Intimacy, but even though the lady eyed me at a band size of 30, she didn't have a pushup in that size and suddenly changed her tune about my size, saying I was a 32C instead of offering to alter me a band sizs (they do alterations). The push up bras I saw seemed no different from those I got at Victoria's Secret but they cost about $120! They did NOT fit any better than the 32C I got from VS--just like my VS bra, they dug into my ribs and seemed to press my breasts down instead of lifting them up, making them look very unflattering. I ended up ducking out instead of wasting a TON of money on something that didn't seem to fit, though the professional fitter was telling me it did. She even gave me a little card listing my size on it as 32C "in case you want to tell your fiance." I really wanted respond with, "Yeah... as if my man is going to pay $120 for a bra when he can get something shinier and skimpier at Frederick's for thirty bucks" but I was polite and just smiled and nodded as I left! ;P

    Next I went The Maddox Shop (they are known for mastectomy bras but also do regular bra fittings) and it didn't go any better, really. The customer service was kind of poor, the woman was NOT very friendly at ALL and seemed grumpy that I was even there (she was about seventy years old though, literally, so maybe that's just her normal self). She didn't bring me a good selection of the bras they had, totally ignoring anything that wasn't nude colored with straps so wide that it would look ridiculous with any sort of tank top. When I asked for smaller straps she brought me slightly smaller straps, but they were still too big to wear with a spaghetti strap. It worked out in the end, though because they actually had them out on the floor so, once I figured out my size, I was able to pick my own and found some great, *very* thinned strapped push-ups in black and red lace. The big problem, however, was that she mis-sized me as well. She measured and decided I was a 34C, though the band was slipping even on the tightest notch. I stated that I would like to try a smaller band size, so she let me try a 32D. This fit PERFECTLY! One of the styles I liked was unavailable in a 32D so they altered it down to a 32 band size for a $4.50 fee in just a few minutes. I was then able to look around the store and find a couple of other bras in 32D. Best of all, I was able to get three well made, beautiful bras for less than what one bra at Intimacy would have cost. (Yet the woman at Intimacy was the one who said I need a "wardrobe of bras" because wearing a bra more than twice a week was a no-no. How am I supposed to have at least four bras if they cost $120 each?)

    I am now VERY happy with my bra, and I really have this site to thank for it since neither of the stores fit me right and I had to use your suggestions as to how a bra should fit to figure out what size I should be wearing. Unfortunately I think "bra fitting specialists" these days are more interested in making a sale than actually fitting you properly. :( I am amazed at how supported and snug the girls feel, and am so glad I had this site to help me out! Thanks so much!

    1. Hi Question, I am trying to figure out what size I should order in a panche or freya bra. I measure 27"ribcage with a 34 bust. Do you think I should order a 28F or 28G? I know all manufacurers run differently. I can where a donna karan bra but the band is too big but the cup fit perfectly 32DD but I want to buy a bra that fits better but I'm afraid to order over seas and then have a problem returning it. I am in the US. Thanks

  11. I went to Victoria's Secret to get fitted a few years ago, and was measured at a 36B. I was wearing a 34D at the time. I (correctly) assumed the gal had no idea what she was doing and left. More recently, I started wearing DD bras. I though they fit, but I could never figure out how the center part was supposed to touch my sternum.

    I finally sucked up my courage and went to small, local adult store. I had heard they did fittings. The woman who measured me said "Even if you measure a certain size, you might not be that size. Bodies are unique, and you just have to see what fits you. The measurements are just a guideline. Different bras also fit differently" She then ran around and helped me pick out bras in several different sizes and styles.

    The final verdict? 32 DDD/E/F, depending on brand & style. You may find a good fitter in the most unexpected places.

  12. From what I gather, nordstrom is fine as long as you don't actually need small band size. Their method is based on adding inches to smaller band sizes, if they measure you between 27 and 29" they declare you a 32. (See: or in their video they declare, "Melissa measures 27" so she is a 32!". I went to my local nordstrom before I knew this to be measured. I was told I was 32 band. After trying on their entire (but limited stock) of 32s in my cup size it was clear none of them fit correctly. I started ALL of them on the tightest hook and it was clear they were still to big, but my fitter said, you should start them on the loosest hook. At no point did she even bring in a 30 band for me to try, later I learned that's because there were exactly 2 in the store. The whole experience was awful.

    TL:DR Nordstroms is not all its cracked up to be. Don't go there to be fitted if you think you actually need a band thats a 32 or smaller.

  13. I got fitted at Nordstrom by a friend and she put me in 32DDD. Best bras I've ever worn, and my boobs actually look smaller now than when I was wearing 36Ds. Cherry Creek Nordstrom in Denver, ask for Emily.

  14. I had a really good experience at Nordstrom's. I used to wear a 36B, but the back would ride up a ton and I guess I never realized that was an indicator of a bad fit. She measured me correctly, and now I wear a 32DD, which is soooo comfy and incredibly supportive. She was very professional and she completely knew what she was doing.

  15. I measure a 27 under bust and 32 overbust, what's my bra size?

  16. It took me a long time to know my real size. As a teenager, I used to wear 34C and I didn't know anything about bra fitting... Then, a seller told me that I was more a 32D and she taught me some things about bra fitting... But last year, my bra size changes and I discovered the blog of a young French lady who wears 28FF. In France, it's impossible to find this size so she had to order her bras from UK or US brands. In her blog she explains everything to know to get a perfect fitting bra. That's how I discovered that I'm currently a 30E and not a 32DD.
    But the 30E is very difficult to find in France... so many times they try to sell me 32DD or even 34D !! Unfortunatly for them, I know how a bra should fit so they never manage to sell me a ill-fitting bra.

