The ultimate guide to finding your perfect bra
Posted by Claire Boote, on May 18, 2021.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s)
The ultimate guide to finding your perfect bra
Want that comfortable all day feeling to, but dread the pinching, squashing or sagging feeling you get from your (clearly ill-fitting!) lingerie? You need to start from scratch with our ultimate guide to finding your perfect bra.
Even the smallest of cup sizes needs some form of support – the delicate breast tissue, not to mention your back, neck and shoulders, will thank you for it. If you’re someone who cannot wait to remove their bra at the end of the day, the answer is simple – you are not wearing the right bra!
It’s all in the size
The secret to a comfortable bra is all in the fit. When you find your perfect size, it won’t feel like you’re wearing a bra at all. However, it’s amazing how many women are wearing ill-fitting bras. Recent surveys have found an incredible 80-90% of women are wearing the wrong size. Our bodies change shape and size over time for a number of reasons, be it weight loss/gain, pregnancy or surgery, but most women don’t have a yearly fitting or even remeasure themselves at home.
Our designer Demi Venter, says, “It’s almost as if we see our bra size as part of our identity – ‘once a 36C, always a 36C’. But our bodies change throughout our lives, and even minor changes have an effect on your boobs. When I do bra fittings, I have so many customers almost in disbelief when I tell them their true bra size! But when they start wearing their new perfect fit, they wish they’d been measured sooner.”
Examine your fit
There are some important questions that Royce’s expert designers always ask when doing a bra fitting – and that’s before we get to function and style. Here’s how to think like a professional when choosing a new bra.
Start by noting the size of your current bra. Then put it on and, if possible, look at yourself in a large mirror to see how it fits on your body. Ask yourself: Do you bulge/spill out of your cups? Or do the cups gape? Does the band ride up at the back? Or is it too tight or too loose?
A well-fitted bra should follow
this 5-point rule:
- Your breasts should be well enclosed within the cups of the bra, with no bulging or gaping
- The middle of the bra should sit flat on or close to the chest
- The underband should fit firmly and comfortably on the middle hook and eye fastening
- The underband should sit straight with no riding up
- Straps should be adjusted so they don’t dig into or slip off your shoulders
Cups bulging
When your breasts bulge over the cups it means the cup size is to small.
Cups gaping
If there is gaping in the cup it means the cup size is too big.
Cups well enclosed
When a bra fits well your breasts should be well enclosed within the cups.
Band digs in
When the underband digs in it means the size is too small.
Band riding up
When the underband rides up it means it is too loose so you need to go down a size.
Band comfortable
The underband should fit firmly and comfortably on the middle hook and eye fastening
Too small
When your bra is too small it will feel tight and dig in leaving you feeling uncomfortable.
Too big
When your bra is too loose it will offer you no support and you’ll feel uncomfortable.
Fits well
When you bra fits well it won’t feel like you’re wearing a bra at all!
Bra not fitting right?
If your bra isn’t ticking all of those five points, start with your current bra size and follow these instructions to reach your new size:
- Band is too tight – go up a band size and down a cup size
- Band is too loose – go down a band size and up a cup size
- Cups are too tight – go up a cup size and keep the same band
- Cups are too big – go down a cup size and keep the same band
- Band is too big and the cups are too small – go down a band size and up two cup sizes.
- Band is too big and the cups are too big – go down a band size and keep the cup the same.
- Band is too small and the cups are too small – go up a band size and keep the cup the same.
- Band is too small and the cups are too big – go up a band size and down two cup sizes.
No wirefree bra problem is too big or small for our fantastic customer service team. If you’re still unsure how to adjust your sizing, give them a call on 01295 265 557 for fitting advice over the phone.
Once you’ve found your new size, you can then try different styles to test how the fit feels.
