Suz, in my PM I mentioned K-Line's blog but I didn't mention her October Lingerie ShopAlong posts which you might want to check out. The blogger lives in Toronto and has also needs a 30" band because of her 29" measurement. She buys many of her bras online and give some great information about how she does that. Her blog is amusing because she sews and knits and is a fanatic about making things that fit her small chest/full bust frame.

http://line4line.blogspot.ca/

I just wanted to commiserate. I have nothing to add, I yearn for a proper bra fitting, but I am very uncomfortable with the entire bra fitting situation. Hang in there, the ladies will get you sorted.

I am commiserating too. I have given up and gone back to bralettes but I would really like to find a bra that fits properly. My problem is like yours, Suz, wide set, and smallish. My other problem is that since breastfeeding, my breasts are not full on top at all, so if I go by actual measurements to get cup size, when I put it on, it is all sad and poofy on top. If I try and go smaller, then I get the cup cutting into the top and the quad boob effect, which is hilarious when you think about how relatively small I am.

I have tried 36A, but band size is too big and slips. 34B the cups are too large. I tried some 32D Calvin Klein, but they were made for someone with breasts close together. We have little to no bra selection in town (our Sears sucks, and the only other choice is Walmart), or a chichi boutique but they only carry larger band sizes.

I measured and my ribcage is 31", so I think I should be in a 32 band. And my bust measurment is 35", which suggests a D cup, but as I said before, that measurement is kind of false as there isn't other tissue around to fill up the cup.
I think I should be a 32C or D.

I can only commiserate, I'm afraid. My problems are pretty much the opposite. My girls are rather close-set, and most bras are trying to push them further apart, so I end up spilling out in the middle. The full-coverage ones do tend to work better, but I have now shrunk down too far for my old stand-by to be available in my size. And one really does need to wear a T-shirt bra occasionally.

It seems to me sometimes that every single part of me doesn't fit the standard sizes... *sigh* I was fantasizing last night about opening a store that specialized in different configurations of pants, nothing but. And sister stores for jackets and tops and ... Specialized bra stores supposedly already exist, but it doesn't sound like it's helping for you.

Thanks, all. It does help (some) to know I am not alone. If I find some solutions I will post them.

Ceit, it sounds as if you are between sizes, also. It's a rough place to be!

Maybe we should hope for a return of the bra-less look.

I just checked! The little bra company does have 28 bands as well as 30! Check it out!

As a younger girl who is hardly above 5'0", I can tell you finding bras is also not that easy. I've had the most luck with 32C's from Victoria's secret, since I think the bands there fit snugger than some places, and they are not too pricey, and fit well. I think I should probably be wearing a 30D because the center of the bra does not lay flat on my bone, but It doesn't matter that much to me.To answer someone's question, I think most young girls don't care about wearing the correct size, they just want them to look big! It sounds silly but for most girls its true.

Very new member (long time lurker) here; my sympathies on the search for a proper fitting bra, I have been on the search often myself and now for my newly teen aged daughter. The internet is definately the way to go, far more choices of sizes and shapes. I recommend reading the blog "busts for justice " ,she has a great sense of humor and some interestingly detailed reviews of specific bras and manufacturers. There is also a new database / website about bra fits and shape correlation that I think she mentions in her blog also. Good luck on your hunt.

Busts for Justice is a great blog, and she's got a lot about fitting and how the +4 band measurement advice is nonsense. She's on the larger end of things cupwise but they're very good about helping folks.

It seems like this is an industry that some talented custom clothier should get in on. I read about other sewers making their own bras, and you really can get the exact combination of fitting you need. Why hasn't someone started a business to make custom bras for people?

I don't know if you have access to an Intimacy store, but they alter band size free of charge. Best fitting bras I've ever owned.

No help I'm sorry, just sympathy. I thought it was interesting that Angie wears Simone Perele. I wear them too yet I have the opposite problem - so maybe they make a wider range of bras.

Hi Suz, I'm a 34A/32B,[ depending on which SA is doing the fitting :)] and where I live it's the same thing - most specialist bra stores have practically nothing in 32 bands, let alone a 28 band. Demoralising!
Perhaps the link below may be of help. BTW, I do remember reading good reports about Lulalu bras.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09.....&_r=0
Wishing you lots of luck!

Hi Suz!

So sorry to hear about your ordeal! I am on the waaaaaaay other side of the spectrum, but I feel your pain!
There are two stores here in Ottawa that might have what you're looking for - Bra Chic and Marianne's. Maybe if you call ahead and plan a trip? We could do a little meet-up.

I've been shopping at Marianne's for years and find the service quite excellent. Bra Chic is a little more out of my price range but I've heard great things about them.

Keep us posted!

LyrdbirdGully I went to an Intimo party today and got told the exact same size 10B/12A!

(apparenttly 10B is the same as 32B and the consultant confirmed what we keep hearing on YLF - that 10B/12A is the same cup size)

Suz - I'm not an easy fit (36 A - "widely spaced") but have found that Joe Fresh has a line of demi-cups that work perfectly for me. Might be worth checking out as a short term solution.

Google is your friend

https://www.google.com/search?.....8;ie=UTF-8

i have no idea how well these places perform, but you can get custom bras made. I definitely hear your pain, NOTHING fits me off the rack. i alter jackets, dresses, tops, pants, skirts, yes and bras and panties. If the only problem is the band is too big thank your stars and take the durn thing in! It is also entirely possible to take in a little bit too large cup (if it's of a stable material you get best results).

The fantasy of our free-market economy is that everyone should be able to buy exactly what suits them off the rack - don't get me started on the many many ways that idea is pure bunk!

but seriously, best of luck Suz - talking to Angie's bra fitter sounds like a really good idea, if you sent her your measurements and some pics from various angles my guess is she could give you some meaningful help (bra fitting IS an incredible art!)

For the truly desperate who are handy or just persistent, there's oddles of online info on making your own bras. Just search for 'how to make your own bras'. Via online sources you can buy kits, etc.

Good luck, this type of thing drives me absolutely nuts! just keep trying and thinking and you'll come up with a solution that works for you, i promise steph

I have shopped at Brachic and it is lovely but more than pricey. I don't believe that you would find your size there Suz, it is my impression that they tend toward the very large cup sizes more. Their website is not the best.
I have heard good things about lilac lingerie but have never shopped there myself.
shop.lilaclingerie.ca/

I'm hoping for an Ottawa visit too but more so hope that you can find what you need easily and without too much stress and disappointment.

Suz, I really empathize with your dilemma. I wear a 32A bra size with a 29" ribcage, with small, wide-set, shallow breasts (compared to my otherwise petite proportions). I'm used to the looser bra band because I just don't have the energy to order tons of bras online and end up returning most/all of them, even though I'm in the US--even when trying different 32A's, I have to hope for the right proportions.

The bras I've found to work best for me are a very few Lily of France and Aerie models, as well as a strapless Natori. I know Aerie is a juniors brand, and most of their styles are too close-set for me, but their microfiber Scarlet bra has worked pretty well for me because I can adjust the cups to the farthest-apart setting in the front. And since it's juniors, the bands tend to run tighter too.