SarahM's bra troubles - YouLookFab Forum

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SarahM's bra troubles

Sarah

Hi everyone! Sorry it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Life is busy between school, getting ready for my senior recital (which has been rescheduled for the 4th time due to health), getting things done at home, and trying to spend time with friends and family. I don’t think I’ll ever get caught up reading on here, but read a little at a time when I have a spare hour or so, and I’ll keep posting whenever I have questions.

Today I’d like to share my somewhat on-going journey to find my perfect bra. Several months ago I went to Nordstrom and had my first bra fitting. The experience was fantastic! I came in nervous and scared that I would be dubbed a double-A, but came out feeling great with a beautiful 30C Chantelle bra. I loved that bra at first, but when I wore it all day, I quickly discovered that the cups are too big and the band is too small. The underwires dug into my ribs and left red marks. I’ve worn underwires for years and never had this problem before. And the cups look OK, but when any pressure is applied you can see that they sink in; they are round and my boobs are not. The band has loosened so that it is comfortable now that I’ve been wearing it for a few months, but as I expected, the cups haven’t shrunk any.

So in conclusion, I believe was correct when I found my own bra size- 32B. I don’t think I’m a 30C. I’m happy with that though, because 32Bs are much easier to find. My perfect bra remains a smooth, non-padded 32B from Victoria’s Secret. So bra fittings are not prefect for everyone, but it can’t hurt to try. At worst, you will find another bra size that doesn’t work; at best, you will find your perfect size.

I did learn something useful from my bra fitting: I have a concave sternum. This makes finding bras extremely difficult. Most bras that I try stand out away from my body. I’ve been researching this deformity and am considering getting surgery, because it could affect my heart and lungs as well as my appearance. But I will have to talk to my doctor and do much more research first. For those of you who want to know what a concave sternum looks like (and aren’t squeamish) there are pictures on this website: http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic2558.htm
Mine is not as server as the boy picture, but does look a lot like the two girls.

General

17 replies

Latest reply was from tarzy

Nicole

Veteran

Sarah, bra fitting is an art, not a science. You could be a 30C in one brand and a 32 B in another.

I am wondering if bras with wires are not ideal for you, considering your concave sternum. Do you own any soft cup bras (bras that do not have underwires.) ?

Sometimes you just gotta try on a bunch of different bras in different size ranges. When you find one that fits and is comfy and makes you look and feel wonderful with a shirt on--then you stick to that bra. Until your body changes, or the bra design changes. It is frustrating to have to do this, but the alternative is to wear ill fitting, uncomfortable, unflattering bras.

Sarah

I agree, Nicole. Bra fitting is an art and certainly not a science. The lady at Nordstrom tired about 10 different bras on me. The 30C was the closet fit she had there. We tried on a petite 30B and it was uncomfortably tight. I think all of the bra sizes I’ve tried are: 32A (too small in the cups), 34A (too small in the cups and too big in the band), 32B (just right, unless it has padding or something else odd), 34B (too big everywhere), 36B (even bigger everywhere), 38B (much too big everywhere), and 30C (too big in the cups and too small in the band until it’s had some stretching). I make it a goal to try on various brands, since I know not all bras in the same size are created equal.

The lady at Nordstrom said I should be wearing underwires for support, and I’m fine with that. If I don’t wear underwires I feel like I’m wearing a sports bra or shelf bra… not much support, just being squished in. So yes, I’ve had some bras without underwires, but I got rid of those when I paired down my bra selection from about 25 ill fitting bras and to only a few that fit pretty well.

Yep, I certainly have to try on a bunch of bras. The only ones that have fit me are 32B’s, but not all 32B’s fit me. Basically, I look for no padding, but a shaped cup. I also look for one of two kinds of bras. I don’t know what the thing between the cups is called. I think it’s part of the band, but that part has to either be a straight line, like this: http://www.herroom.com/Natori-.....unge.shtml
or a triangle, like these:
http://www.laurensilva.com/Fre.....aa3411.htm
http://www.barenecessities.com.....ch,30B.htm
http://www.herroom.com/Natori-.....-Bra.shtml
http://www.barenecessities.com.....ze,30C.htm

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks for the advice. I’m actually very happy that my best fitting bras are from less expensive stores. $20-$40 a bra fits into my budge much better than $50-$90. I have two bras I love from VS, two I love from Wal-Mart, another from VS that is pretty good, and four others from Wal-Mart that are also pretty good but not perfect. Those that aren’t perfect are my backups for when the good ones are dirty.

Sarah

Oh wow! I just discovered that Chantelle now offers my T-shirt bra in 32B. Hm, I'm very tempted to get one in the smaller cup size and see how it feels, or at least see if Nordstrom has one I can try on.

I also found out from Chantelle's bra listings that the center part is called a "center gore". You learn something new every day.

Becky

Veteran

It's good to hear from you again, Sarah. I'm glad you've found some bras that will work for you even if they're not perfect.

Sarah

Hi Becky. It's great to hear from you too. I'm very happy with four of my bras, and it's nice to have a few that aren't perfect right now. Then I don't care if I sweat in them on a hot summer day or something.

brooke

Member

Sarah, I have pectus excavatum too. It makes finding bras that fit a pain, doesn't it? The problem is that the breasts point inward towards each other more than a normal woman's, so cups are never quite going to fit right because they're positioned too far to the sides.

I've found that my favorite bra is the ipex bra from Victoria's Secret with no underwires. I bought 3 in different colors to wear all the time. They're a bit pricey but they're very comfortable.

Maya

Veteran

Sarah, did your bra have molded cups? Whenever I get new bras, the cups don't quite conform to my boobs. There's like a little air pocket that sinks when you poke it. Is that what happens to you? If so, don't worry about it. The cups will adjust and mold to the shape of your boobs in just a few wears.

As for turning you red, that sounds awful and uncomfortable. Are you putting it on the last (biggest) hook? You should wear whatever bra fits you on the largest hook. As the bra starts loosening up and wearing out, you can gradually tighten it to the next set of hooks.

Sarah

Hi Brooke! It's good to see that there is somebody else out there with a concave sternum. I read that 3 men have it for every 1 woman, so we are pretty rare. But yes, it does make finding a good bra difficult. I just grab a handful in my size, and usually one or two fits. One of my favorites is a discontinued VS Angels bra. The other I think is VS Body.

Maya, I've missed you! It's good to be back on here at least some. Anyway, this is the bra I got at Nordstrom:
http://www.barenecessities.com.....ze,30C.htm
I'm not sure if it has molded cups. I don't think so. It sinks in when I push on it, but I've been wearing it for months and it still hasn't molded to my boobs. The red marks were uncomfortable, but now that the band has stretched out that doesn't happen anymore. Yes, I've always wore it on the biggest hook. I couldn't stand to wear it any tighter than that. The only problem with my 32B's is that they do fit on the smallest hook, so there isn't any room for them to grow. I'm thinking about altering them once they stretch out so that they still fit.

Maya

Veteran

I miss you too Sarah! I have less time here lately as well, and recently with more members, things move so quickly that my posts often get lost in the shuffle

I actually have that same bra and love it, and it does indeed have molded cups. But it sounds like it's not right for you. If the cups haven't adjusted to your boobs yet, something is off.

Altering might be a good idea. The lingerie shop I go to does free adjustments if you get a fitting (it's a small local one so I can't really recommend it, but it can be done).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Sarah, I’ve been watching this thread and welcome you back. We have missed your lovely spirit.

I have nothing further to add other than it sounds like the lasses have you covered with excellent suggestions. I hope you get sorted.

Sarah

You're right Maya. I think having my bras altered may be the best solution.

Tanya

Veteran

Sarah, I have missed you a lot too. It's great to have you back.

I am sorry to hear about your bra troubles. It sounds like you already got some great advice.

Sarah

Thanks for the welcome back Angie and Tanya.

Does anybody know if Nordstorm carries the Chantelle tshirt bra that I posted the link to above in 32B now? I know they didn't when I had my bra fitting several months ago. They didn’t have any Chantelles smaller than a C cup. I'll have to go find out sometime soon. I'm also wondering if they could alter it and other 32Bs once the bands have stretched out too much. I know that is more of a job for a tailor, but I also seems to remember Nordies will alter bras. It seems like when I was there someone else was having a bra altered, but I could be remembering incorrectly

Tanya

Veteran

Hi Sarah, they seem to carry the bra in 32B online now:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/28.....6&P=1

I am pretty sure they can alter it for you .

eternalvoyageur

(website)

Hello ! You can find your correct bra size here:
http://weblog.xanga.com/eterna.....ectly.html

Most of the salesgirls haven't a clue about bra fitting. They add 5 cm to your under-bust measurement, which is total nonsense: you end up with a band that rides up your back and doesn't support your boobs.

Leslie

Member

I got fitted here (online!) and they do a fabulous job of not only telling you the correct size, but they also make each bra per order so very different than other companies I've shopped with. Their distraction push up bras are amazing and my favorite. The girl who helped me out is Nicole.

http://www.bitasaviss.com/bitasaviss/opener.php

Good luck!

tarzy

Veteran

I highly recommend the Her Room site -

http://www.herroom.com/bras.aspx

You can search by size, they have great information on sizing and styles, and are very responsive to e-mail questions.