Hi Maya, so I measured myself again last night for the weight loss thread, and my measurements are much different than I remembered:

Band size 32.5" or 33" depending on how tight I pull the tape;
Breast measurement: 37"

I am wearing a 36C bra, so will a 34DD still be the one to try? I have those pesky armpit fat and strap slip issues.

TIA, Sarah

Bra report:

At 180 lbs, I was wearing 38Ds.

20 lbs later, all my Wacoals were too large and wrinkly, and I was wearing sports bras everywhere. I ordered a bra online from HerRoom using the underbust + 5" method, a 38B. It came, and definitely doesn't fit (cups too large).

I read this whole thread (thank you!) and went off to Nordstroms. I declined to be measured and picked out a whole raft of sizes in the seamed Wacoal bras.

The salesgirl came in when I was trying on a 34D and said, "That fits perfectly!" And by the advice in this thread, it does. So I came home with 2 new Wacoal 34D bras. I feel shapelier and skinnier already.

Yay Katja! I was hoping someone would write a testimonial.

And for additional testimonial - I'm at work, wearing one of my new bras and a fairly close fitting black silk shirt (button, collar, 3/4 sleeve). A colleague just came in and said "Wow, you've been working out - you look great!"

I think the bra makes my midriff look smaller and my bust look better (higher, more distinct from the rest of me).

Hello, i'm joining in the bra saga!
Mine is more of a practical question. So bras can cost a lot, and I sometimes have to travel a bit for work. How to pack bras? I generally fold them together meaning that one of them gets turned inside out. I know, this is bad, but is there something i should do instead when the suitcase is full??

Dillaner

Lots of options Dillaner! Google bra travel bag!

Oh my goodness there's an invention for everything!
You learn something new every day.

so, am I supposed to walk through the airport carrying this?

http://www.herroom.com/Braza-8.....rz001-8080

Sarah- yes, it sounds like you should try the 34" band and start with a DD and see how that feels.

Kim - only if you also carry this - http://www.thebragcompany.com/.....38;AdID=43

It's a hard case so you can put it in your suitcase :p

haha- I know. but when I first clicked on the link it looked like a little purse so it was the first thing I thought of.
and yippee! I am writing reply 100 of this thread. Does this mean I win that cute bra case?

You win a bra-shaped trophy!

Made of chocolate*

what is a compression bra? i've never heard that phrase.

Compression bras are most of the cheap sports bras from brands like Champion.

Another happy customer here. After purchasing my strapless bra a month ago or so, I was inspired to find new everyday bras. After all, the bands felt just too big and stretched out.

Wow, what a difference a bra makes! I paid attention to the rules and came away with two seamed bras in a smaller band/larger cup. I can't believe how slimming and, ahem, uplifting they are. I can see a difference in my tops and have actual cleavage if you look carefully - amazing!

I'm an average to smaller size, so I never thought it mattered much at my size. Boy was I wrong. It feels more supportive too. Thanks Maya!

Woohooo. Go Fathenry! Thank you for your testimonial. I'm going out for cupcakes on Wednesday and will have one in your honor.

One more satisfied devotee here, Maya. I thought for years that I was a 34B, then a 34C. Reading the stats about the percentage of women in the wrong size I downsized to a 32D and thought I was doing well. Having read your advice I'm now in a 30E, and the difference is amazing. My old bras feel so loose and unsupportive now!

Please have another cupcake for me too

Maya and everyone, thank you for this thread. There is nowhere in my litle college town to get a fitting, so I gave myself one. After buying a 36B for, well, probably over 20 years now (I'm 37 now), I never questioned it, I just always bought a 36B and dealt with ill-fitting bras. I never questioned why gals I knew who wore a size 12 dress wore a 36, and why I, at size 0, 2, or 4 was also wearing a 36!

Um... this is a pivotal moment in my style journey--I'd put it right up there with when I discovered eyebrow waxing/grooming back when I was in my early 20s (it totally changes the shape of your face)! Yep, right up there with Perfect Pants Length, too.

No 30 band sizes to be found in my town; I searched high and low. I finally ended up at Victoria's Secret, where they sell a 32 band. I tried a 32B... no way! Then a C... still not good. Finally found comfort and fit with a 32D!
I feel like I could go down to a 30D, but for now, I'll wear my 32s on the tightest notch... until I can get myself to a specialty store in a bigger city (I'm thinking I need to travel-shop MUCH more often!)

And another cupcake for you, if you're not sick of them yet!

Oh, and not only am I soooo much more comfortable... I am also feeling so va-va-voom!

I never get sick of cupcakes

Farzana (yay, someone else with a Persian name), consider yourself listed.

Amanda, if you go down to a 30, make sure to go up a cup size! a 32D is a 30DD. That sounds right and is roughly what I would have guessed! Like I have said repeatedly, the sizes we traditionally associate with being "big" are not big at all! Very normal, or in some cases even small.

Ah, thanks for that additional tip, Maya! I never realized the band size-to-cup size relationship until now. Pre-YLF, I was in my baggy-saggy 36Bs (I was positively swimming in them), thinking that what I needed was a 36A, LOL!

I took myself bra shopping with Maya's tips in mind a couple of weeks ago. I am now the proud owner of a 34DD. I need to do it up on the losest hook, but 36 was too lose on the tightest.

Scrolling through everyone elses post I think I win the prize for the biggest rib cage!

Another cupcake for you!

Fi, you're supposed to wear your bra on the loosest hook, not the tightest. Your size is average. Kim is the same size! Enjoy your new friend

Hmmm, now I am wondering if it is the right size, there is no way Kim and I could have the same band width.

I always thought that you were meant to do it up on the middle hook so that you had provision for making it loose or tighter if needed.

It really is comfy. If you are ever in the UK I would highly recommend a bra shopping trip to John Lewis

If you have to make it tighter, you need a different size, not a different hook.

Why can't you have the same size as Kim?

Because Kim is a lot smaller than I am, I have a really round rib cage, even at my smallest adult size (which is only a USA size 4) my band size was a 32.

Rib cage doesn't necessarily have a relationship to overall frame size. You can be tiny and have a large ribcage or bigger and have a small ribcage.

If anything I think Kim could probably go down to a 32, but it doesn't seem to be as crucial for her as it would be for an F cup or over.

Fi- when you measure right under your bust with a tape measure, what measurement do you get?
Maya is right... I did actually go down to a 32 with the last bra I bought because after wearing the 34s for a few weeks the band had relaxed to the point that I am fastening them on the tightest hook.

Oh, perfect Kim. You are teacher's pet!

Fi, I should mention that my mom is a 34 and wears a US size 12/14 (I think that's UK 14/16? or 16/18? I can't remember).

I measure 75cms or 29.5 inches directly underneath my bust. I have an additional issue in that I have extra cartilage on my rib cage, which starts about 2 or 3 cms underneath where you would like the underwire to sit. The deposits are quite big and if the band on the bra is too wide the fit is completely off and very uncomfortable.

Maya I am a UK 14/16 which according to some of my clothing is a US10 (at H&M), but I think that a 14 is normally a US 12.

Having rib cage issues does really get me down as I feel that I look so much bigger from side on than I do from front on and there isn't really anything that I can do about it.