The last couple of days have left me a little confused and frustrated. Bra sizing is an intensely delicate procedure for all women. The most recent changes in my body shape have forced me to come to terms with certain things I don't like about my body, and I'm hoping that blogging my experience will encourage other women to empathize and not feel ashamed of their unique shape.
Part of our continued training as permanent VS employees included that we try on multiple bra styles to see what styles and fits we like best. I took a box of 34C (what I knew to be my size) into a fitting room and went to work. The very first few that I tried on were either multi-way or strapless bras, none of which fit correctly. I was shocked. My 34C push-ups fit so well, minus a tiny bit of spillage in one cup, and a slight gap in the other. Reluctantly, I asked for a 34D in one of our multi-way bras. Sure enough, it fit like a glove. I threw my hands up in despair at the thought of having to completely overhaul my bra collection.
Thanks to our wonderful company we receive a seasonal bra gratis. This particular one was for a nude bra, and so I picked out a Dream Angels Push-Up that features our Memory Fit technology to create a customized fit for the wearer, and romantic lace detailing. I went home, put it on, and was amazed.
I showed up at the following day (today) donning my new bra. Everything felt right until the end of my shift. I noticed that my underarms felt sore from the placement of the wings of my new bra. Upon arriving home, I felt disappointed and frustrated. "So, I'm not a 34D?" I thought. I pulled out all of my bras and tried them on one by one. My Dream Angels Demi in 34C fit like a glove. Even my latest Push-Up purchases felt good. I put on my new Dream Angels again and proceeded to adjust the straps. Tighter straps meant the tissue under my arms would suffer, looser straps created gapping in the cup.
Then it began to dawn on me. I am between cup sizes. This can be rather infuriating because you could be one size in one style, and another size in a different style. For me, this is due to a few often overlooked details that can make or break your bra fitting experience:
1. I have wide-set, bottom heavy breasts. This means I have a clear divide along my sternum (breast bone) between both breasts. This creates more fullness in the bottom and outer sides of my breasts (as opposed to being more rounded or higher set). This also means that my breast tissue is wider than it is longer. My breasts do not sag in the same way other women's do. A woman that is fuller in the center will rest differently than mine, and will then require different styles. So, my fullness comes from the outer sides of my breasts.
2. Differently sized breasts. It's very common for women to find that one breast is slightly larger than the other. I have this, and I hate it. One cup spills a little, the other gaps a little. In this event, most would be advised to round down, but that isn't always the best solution. If you round up, you can simply tighten the strap on that particular side to eliminate the gap. This also doesn't work for everyone. In my case, it only jams the wing of the bra into my tissue and leaves me sore after several hours. (Note: This could be more do to with the construction of the particular bra style, i.e. stitched edges vs. smoother edges).
3. Different styles do different things and possess different features. A Push-Up is designed to displace breast tissue by adding padding in order to push the breasts upward and toward the center to create volume and cleavage. A Demi, or "Half" cup creates a more open neckline and gives subtle support with a lower cut. To the frustration of many women, this means that not every single style will look good on you. Each style has different straps, different stretch, different coverage, etc.
So, how is a Multi-Way 34C too small for me? There is nothing pushing my breasts to the center. In the Multi-Way, my breasts rest in the same way they would without a bra, which means I need a wider underwire to give all of my tissue proper support. A 34D will help with this. However, I can get away with a 34C in Push-Up because that style is essentially forcing all of my tissue up and to the center AND leaving space for the tissue under my arms. The 34D, while it did push my breasts to the center, the tightness of the straps (especially since one breast needs a tighter strap) was forcing the wing into my tissue. This might not be noticeable right away, but if you wear a bra all day like this, it can make you want to scream.
If you're talking Strapless, it's kind of the same deal, but with an added twist. A strapless is difficult for a naturally bottom-heavy breasted girl to pull off, especially without proper coverage. I was spilling out of the C-cup (think natural breast position here, no push-up) and it could barely keep my breasts where they needed to be. The straps only provide some of the support, and most of the weight is supported around your ribcage. However, all of my weight is already around my ribcage. In fact, my breasts don't hang past my ribcage. The width of my breasts causes me to need a wider support system, but I'm not desperate for lift (only when I want cleavage). Wearing a D-cup will give me the wide support from underneath and the top coverage will help the bra from sliding down without straps.
I'm going into work tomorrow to try on some more styles and to exchange my bra for a more comfortable style. I may have to face the facts that our Dream Angels collection won't work with my body. We have some incredibly cute colors, so I'll be sad if this is so, but it's not the end. We have other beautiful styles that I'd be happy to invest in.
So, ladies, get fitted. Try on multiple styles in multiple sizes. If you're like me, you could be between sizes. Take a day with your friends and go try stuff on! Trust me, it's worth it.
My Size Predictions:
Push-Up: 34C
Demi: 34C/D (These provide the least coverage of any bra, and size may depend on the collection, i.e. Dream Angels, Body, Gorgeous, etc.) Unlined Demis tend to be one layer of lacy material which provides less all over support and relies more on the underwire and the straps.
Multi-Way: 34D
Strapless: 34D
Balconet: 34D (This is a "shelf" bra with wide-set straps. It creates lift, but with less cleavage than a Push-Up.)
Full-Coverage: 34D (Bra construction provides ultimate support without padding, and complete breast coverage. Very busty women should own at least 1 or 2 of these.)
Add 2-Cup: I already know that I don't need this style. It is meant to create a fuller figure by enhancing the bust. It creates a very rounded breast shape, which I already have.
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