An exclamation I have heard time and time again is Why can I never find a bra that fits perfectly?! What is the perfect bra? It is every woman’s dream and nightmare to search for a bra that fits and flatters, and has the right style to express her personality. Even being in the industry of underwear does not give you the magic looking glass. I cannot tell anyone that they can find the “perfect” fitting bra. I think you can find a fabulous bra, that fits your needs but here are the things you need to understand about the bra industry behind those perfect peaks you are seeking so that you might have a better chance of maneuvering through the bra aisles and pages, to a brand and a bra that fit you just right.
Brand Loyalty
This goes two ways, it goes between a customer and a brand, in that if you keep buying the bra, the brand will keep making it. This means no waiting years to buy another, if you see it in a different color stock up. If you notice your bra’s fabric and elastic getting shot don’t hold out a couple more months! Here at Freshpair, we try to make finding your favorite styles easy. You can search by:
If you’re above a D finding a bra that can balance the weight of your chest becomes an uphill battle. You’ll want to stick with brands that specialize in fuller figures because they’ll inherently understand your needs better than a brand that takes a 34B bra and sizes it up to you. Here is where a brand’s loyalty to you comes in, because it is in their best interests to know who their customer’s are and to continue making great bras that fit their needs.
Here are some great brands that make sure they make bras with fuller figure women in mind!
Refit yourself often as well, because throughout the month and year your body can fluctuate in size and throw off your fit, in some cases by one full cup size! In that case different fitting bras may be appropriate. For fitting tips check our fit guide.
Fit Models
One thing you might not think about when purchasing a bra is the planning and fitting that goes into getting that bra just right. You might not know that for all of the apparel industry there are models who fit specific sizes that come into designer showrooms and actually try on and comment on the fit of the products that wind up in your closet and lingerie drawers. These fit models must maintain the size they are hired to fit in, and here’s where you can get a lot of insight into why one company’s size 34B might fit slightly differently than another’s- they have different fit models!
If one fit model is a young perky 34B while another is a fuller, older, and heavier 34B the bras will serve two completely different body types. One will be built more for function and lift because it is being fit on breasts that need them, and the other is being fit on a tighter figure so it can be less about function and more about fashion. This explains so much as to why certain brands fit what many term “real women” while others fail to meet those needs.
Another thing you might find interesting, there is no way to fit all the bra band/cup combinations, so the major bra fit sizes are the ones you find most women end up buying 32A, 34B, 36C, 38D, and it all gets a little more complicated above D when companies differ in their size labeling.
Materials
Each fabric stretches differently, and when you combine fabric with elastic the stretch needs to be “married” properly. A lot of experimentation and fittings go into getting each new fabric variation of a bra right. For instance, just because the microfiber version fits one way, does not automatically translate into cotton.
Since Calvin Klein has a really great fit team behind their brand these styles in their Perfectly Fit collection in different materials should fit great across the board. One is a microfiber T-shirt bra, another allover and unlined lace, one a lace and microfiber combination, and finally a push up.
Underneath it All
Underneath fabrics the cups and underwires are major reasons that one bra fits differently from one to another even within the same brand. The rise of the molded cup has been a great revolution because you can get a molded fabric without seams or a molded pad with a natural shape and even push built in, but at the same time you are trying to fit all the many variations of natural breasts into a very specific shape built by a molding machine. Not every woman will fit into each mold. So from one shape cup to the next the mold is going to be different which means even if you are a Calvin Klein girl, you might not find the perfect fit across the brand. That’s just an example because a brand like Calvin Klein is pretty true to size across their product range. It is really all about your personal shape and finding a bra that fits you.
Directly connected to the cups the different thicknesses and styles/shapes of underwire are also a big part of the fit. If you are a fuller figure that needs a more secure fit don’t go for underwire with a wide or half moon shape like you’ll find on plunge styles below:
Look for underwires that are more U-shaped which hold and support. Make sure you are wearing the right size, because improper sizing is a major reason women feel digging underwires!
I hope this has helped give you some insight into what goes into a product behind the scenes that might affect the fit once you get it home! Hope you have some more luck armed with a little bit more information!