The comfy bra thing....

Lona if you found a 40" band comfortable you can go down in the cup sizes till you find what fits best.

I usually go for an M&S total support, which I find very comfortable but as others say it depends on so many variables of different person's body measurements. Things like the width of your back and you cup size and weight etc etc.
I never find under wired bras comfortable and I can see just how individualised getting a comfortable and effective bra is.

My daughter was a 32 DD when she was in her teens. She has a very narrow back. At that age an assistant in John Lewis spent a lot of time convincing her that a "push the boobs up" bra was never going to fit her comfortably.

I have to thank everyone on here who mentioned the Doreen bra in a previous thread on here. I have found them a comfortable but supporting fit.

Nina and Lola, I have just bought a couple of 40b soft bras from BHS and I hope they are going to be ok. I agree that most of the bras with smaller cups stop at 38 but I wouldn't have thought I was a particularly unusual shape!

I agree nina I could probably wear 40" but the cup size would be too big.

I'm small busted but have a large frame.
It's a real struggle to find my size. Manufacturers assume that if your a B cup your only 36-38" When I do find them they're never pretty

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After years of problems finding a decent bra I have found the perfect solution for me.

They are from M and S and they are for after a mastectomy. They are super soft and pretty. Anyone can buy one and you don't pay VAT.

I got the girl to measure me and she said 34B well I can't bear tight bras so I bought a 38B and it is perfect. I have bought a number of them and they are all comfy.

In a op I mentioned Femfresh. I was referring to a corn starch talc substitute not a spray.

Blimey, Judes, 01, you sound like an ad for SOMETHING, but what is it? Have you invented the perfectly fitted, perfectly comfortable bra? If so, you should tell us more.

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The real problem is that ALL bra / lingerie companies manufacture bras based on only THREE body measurements.. and all use a 34B as their base point - and every different manufacturer has a different determination of what a 34B is... it gets worse - every single range within a brand is the same!! and that is why over 85% of women wear bras that don't fit and basically HURT like mad!!
In my research - every woman's bust is as different as her fingerprints - in order to get a purely accurate measurement for a woman - we have calculated that you need to take at least 120 measurements!!

And that is what we have done... using technology - 3d scanning. It is very new and high tech... but is revolutionary...

How can we POSSIBLY love our body when we struggle so much with an intimate piece of apparent that makes us feel so insecure?

It is the item we wear closest to our heart!!!

It is so very important we wear bras that feel really comfortable - that fit perfectly. So we can feel confident - love our body and through loving our body - we encourage self love!!! and is there a more beautiful woman than an empowered woman who truly loves and appreciates herself?

I have two lumps in a rather odd place at the moment as I unfastened my bra an hour or so ago because I was so uncomfortable. My bras feel even worse when I sit and put my feet up to watch tv.

Tight!? - no way!

I've been professionally fitted and been recommended a German brand bra called Rosa Faia. I've since order two of the same brand off Amazon instead of buying at the woman's specialty store. I've been very please as I am cup size not easily found. The material of the cups are stretchy and conform to me and the straps don't fall of my shoulders. I was also told fit should be tight but I think at our age we should be comfy. In fact I think Ill go put on my genie bra right now!

I am also large busted and always had trouble finding bras to fit, also had the 'slipping off the shoulder' problem forever.
Than I found M & S do non-slip strap bras and they work, never had a slipping strap since I started buying them. I tend to wear M & S sports bras in the Winter finding them really comfortable..
I tried to find the link to the non-slip strap bras but looking through their bras it actually doesn't say the bra has non-slip straps on the website how weird.. I bought two last week in my local store so I know they still sell them.

Fanny Flit gave me cystitis recently. Never had it before - never used FF before. Had to get antibios from the doc. Never again.

Isn't Femfresh what we used to call Fanny Flit?!

I find M & S hopeless at fitting, they had me in a 40D, I actually took needle and thread and put two seams into the sides to take in the band.
I now wear a 36G as per Bravissimo. Feels tight in the band for a couple of wears and then perfect. Costs around £30.

With regard to straps falling off the shoulders, sometimes changing the style of bra helps. i.e. A proper full cup bra such as Triumph Doreen probably wouldn't slip because the straps come from the centre of each front cup and not from the outer side.

Also, sometimes the straps slip because the band has stretched, it creeps up at the back, and then the straps slide.

For pp who mentioned getting sweaty below the boobs I use corn starch brilliant for this, try Femfresh which is £3 or £4. Also Lanacane do one but it's more expensive at around £5 or £6. Lasts for ages.
I used to have to use cortisone cream etc for sweat rash but since using corn starch it's been brilliant since day 1.

Ana I don't find the adjusters uncomfortable - it depends exactly where the metal bits end up. I started wearing bras inside out after my lumpectomy, as the seam was right over the sensitive skin of my scar. As a bonus I found that the lower edge of the band didn't dig in so much, neither did the underarms. The turnings at the edges and at the seams are what seem to dig when it is right way out.

I don't go in much for very thin materials (its the frozen north up here!) so that aspect doesn't worry me. Try it and see whether they show.

Oh, bras, I hate them and wish I did not need to wear them but I do I have had fittings at John Lewis, M and S and Debenhams over the years and each time I have ended up with bras that are ok in the cup region but cut me in half below the boobs. After having an op on my hip in March this year I could not bear wearing my usual bras (36C) so my lovely daughter got me a Brevia comfort bra in Medium. This was ok for a while (ie about 10 minutes) but then felt much too tight in the midriff area. Recently I have been buying Brevia bras but in a large size. These are better so I would recommend sizing up if you buy a comfort bra. They are not exactly flattering, though, so I would recommend a 'real' bra for anything other than every day wear.

I find that Bravissimo bras are at their comfiest after a few months. Very tight when new, and tend to give me "back boobs". But after the bands have stretched a bit, they are lovely and comfy, and the cup sizes are always just right and flattering (from the front!).

I've had several fittings over the years and they always say the bra should be tight! I think it's time someone redesigned them to fit and be comfy!
Can you imagine men wearing something so restricting?

Yes; I went to a posh bra shop to be fiitted and ended up buying some very expensive bras which, whilst fitting well in the boob department were so tight underneath I could hardly breath. I now stick to my Genie bras as, having put on a bit of weight recently can't get into the other bras at all.

Gettingonabit - that's exactly what the House of Fraser fitter did for me. She explained that a lot of women need a much smaller bra size and larger cup than they are wearing having been given faulty advice ignoring the size of their frame. Works for me anyway!

I have never been able to find a bra that does not slip off my shoulders. I bought some of those comfort bras, and even they slip off. I don't think that I have particularly sloping shoulders! Do you think I should try bras with broad straps? Last time I was properly fitted I measured a 36C. I did try to go braless for a while, but didn't like the sweatiness under my breasts. I don't think anyone noticed the difference, and if they did, no-one commented! I wish I was a bit flatter chested!