Rachel Perlmutter, Owner The Greater LA Woman
Contact Rachel
We've all heard it... over 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size
for their bodies. But, how can you tell if this is the case for
you, personally? Well, I have a few tips which I think will make
shopping for a bra much easier in the future! Let's start at the
beginning!
Measuring
All bras are sized with a numeric size and then a letter size (such as
40 D). This is based on measurements that should match up to your
body. Knowing that, it makes sense to get measured, or measure
yourself. Measurements will tell you what bra size to start with
and adjust from there. There are 2 approaches to measuring;
however, I am only going to present the one that I have found effective
for me. When measuring, you want to have a bra on, but no shirt
or chemise over it.
Band Measurements
Start by measuring to determine your correct band size. Place the
measuring tape around your back pulling forward to end directly below
your breasts where the band of your bra usually sits. Hold the
tape so that you are not squeezing your skin, but firmly resting on top
of it. Band sizes come in even numbers only, so, if you measure
39 inches, you would round UP to get to your band size of 40.
Cup Measurements
Once you have determined what your band size is likely to be (in the
case above, we would use 40 even though the measurement was 39 because
the band would be sized up to 40), we measure for cup size. To
measure for cup size, place the measuring tape around the fullest part
of your chest (around your back and the fullest part of your
breasts). For every inch above the band size, you want to go up
in cup size, starting at "A". So, if you are in a size 40 band,
and your fullest part of your chest measures 41", you would measure as
a 40 A in size. If you are 2" larger than your band size, (42" in
the case of the person with the size 40 band) you would be a "B" cup,
etc. See the chart below to make it easy once you have your
measurements:
Inches Larger than...
1 = Cup Size A
2 = Cup Size B
3 = Cup Size C
4 = Cup Size D
5 = Cup Size E
6 = Cup Size F
7 = Cup Size G
8 = Cup Size H
9 = Cup Size I
10 = Cup Size J
11 = Cup Size K
There are probably cup sizes here you have never heard of, however,
YES, they really do exist and are made! Some manufacturers use
DDD for an E, or GG for an H, but some of the better European brands
(which I am most familiar with) use no double letters, just a straight
A-K lettering system.
Image Credits:
Photo: Satu www.satuphotography.com
Makeup: Marlene G. www.nakedmineralscosmetics.com
Hair: Jo Williams www.modelmayhem.com/703182
Model: Michelle Renee www.peakmodels.com
Prima Donna bra www.thegreaterlawoman.com
