The Oprah bra episode was in 2005, which was what kicked off a lot of the boutique bra measuring trend. This is what a 34B looks like, and it's not a body type that's hugely common. If you were wearing a 34B in 1992, you were probably wearing the wrong size. https://www.instagram.com/p/COVs4TVHmru/?img_index=2 |
This instagram is pretty enlightening. I thought for many years I was an A or AA because I'm very small on top. I was measured at 30C and the bras fit so much better now. Highly recommend a fitting. |
| I just went to Trousseau in Vienna last week and had a mediocre experience as well. The sales clerk clearly did not like her job, and I felt that she was just trying to sell me anything regardless of how it fit or looked. I did buy two bras but am not thrilled with either. |
This is misleading. That isn’t what a universal. Many manufacturers say to add 4” to band size. I wear a 34A. My underbust is 29” No way would a 30” be remotely comfortable. I’ve tried 32B and it is not comfortable Natori is a popular brand and this is how they say to measure, which is in line with other U.S. brands https://www.natori.com/pages/bra-size-guide-faq?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Nonbrand%20-%20Bras%20-%20Broad&utm_content=Size&utm_term=how%20measure%20bra%20size&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20032881032&gbraid=0AAAAAD6-xgpXXzFbV959uCU8TRLOUTtdw&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsdnNBhC4ARIsAA_3hegSG5vPcwVQMr7GfKxEBXKvMavAOhpHffKGRs2oo4_r00zNyPkQ--kaAiE6EALw_wcB |
Bra sizing is baffling. I have a 28.5 under bust and wear a 30 band on the snuggest hooks. A 32 is too big and doesn't hold me up. A 28 is ok, but I prefer a bit more breathing room. I don't know the America-sizing equivalent, but in Simone Perele bras I wear a 30H. ABTF worked wonders for me; highly recommend that calculator and online community for anyone that struggles with sizing. |
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bra with a band size of a 28 or 30 in a store ever, in my whole life. I’m not saying they don’t exist, but clearly they aren’t common. My underbust is a 29. I’m not that small of a person. There are loads of women smaller than I am. If women were meant to to wear a band size the exact measurement of their underbust I think 26, 28, 30 would be much more prevalent. They aren’t. |
Sure if your cup size is D or larger! |
I wear a 30 band size and I haven't had trouble finding a bra in a lingerie store in over a decade. |
| It's frustrating that it's so complicated. A poorly fitted bra has a big impact on how we feel and look. |
I wear a 30C/D (made the switch after being properly measured at a lingerie shop that used to be in downtown DC) after years wearing 32b and bras are so much more comfortable and flattering now. No gaps, boobs are pushed to the center a little bit more rather than falling to the sides, etc. I'm a normal looking woman, so I bet lots of people are also a 30. |
Anecdotally another who had a terrible experience at Trousseau, just awful, and I'd been so looking forward to going there after seeing it recommended for years on DCUM. Unhelpful, rude, the saleswoman seemed inexperienced and just randomly handed me bras with no rhyme or reason as to fit or size. She never once checked fit. She'd just hand me bras into the dressing room and then ask me how I liked them (I hated them!). Years ago I had the best bra fitter/saleswoman at Nordstrom. She fixed the straps and adjusted the band (with my permission) and then would bring me another slightly tweaked. It was awesome, and the bras she picked were perfection. Sadly, that was two pregnancies ago, and my size and shape have changed. |
And what about those women smaller than you? Have you ever seen a size 26 or 28 in a store? Even online, not that many makers even manufacture these band sizes. |
| Another 30 band size here. Just was fitted at a lingerie shop and purchased a 30H bra. First time in my life I'm actually wearing a bra that fits......cups cover, straps and don't dig, gore lays flat and I look like I have two breasts (vs a uniboob). Getting properly fitted is amazing. |
It isn't uncommon just because you don't see it wherever you shop. Nordstrom carries 30 bands. Trousseau, Le Bustiere, and others locally also carry true size. It doesn't have to do with how "small" you are. I am built with a long torso with a narrow, bony rib cage, but I'm curvy below the waist. I'm built like my mother who also wears a 30. |
Lol - it is somehow freeing isn't it to actually feel comfortable in a bra! |