Bra fitting

[CaliBBW]

Have any of you BBW/SSBBW's had a Bra fitting? Any ideas of places that do these fittings for larger sizes? Any in southern California would be a plus. Thanks for the help.

[MoonGoddess]

I had my fittings done at local lingere shops, both here and in Connecticut. I think that most of your Mom & Pop shops offer this sort of service, no matter what size you are.

[BeaBea]

Hi

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid not exactly local...

I have written the following Bra fitting guide which might help though. Bra Fitting Guide (http://www.beabea.co.uk/bra_fitting.php) I'm an SSBBW myself so I do understand how vital a good fit is!

I hope you might find it useful but if theres any other help I can offer just let me know :)

Tracey xx

[CaliBBW]

Thank you for the help. I measured myself tonight and according to the chart you linked BeaBea, I have been wearing the wrong size. But that is what they say, most women are wearing the wong size. I may still look at a few shops around here to try and get measured by a person who measures all the time just to make sure I did it right. I would just feel more comfortable at a fat friendly place.

[CaliBBW]

Tracy, I think your guide is pretty idiot proof but I have a somewhat embarrassing question. What if the girls hang a little (lol) no other way to say it. Should you lift them before measuring the circumfrance. I am sorry for the bluntness but I just want to make sure I am getting the right measurement. Thanks again.

[missaf]

Some bra measurements say that you should take them with your current bra on, that way you've got some lift for the measurements. Not all size charts ask for that, though.

[BeaBea]

Hi CaliBBW,

The Industry guides all say you should measure yourself when naked but you are quite right, if you're at all voluptuous then it wont give you a good result. Best to measure yourself while wearing a Bra. Choose the one that you think fits you best and gives the 'girls' the nicest shape.

The Guide isn't a substitute for being measured properly but I find lots of my customers absolutely cant bring themselves to face a lady with a tape measure.
I can reassure you though that the person who does the measuring wont be looking at you in the way you think. When you see and measure women all day every day you soon stop noticing the details so please dont worry about it. A good fitting Bra will lift more than your mood so the results will absolutely be worth it!

Good Luck!

Tracey

[FitChick]

I don't think they measure you properly. I remember when I was a 36DD, Lane Bryant asked if they could fit me when I went in to see if they had 36DD bras.

According to them I was a 38DD but when I put on a 38DD it was too big! My boobs kept slipping out a bit underneath.

Cynic that I am, I wonder if they did that so they could sell me bras (since they at that time only started with 38 and up)? (They now carry 36 bras.)

[BeaBea]

FC,

if you were falling out the bottom then the band size was definitely too big for you. It does sounds like you fell foul of a Sales lady on commission who was keen to just sell you what she had.

I can remember being sold some stuff in a department store once and being really bullied into it by the Salesperson. Even as I was signing for it I KNEW I was going to take it back the next day to return it. I took it back to Customer Services too just so I didnt have to face the bully I'd bought it from :(

Tracey

[CaliBBW]

You all gave me some great Ideas.... thanks for he help. Oh and I hate it when I buy stuff I dont want because I kinda got pushed into it. I dont fall for it as much as I used to...but occasionally it does still happen.

[Miss Vickie]

Cali, Nordstrom is supposed to be a good place to go for bra fitting.

One of these days I might even be brave enough to subject the girls to the wicked pink tape measure of doom. ;)

[BeaBea]

the wicked pink tape measure of doom. ;)

Noooo, the tape measure is good. She is our friend!! She helps us achieve a good fit and can restore our breasts to perkiness! The only possible wickedness is in the weilder of the tape measure - for they can be snippy and mean and jealous of our voluptuous plenty.

Am I taking the evangelical clothes maker thing a bit too far? You would tell me, right? :)

Tracey xxx

[Miss Vickie]

Noooo, the tape measure is good. She is our friend!! She helps us achieve a good fit and can restore our breasts to perkiness! The only possible wickedness is in the weilder of the tape measure - for they can be snippy and mean and jealous of our voluptuous plenty.

Am I taking the evangelical clothes maker thing a bit too far? You would tell me, right? :)

Tracey xxx

Honey, nothing short of a crane (the heavy lifting kind, not the winged kind*wink*) is ever gonna make these girls perky. But thanks for the laugh. ;)

[EvilPrincess]

Noooo, the tape measure is good. She is our friend!! She helps us achieve a good fit and can restore our breasts to perkiness! The only possible wickedness is in the weilder of the tape measure - for they can be snippy and mean and jealous of our voluptuous plenty.

Am I taking the evangelical clothes maker thing a bit too far? You would tell me, right? :)

Tracey xxx

Defiantly you are not taking the evangelical clothes maker thing too far! Your wise words are some of my favorite ever said about undergarments! Very positive and uplifting (pun intended):D

[Jes]

Hi

I'm in the UK so I'm afraid not exactly local...

I have written the following Bra fitting guide which might help though. Bra Fitting Guide (http://www.beabea.co.uk/bra_fitting.php) I'm an SSBBW myself so I do understand how vital a good fit is!

I hope you might find it useful but if theres any other help I can offer just let me know :)

Tracey xx

When I'm next in Manchester (ok, never), I hope to have Tracey personally fit my bra. Mmmrrowr!

[Sweet Tooth]

I don't think they measure you properly. I remember when I was a 36DD, Lane Bryant asked if they could fit me when I went in to see if they had 36DD bras.

According to them I was a 38DD but when I put on a 38DD it was too big! My boobs kept slipping out a bit underneath.

Cynic that I am, I wonder if they did that so they could sell me bras (since they at that time only started with 38 and up)? (They now carry 36 bras.)

When I worked for LB, they used the fit charts where you measure the band size above the breast rather than below. I've found a lot of women have excess "boob fat" up there, making the bands way too big if measured that way.

A good fitter will be able to estimate and problem solve, too. I had people I measured, but they actually did better in sizes other than what measurements would suggest. I actually had one woman come back and buy another half dozen bras, saying that she didn't have back pain for the first time in as long as she could remember.

It might be good for women to print out one of those charts for fixing fit problems to determine where the size they try on needs adjusting.

[ripley]

If you can breathe easily the band is too loose. :p

[HappyFatChick]

I have a question for the bra experts: Is it true wearing a bra (even when home alone) is better than no bra? My bra is one of the first things to go when I get home. But someone said we need it for support and sag-prevention. I'm curious about that.

[BeaBea]

Hmmm, I would have to say 'Yes'

Breasts are supported to a degree by the muscles on the chest wall but the majority of work is done by connective tissue and skin. The muscles can be toned up by exercise but the rest is very much affected by stretching and gravity and it's not easy to get the tone back once it's gone. Boobs are heavy so wearing a Bra should help keep them perky.

Now that said, the first thing I do when I get home is rip my Bra off. However comfortable they are they're not as comfortable as nothing at all so I dont really practise what I preach.

Tracey

(Hmmm, I'm considering putting my confession into my singles ad in the hope it might help! Lol)

[FitChick]

Lots of good info in this thread, thanks to BeaBea and others!

I have one question...why is it that sometimes, two bras of the SAME size will fit so very differently? For example, I have a few of one size that fit fine, and then I bought a couple of new ones, same size but diff company, and they don't fit AT ALL!

[BeaBea]

Lots of good info in this thread, thanks to BeaBea and others!

I have one question...why is it that sometimes, two bras of the SAME size will fit so very differently? For example, I have a few of one size that fit fine, and then I bought a couple of new ones, same size but diff company, and they don't fit AT ALL!

Because there is no international standard for clothes sizing. One companies 38D doesnt have to bear the slightest relationship to any others!

A quality label -should- be consistent for size across their range but if they dont manufacture themselves and merely farm the job out to a contract manufacturer then sizes can vary and be vastly different.

Bizarrely even the colour of the item can affect the size. The chemicals used to create different dyes can affect the stretch of a fabric so you might find (for example) a black one will stretch lots more than the white even if the manufacturer, style and size are all the same.

Again, a good manufacturer should iron all of these out during the sampling process and rigourous quality control should mean they never get near the paying public but you cant be too sure.

Sorry theres no simple answer. The only way to be sure is either to try them on in the shop, and talk to someone who knows their range inside and back to front!

Tracey xx

[fatgirlflyin]

Lane Bryant will do a bra fitting

[ripley]

I'm of the "bra off ASAP" school too. I know that it helps support and all, but the ship has sailed on the perkiness front long ago anyway. :p