Post Punk Kitchen Forum

SERIOUSLY! This is why I never shop at Victoria's Secret. Well, one of the many reasons. I get the slight layer of foam to avoid the nipping, but a DD push up bra? Really people?

Yes! I swear, my bra drawer looks like a diorama of an igloo village.

I've resorted to wearing minimizers (Bali, I think), but I ain't happy about it. Hmph.

oh mah gad, i am so glad this support thread exists. i am always crying/screaming about bra shopping. i tell anyone who will listen, and here people are asking me to complain! i can do that!

first off-
i'm with you on the sports bras! i hate having to wear my old underwire bras with a sports bra over top of that to the gym! that's just ludicrous. so thanks for all the big-girl-sized sports bras links! (i'll be getting some of those when i have an extra $50 to spend on sports bras!)
secondly!
i'm a 36D, gone up from a 34D, and i swear, just the difference between those two sizes is like you have aged about 40 years! just because i have big boobs doesn't mean that i want them to be in unobtrusive colours such as NUDE or BEIGE or ECRU, i want zebra print! florals! (but not the old lady type) colour! hot pink? yes please!
next! just because i'm a 36D doesn't mean that i wouldn't sometimes appreciate a bra with padding or push up! i do not always want to be "minimized!" AND just because i have big boobs doesn't mean that i have problems with back-fat! just the front of me has extra fat happening! also, i hate when girls who wear bigger than my size try on my bra size and stretch them all out, so a bra that would have fit now does not fit.

i also hate how at places like ross and marshalls they put the tags RIGHT IN YOUR ARM PIT. because 1- how can i tell if a bra fits under my tee shirt when there are 400 tags in the way? and 2- they give me armpit rash :(

i did finally find 2 bras that are acceptable, one at target and one at i think ross. or marshalls. one of those stores. the target one i think is by self-expressions and was $18, and is pretty great under tee shirts. the second one is by olga, and has no padding or lift whatsoever but does have underwire makes me feel really sexy (even though it is full coverage and has very wide straps) because it just showcases my breasts like they are on a pedestal and is a nice see through lace pattern that makes me feel naughty. (it was $12 by the way)

I am reviving this thread because bra shopping HURTS MY MIND. After putting on a bit of weight I went from a 34DD to a 34F... I thought shopping for 34DD was bad, but nope! Let me describe some of the joys of wearing a small band size with a large cup:

-It is impossible to find your size in normal department stores unless you get really, really lucky. There are plenty of sites that sell big cup sizes online, but that inhibits your ability to try them on, which is a pain in the asparagus if you're trying a new brand. There are specialty stores out there, but they tend to be very expensive!
-80% of the bras in that size come in only black, nude or beige. BORING!
-Some places that sell cute bras with a big cup size (like Lane Bryant) only offer an F cup starting at a 38 band size. I might be able to wear a 36, but a 38? Definitely too big. Whyyyyyy
-I never see bras in my size on sale. I see all these adorable neon pink bras and shiitake on clearance racks for like $5, but they never come in above a C cup.

Anyone else in the same boat as me? Where the hell do you get your bras?

I feel your pain, Limone. The last time I got measured (about 6 months ago), I was 34HH. (I think I've gained some weight around my back since then, so I suspect I'm up to a 36 now.) I've had a large cup and small band since post-puberty, so it's always been an issue finding bras. I've come to accept that I'm never going to find cheap bras, so I may as well pay decent money for attractive/well-made bras that fit properly. In recent years, I've had a lot of luck with Freya and Fantasie bras. They both make really pretty/cute bras in larger sizes including small band sizes. I'm not sure where you live, so I'm not sure where you can get them locally, but I think both of those sites have store locators. I go to a shop a few towns over (20 minutes by train) that specializes in bras DD and up for fittings, but once I knew my size in each brand, I've had good luck ordering from Bravissimo. They're UK based but I know they ship worldwide (although it's probably cheaper if you can find the brands locally).

I've also got to put in a plug for their sister company, Pepperberry. They make really great clothes that are flattering on bigger boobs. Almost every top/dress I own is from them.

ETA: I don't just go to that shop for fittings, I also buy there. It would be really dicky of me to get fit there and go spend my money elsewhere! What I meant was, once I know that a certain size/brand fits, I'm pretty confident ordering that size/brand online.

Thanks lepelaar- I used to order from Bravissimo when I lived in the UK and yesterday I couldn't remember the name of it, haha! This might be all in my head, but I feel like I had an easier time finding small band/big cup bras over there. Unfortunately yeah, overseas shipping costs can be pretty steep. I live in NYC, so I'm sure there are plenty of shops around. It just sucks how expensive everything is. :/ I'll look into those brands, thanks for the suggestions.

Not all in your head, I've ordered bras from the UK because of the wide range of sizes at the recommendation of an English friend who says she waits until going home to get bras since sizing here is so limited.

Indeed. I tried to get some bras at Nordstrom in Seattle a few years ago, and had a really hard time even there. It's definitely easier in the UK/Europe.

Oh! I just remembered! Last time I was in NYC, another big-busted friend of mine took me to this place! I found a few bras there, and she did too, and she was actually even a cup size larger. One of the women working there can find you the perfect size just from looking at you, without even measuring. My friend called her "The Titty Whisperer".

The Titty Whisperer... I must meet her.

ahh if you're in NYC - I went to Linda the Bra Lady. Totally not my type of thing at all but I was desperate, and it was pretty great...yes it was costly (just under $180 for 3 bras) but they are all high-quality and comfy. Linda herself fitted me, she basically took one look and knew what I needed, and brought a nice selection for me to choose from. Her stores are all uptown I think though.

I just ordered some bras online at http://www.barenecessities.com/ they are running a 25% off today. I'm hoping these fit better than the VS bras, because I can never seem to find a VS that actually lays flat against my chest while still fitting overall. Anyway, I was looking at 34 and 36Ds and they definitely had some cute patterned ones in bigger cup sizes.

Hey U.S. people: I just noticed that there's a Groupon deal today for Playtex bras with larger sizes (up to 42 and DDD). Two bras for $28. Seems like a decent deal if you like that brand?

Victoria's Secret bras aren't sized properly--they're cut smaller to push your boobs out, and that's why they're so uncomfortable. If I were to be measured at a VS (I did the online calculator), I'd be a 36B. If I'm measured by a professional outside of VS, I'm a 34D (which I can assume is accurate since I've been measured more than once, and this a size that neither hurts nor slips all over the place).

Wacoal and Chantelle are made really well and, for me, fit quite comfortably. They make some really pretty designs in larger sizes, too. The problem is that you'll have to shell out $60 - $80 if they're not on sale. On the flip side, I only have to buy two bras every three years. If you wash them on gentle and hang them up to dry, they'll last a really long time.

I think Victoria's Secret pretty much sucks in general. Maybe this wasn't always the case, but aside from their bras fitting oddly, the quality is pretty poor for the price, plus on the cheaper ones there's that band at the bottom with the logo and I think it looks really tacky. Also, this might be specific to my body shape, but I find that even their really basic cotton pantaloons fit really weird. I read this awhile back on Cherie Priest's website and it totally cracked me up.

I'm curious to see how I fit in a non VS bra then! On the plus side it sounds like the website I ordered from has a generous return policy. But I'm usually a 34D in cheapo target bras and a 36D at VS, so I don't think I should be totally off.

And yeah VS quality is terrible. I basically just decided to not wash my VS bras and just throw them away when they get too gross because washing them even once just distorts them terrible. Sigh! I don't know why I didn't get around to giving up on them until now. I once had VS sales person try to fit me and she gave me a tiny tiny bra and I was like um, this is not going to work, and I tried it on it was like a forking clown car. She had to concede that she was way off.

Also, hah! secret underwear pocket! Somehow I've looked at those a million times and that's never occurred to me.

Clowncar, oh man you crack me up. I am either a 34 D or 36 D, and sometimes DD. I wear my bras until the metal wires comes poking out, so basically for years until there is absolutely no support left and I may as well not wear one. I hate bra shopping so much that I just hardly ever do it. I have had good luck at Target with their own brand, I forgot the name. I hate VS and will not go in there, and I know I prob won't fit in their bras anyway. I don't have a lot of suggestions here, just commiserating. And right titty is bigger than the left one, which doesn't help matters much.

Patagonia changed my favorite bra so it (a) has a clasp and (b) costs $10 more and (c) is no longer a/b cup specific, and the cups are now supposedly too large for a-cups.

The lack of clasp is one of the reasons I loved it! There are lots of angry braless women writing reviews on the patagonia website, so I'm hopeful that they'll bring it back.

Thessaly, this is such a good deal! And still running through October 8. I just ordered a number of bras, at a really great price! Thank you so much for sharing that link.

Limone, and others in this thread, I have empathy. I recently was fitted at this great place in Portland called The Pencil Test (pdx-ers, this place is stellar! The owner really is the bra whisperer!) and discovered that I'm not a 34DD, but a 32F. I'm so alarmed by that letter! But since I started wearing the new bra I got from there, everyone has told me I look fabulous, like I've lost weight, etc... I just ordered a few more bras from the link Thessaly posted (there are a lot of really cute, fun coloured bigger options).

Cool, MJ, I will go there to get fitted, although I am scared to find out what my real size is. Yikes. And I really hate my bigger titty. It keeps coming out of my bras, the other one stays put. I even Scotch taped it to stay put which wasn't really comfortable nor classy. Stupid.

VS is crappy for fittings! Everyone I've talked to said the same thing. And they always give you wrong info...

Everyone hates when I complain about my bra size ( I am a 28 DD) but honestly it really sucks!! I feel like my boobs are way too big for my body and nothing looks right! I literally have 1 bra and it is bright purple and shows through all my shirts. It also has lace on the top so that texture always shows through too. I would kill to be a B!

Am I the only one who the standard bra sizing instructions don't work for? I get 29 chest, which plus 5 inches is 34 band size. OK, that's about right. But then when I measure bust I get 34 or 35 inches, which according to the instructions would make me a 34B at most. This is hilarious since one of the 34D bras I got has serious spillage happening. Gah!

Anyway, only one of the bras I got fit me. A 34D t-shirt bra. The other 34D was too small, and then one I got in a different type had puckering in the fabric. So I'll probably exchange the others for more of the that fit me but in other colors. I think the t-shirt bra worked because it covers more skin, thus preventing boob escapage.

www.85b.org/bra_calc.php

Tried this one? What does it tell you?

Still getting 34A, which is crazy. I found other people on the internet complaining about this as well. They suggest that it's adding the 4 or 5 inches to the band size when calculating the cup that screws it up.