Bra sizes differ from one brand to another. And as a conscious bra buyer, you must know the various factors which bring on the differences. This will make you confident about the way you pick sizes, and in rare cases only you will have to return a product or go for an exchange. A thorough guide about bra sizes will tell you how to pick the right size.
If you go through bra size finding guides, you would know one thing, that bra size is calculated based on two measurements. They are under the bust and over bust measurements.
How to get the measurements to get a bra size?
Underbust measurement refers to the measurement under the breasts. Overbust measurement refers to the measurement you take around the breasts encircling your back in a horizontal line at that level where your breasts are the fullest size. And then you have to put these two measurements into a bra size calculator the USA or tally through a detailed size chart to get the accurate bra size and cup size.
You should follow the steps below to get the most accurate measurements:
- Stand straight with a measuring tape in hand and wearing only a bra in your upper body.
- Ensure you are wearing a bra which is the best fit for you.
- Now hold the tape horizontally encircling your body just under your breasts, at the crease or line where the breasts end. This way, you get the underbust measurement.
- Next, hold the tape a little above right over the fullest part of the breast horizontally in the same way as above. This time you get the overbust measurement.
Now you are done with the measuring part.
How to determine bra size from the measurements taken?
The underbust size you get should ideally be taken in inches, or else if you take in centimeters then convert it into inches. This underbust size is your bra band size. If you get an even number while measuring then directly take it as it is. In case you get an odd number always add one to it to get the band size. For example, if you get 34 as the number, then that’s your bra band size. In case you get 35 as the measurement, you will have to add 1 to it to make it 36. And this will then be the band size.
To determine the cup size, you will have to subtract the underbust from the overbust measurement. The cup size depends on the difference amount. If the difference is 1 inch, then the cup size would be A. Adding inches to it would increase the cup size through B, C, D, and so on.
The smallest and largest cup size
Breasts can come in any size. That’s why there is practically no limit to cup size. The notion, in general, is that the largest cup size is DD. That’s so because most of the US brands make bras up to that size. And this is so because usually, DD is among the largest sizes found in general. But this doesn’t mean breast sizes cannot go up than that. The largest breast size may go up to L., But most bra makers do not make bras that big. And this leads to confusion among buyers, where they are made to believe that the highest possible size DD is the right big for the woman who has big breasts. That’s because the shops have to sell the products and buyers must buy something close to their need. In the process, many women buy the wrong fitting bra, although on finding they would get a close or accurate fitting bra with right cup size from one of the US bra making brands.
Why bra sizes differ as you switch brands?
Bra sizes differ when you switch brands. This is a common thing experienced by buyers. This happens because the various brands refer to their own size charts. This means if 32B of one brand is right for you, the same size may not be right for you when you try rose gold prom dress. In that case, you may find 34A to be a better fit, or perhaps 30C to be a better fit. The size reference differs from brand to brand and country to country, just like the size chart for dresses differs from country to country and among garment makers.
Why may you find the bra of another size correct too?
There is no one size fit all bra size for you, which will make all bra types in that size the perfect fit for you. If you stick to one brand only, then also you may see that one style bra is loose for you while another style is tighter, and another style is the right fit. This happens because the various styled bras are designed to give you a particular fit and shape. Therefore, the best you can do is when you feel you need a tighter brand bra than you usually wear, go up a cup size to compensate for the band minimization. And in case you feel you need a bigger band size than you are using get a cup size smaller then you wear.
How to decide on sister sized bras?
Sister sized bras are the bra sizes which you may use as an alternative in case you are not finding the right sized bra or the size you usually use is not the right fit for you in the bra type you chose. You can decide on sister sized bras easily. For this, you will have to draw a diagonal line across your correct bra size upwards and downwards. The line will go across all those sizes which you may use as an alternative.
Finally
Once you learn to use the right bra size, your bras and dresses would complement your breasts and feminine figure. Hence the right bra size must be determined while you keep in mind that you must refer to the bra brand’s own size chart to tally and find the exact size from that brand.