We all adore bras, but between choosing the back size and cup size it can be a nightmare finding the perfect fit. When I began crossdressing it was even worse because it meant going into stores (no internet then, it was that long ago) where all the assistants were older than my grandmother and had permanently raised eyebrows.
I could write a sitcom about my experiences, veering between wishing the floor would swallow me up and a memorable occasion when the owner of a shop flipped the sign to closed and rolled out the red carpet. These days it is a lot easier because you can order off the web, but believe me, it used to be the total experience.
It isn't easy finding bras that fit, even when you are a cis woman – many of whom are wearing the wrong size bra – but though it is harder when you are not, it isn't that tough once you understand the basics. The most basic of all basics is getting your band size right, because everything else about a bra depends on that. Get this right once and buying bras will become less of a gamble and more of a pleasure.
Why is band (sometimes called 'back') size so important?
Bras are designed to take the weight of breasts through the band, not on the shoulder straps. So, if the strap is too slack, the back of the bra will ride up and the cups will droop down, which isn't a great look with natural breasts and is positively disastrous with breast forms of any description. This is a non judgmental post, so if any readers enjoy the feel of wires poking into their armpits and forms spilling out of their outfits, go with it, but if you seek the dream fit, read on.
How do I work out my band size?
You only need to take one measurement. Using a flexible tape, measure the distance around your bare chest two and a half to three inches (6 – 7.5 cm) below your nipples, pulling the tape tight without stretching it and keeping it horizontal around your back while standing. By nipple, I mean the nipple itself, not the circular areola around it.
Why that distance below the nipple? Because, depending on the size and type of breast form or plate you have, that's where the fold of your boobs will fall. In women, this place is known as the 'under bust' measurement because they have a bust to measure under, but for those of us who do not have this advantage, an offset needs to be built in, or you will end up with the wrong band size because your chest widens as it goes up.
For simplicity's sake, from now on I'm going to call the measurement we just took the 'under bust measurement'.
Finding your UK/US band size
For me the under bust measurement works out at 35 inches. If I run this through a few bra size calculators, some will tell me a 40 inch band is what I need, whilst others recommend a 36 inch back. Which is right?
The answer is both, because everything depends on the brand you buy. However, these days the vast majority of bras labelled – to take one size as an example – as having a 36 inch band, are made to fit a 35 or 36 inch chest measurement. A minority of brands (mostly in the US) size their bras so that a band labelled 40 inches will fit the same measurements, based on what is known as the +4 system, which dates back to the 1950s.
For some insane reason many bra size calculators available on the web still use +4 to work out their answers as do some store website calculators. Even more unhelpfully, I have never seen a label which give a clue which system the maker uses, and the peach icing on this particular fruitcake is that laid flat, a 36 inch band (or one labelled 40 in +4) actually measures more like 30 inches.
The missing six inches in the example above comes from the band stretching, so a learning point is that you can't easily tell what back size a bra is by laying a tape on it – you must look at the label.
The good news is that the +4 system is sunsetting, which means that for most bras on sale today, band size calculation in inches is so easy you don't need a calculator to work it out. If your under bust measurement is even, then that is your band size. If it is odd, add on one inch to get your band size.
Bra back sizes go up in two inch increments, so if your under bust measurement is 37 or 38 inches, then the correct band size for you is a 38, whereas if it is 39 or 40 inches, you will need a 40 and so on up and down the scale.
Finding your EU band size
The metric system was created to simplify calculations... but they forgot to tell the standard setters for bra manufacturers about that.
Europe has several sizing systems for backs, but fortunately for us, only one, the EN13402 standard, is common and its bands go up in 5 cm increments. Using the EU system, an under bust measurement of 90 cm equates to an 80 cm bra band size on the label, whilst a 95 cm measurement works out at an 85 cm band and so on.
EU measurements don't work quite like the UK/US system, so anything between 87.5 cm and 92.4 cm chest will do for an 80 cm band, while 92.5 and 97.4 are the limits for an 85 cm one.
Or thereabouts. When in doubt, if you know your UK/US band size, then checking the label of any bra will show you the EU equivalent.
I'm curvily built/deliciously petite, help! Is there a band size for me?
Most ranges run from a 30 UK/US (EU 65) to a 44 US/UK (EU 100). If you measure above a 44 band, do not despair, because some ranges include a 46 band (EU 105), while a few go as far as a 50, which is an EU 115. At the other end of the scale, a 28 in band (EU 60) is as small as you are likely to find. Don't forget that the +4 system is still out there, though, so - to give an example - some bras made in the US and sold as having a 48 in band will have what most of us would think of as a 44 in band.
What happens if I lie right on the edge between two band increments?
This is one reason why bras have several sets of hooks on the back – if a bra in what should be your band size feels too tight, try going up a size and using the second set of hooks in. A bra with a back that is your exact size should fit perfectly on the outer set of hooks. The stretch built into bands provides a margin for error, but see below for how tight a well fitted band should be.
Massive tip: if you go up a band size over the one you normally wear for this reason, don't forget to go down a cup size. So if you normally wear a 36C (80C), and find a brand only fits you if you buy it in a 38, don't buy a 38C – the cups will be too big for your forms. Instead, you should buy a 38B (85B). I'll explain why this is so in another post, but there is a logic behind it.
How tight should a bra be?
Using the measuring system above, you should get it right most of the time, but with a properly fitting bra, there should to be resistance if you try to slide a hand up your spine and under the hooks. The rest of the time, the band should sit level and with the straps under slight tension it should not pull up at the back at all. After wearing the right band and moving around for half an hour, the bottom of the band should be straight all the way around the back.
The classic sign of a band that is too large is that the section between the straps where the hooks link up is the only level bit and sits higher than the cradle of the bra (which is the part of the band to which the cups attach.) If you find yourself fastening a bra on the innermost set of hooks with the strap tensioners pulled all the way up, either the elastic is gone in the bra, or you need to try a size down.
The band is load bearing, so after wearing a bra for a while, a correctly sized band will leave light marks on your skin that will fade away within a couple of hours after it is undone. What a band shouldn't do is chafe, leave red marks on the skin or cause rolls of skin to bulge above it. One thing that can be an issue even with the correct band size is shoulder straps digging in, but that only occurs with larger cup sizes and is something else for another post.
I have bought a bra which is my band size, but it still feels too tight? Help!
Quality of fit depends on how elastic the 'wings' of a bra are (the wings are the part of the band that run from about the midline of your armpit back to the hooks.) Where this can be especially frustrating is when you buy two bras from a maker which share the same parent style, but which are made of different materials. The Fantasie Adrienne line is a perfect example, because while the fuller cupped side support version fits me perfectly in a 36, the very similar balcony bra variant is too tight in a 36 because it uses a mesh in the wings which doesn't stretch as much. I haven't tried the 38 but I bet it is too slack :-(
The TL:DR on fitting is that a correctly fitted band should always be slightly difficult to hook up. For many of us, that is part of the pleasure of wearing lingerie. While you can deal with it by putting on your bras with the hooks at the front and rotating the band right way around before pulling it up, a better solution is to try exercises that increase joint movement. Not only does this work, it's good for you, so give it a go.
Next, 'What cup size am I?'
