Susan's Place Transgender Resources

  Bra sizing has been discussed at length before on Susan's but I realized something today that changed my mind about how I've been measuring myself.  I'd always been having trouble getting any online bra size calculator to spit out anything close to what actually fits me properly.  I attributed this to my incomplete development and slightly disproportionately large ribcage.  This was a good hypothesis but not exactly what was going on.

  I have a very comfortable bra with a tiny bit of room to spare in the cups.  It is 34C and padded at the base of the cups for a bit of a push-up effect.  When I've measured my under-bust in the past I'd done what I thought was correct and wrapped the tape around immediately under the curve of my breasts.  This resulted in a 35" figure and pushed up the band reported by the calculators which was way too loose.  More recently I measured the same way again and got 34" which I guessed must be muscle loss on my back.

  Then it clicked what I was doing wrong.  The growth of my breasts was pushing the position of the tape down lower on my ribcage over time.  Due to the taper of my ribcage this quickly shrunk the band size with only a small shift downward.  I should have been measuring the under-bust based on where the actual bottom of the bra band was intended to lie (pretty much a static figure), not where the bottom of my breast was (a moving target).  If I measure around where the bottom of the underwire sits properly on my padded bra the figure comes out at 33", a full two inches less than what I had initially believed!  It is very clear now that I was also trying to wear the bras too high up my chest when I really should just have had a smaller cup with more bottom padding.

  The calculators are still oversizing me slightly now but it's nowhere near as ridiculous as before.  I also feel better knowing that my ribcage isn't as big as I thought.  It's just my shoulders that are a bit wide.  The bigger my breasts have gotten, the better everything seems in visual balance however.

Those calculators can be very tricky. I gave three or four calculators the same measurements and came up with three or four different sizes.

Online calculators aren't very accurate at all honestly. There is one I found that's pretty accurate however you should take it as a guideline at best. Another important thing to keep in mind when it comes to bra sizing is that the band measurement is relative to cup size so make sure to check sister sizes too, they might even fit better.

http://www.brasizecalculator.tk/

Be on the look out for my bra sizing thread I'm gonna make soon. I've been researching the crap out of bra sizing for awhile now and there's so much info on how to find the right fit.

A primary point I've found buried in some "Measurement" guides buried in the fine print is along the lines of "In a bra that kind of sort of fits"

I have a biggish barrel chest. Move a tape measure 1" up or down and get a 2" difference right there. I've been on HRT for 5 years. My boobs, for lack of a better word, are "Wall Eyed". Being nearer to the outside of my rib cage and point out towards the "walls". Measure me every which way from Sunday according to any/all the charts I am maybe, maybe an AA to an A cup

Put me in a non-padded bra "close" to my size and.... Viola. I get what I am. A for real B.

Measurement "Guides" are just that, a guide. Different manufacturers, styles, types, all fit differently. Perhaps they are correct. But Im not one for always following rules. I am an empiricist, I go with what works.

Band size - Well, it's what I measure. Not that 2" over it. My chest is 36, my bras are a 36. By "Their" method at 1-2 inch maybe... A cup. I fill a B. Maybe it's since I have a bit of a collection since age 16 I sort of know my "comfort" zone? What works. (OK bra size... Life? well another night  :o )

arghhhh.  Tit Slings.   they  are  the  dangdest  things  ever  invented.    i  am  as  a  rule  of  thumb,  38  C.    yet  often  they  fit  to  tight,  too  loose,  or  not  at  all.    i  have  some  36  C  that  fit  well,  as  do  some 40 C,  so  go  figure.  the  worst  ones are  where  the  cups  dont  set  where  the  girls  do,  so  you  get  smooshed  together  or  spread  apart. 

  the best  options  ive  found,  is  when  bra shopping,  do  it  in  a  store  and  try  it  on.   nothing  says " it  fits",  like  the  girls  snuggling  in  and  the  straps  not  cutting  groves  into  your back  or  sholders.
  i  dont  do  under  wires.  you  get  stuck  once,  that  stops  that.
a big  plus  in  wearing/buying  bras,  find  and  stock  up  on  them  lil  'bra extender'  things.  they  give  the  chest  strap  a  schooch  more  length  by  adding  in  perhaps  an  inch  or  two  of  strap.  hooks  on  one  end,  eyes  on  the  other,  2  bucks  at  most  stores  for  a  3  pack. 
  mostly  these  days,  i  opt  for  the  sports  style,  stretch  fabric,  racer  back  design  so  no  straps  on  the  sholder  sliding  down  the  arm,  no  under  wire  pinches  or  mis  positioned  cups.  they  provide  compression  support  that  makes  running  and  excersize  comfortable,  and  all  day  wear  at  work  a  bit  more bearable. 

  best  advise,  not  trying  to  be  redundant,  try  them  on  in  the  store.  sans  that,  buy  and  take  them  home,  and  try  them  on  BEFORE  you  remove  the  tags  so  they  are  returnable.   

  I should note that I'm not so much interested or concerned with the online calculators any more.  While I can now get them to reproduce more realistic results, my point was that I've learned to physically measure myself in a way that's going to take a lot of the guesswork and inaccuracy out of bra shopping because I finally understand where the band-size measurement is supposed to land on my ribcage.  It also resulted in measurements that make me feel better about my body size.

  I'm wondering if anyone else was measuring their band-size too high on their chest since an inch or two or three extra might have had a similar psychological impact.

Yes bra size is a can of worms  :D No suprise as we have various forms of ribcase and breasts.
The calculator at : http://www.brasizecalculator.tk/  :  gives a reasonable picture of the basics,
but make and model of a bra  has an effect on the fit. The width of the center gore moves the center of the cups.
So if your breast are more on the outside you need to look for a wider gore.For that is it nice to try a front closure
bra. I found it great to find a fitting cup size.

Quote from: BlonT on February 22, 2015, 05:46:15 AM
Yes bra size is a can of worms  :D No suprise as we have various forms of ribcase and breasts.
The calculator at : http://www.brasizecalculator.tk/  :  gives a reasonable picture of the basics,
but make and model of a bra  has an effect on the fit. The width of the center gore moves the center of the cups.
So if your breast are more on the outside you need to look for a wider gore.For that is it nice to try a front closure
bra. I found it great to find a fitting cup size.

  I LOVE front closure!  It's easier to get into and out of and it does help draw the breasts inward without much encouragement or fiddling when putting it on.  The only problem I've found is that some front-closure hook-and-loop designs tug at the loop fabric oddly and skew the hook.  The shorter the height of the hook and loops, the better in avoiding this problem.  My favourite bra has a two-part metal clasp that is very small and it doesn't suffer from any of the problems with the hook and loop design.  Interestingly, I have another bra with a similar two-part plastic clasp, but the clasp is so tall that it distorts the fabric worse than any other one when under tension.  The other potential downside of the front-clasp design is lack of adjustability.

  I'm working on an ideas for creative use of a little extra thread binding to eliminate the problem with the loop fabric on those designs.

Yeah so there is a lot of variation.

Vassarette from Amazon fits me perfectly. 36A is loose in the band but 34B fits just fine.

The cheap basics $3 bras from walmart, ugh. Don't fit properly at all. Meanwhile large no boundaries "best bra ever" junior's bras? They fit nicely.

In general, underwire bras have not been kind to me. I don't like them.

I will buy a few good ones but that's not really my priority right now. Actually I have to be cautious with clothes as my body is changing very rapidly.

The calculators seem to be all over the place. I have stopped relying on them. I want a pro fitting one day soon. However I will wait for HRT to work a bit. I'm sure my boobs aint done yet, lol.

Quote from: Lady_Oracle on February 20, 2015, 06:34:30 PM
Be on the look out for my bra sizing thread I'm gonna make soon. I've been researching the crap out of bra sizing for awhile now and there's so much info on how to find the right fit.

I eagerly await the fruits of your labors!

  This morning I've been thinking a lot about what size I am and why one or another of the various bras I have lying around fit or not.  I've ended up with many that aren't right because I wasn't exactly picky about how I got hold of them earlier on - I just felt so lucky to own any at all and at the time had no boobs yet anyway.  I just compared everything I have to sort out the differences.  I own all of the following:

- two x 34B
- two x 34C
- two x 36B
- one 38A

  The only ones that fit well are the 34C's.  This seems to be purely a fluke because they're the only ones with a wide-enough cup spacing and corresponding cup width.  The 34Bs were bordering on okay but I seem to be pushing the upper-limit of the cup volume.  (Yay!)

  This has me wondering if certain brands cater to my specific needs more consistently than others.  The one that fits best is H&M brand and the next best is missing the tag.  I'm not exactly sure how old they are as both were given to me second-hand.  The H&M one is about as correct and comfortable as I think I could ever expect to find, which is amazing considering it has under-wire cups.  I could be very sad if I out-grow it because it could be quite difficult to duplicate.  I'm so happy with the size and how it makes me look I almost don't want more development!  Unfortunately this bra doesn't have removable padding so it can't 'grow' along with me.  There's a little room to spare before I get into spillage territory.  (Hah, I never thought I'd have to be concerned about spillage!)

You still heading over this way soon?

We can go out and get you professionally measured if you wish.

Do a girls day out....

Hugs

Quote from: mrs izzy on February 22, 2015, 12:12:08 PM
You still heading over this way soon?
We can go out and get you professionally measured if you wish.
Do a girls day out....
Hugs

  That sounds nice.  We'll see what happens - I'm still sorting out my travel plans around my FFS date.  If I have enough time ahead of the surgery that would probably be the best time.  It might help settle my nerves a little.

Quote from: Lady_Oracle on February 20, 2015, 06:34:30 PM
Be on the look out for my bra sizing thread I'm gonna make soon. I've been researching the crap out of bra sizing for awhile now and there's so much info on how to find the right fit.

Wow awesome. I could use a forum dedicated to that. Would be so helpful.

Right now my current problem is trying to find a bra that fits, seeing as I'm still a guy at the moment and measuring and figuring out everything is difficult. I can see that I have some fatty breasts at the moment so I thought my bra would fit it like a normal breast. Boy was I wrong. Not even close and they don't hold their shape like normal breasts do. So I'm back to the drawing board. I've been taking measurements everyday as a part of my weight loss spreadsheet. Though it's hard to come out with great or excellent results. If I can get professionally measured, I'm sure I would have a better understanding myself.

I'm sure it's way easier when you actually have something to work with.

Quote from: CaptFido87 on February 22, 2015, 02:25:33 PM
Wow awesome. I could use a forum dedicated to that. Would be so helpful.

Right now my current problem is trying to find a bra that fits, seeing as I'm still a guy at the moment and measuring and figuring out everything is difficult. I can see that I have some fatty breasts at the moment so I thought my bra would fit it like a normal breast. Boy was I wrong. Not even close and they don't hold their shape like normal breasts do. So I'm back to the drawing board. I've been taking measurements everyday as a part of my weight loss spreadsheet. Though it's hard to come out with great or excellent results. If I can get professionally measured, I'm sure I would have a better understanding myself.

I'm sure it's way easier when you actually have something to work with.

  When I started I was ribs-flat and almost zero body fat - different circumstances, even less to go by.  I know your pain.  It was a hell of a thing learning the ropes of bras at the beginning.  Thankfully I feel like I'm getting the hang of it just in time because I'm crossing beyond the point right now where I've gotta have support.

For me it isn't really support as much as it is sensitivity. Going without one tickles (the best word I could use) me all day. It's honestly very distracting. Containing them so they don't brush up against my clothes is the goal and why I primarily wear padded bras.