I decided it was time to get a better bra.

When my breasts had stopped growing, I had taken a guess at my size (36A) and had bought the only one I could find in that size, which does the job but is not too comfortable. Despite the small cup size, there is still too much room in there, and it is a "shaping" style so it's hard and unyielding.

(OK. If you must know, I have a date next weekend. I don't expect anything to "happen" but on the off chance it does, I'd like to be able to feel what's going on...)

I went to a store that I know does bra fittings. I won't say the name but it starts with "M" and rhymes with "Tracy's".

The lady measured me at a 38. I told her I was surprised because a 36 fit snugly so she agreed to try size 36 offerings. She brought a couple A-cup bras, all of which were similar to mine - heavily molded and not at all snug. She said they didn't have anything in the store that was smaller.

"When you have breasts that size, you're really hard to fit."

I have to confess I got annoyed at this. Rather than venting, I made a joke instead, about trying hard to get bigger breasts but not succeeding. She said that they do make 36AA bras but that the store didn't have any. At this point my frustration boiled over and I said. "Ah. So I'm in the wrong store." Yes, I know it was nasty, but no one puts down my breasts and gets away with it. She answered that she didn't think I'd find them anywhere but a specialty store.

With a heavy heart I walked across the mall to another, really expensive, store that I had heard also does bra fittings. The lady at Nordstrom measured my rib cage at a 33. "We'll try you on a 34," she tells me. "You'd be a B-cup." I asked whether she was sure. "We'll see," she answered.

She returned with a 34B bra that fit perfectly. It was soft and yielding and surrounded my breasts perfectly without wrinkle, pucker, or extra room. Not only did I find the perfect bra, but she give me a choice of several colors to choose from. The downside was that they were expensive, but I only really wanted one, and after my experience at the other store, I was happy to pay.

The moral of the story, I suppose, is that not everyone who measures women knows what they're doing and to try a couple stores before giving up.

I think that you have just gone through another female ritual Suzi!  My female friend really likes "Tracy's" but I find them a tad pricy for my budget. I am a bargain shopping girl and I find most of my clothes at places like Target. At least you were able to find someone that knows how to properly fit a bra and I'd say that's worth every penny you had to pay. An uncomfortable bra is a horrible thing to have to wear all day.

I wear a 40A bra and that's just above what most stores carry in stock (a 38 is usually the biggest I ever see stocked). I also have a small cup size so until the girls grow a bit more I'm kind of stuck. I did find a bra that "fit" awhile ago but the manufacturer has of course discontinued it. It is wearing out so I am going to be forced into finding an alternative soon.

Hi Suzi. I buy all my bras from a Corsetiere (Playtex Cross your heart) or preferably a Marks & Spencer when I am in the UK.

I buy either 42A cup (I am quite large on top) or 42B cotton bras. or Playtex underwire. Marks & Spence sell on line.

Try:http://www.marksandspencer.com/l/offers/sale/womens/lingerie-and-nightwear/lingerie-and-underwear/bras/?facetOpen=true&facetsSize--4294964554--42--15=on&facetsSize--4294962896--42|A=on&facetsSize--4294964169--44--16=on&facetBrand=1&slider_Current_Min_0=0&slider_Current_Max_1=50&slider_Min_0=0&slider_Max_1=50&slider_changed=false&lastSelectedSize=generic-4294964554&sortBy=product.best_selling|1&resultsPerPage=24&pageChoice=1&cachedFilters=facetsSize--4294964554--42--15+facetsSize--4294962896--42|A+facetsSize--4294964169--44--16+0+50+0+50+24&openedFacetsPosn=0|1|2|3|4

You will always get better service at Nordstrom

Happy to hear you found the proper fit! Now you will be saving up so you can go get another color...you are hooked now Suzi

I get my bras at Victoria's Secret because they are just so incredibly helpful. They measured me up and despite my measurements they gave me alternatives based on what I told them, and they gave me bras that were different cup sizes that would work for my breast size ( I currently have A cups ^____^ so happy, i just recently noticed them over the weekend and theres actually a bit of a concave center area xD) and i ended up buying this 36B bra that just totally accentuates my breasts in an amazing way, and I'm a 36A!

Honestly,.... most comfortable bra I've ever bought lol I use to buy my bras at Target and I would get 38-36C (based on my chest size at the time which has also reduced and only because it felt proportionate for my body shape, so i was flat chested at the time) and they were fine, but since buying the VS bra.. omg its like my boobs are in heaven lol its so soft and comfy. I went for the first time this past Thursday, and they worked so hard to get my the bra I needed, they measured me up, they made me feel like another girl in the store... and even when i told them I was a 36A while wearing a 36C bra, idk if they were just being nice but they told me "are you sure? you look bigger than that 0_o" and it was just SO refreshing to feel like another girl out in public, it was quite literally the first time this kind of treatment had been given to me *milestone achievement*, AND the person who was helping me out was even similar if not BIGGER than me, and was Cisfemale; its almost like the world showed me exactly what i needed to see and what i needed to have to lift my spirits, and her bra size was also the same as mine... and she was a very gorgeous girl... it gave me a lot of hope, and diminished my "im too big to ever look like a girl" bull->-bleeped-<- thoughts lol; but I digress (heavily)

This has become dangerous for me now because now I love VS bras T-T they ruined me forever on both bras and panties *shoots self in the wallet*

I was going to recommend Nordstrom's, before I got to the end of your post. I went there and was fitted as 2 band sizes and 2 cup sizes smaller than I'd been wearing, and I LOVE those bras, plus the fitter did it purely by eyeballing me. (My wife, it took about 45 minutes of the fitter working diligently, without complaint... and she ended up as a 36J, which Nordstrom's had *several choices* for. Good luck finding that size in most stores!)

You really were in the wrong store; glad you found the good one, and there are some great sales once you know what you're looking for. Plus a 34B is not a particularly obscure size, so you should be able to find some cheaper everyday bras - though fair warning, the expensive manufacturers also do seem to size differently from the cheap ones.

I've been pretty lucky at target  I wear a 38D. You do have to be careful  to check the size on the bra to the size on the pricing tag.

After years of ill fitting bras, I bought a Victorias Secret, and it fit so perfectly, I figure don't mess with success, and only shop there now.
In Sept. I'm getting a BA, and will have to start all over again, but I'll start at Victorias Secret.

I have a bunch of 34C bras and I'm a 32D, maybe a 30D, but the 34Cs work well.

Joanna : That's what's known in the bra industry as "sister sizes," where a 32D and a 34C have the same cup volume (as do a 36A and 34B for Suzi). Since in some styles/manufacturers one sister size will fit better than another, it's good to try them on if the typical size for you doesn't quite work in a given design.