Monday, March 28, 2011

My story

Although I'm a self-professed lingerie-a-holic, I haven't always been ecstatic at the thought of buying new underwear...

 My story starts as a young girl being fitted into my first bra (a 34A). Throughout my teenage years, I'd never been particularly busty and the trip to buy new bras at M&S never really excited me. I'd never really thought much about my size and the way bras were fitted until I was feeling a bit uncomfortable in my 34C one day and I decided to go for a fitting - So off I trundled to M&S...

 In the fitting, the lady said that I was a 34C. On explaining that I was currently wearing a 34C, which felt loose in the back and too small in the cup, I suggested that perhaps I needed a smaller back size, to which she replied "Try the 32D" and walked off! I bought a couple of 32D's which still weren't quite right for me, but I didn't think much of it until I heard about Bravissimo.

 The next time I needed a fitting, I went to Bravissimo in London, wearing a 34D (which I assumed was my size). The lady who fitted me was absolutely lovely and made me feel very at ease, and surprise, surprise, I was wearing the wrong size! She refitted me as a 28F/FF (depending on the brand) and she recommended lots of different styles to suit my shape. I ended up buying the Freya 'Deco' bra in black, which to this day is my absolute favourite staple bra:


(Freya 'Deco' bra in black - £30, Bravissimo)

 Ever since my revolutionary bra fitting at Bravissimo, I've found that buying 28 backed bras have made so much difference to the way bras fit and support me. I really can't recommend Bravissimo enough to the larger busted lady!

 I think the problem is that most highstreet stores aren't aware of the need to stock smaller back sizes, making it even harder to fit women into the correct bra. There certainly needs to be a fitting revolution, because if the figures are anything to go by, too many women are wearing the wrong bra size. If around 80% of women are wearing the wrong size, there needs to be more done to ensure women are fitted corrected. From what I can see, the reason for this figure is due to the way fittings are conducted on the highstreet - 'add on' (+1,  +2, +3) inches to under and over bust measurements ultimately lead to inaccuracies. There should be more emphasis placed on retraining fitters and expanding the stock of smaller back sizes.

So what can you and I do? To help ensure you're not one of those fitted in the wrong size, be aware of how a bra SHOULD fit you. Take Bravissimo's bra fit guide, for a few preliminary tips:

http://www.bravissimo.com/perfectfit/

The important thing is to find a bra that fits you comfortably - with the underband of the bra giving the most support through a snug and firm fit and the bra cups fully encasing the breast tissue. Don't be part of the 80% who are wearing the wrong size, be part of the bra fitting revolution!

Love,
Kitty xo

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