Most Sold Bra Sizes and Styles 2014

As we approach the end of 2014 I wanted to share with you which bra styles and sizes were most purchased from Butterfly Collection this year. I especially like to share the information about the most often bought sizes because many women feel they are alone or unusual in their size so it's good to know that there are hundreds and hundreds of women with the same size as you.

20 Most Purchased Sizes
In our first couple of years of business we spent a lot of time introducing women to sizes like 36FF and 32GG because few North American women had seen these sizes before. I'm so encouraged to see lots of FF and GG cups in here because it means that our clients are getting more comfortable with these sizes and have a greater understanding of their fit needs.

It's also pleasing to see 30G in there as it's the first time a 30 band has been consistently in our top 20 sizes. 28 and 30 bands are still largely unknown or met with trepidation which is a shame because so many women (especially teens and young adults) would benefit from these band sizes. In 2015 we will continue to try to spread awareness and break down preconceptions about 28 and 30 bands.

Sizes are in descending order, left to right, from the best selling size, 34F.

34F 32FF 36F 34FF 34G 38G 36G 32F 32G 36FF 34GG 32GG 38F 38GG 36E 38E 30F 30G 34E 32H

 
 10 Most Purchased Styles
Our best-selling bras this year were all core styles available year round (no great surprises there). I was really pleased to see the addition of two Fantasie styles in our top 10 (Lois and Echo Lace) as this is a relatively new brand to Butterfly Collection.

Top Left
The Panache Sports Bra is the outright winner
This is a customer favourite all year round and many of our clients wear it as an everyday bra especially if their job is very physically demanding.

Top Right Quad Clockwise
Tango Beige and Black by Panache
Gem Black by Freya
Lucy Black by Cleo
Envy Caramel by Panache

Bottom Right
Eva Biscotti (and Eva Black) by Elomi

Bottom Left Quad Clockwise
Echo Lace by Fantasie
Profile Perfect Latte and Black by FayreForm
Versailles Black and Latte by Lunaire
Lois Pink by Fantasie

Your Bra Questions Answered

A couple of weeks ago I put this on Facebook and Twitter "The thing I don't understand about bras is _________" and asked our readers to fill in the blank. Today I'm going to respond to some of the replies and next week I'll follow up with some more answers.

The thing I don't understand about bras is... The difference between US and UK sizes and brand sizing variation.

US and UK sizing refers to whether the bra was made by a company using the US or UK size system, NOT whether it was bought in that country. The big UK brands like Freya, Panache, Elomi, Curvy Kate and Mimi Holliday use the DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J, JJ and K cup sizes. US brands like Playtex, Victoria's Secret, La Senza and Additionelle use the US size system D, DD, DDD, G, H, I and J - the US brands tend not to go beyond these letters. 

When you line up the two systems next to each other you can see how your UK size translates into a US size and vice-versa:

There's no real explanation as to why different countries use different systems and it definitely makes things harder when looking for your size. In the full bust market the UK size system is definitely used as the default authority. US brands like Claudette use the UK size system because it translates more easily for full bust bras.  

The reason there is fluctuation in size between brands (and between styles for that matter) is the same as why there is size fluctuation in sizes in clothing and shoes. There is no standard as to which machines are used to create a bra (and many items are still made by hand) so there is no way to produce a single 32F or 40GG size across the globe. Add to this the fact that different cup shapes alter the fit dramatically (a shallow 32F style will work on a woman with shallow 32F breasts but not on a woman with top heavy 32F breasts) and the materials used to create the bra will alter the fit (firmer materials give a smaller fit, stretchy fabrics, a more generous fit). 


The thing I don't understand about bras is... Why they can't build ones that actually fit comfortably. 

I hear this question a lot and the answer for most people is "you're in the wrong bra". Whether you're wearing the wrong style or size of bra, an uncomfortable bra means you're in the wrong one for you but it might fit someone else perfectly. There are a group of people for whom comfortable bra fit is near impossible without accessories or alterations. Certain muscular and skin conditions make bra fit hard, and very petite women can find it extremely difficult to find bras. But in general there are thousands of size and style combinations out there so the chances are there's a size and style that's right for you. 

Remember that a lot of bras will never fit you and will never feel comfortable so if that sounds like all the bras in your drawer then you need to start narrowing down whether it's because the wires are too wide/narrow, the cups too tall/short, the band too big/small etc. Try our Bra Audit to get you started.

The thing I don't understand about bras is... Why some women simply refuse to wear the right size. 

This is a complex one with no single answer. The two main reasons we encounter that keep women from well-fitting bras are they simply are not aware that bras outside of '34-42 A-D' exist or they have a preconceived idea of what bigger cup letters 'say' about a woman and their stereotypes keep them from trying a larger cup size (and usually a smaller band).  

What I know for sure is that you can't rush someone into correct bra fit, they have to be emotionally ready to address this for any changes to stick.

The thing I don't understand about bras is... Why beige bras typically cost twice as much as coloured ones!  

This is a great question and one I don't get asked often. Colourful bras tend to be fashion items that are created by a brand for a one off season. They are made in a limited quantity and so when a retailer gets to the end of a season and only has a few of that style left the colourful bras tend to be the ones that go on sale first to make room for the next fashion colour. Basic colours like beige and black are available from manufacturers all year round so their value doesn't diminish which is why they rarely go on sale. 

I hope this sheds some light on some of your bra questions. Tune in again next week for another round of answers xx

Bra Fit Tips for Top Heavy Breasts

If you've tried on every bra you can think of and always seem to get quadraboob or massive gaping then there's a good chance you've got top heavy breasts. When your breasts are very full on top you need a style that accommodates the upper volume. A style that can't accommodate the shape of your upper breast will cut into your tissue making it look like your cups are too small even if they aren't. In this post I'm going to help you figure out if you have top heavy breasts and what to look for in bras for a great fit.

Left: Full All Round Breasts Middle: Bottom Heavy Breasts Right: Top Heavy Breasts

How to tell if you have top heavy breasts
There are two types of top heavy breasts; one is volume of tissue and the other is density. To tell if you have volume heavy upper breasts you need to start with your nipples. In front of a mirror lean forward (without a bra) so that your back is parallel with the floor. Using the mirror look to see if your nipples are pointing directly down at the floor - this means you have full all round breasts. If your nipples are pointing more towards the front (nearer your chest) then you have bottom heavy breasts. If your nipples are pointing back (towards your tummy) then you have top heavy breasts.

Left: Center Full Top Heavy Breasts Middle: Evenly Full Top Heavy Breasts Right: Side Full Top Heavy Breasts

For comparison this is the difference between Full All Round Breasts (left) Top Heavy Breasts (center) and Bottom Heavy Breasts (right)

You can also assess the distribution of your tissue by stranding straight on in a mirror. You're looking to see if there is more volume above or below your nipple line. If you have top heavy breast volume you will see that your nipples appear to sit lower on your breasts when looking at yourself straight on. You'll also notice whether you have more volume to the outside edges of your breasts (side heavy breasts) even distribution to left and right or more tissue at the middle of your breasts (look for high gores to support the volume at the center of your breasts).

Top heavy breasts can also have soft breast tissue (the two are not mutually exclusive) so even though you might think you have 'saggy' boobs you might actually be full on top and need to look for a shape that can accommodate your upper volume and materials that are friendly to soft breasts. Breast density leads us onto the next kind of top heavy breasts.

The second type of top heavy breasts is to do with tissue density. If you have very dense tissue you find that your breasts create a very round shape at the top when you put on a bra regardless of whether you have bottom heavy, side heavy or even all round breasts. This happens a lot for young women but breast density has a lot to do with genetics so you can find yourself in your 60s with dense upper tissue. Because your breasts fill out upwards you also need top heavy friendly bra shapes and/or materials to stop quadraboob.

What to look for in bras for top heavy breasts
The shape of the upper cup of a bra needs to have the depth to be able to accommodate your upper breast volume. As well as the depth it needs to curve in a way that won't cut into your breasts. Many women have tried on lots of molded bras (seamless cups that are in a fixed shape) and constantly find that they have overspill. This is because the depth and edge of the bra is fixed and if your breasts aren't the same shape as the cup then the excess just spills over.

Envy (left) and Jasmine (right) have a stretch lace upper cup that stretches to shape to your upper breast shape

A top heavy breast's best friend is a flexible edge (like Envy and Jasmine in the picture above). A stretch lace upper panel allows for the bra to fit your shape rather than the other way around. The lower panels of the bra is usually fixed which gives you good support but the upper panel is flexible to give you a smooth profile.

A lot of Cleo styles work well for medium to top heavy breasts because the upper cup is deep and curved to accommodate your upper breast volume

Some brands, and styles, are designed specifically with top heavy breasts in mind. Cleo is particularly good because the cup shapes are deep with a curve that allows for top heavy breasts. This is also the reason that some women find that Cleo bras gape at the top because they have medium or shallow breasts that don't require the volume at the top of the cup.

Cups that have a horizontal (sweetheart cut) rather than a diagonal cut are usually friendlier to top heavy breasts, so some plunge styles tend not to be great for full on top breasts (depending on the material). If the angle of the top edge of the cup cuts across the natural curve of your breasts it causes quadraboob regardless of which size you try.

I hope these tips help you work out if your breasts are top heavy and which features to look for in a bra to get a comfortable and polished look. Let us know in the comments if you have any top heavy tips xx

How Height Can Affect Your Bra Fit

This is a subject that comes up every week when I'm speaking to clients about their bra fit. A woman's height is so often a factor in her bra fit that I'm surprised there's so little information out there about the correlation between height and bra fit. I hope this post will help you narrow down which features your bra should have in relation to your height.

Height and Breast Root Position
Firstly we need to talk breast root position. This is something I've written about before in Breast Roots and Bra Fit. Whether you're tall, short or somewhere in the middle you can have a high-set, low-set or medium-set breast root and this will play a big part in which kind of bra wires work for you. This excerpt from my previous blog post summarizes breast root position and wire length:

"Breast Root Height
On average, full bust women find that their breast root is between 5 and 7 inches lower than their armpit. If the distance between your breast root base and your armpit is less than 5 inches you often find that bra wires poke into your armpit. If this is the case for you then you have high set breasts and will benefit from bras with short wires that don't rise as high into your armpit.
If your breast root is farther down your body than 7 inches you can experience spilling at the sides of your bra no matter which size you try. You need tall bras with long wires that run equal to (or higher than) the side of your breasts."

Tall Women and Strap Length
Tall women often find that their breast root is proportionally lower than an average 5ft 5" woman and so they need their bras to be long enough to reach their breast root. Their breasts aren't necessarily so tall that they need a really long wire to encase a deep/tall breast, instead they need a shallow to medium wire length on a bra with long straps that can lower the cups down to their breast root. This might sound simple but you'd be amazed at how few bra straps are long enough for a long torso.

Partially Adjustable Left: the straps can only be adjusted as far as the ring Fully Adjustable Right: the straps can be adjusted all the way forward or back

Many bra straps are too short even when extended to their longest position. Bras that are bad for women with short torsos or high-set breasts are usually a good starting point for long torsos, even partially adjustable straps can be long enough when fully extended. NB Partially adjustable straps refer to bra straps where the slider cannot adjust over part of the strap either because of a design - lace pattern overly, for example - or because there is a ring separating the adjustable part from the non adjustable part - the non adjustable part is usually a wider strap portion for comfort.

If you are a tall woman with average or short height breasts then you need to find styles with a short to medium wire with a long strap. Here are some recommendations:

Cleo Bras - good for full all round and top heavy breasts. Lucy is good for side heavy and bottom heavy breasts.

Cleo bras have long, fully adjustable straps. The cup shapes are good for full all round, top heavy and side heavy breasts

Claudette has very long straps and the Dessous shape is good for wide set breasts, side heavy breasts and shallow breasts. Dessous has a short wire too.

Dessous by Claudette has long, fully adjustable straps. The cups are good for side heavy, wide set and shallow breasts

Jasmine, Gem, Tango and Envy are good styles for medium to tall breasts (ones that require a longer wire to encase a taller breast) that need longer straps.

These styles have medium to long wires on long straps which are good for medium to tall breasts on long torsos

Boobs Take Up More Space on Short Bodies
Imagine a 34G volume bust (34 inches around the body and a projection of around 8 inches away from the body). This volume of bust on a long torso is a very different fit to the same volume on a short torso. This is because the surface area that 34G breasts take up on a short torso is proportionally greater than the surface area on a long torso. The short torso woman with a 34G bust might find that bras jab her in the armpit more than the long torso 34G woman. When the shorter woman sits down her breasts are closer to her stomach than the taller woman so a bra with a band might flip up or cut into her stomach whereas it may not on a longer torso.

A surprising pattern has emerged through our size consultations. The same under bust and over bust measurements on women of different heights can alter their cup size by as much as three cup sizes depending on her height. It seems that for every inch you are under 5ft 4" your cup size is one volume larger than that of a woman over 5ft 5" with the same raw measurements.

If you have a short body or simply a short torso look for bandless bras with medium length wires. Fully adjustable straps are essential for short women. Check out my post on bras good for short torsos for some style suggestions.

Strap Position on the Shoulder and Height
Lots of bras have straps set too far apart for short women (and women with narrow or sloping shoulders). Besides making the straps slip off your shoulders more easily, straps that are too far apart for your body can buckle the cup shape. As you pull the straps closer in so that they sit on your shoulders it alters the shape of the cup and can cause gaping where the cups start to buckle. Short women benefit from bras with straps designed for narrow or sloping shoulders.

Left: Cleo bras have wide set straps that are ideal for average to wide frames. Right: Dessous has closer set straps ideal for smaller frames (and sloping or narrow shoulders)

At the other end of the spectrum tall women can find that bras with straps set too close together rest on the soft tissue close to their neck and this can cause pain because the pressure is on nerves that run up the side of the neck. Choosing the right strap position for your height can make a huge difference to your comfort.

I hope these height related fit tips help you narrow down what you need from a bra. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments and I'll do my best to get you answers! xx

Bra Fit Tips for Side Heavy Breasts

A huge number of women find that their breasts are heaviest and fullest at the side of their breasts (the side nearest your armpit). This is a completely normal distribution of breast tissue that women of all breasts sizes experience. For women with large breasts this side heavy breast tissue can cause a couple of bra fit issues:

1) The breasts can look very spread out and chafe against your arms.
2) You can find that you get empty cup near the center of your bra.

Why Your Breasts Spread Out in Bras
You may think that big boobs always look spread out and this is due in part to some bad fitting techniques. Lots of stores and boutiques default to putting large busted women into Minimizing Bras which spread out the bust. The shape of these bras moves the tissue even further under the armpit to lessen the forward projection of the bust. This might sound like it will make you look smaller but in fact the added width to your upper body can draw more attention to your bust and make it look bigger than it is.

Side heavy breasts don't need to be pushed farther apart, in fact they benefit from being firmly supported at the sides.  A tall and firm side panel in a bra will narrow the profile of your bust and stop your breasts spreading out which can cause excessive chafing against your arms as you walk.

Bras that spread out the breasts can cause the empty tissue near the center of your bra. With the majority of the weight being pushed sideways it skews the shape of the cup so that you end up with cup that has no breast tissue in it. 

What to Avoid and What to Look For
Avoid bras with a horizontal seam that goes right from the outer edge of the bra to the center gore. This kind of shape is great for full or wide breasts but doesn't offer enough support to side heavy breasts. Molded cups (bras without seams) can also cause your breasts to spread out. Remember, it's seams that give shape to a bra. Molded cups have lots of uses but if you're trying to stop your breasts spreading out you need the help of seams.

Look for bras with a tall side panel that runs directly down from the strap. This reinforcing panel scoops the breast tissue away from the sides and cushions the tissue. By bringing the side breast tissue closer in on the body you will most likely find that you don't get empty cup at the center. This is because the distribution of breast tissue is being spread out more evenly throughout the cup. If you have very soft breast tissue you can still get gaping at the center. To stop this look for bras with a wide, tall gore and/or a bra with a stretch fabric upper cup.

Here are some of our favourite bras for supporting side heavy breasts:

Gem by Freya has a supportive side panel and is shaped well for women with short torsos and/or narrow shoulders

Jasmine by Panache Superbra is a 4-part bra that has a side panel dedicated to moving breast tissue away from the armpit. This bra is also good for soft breasts as it has a stretch lace upper cup

Envy by Panache Superbra is based on the success of Jasmine. The tall side panel gives firm support. The stretch lace upper cup rounds the shape of the bust.

Lucy by Cleo is one of our best-sellers for supporting side heavy breasts. The rounded side seam gives a beautiful shape.

If you have any questions about fit for side heavy breasts then let us know in the comments section and we'll be happy to help you figure out your best fit. xx

Breast Roots and Bra Fit

Your breast root refers to the size and shape of the area where your breasts attach to your body. Just to clarify, this isn't to do with the shape of your breasts, which may be shallow, or full or long etc. It's a part of bra fitting that helps you work out which cup wires work for you. There are two measurements to consider when talking about breast roots; your breast root width and your breast root height.

Assessing Your Wire Width
There are, broadly speaking, three breast root widths; average, narrow and wide. The width of your breast root is linked to which width, or shape, of bra wire will work best with your breasts. Your bra wire must never rest on your breast tissue and ideally you don't want it to run very wide of the outside of your breasts (although some gap between your breast root and the bra wire is not terribly detrimental to your fit).

Think of the bottom of your breast root (the area of your breast that attaches to your body underneath your breast) as a smile. You can have a broad, flat smile or you can have a deep, curved smile and you want a bra that has a matching shape to your breast root. By understanding the width of your breast root you can diagnose if a bra wire is too wide or narrow for you when you put it on.

If your bra wire rests on your breast tissue then your first step is to check that your cup volume is large enough. Try a larger cup first and if that doesn't work then the wire shape could be too narrow for the width of your breast root so this isn't a style for you.

If your bra wire goes a long way past your breast root (most commonly this is when there is lots of empty cup around the side of your body, under your armpit) then you can try a cup volume smaller but it's most likely that the wires of the cup are too wide for you and this isn't the bra for you.

Breast Root Height
On average full bust women find that their breast root is between 5 and 7 inches lower than their armpit. If the distance between your breast root base and your armpit is less than 5 inches you often find that bra wires poke into your armpit. If this is the case for you then you have high set breasts and will benefit from bras with short wires that don't rise as high into your armpit.

Fit Point: If you find that you often get empty cup at the bottom of your bra then it could be because your wires are too long for your high set breasts. Look for bras with shorter wires.

If your breast root is farther down your body than 7 inches you can experience spilling at the sides of your bra no matter which size you try. You need tall bras with long wires that run equal to (or higher than) the side of your breasts.

Help Finding the Right Wire
Bratabase is a fantastic resource for finding out whether a bra has long or short wires and how other women have found the fit based on their own breast root width and height.

At Butterfly Collection we include the side height of each bra (the side compromises of the wing and wire) on the product page to help you work out whether the length of the wire is right for your breast root height.

I hope this helps you work out if your bra fit frustrations are being caused by a mismatch between your breast root and wire xx

How Torso Shape Affects Bra Fit

Your rib cage shape can make a big difference to your bra fit. Regardless of your dress size the dimensions of your torso can alter which kinds of bras fit you best. Here is a simple guide to some of the variations in rib cage shape and how they affect bra fit.

Straight
This is the most common torso shape and not to be confused with whether your overall figure is straight or curvy. On a straight torso your bra will sit evenly across all the hooks at the back. If you have a straight and narrow torso then look for bras with narrow wires.

If you have a straight and wide torso and your breasts are wide across your body then you probably need bras with wide wires. If you have a wide, straight torso (often referred to as a broad back) and your breasts are close set or narrow then you may need to add inches to your band size and reduce your cup letter.

Flared
When your rib cage is dramatically smaller at the underbust than the overbust measurement it can affect the way your bra sits. Lots of women find bras with fewer hooks at the back (2 rather than 3 or 4) sit better. It's quite possible that you need to go up a band size to accommodate the widening of your rib cage across the wider part of your rib cage. A common alteration for flared rib cages is to bend the wires under the armpit away from the body.

Rounded
Often referred to as barrel chests, this rounding of the ribcage means that you need a lot of band and potentially not a lot of cup so you may need to add inches to your band for comfort. This also works for women with curved spines due to health or posture issues. If you have a narrow and round torso then you will most likely need narrow wires which can accommodate a lot of bust in a small width.

If you have a wide, round torso then you'll need to asses whether your breasts need wide or narrow wires. Again you might need to add inches to the band but this also depends largely on whether you have a squidgy torso. A lot of women with rounded torsos find that they need to bend their wires both around the ribs and away from the sternum so that the wires follow the curvature of their rib cage.

It's important to remember that no one piece of bra information is gospel, so many other factors can affect your fit but this is a general guide to understanding how the shape and contours of your torso can change your bra fit. xx

3 Reasons Why You Spill Out of Your Cups

Spilling out of your bra cups ranges from a little bit of breast tissue pillowing at the top of your cups to breast tissue falling out of the middle and sides of your cups creating a quadrabood and even sextaboob look. Having a cup that's big enough to encase your whole breast doesn't just look more polished it's also easier on your breast tissue which isn't stretched and bisected by cup edges digging into it. There are three main reasons why your breast tissue spills out of your cups. They can happen individually, in pairs or all 3 simultaneously!

Cup Spilling Reason #1 - CUPS
It's a painfully obvious one... Your cups are too small. A lot of women don't know that cup sizes go beyond a D cup or don't realize that the tissue at their armpit is actually breast tissue and not fat and wants to live inside the cup rather than be forced out. A well fitting bra cup will encircle the breast either all the way around (full cup) or in a semi-circle at the bottom leaving the top exposed (demi cups, balconettes and plunges). Whatever the style, where the cup comes into contact with the breast the cups want to go around the outside edge of the breast not sit on it.

This image from Thin and Curvy demonstrates how your cups sag at the front when your band is too big

Cup Spilling Reason #2 - BAND
Your band is too loose. My old favourite, the band! You may actually be wearing a cup volume that's right for you but the band is too big (remember that the cup volume is different from the cup letter - a 38E, 36F and 34FF have the same cup volume but different cup letters). When your band is too big for you the whole bra is tilted at an angle which tips forward under the weight of your breasts. When the angle is tipped forward like this it skews the angle of your cups and your breasts can fall out of the cups even when the cup volume is big enough for you. You need the band to keep your whole bra in place so that the cups can work effectively. If your band rides up your back then you need a smaller band and a larger cup letter, possibly even a larger cup volume.

Cup Spilling Reason #3 - STYLE
The style is wrong for you. You may find that in some bras that no matter which size you try you still spill out of the cups and that simply means that the style isn't right for you. If you have very close-set breasts or very full on top breasts you may come across this more often than other breast shapes. If the style of the bra cuts very acutely across the place where you have full breast tissue then you will always get some quadraboobing. Once you figure out which styles of bras work well with your shape you'll know how to spot a style that just isn't right for your breasts.

Our bra calculator is an easy and quick place to start figuring out your bra size and to stop your cups spilling xx

How Cup Edges Affect Fit

Continuing our series on how aspects of your bra affect your fit today we're looking at cup edges. If you have full on top breasts this feature of a bra will matter more to you than someone who is shallow on top. A hard or soft cup edge can be the difference between pillowing over the cup or a smooth look so knowing which edges work for you can improve your fit.

There are four bra edges: tapered, elasticated, molded and fixed. 

(L) Jasmine uses stretch lace to create a tapered edge (R) Loretta uses nylon and embroidery to taper the cup

Tapered edge bras are the most universally friendly because they're designed to come to a fine, delicate edge that doesn't create any pressure on your upper bust. Most commonly lace, embroidery and nylon are used to create a fine edge.

(L) Idina and (R) Profile Perfect use an elasticated edge to add more support to the upper breast

Elasticated edges are designed to stay close to your body. If you have full on top breasts the elastic can indent the soft upper tissue on your breast and make it look like you're spilling. Elasticated edges are great for women looking to minimize bounce through the upper tissue.

Molded bras like Maxine have a rigid molded edge so you need to be careful to choose the right shape for your breast

Molded edges can also cause a spilling look for full on top breasts if the shape or size isn't right. A molded edge may appear as a ridge under clothing if the cup is thick. You may find that you have some upper-tissue bounce in a molded cup as the edge of the cup doesn't hold down the breast. Non-rigid molded cups (seamless soft cup bras) can have an elasticated edge.

(L) Tango II and (R) Lottie have fixed edges

Fixed edge cups simply mean there is no elastic in the edge and no tapering. This works for lots of women as the edge lies flat against the breast without creating any indent. Again, however, women with full on top breasts may find that fixed edge cups cause a spilling look if the cup shape is wrong for them.

I hope this short guide to bra edges helps you choose the right bra edge for your shape and support preferences. xx

Back Fat and Bra Fit

This isn't a term I love but there's no getting around it, lots of women ask me about back fat. I'm going to start by saying that in the big scheme of things back fat is not something you need to worry about. No one who matters is looking at your back and judging you so you don't need to scrutinize yourself either. Having said that I know that it bothers lots of women so I want to help you understand how your bra size and shape can affect how your body looks under clothing. There are two main causes of avoidable back fat 1) bands that are too loose and 2) wings that are too shallow.

How a Loose Band Gives You Back Fat
When your band is too big for you it rides up your back creating an arch shape which cuts across the widest part of your back and pushes the flesh downwards which creates rolls on your back. The weight of your unsupported bust at the front pulls the tissue near your armpit to be pushed up which creates overhang too.

The red line shows where the bra band should lie so that the flesh is not pushed up or down

Lots of women think that a snug bra will give them back fat but it will do quite the opposite. A snug band will fit you at the narrowest part of your torso. The will stop the flesh above and below being forced up or down into rolls. A loose band doesn't just cause rolls it also lowers your bust at the front and causes your straps to dig in.

How the Depth of Your Wings Affect Back Fat
Bras with deeper wings will smooth out your back. Just as long panels of shapewear smooth you out under clothing so too a deeper wing will smooth out your back.

Left, Lucy by Cleo. Right, Profile Perfect by FayreForm

In the image above you can see that the wings on Lucy are shallower than the wings on Profile Perfect. The deeper wings spread out the pressure of the band over a greater area and so the back appears smoother than the shallower wing

Fit is more important than Fat
If you carry a lot of weight around your back then you are always going to get some dips where your bra fits but having a bra that fits you correctly is more important than something even you can't see without twisting in a mirror. If it really bothers you then you can wear shapewear over your bra that will add another smoothing layer to your undergarments but in general choosing a bra that is the best shape and band size for you will make a huge difference to the smoothness of your look xx

How Many Bras Should You Own?

This is a question I get asked a lot and you may be surprised to know that there is a little science to the answer. We wear our bras anywhere between 8 and 18 hours every day and in that time the elastic in our bra heats up to our body temperature; especially around the band where it is in greatest contact with our skin. Heat causes elastic to expand and stretch farther. When you take off your bra the elastic begins to cool down and the fibers in the elastic start to contract back into a shorter state. It takes about 36 hours for elastic to cool down completely so ideally you want to give your bras 2 days rest between wears.

Considering how crucial your bra's elastic is to your fit and longevity it's worth looking after by washing and drying your bras correctly and by allowing them rest between wears. Here's a general breakdown of how many bras you need to maximize their longevity:

From Left to Right: Profile Perfect, Lucy Black and Leopard Dessous

Everyday Bras
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what an everyday bra is. It's any bra that keeps you supported during your daily activities and that works with your wardrobe. For lots of women their everyday bra collection is one light coloured bra, one dark coloured bra and a bra with a lower neckline that can be worn with lower necklines. Three is the minimum number of bras you should have for everyday wear to give your bras the best chance at lasting as long as they can. If you have more and rotate them on a 4 or 5 day basis then they'll last proportionally longer. If you wear the same bra every day then it will probably only last about 4 months, if that.

Sports Bras
The number of sports bras you need depends on how often you exercise, what you do and for how long. If you work out three times a week doing more or less the same level of activity for about an hour then you only need one sports bra. If you do a high-impact sport one day and a low level yoga class another day you may need two different bras; one designed for impact and one designed for flexibility. If you work out every day and sweat a great deal or exercise for more than an hour then you're going to need two or even three sports bras. Be sure to wash your sports bras every week as the salt from your sweat can break down elastic quickly.

From Left to Right: Evie Strapless, Tango Cherry Plunge, Enell Classic Black

Solution Bras
If your wardrobe requires you to have a strapless bra then you can probably just invest in one unless you need a specific colour. In the summer you may find that you want a couple of strapless bras that you can add to your everyday rotation. Plunge bras or wide balconette styles (think heaving bossom!) may not be something you wear every week but are useful to have for a favourite dress or event. These bras aren't essential but can add more freedom to your wardrobe choices.

Colourful Bras
I don't think that colourful bras should be an option, they should be a standard in your bra drawer. If you love colour then your everyday bras may all be colourful ones. However, if you have a basic everyday bra wardrobe then I highly recommend treating yourself to a colourful bra that you wear at weekends because it can lift your spirits to wear something that is fun and different. It can help you see you and your breasts differently.

I hope this helps you work out whether your bra wardrobe and habits are helping you get the most out of your bra budget. xx

Sorry to break this to you, but people know you're wearing a bra

This t-shirt was a Dorothy Perkins hit

Living in Canada there are lots of occasions where I feel conspicuously English; every time I say lift and not elevator, bin and not garbage, cooker and not stove. In the world of bras the time I feel most English is when my clients say they don't like "bra seams you can see under clothes." Bra seams being visible under clothing was never something I was aware of when I lived in the UK. No one passed comment on it, to me at least. Here in North American it's evident that visible seams are a big concern as though women feel it would be an embarrassment if other people knew they were wearing a bra?

Are You Hiding More than Just Seams?
Almost every lingerie rep I've spoken to in Canada and the US has told me that North American women like seamless, neutral colour bras. There has to be something deeper at the root of this 'seam-phobia'. I think it has something to do with the sheer lack of bra size choice North American women have experienced that has bred a continent-wide disillusionment with bras. Canada and the US have a disproportionate lack of readily available bra sizes in comparison to the UK and Europe. Add to this the giant influence of the t-shirt bra from huge manufacturers like Victoria's Secret and women have been trained away from the benefits of other shapes of bra.

It's no wonder that generations of women forced into bra sizes that were available rather than ones that fit have learned to hate bras. There is a distinct lack of Big Bra Celebration in North American compared to the UK and I think the knock-on effect is this desire to blend into the background and hide your breasts, hence the epidemic of seamless bras.

I love that the seams are part of the design on this bra from Freya (Lyla 2011)

Are Seams Really That Big a Deal?
I always think of these two things when someone says they don't want their bra to be visible:

1. Everyone knows you're wearing a bra, especially when you're busty
2. No one who matters is looking directly at your bra seams and judging you

People are definitely going to notice that you look better in the right bra but people aren't looking directly at your boobs or even more specifically, your bra seams. What makes no sense to me is choosing to wear an ill-fitting seamless bra that causes sagging and spillage rather than wear a seamed bra for fear of it being embarrassing. For women with heavy breasts you need seamed bras because the seams are what give you shape and support. The seams 'direct' the breast tissue up and away from your waist to give you definition and lift. Don't get me wrong, seamless bras are great, but they're not for everyone and they're not the only option.

My Outfits and Seamed Bras
I mostly wear seamed bras because my boobs are side heavy so they need some forward propulsion and I never feel that my outfits look compromised by my seamed bras. Here are some fabrics, styles and designs that I think are completely compatible with seamed bras:

1. Patterned Clothing - patterns distract from any seam underneath
2. Dark Fabrics - black, navy, charcoal and brown sweaters (or jumpers in my world) hide seams perfectly
3. Ruched Tops - Lots of busty friendly clothing has ruching at the neckline which detracts from underlying bra seams

I'm wearing a seam-free bra in only one of these outfits - can you tell which one?

I own seam-free bras which I wear with some stretch jersey fabrics, but that's about it. I find that seamless bras tend to spread out my bust more than a seamed bra. I prefer a narrower look from my bras so I mostly wear seamed bras.

Feeling happy and confident in your bra depends a lot on bra style and it has to feel right for you. Being trapped in one style of bra because of some mental barriers about your body image is quite a different thing. Are you someone who used to be seam-phobic but got past it? I'd love to hear your story xx