Bra Fit: 3 Things To Know About Bra Straps

The straps on a bra probably aren't the first thing you notice when choosing a bra but they can make a big difference to your fit so there are a few things you should know about bra straps to help you choose the right ones for you.

1. Pressure On Your Shoulders
One of the really big American bra manufacturers posed the question on their Facebook page "Which part of your bra should support most of your bust's weight?" The fact that the majority of their fans said "the straps" should tell them that their fit information is pretty bad! Straps are not there to take the majority of your bust's weight, that responsibility lies with your band. The straps should only be taking between 10 and 20 percent of the weight. You'll know if your bra band isn't doing its job (most likely because it's too loose) because your straps will dig into your shoulders (this is the major cause of shoulder dents).

From left to right: 36J, 30GG and 28E straps on the Tango Beige. Thicker and wider straps for heavier sizes reduce pressure

If you have a very heavy bust then 10-20% of your bust's weight is still a lot so you'll want your straps to have features that improve your comfort. Wider bra straps disperse the pressure over a greater area and so lessen the pressure on your shoulders. Some straps are cushioned at the shoulder area to ease the pressure too (Cleo and Superbra add cushioning as standard to their heavier sizes).

2. How Far They Adjust
Besides taking some of the weight of your breasts the most important thing your straps do is adjust the fit of your cups. When you shorten your straps it brings you cups closer to your body which you need if you have one breast smaller than the other. You'll need to shorten the strap on your smaller side more so that the cup is flush with your body. This is why you must adjust your straps when you try on a new bra to assess whether the cups are the right size for you.

Lucy (L) has fully adjustable straps whereas Profile Perfect (R) has partially adjustable straps

Some bras have fully adjustable straps which means the slider can be shortened all the way to the front or lengthened all the way to the back. This is an important feature for women with long or short torsos. If a strap is only partially adjustable (can only be adjusted over half the strap - the rest of the strap may be either padded or has a design that the slider can't go over) then you may not be able to shorten it enough or lengthen it enough to fit your body.

Related Video: How Straps Affect Your Bra Fit 

3. Their Position on Your Shoulders
If you have sloping or narrow shoulders then you may find that your straps slip even though your band is the right size and keeping your bra securely in place. If the straps on a bra are positioned too far apart they can fall off your shoulders which is frustrating. Look for straps that start closer in on the shoulder if you have sloping or narrow shoulders.

Melissa (L) has wider set straps and Leopard Sucre (R) has closer set straps

Good product descriptions will include the width of the straps, whether they are cushioned and whether the strap position is good for women with narrow or sloping shoulders. When you understand which strap features matter to your comfort you can shop more confidently. xx

Why Do Victoria's Secret Measure OVER your breasts?

Every week Lucy and I do online bra size consultations for women across North America. The majority of women who request a consultation have been fitted at Victoria's Secret and these are the women who invariably have the most bra complaints. These women are without fail wearing a band that is four to EIGHT inches bigger than their body as well as experiencing issues like straps that dig into their shoulders, cups that spill and straps that slip. The reason these complaints are so common with women who have been fitted at Victoria's Secret is because they measure for band size over the top of your breasts under your armpits. By measuring this way Victoria's Secret recommends that your band should be at least four inches bigger than your body, a fitting technique that is disastrous for full-busted women.

VS Fit Errors: Left: Band riding up, Center: Gore not against body, Right: Band not flush with the body

Victoria's Secret comes in for a lot of grief because good bra fit is not their main focus. Their models are often in the wrong bras in product shoots and runway shows and their over-zealous Photoshopping (to make models look skinnier or bras fit better) is legendary. In reality Victoria's Secret doesn't position itself as an expert in bra fit, they very rarely allude to bra fit at all. They are in the business of making a few bra styles and a few bra sizes in alluring colours and affordable prices that make you aspire to looking 'as sexy as an Angel'. The bra sizes and styles that Victoria's Secret do make are mostly suited to women with smaller breast volumes with closer-set breasts who need more band than cup ratio because their breasts are in a different position to full busted women.

Related Articles: The women who need to add inches to their band size

Victoria's Secret only makes 36 bra sizes and in practice there are over 175 bra sizes regularly available on the market (Butterfly Collection carries over 60 sizes) and over 148 other sizes available through specialty manufacturers. So you can see that the number of women for whom Victoria's Secret really can offer great bra fit is very narrow. The +4 measuring technique is appropriate for some of the women who can wear the limited size and style range from VS so that's how they can justify using the +4 technique. The problem is, Victoria's Secret will never tell you if their bras and bra fitting technique is not right for you (and let's face it, that's most of us). They'll never concede that your band size is smaller than those they carry or that your breast volume requires a cup size they don't have. Nope, they'll just use the same fitting technique on a full-busted woman and send her away in a bra that will causes a myriad of fit issues.

This is my greatest grievance with Victoria's Secret. Their lack of honesty about their fitting method's effectiveness leaves women feeling that their bodies are wrong, which doesn't make you feel 'as sexy as an Angel'. With their brand position in the market Victoria's Secret could be a hugely empowering influence on improving bra education and diminishing breast stigma in North America, but unfortunately they are part of the machine that perpetuates the idea that bra sizes outside of the 32-38 A-D paradigm is alien and that bra fit is secondary to looking sexy. 

No matter how dominant a brand is it's up to us as consumers to decide whether a product is right for us. Your breast health is too important to blindly put your faith in a gigantic marketing machine that tells you bras are just about push-ups and pouting. We need to be savvy shoppers who understand what good bra fit looks like and then decide whether Victoria's Secret bras offer us that fit (for many women the answer will be yes, but for the vast majority of us the answer is no).

How I Recommend Finding Your Band Size
I maintain that getting your band size right is the most important part of finding great bra fit because your cup size is determined IN RELATION to your band so without knowing your band size you can't begin to find the right fit.

Related Articles: Not all D cups are the Same and What Sister Size Bras Look Like

I recommend a good starting point for working out your band size is to wrap a tape measure around your ribcage directly under your breasts, against your skin where your band should lie. There's no need to breathe out or pull tightly, simply put the tape measure flat against your skin so that it is parallel with the floor all around your body. This measurement (in inches) is the best starting point for finding your band size (if you're an odd number then simply round up one to the next even number as your starting band size).

Related Tool: Bra Size Calculator

This is a starting point from which you might add or subtract inches depending on your physique. The reason that +0 is an impartial starting point is that as many women will need to add inches as need to subtract them so starting at zero means there's no weighting in either direction. As a very general rule of thumb, if you have a muscular, toned or just firm ribcage then you might have to add inches to your band size to allow for flexibility. If you have a fleshy torso or a springy ribcage then you might find that you need to subtract inches to find your band size because your band can't anchor to fat which moves up and down your body as you move so you need a firmer fit that account for the wobble of our middle bits (I wear one band size smaller than my ribcage measurement as my torso is squidgy).

I hope this helps you figure out whether your body and breasts fit one of the 36 sizes available at Victoria's Secret. If you are then you'll probably find that their over the breasts measuring method works for you, and if you're not then you've got another 300+ bra sizes to choose from! xx

Video: 5 Problems Caused by a Bra Band that is Too Big

As you know the most common problem I see with bra fit is women wearing a bra band that is too big for them.

Related Article: Is Your Bra Fitter Giving You The Right Bra?

A bra band that is too big for you can cause lots of problems and in this week's Vlog I explain how it causes the 5 most common issues:

1. Bra Band Riding Up
2. Bra Straps Slipping
3. Bra Straps Digging In
4. Cups Spilling
5. Wires Digging In

Click Here to Watch

For more information on why some stores use Sister Sizing to fit you into a 38D when you really need a 32FF read this blog post. xx

5 Reasons Your Bra Straps Slip

One of the most common problems we see when doing Online Bra Size Consultations for our clients is slipping straps. To help you solve this irritating bra issue here are the top four causes of slipping bra straps.

When you're wearing the correct band size your straps will sit closer together on your band and on your shoulders

1. Your Band is Too Big
If your bra band is more than a couple of inches bigger than your ribcage measurement then the chances are your band is loose enough that it can ride up your back and cause your straps to slip off your shoulders. The proportions of a bra with a bigger band can add to the problem too. For example, even though the cup volume on a 38E is the same as the cup volume on a 32G the straps are slightly closer together on the 32 band than on the 38 band. It's worth checking that your band size is close to your ribcage measurement as this could be the source of your slipping straps.

Solution: Smaller bra band size. Remember you will have to increase your cup size when you reduce your band size so that you don't lose cup volume.

You can see that the strap isn't flush against the body because the breast is lifting the strap.

2. Your Cups are Too Small
Rather than slipping off your shoulders your straps may be 'popping' off your shoulders. If your cups are too small then you have rogue boob spilling out at the top of your cups and this can interfere with how your straps lie against your body. Your straps should lie flat against your body and over your shoulder but if there's stray boob wedging itself under the strap then it can cause your straps to 'pop' off your shoulders. If you have breast tissue spilling at the top, sides (under the armpit) or underneath your cups then this could be the cause of your slipping straps.

Solution: Larger cup. You may be able to keep your same band size and simply increase your cup size. However, you may discover that you need a slightly smaller band once all of your boob is in your cups as some of your breast tissue may have been living in your band rather than the cup. If in doubt we can help you find your best size with a free online size consultation.

3. Your Cups are Too Big
If you have lost some breast volume or your bra cups have stretched out over time then your cups can become too big for you. When you fill your bra cups your breast anchors the cup into place. When part of the cup is empty the cup can move around causing your straps to slip off your shoulders.

Solution: Smaller cup. You will most likely be able to keep your same band size (if you are comfortable in that size and your band doesn't ride up) but reduce your cup size.

If you have a short torso or high set breasts then bras with shorter wires will keep your straps in the right place.

4. Your Bra is Designed for Taller Women
If you are under 5ft 5" (or you have high set breasts) you may find that no matter what size you try your bra straps still slip off your shoulders. This is because the wires are too long for your torso or the height of your breasts so the straps don't sit in the right place. 

Solution: Look for bras with shorter wires that are proportional to your torso length (or breast height).

The racer clip on Panache Sports bra is ideal for sloping shoulders

5. Sloping and Narrow Shoulders
Straps can slip off narrow and sloping shoulders even when you're in the right size so style is really important.

Solution: Look for styles where the straps are set closer together or have a V back where the straps form a V at the back to prevent slipping.  Bras with racer clip backs (like the Panache sports bra above) are also a great option for narrow or sloping shoulders.

See Also: Bras for Narrow and Sloping Shoulders

As well as checking these five tips it's worth making sure you have tightened your bra straps so that your straps are flat against your body but not digging into your shoulders. Bra straps will lengthen as you wear your bra so they need to be adjusted regularly to fit your height. If your band rides up when you shorten your straps then your bra may be old or you need a smaller band size.

Besides finding your best bra size it's equally important to find your best bra styles that compliment your body and breast shape. Finding your best style can eliminate the annoying slipping straps forever! xx

Your Boobs Tell You When They Need a New Bra

We are getting back to bra basics so that you can spend the rest of the year (and hopefully your life) in bras that fit you. Even if you don't yet know your bra size range (I say range because you may fit a 30FF in one style or brand and a 32F in others) you can easily work out if your current bras do or don't fit you by listening to your boobs. If your boobs are uncomfortable, irritated or feel unsupported then they're trying to tell you that your current bras aren't working for them. The Five Essential Fit Points in the diagram above are the easiest way to assess whether your bra fits.

Five Signs That Your Bra Fits (or doesn't!)
1. Cups: Your cups fit you when all your breast tissue sits inside the cup (this includes the breast tissue at your armpit). Your bra mustn't gape between the cup and the breast, this means the cup is too big (be sure that you've adjusted your bra strap so that your cup is close to your body before assessing whether it's too big). If you have boob spilling over the cup then it's too small or your band may be riding up high on your back causing your cups to tip at the front. If your band is riding up then check out fit check #2.

2. Band: Your band fits you when it stays level with the ground at the front and back even when you lift your arms straight up in the air. It is too small if it hurts and digs in. It is too big if it rides up your back or you can easily pull it away from your body. If you can lift your bra away from your body when you pull at the front of your bra your band is definitely way too big for you.

3. Gore: This is the centre panel that sits against your breastbone between your boobs. It should lie flat against your skin. If there is a gap between the gore and your body then either your cups are too small, band is too big or both. If the gore digs in then the band is too small on that particular bra - the same band size on a different brand may fit perfectly or the gore is too tall. Your breast bone and breast shape may require you to wear a shorter gore like a plunge style. If you have very close breasts (there's almost no gap between them) then you may find it difficult to get a gore to tack to your body completely. In this case it's important to check that the rest of the fit signs are correct.

4. Straps: Your straps need to be adjusted to accommodate a smaller breast (shorten the strap on the side of your smaller breast). If your straps dig in you need a smaller band size and larger cup. If your straps slip down then chances are your band is too big and riding up your back which causes your straps to lose tension and all off your shoulders so you need a smaller band size. You could also try a different style of bra with closer set straps if you have narrow or sloping shoulders.

5. Wings: These are the two parts that pass around your body and fasten at the back. The depth of the wings can affect how comfortable your bra is. If you have a short torso then the depth of the wing will make even more difference. Choose bras that leave at least 1/4 an inch space between the top of the wing and your armpit.

If any of the five fit signs above show signs of not fitting then it's time to check your bra size. An easy way to get started is by using our Bra Size Calculator. Take 5 minutes and check the five fit signs against the bra you have on right now and listen to whether your boobs are happy xx

How to Buy the Wrong Bra

It's very easy to buy the wrong bra but by pinpointing which Bra-Buying mistake you make you can learn how to change it!

1. The Big Band Brigade
This is the most common mistake. Buying a bra with a huge band that gives you no support. Women do this because they think that a firm fitting band is uncomfortable – it’s only uncomfortable when you’re in the wrong cup size. The most common size mistake I see is women in a 36C who should actually be in a 32E. Why is this? Because most high street stores don’t offer E+ cups and so women force themselves into what’s available.

The biggest ailment that comes with wearing the wrong band size is the band riding up at the back (giving you back fat) straps digging into your shoulders, straps slipping off your shoulders, wires digging in you at the sides and your boobs spilling out at the front. Measuring yourself regularly (or getting measured somewhere reputable) will get you a step closer to the right bras. If you're not sure what size range you should be looking for our Bra Size Calculator can help.

2. The Never-Changing Story
Ask yourself if you want the same hairstyle now as you had 10 years ago, or the same wardrobe, or makeup. If the answer is no then why do you think you should be in the same underwear? We all change with time. Our skin, weight and hormones all play a part in our changing shape. This doesn’t mean you can’t look phenomenal in lingerie, but it does mean you need to adapt your bras to your changing shape. At the very least you should be getting re-measured every year and more often if you are pregnant, experiencing weight-gain or weight-loss or going through the menopause. This isn’t just aesthetics; you can feel physically much better in the right sized bra.

3. Style Counseling
If you’re shopping on the high street and don’t have access to a store that carries a full range of sizes, not only are you squeezing into the wrong size, you are most likely in the wrong style. The bra industry is constantly trying to push-up, deep plunge and volumize smaller boobs with styles that are not designed for ladies with their own oomph! Your natural curves are heavier than the average 34B and so you need styles designed with better support. Every busty girl should have at least three supportive everyday bras that keep her boobs firmly in place. You should have a sports bra designed for busty women. Beyond that you might need a strapless bra, a plunge bra and I believe every woman should have at least one set that makes her feel beautiful and special!

Things you will discover in the right underwear
1. You’re figure is different. The right bra should lift your bust so that your nipples are exactly half way between your shoulder and elbow when stood looking in a mirror. This bust line makes your waist more pronounced showing your curvaceous figure.

2. Your clothes will fit better. Wearing the wrong underwear makes everything you put over the top of it look wrong. With the right foundations anything you put over the top will look more polished.

3. You wont be uncomfortable or in pain. Being free from these two things can revolutionize your life making you happier and more confident.

I hope you can figure out which bra shopping mistake you've been making and start your journey towards better fit. xx