Once again, I have no problem with measurement sharing, so full disclosure: my underbust measures about 29-29.5 inches (varying depending on hormonal cycling, weight gain/ loss, etc. But it generally stays within this range). The largest part of my bust, measured leaning over, is 39.5 inches (my back does get slightly wider here, though, due to regular weight training). Standing up, wearing a well-fitting bra with little or no molding/ padding, it measures about 37.5" across the fullest part of my bust.
Also, remember that I lost 40 pounds, and I spent the first year or so after losing those 40 pounds cramming my boobs into bras that were 2-3 cup sizes too small (though I was smart enough to have the band size right after a few months of wearing a much too big band).
So hey, when I talk about tissue migration, I have experienced it first-hand in the recent past! Since getting well fitting bras starting in June of 2012, I've noticed a definite decrease over time in armpit fat, and my breasts have gotten firmer (as breast tissue migrates back into the cups). I'm hoping I don't go up a cup-size, but I think I might by the time this is done. (My bras have been seeming slightly quad-boob-y of late, which is part of my motivation to lose a little weight and see if that helps with the issue. I don't want to buy a new bra wardrobe if I can help it-- it's expensive in this size).
After losing 40 pounds, my underbust went from 35-36 inches, to 29-29.5 inches. My overbust measurement went from 43 inches to 37.5 inches. My actual cup size (in terms of actual volume) went down about one size-- based on sister sizes. I was a 36F > 34FF > 32G > 30GG. I actually wear a 28GG or 30G in Freya (lately, it seems like a 30GG might be better... I tried on one of my old bras again, and other than the band being about 8 inches too big, the cup fit).
It's very difficult to lose fat from your breast tissue if you are an hourglass-shaped woman. I'm not saying it's impossible to lose breast mass, as I have never gotten to athlete levels of body fat, but it is definitely one of the last places I will lose weight-- to the point that I think I might have body fat levels so low as to induce amennorhea (I don't want to get to that point-- I don't think a reduction of body fat mass to the point of disruption of normal biological functions is sensible for my goals) by the time I lose significant cup volume.
However, since I did lose a little cup volume during weight loss, my breast tissue has become softer (I'm starting to wonder if that's due to tissue migration more so than actual loss). My breasts are close together (so I need a narrow central gore), are bottom heavy, and they are not wide on my body--they're on the front, and my rib-cage is fairly narrow. As I've mentioned before, I have somewhat narrow shoulders, and my ribcage is a bit bony (I could maybe lose another inch off that because I still have a little bit of back fat, but my ribcage would have almost no fat at that point).
I cannot generally wear racerback bras as the weight of my breasts resting upon my trapezius muscle gives me terrible headaches (but that could be because I haven't tried on a racerback bra with a sufficiently firm and correctly sized band). I have yet to find a strapless bra that wasn't an exercise in painful futility (though the Deco strapless does seem to be a strong contender, and I may purchase one soon).
My favorite bras (and the size I wear in them, so you can see how sizing varies across brands), after the jump!
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| Freya Deco in Ocean (color discontinued). |
The Deco is my favorite everyday bra, and I own it in a few colors. The shape is very flattering, the cups are seamless, and the bra is extremely comfortable. They've worn very well so far, considering I grab one or the other almost every day.
The downside to the Deco, for me, is that the band runs quite loose, so I've worn it on the tightest hook from the start (you should fit into a bra on the loosest hook when you first buy it, so as the band loosens with wear it won't become too big).
They recently started making this style in 28GG (YAY!) which would be a better size for me, but I can't afford retail (though: definitely worth it), so I'm waiting for it to show up on a sale.
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| Freya Padded Half Cup, Ingrid design (discontinued color). |
The padded half cups have vertical seams which I find very flattering, and it has a rounded shape that's fantastic under clothes. The padding is quite minimal, which means it doesn't add too much to your chest girth-- a big plus for non-stretchy clothing. The low cut to this bra means it won't show under scoop or straight necks, which makes it a useful style to have in the underoo drawer.
A downside to Freya for me, in general, is that their bands run quite loose, at least as loose in the Ingrid style as it does in the Deco, which means the band is too loose to fit properly.
Once I get some time, some ribbon, and some patience, I'm intending to do the ribbon alteration (as described here on the fabulous Venusian Glow blog!) to tighten up the band on this bra and several of my Decos.
Unfortunately, Freya does not make padded half cups in 28 bands at all, let alone in my desired size of 28GG or 28H. A huge shame as it's one of my most favorite styles, but the band runs so large I'm not sure I'll get another one, since it's really needed to be altered at purchase and the time I have to spend altering it is valuable. I'm hoping Freya will expand their size range soon.
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| Ewa Michalak PL Violet |
Ewa Michalak's sizing can be pretty inconsistent-- I'd recommend checking bratabase (an online bra database with data from women like you and I) for how a particular style runs. In general, I need to go up a cup size from my Freya size, at least in the plunge style. The PL Violet (the only plunge I currently have from Ewa) runs pretty tight in the band, and I found the 32 to be the most comfortable size.
There's a lot of fans of Ewa in the blogosphere-- they have nice bras, lots of styles and reasonable prices (though I think the quality of build is a little lower than Freya, just a personal opinion), but the inconsistent sizing is a big negative for me-- especially as return registered shipping to Poland is fairly costly (it was around 18 USD). I would order again, but I'll wait for a sale. The PL style is great overall, but I don't like how visible the seaming is under shirts and it can look a little like I'm chilly: where all the seams meet, on me, it sort of looks like faux-nipples. Not my desired appearance.
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| Ewa Michalak HP Cieluś |
HP Cieluś: (I wear size 65GG / UK size 30GG)
This style runs bigger than the PL in my opinion-- it fits great now that I'm overflowing my previously perfectly-fitting bras. The seaming pattern is great (I just prefer vertical seams), but the straps are uncomfortably wide for me. I guess I've gotten used to this bra, or else it just fits better now that I've gone up a cup size, because I wear it and like it a lot more now than I did at first, when I found it uncomfortable and unflattering, since the cups were too big.
This style, or at least the bra I got in this style, runs bigger in the band like Freya, and I could definitely wear a 28H (60H) in this style. Unfortunately, 28 bands from Ewa are special order and non-returnable... which is a negative, once again. I guess at least the size is theoretically available, which is not an option I have for Freya.
I have a few more bras to talk about, but this is long enough already! I'll be back with more.
You may have noticed that I have discontinued colors in the Freya bras-- Freya retails for around $60-70 per bra, and that is a bit much for a graduate student budget. I absolutely think good bras in the right size is worth an investment, but spending $40 a bra, even for an excellent quality one, is realistically the absolute most I should spend at this point in my life. Luckily, last-season bras can often be found on the cheap(er), online or in store. I got the Ocean color Deco at Nordstrom when I was trying on bras for sizing for ~$38 (I wanted to purchase a bra at the time, to encourage Nordstrom to continue stocking unusual bra sizes, and also for the excellent attendant who was very attentive and brought me many bras to try). I was able to pick up a few more Decos once I found that I liked them: on ebay ($25, but it will vary drastically depending on size and current availability), or bought secondhand in good condition from the Clothes for Boobs group. The Ingrid was available in my size (at the time I bought it) on brastop. The Ewa bras I paid full price for, but at about $30-35 per bra, it's in my acceptable price range.
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