Comfortable and well-fitting: The ultimate bra guide

Ask yourself; 32B or not 32B? That is the question. Or at least it’s one of the questions that the S Magazine team wanted answered when we set out on our quest to find the perfect bra.

Having agreed that whatever our shape and size, finding a comfortable, well-fitting bra is nigh on impossible, we decided to road-test available options. With no shortage of choice, we decided to focus on a selection of outlets: Marks Spencer, which sells 23 million own-brand bras per year, leading online lingerie retailer Figleaves, department store Debenhams and, finally, luxury lingerie label Rigby Peller.

The six members of our testing team covered every shape and size and had always worn what we thought was our correct-sized bra. But just like virtually every other item of clothing, your size will vary depending on which brand and style you choose. For example, you may easily fit into a size-10 top in Next, but you may need a large in Zara and a size-10 pair of Levi’s won’t be the same fit as size-10 Diesels. So it makes sense that a 34B bra from one brand won’t be same as a 34B from another.

“About 80 per cent of women wear a bra that’s the wrong size,” says Julia Mercer, technical manager and bra-fit expert at Marks Spencer. “And 23 per cent of women never ever have a fitting. But when you consider the changes that your body goes through as you get older and how your weight changes, you should regularly check your size.”

The average bra size has also changed over the decades. In the 1970s, it was 34B, but now the average is 36D because we consume much more fat and sugar.

In terms of size range, our testers covered the whole spectrum from A-GG. Put another way – small but perfectly formed to the need for full-on, over-the-shoulder boulder holders. It was going to be a voyage of discovery as to whether one brand would be better for some shapes and another brand better for others. 

The number one surprise to everyone involved was how wrong we all are about the bra sizes we wear. In virtually every case, we were wearing a back size that was too big for us – so someone who thought they were a 34in was actually 32in – and we were all wearing cup sizes that were too small. For almost all of our testers, it was a case of down at least one back size and up at least a cup.

One of our testers, who thought they were 36B, was actually measured as a 32D. That was all it took to transform a lifetime of uncomfortable, disappointing bra wearing into, “Wow, that’s how my bust should look.”

“The old system of measuring around the bust and using the plus 

or minus formula to get your cup size just doesn’t work,” says Sharon Webb, head of design and lingerie buying for Debenhams. “Once our bra fitters have your under-band measurement, they can tell which cup size you’re likely to need and which styles will suit you best. So fitting is not only essential, but will also help you find what you need much more quickly.”