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Many women have committed the folly of buying a dress in a size smaller than they actually are, in the hopes that they will lose weight and eventually get into it. This kind of aspirational and occasional purchase is understandable – but to wear something that doesn’t fit you properly on a daily basis seems quite strange.
Yet this is exactly the case for a large percentage of Irish women when it comes to their bras, with several surveys indicating that between 70-80pc of us are wearing the wrong size.
It’s reckoned that a woman’s breast size changes six times over the course of her life. Weight gain, weight loss, the birth control pill, exercise and age can all cause fluctuations – so it makes sense to avail of the free bra-fitting service offered by many department stores. However, clearly it’s not something that Irish women are choosing to do.
Samantha Cummins, of Arnotts lingerie department, estimates that a good 80pc of customers who come to get fitted are not wearing the right size.
She advises customers to come in and get fitted two to three times a year, especially if they think they’ve lost or gained weight. The correct fit, she maintains, changes the silhouette dramatically, and not just in the chest area.
“If you wear the right bra size, especially if you go tight on the back which is the way we fit, it does give a much better lift to the front,” she says. “Regardless of the size, if you go tighter on the back you’ll generally go up a cup size and it makes such a different to your clothes. You actually look smaller when you’re in the right size. It absolutely makes your waist look slimmer and everything is lifted and up where it should be.”
If you’re wondering if your current bra size is making the most of your assets, or whether they could do with a bit of a lift, here are five ways to find out if you’re wearing the right bra size.
1 Does the underwire sit flat to your body?
The wires of your bra should sit behind the breast tissue along the natural crease of the breast. Check this by pressing on the underwire when wearing your bra, if you feel soft breast tissue underneath then the cup is too small and the wire will dig in throughout the day. If you feel bone this means that the wire is behind the breast and the cup size is correct. The centre front of the bra should also lie flat against your body.
2 Does your bra move about?
Your bra should not move throughout the day. The band around your back should feel firm and sit in place all day long – if it moves it means that the back size of the bra is too big and is likely to rub. “If your bra is too big it tends to ride up your back. If you’re wearing a 36 and you should be in a 34, the back of your bra goes straight up around the shoulder blades and then the wire underneath your bust tends to lift,” Arnotts’ Samantha says.
3 Do your bra straps leave a mark?
Straps should not leave indentations on your shoulders or slip off. Like the back band, your straps should give an inch when pulled. “If it’s too big on the back, it’s going to pull down on the shoulder so you will get the dints and the marks,” according to Samantha. Nor should they be too loose. “You should be able to put your finger in slightly and lift up a little but they should be quite firm on the shoulder,” she advises.
4 Does your bra sit around the middle of your back?
The back of your bra should sit around the middle of your back and in line with the front. If the back is riding higher it means that your bust isn’t getting supported properly and it will slope downwards.
5 Does your cup runneth over?
The cup of your bra should be big enough to hold the entire breast – with no excess flesh spilling over the top or around the sides. “If you put a t-shirt on and you see the ‘double boob’, that’s a no-no and the bra is definitely too small for you,” says Samantha.
