THE BIBLE
There are some fail-safe tips most of us mere mortals don't know... And The Bra Bible are here to break up and shake up the myths! See below for your 'won't let you down' mottos to follow:
#1 The same bra (shape / style / cut / brand / size) will fit you differently in Black or White. Darker dyes shrink farbics. Next time you are in a store with the same bra in both colours - get your tape measure out and stretch both bras out across the tape and floor in the fitting room and find out...
#2 Machine-washing bras (just once!!) is the equivalent in damage to the fibres of the fabric of your bras to 40 (yes 40!!) hand-washes in your favourite shampoo in the shower...
#3 Your breasts are heavier than you think. K-Cup breasts weigh the same as two sausage dogs! So when you weigh yourself after a cleanse / 6 weeks of cardio / following the 'Lean in 15' Diet for 4 months - remember to bare this in mind!
#4 More often than not, most Women when fitted PROPERLY are larger in the cup and smaller in the back than they thought they were. Try on a bra a cup size larger first, then if the back rides up go a cup larger again and smaller in the back (try a size at a time) - Oh and FYI - You get 90% of support from the band ;)
#5 Different brands around the world fit differently. E.g. German brands like Prima Donna generally come up larger in the back measurement up against their British / Italian / French counterparts. Italian brands like La Perla tend to be smaller across the back, and British brands fall somewhere inbetween.
# 6 Putting a ring on it?! Find your wedding lingerie for the day, waayyy before your dress! I have had hysterical women come to me to ask where they can find a strapless, padded, push-up, backless bra to go with their gorgeous backless, strapless wedding dress... The feat of engineering here is mind boggling (although The Bra Bible will continue to not rest until we find / patent the design for this product :) !) In the meantime, buy your basque / corset / bra first, then find the dress that works with this. Ladies; especially if you are D cup++!!!
#7 A poorly-fitting bra can wind up with you on the Surgeon's table, and no one wants that!!! Lumpectomies (a nasty surgical removal of a lump of benign tissue) can be avoided. Let us teach you how to fit yourself properly, so we at The Bra Bible never again have to fit a sobbing woman in a bra following a certain High-street brand's policy to fit women in what they have in stock to meet their sales quota!
#8 A well fitting bra should leave no red mark. Sure, we all menstrate / sweat / swell around that time of the month, but as a general rule of thumb; if your bra marks you in any way (straps, bridge or back) it's the wrong one for you and your boobies!
#9 Is my underwire is sitting away from my chest wall? This means your cups are too small. Your underwire should fit firmly against your chest without any gaping. Assuming your straps are properly adjusted, you'll know you've found the right band fit when you can lift your arms over your head without the underwire rising up.
#10 Buy a bra on the last set of hooks.As the elastic stretches over time, you can move your way inwards towards the first set of hooks, and the bra will have the same snug feeling as when you first bought it. After you have been wearing your bra on the first set of hooks and need to tighten again, it's time to buy a new bra.