My mission impossible ... to find a bra that fits!
I AM so fed up with trying to find a bra that fits. I have friends who choose a colour and style they like the look of and just know it will fit. Another pops packs of bras in her supermarket trolley as they will be OK. If you’re a B-cup, you’re catered for pretty much anywhere, but when you are generously endowed, buying a bra is a nightmare. I once found a bra that fitted perfectly and bought multiple versions over the years, but then the manufacturer went bust. I managed to buy up the remaining stock in my size, but one by one they became worn-out. My daughter was getting married and I found the perfect outfit, but I knew getting a bra that fitted would be more of a problem. So I decided to get measured by a professional bra fitter — and what a performance that was. In John Lewis, the recommended bra was excruciatingly tight around my back, though the expert pronounced it a perfect fit. Apparently, I was too used to wearing loose bras. I trusted her, after all she was trained, so I handed over a small fortune and wore the bra the next day. By lunchtime I was back in the store to show the sales assistant the deep red weals on my skin. I got measured again in the lingerie shop Bravissimo and, curiously, was a different size to the one declared by John Lewis. Again I parted with a not insubstantial amount of cash, but the underwire was so high under my armpits that every time I moved it felt as though I’d been stabbed. The lady in Debenhams measured me and I was a different size yet again. Wearing the bra she selected felt as if I’d been put in a straitjacket — I could barely breathe. I tried a larger size that was more comfortable, but the assistant was adamant I would ‘fall beneath the wire’. I bought it anyway and discovered the cup was too small, so instead of falling I rose above! My final trip was to an independent lingerie shop. The recommended bra felt too tight around my back and cost a lot more than I expected to pay, but I bought it for my daughter’s wedding. After six hours I was so uncomfortable I escaped to my hotel room and discovered the new bra had rubbed my skin so badly I was bleeding. As a last resort I ordered a number of styles in the same size from Marks & Spencer. Just one was comfortable and, as a bonus, it wasn’t unattractive. I’m so relieved at this success that I’ve ordered several more, but it shouldn’t be this difficult to find a bra that fits.
Karen CArTWriGHT, redditch, Worcs.