Dear Daisy,
I read your article on purchasing the correct size of bedla and am just wondering if you have any information or advice on how to determine what cup size I am or should buy?
– Unsure
Dear Unsure,
There are two ways to find out your cup size.
The first is to go to a store that sells bras and be measured by a sales associate. If you choose to go this route, which I encourage you to do, remember that often the expensive specialty shops give their staff more extensive training on determining sizes than the department stores do and that you are welcome to be measured at several different stores if you want a second or even third option.
If you would prefer to measure yourself at home here is the formula you will need to use. If possible enlist a friend’s help with this as it is very hard to get accurate measurements on yourself. You can take these measurements in a plain comfortable bra or bare chested whichever you feel more comfortable doing. (Do not wear a sports, push up or minimizer bra for this as they can change the measurements you will get by several inches.)
- First standing relaxed measure your chest under your arms just below your breasts.
- Add 5 inches to this measurement if it is an odd number and 4 inches if it is an even number. This total is your band size.
- Next measure your chest around the fullest part of your breasts. You may want to do this in several different bras as well as without a bra to get an accurate average as your size may vary depending on how much push up a bra has in it.
- Now subtract your first (chest) measurement (after you added the 4-5 inches to get your band size) from the new (bust) measurement.
- Use the difference between your first and second measurements and the chart below to determine your bra cup size.
Bra cup size chart:
0” larger than measurement = AA
1” larger than measurement = A
2” larger than measurement = B
3” larger than measurement = C
4” larger than measurement = D
5” larger than measurement = DD or E
6” larger than measurement = F
I often suggest that if you are smaller than a B cup consider purchasing a B cup bedla with the correct or close to correct band size, and have it professionally stuffed to fit. Often bra’s smaller than a B cup do not have sufficient impact to look good on stage and a B cup is often much easier to find and/or re-sell later if you decide you want to. NEVER purchase a bedla with a cup size smaller than your own. If you are in doubt, it is always better to get a cup size a little too big than it is to find out it is a little too small.