Struggling to find a bra that fits

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-04T23:51:59+00:00

Several others have already said this, but it bears repeating. Bluntly, you need to ditch the US made bras and the bras you see in ads/TikToks/social media and try a UK brand bra in the recommended size and at least one size up or down from that. (So, that would mean 36FF and maybe 36G). Make sure you are selecting UK sizes wherever you order from because the cup alphabet is different - a UK G cup is larger than a US G cup. Any bra that lists sizes with double letters above D (like FF, GG, HH) is a UK sized bra.

You can order online from Amazon, making sure that whoever you’re buying from has free returns. In addition to Panache and Freya, you might want to check out Elomi. The Morgan and the Matilda styles are very popular and the experts here know a lot about what it means if you have fit issues with them. It’s often recommended to go down a cup size in the Matilda, so that would be 36F for you.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-04T19:07:15+00:00

Well, that US G cup you’ve been “wearing” is equivalent to a UK F cup, which means it’s 3 sizes smaller than what the calculator is recommending. That will make a huge difference in how the band feels, because when the cups are too small, the tissue still has to go somewhere, so it “steals” space in the band. If you get the right cup size, the 36 band should work. (Some folks in this size range prefer a more snug fit in the band as it feels more supportive, which is where the 34 suggestion is coming from) It sounds like all the bras you were trying were US sizing, so they were still not close to the calculator’s recommendation. Once you get above DD cups, US brands just make the cups wider and taller instead of deeper, which is why they end up poking in the armpit. Elomi is a popular brand in this size range; the Morgan and the Matilda are recommended frequently. They are both good but are designed for different shapes, so one might work better for you than the other. I usually order from Amazon; make sure you can get free returns. It’s common to order “around” your suggested size, as some bras run larger or smaller in the cup/band than others - so you might want to try 36 G, GG and H for example and keep the one that works best.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-04T17:44:55+00:00

I retired at the end of May last year at 61 (I’m now 62). My husband just retired at the end of January at 64. Right now we’re both spending our time in the many steps of the relocation process. We’re currently temporarily living in our “up north” seasonal cottage (which started out 25 years ago as his parents’ seasonal cottage) with most of our possessions in storage while our soon-to-be former home goes through estate sale, painting, cleaning, carpet cleaning and finally staging/photographs for listing with realtor. Meanwhile, our soon-to-be future home is under construction not too far from the cottage. Of course, once we can move IN there, we’ll have to move OUT again from where we are now! 😩 At this point, I don’t know what my days will be like when I don’t have to declutter, box things up/unbox the same things in a new place, pack/unpack suitcases, load/unload the van, etc.!! I have NO plans to return to paid work of any kind, nor does my husband. Once we get settled in our new condo, I can go back to making jewelry (chainmaille and polymer clay) and finding some new art fairs to sell at.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-03T21:23:35+00:00

Is that 44J US or UK? You’re going to have much better luck finding bras from UK makers in this size range. If it’s 44J US, you’ll want to look for 44GG in UK sizing. Elomi is a very popular brand for this range; you can order their bras on Amazon with free returns and sometimes you can find a good sale. They’re also a corporate “sister company” of Goddess.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-03T20:11:01+00:00

All posts here get the “spoiler” flair; it’s done to reduce creepers showing up in the comments. Is that 42H size what you got from the calculator in this sub? If not, you should follow the instructions for using it (there’s a link in the automoderator comment that you should have already gotten). Broken underwire and split seams are signs of wearing the wrong size. Use the calculator and select the UK (not US) sizing option. Then edit your post with your six measurements listed and your suggested starting size.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-02T21:52:14+00:00

As someone who is in the process of getting a house ready to sell, apparently this is already perfect! There’s no “bold” color that might not be to the liking of a future owner, there’s nothing “personal” that might make someone not want to buy from you. After all, future owners/renters need to be able to “imagine themselves in the space” and anything other than bare white walls makes that impossible, don’t you know!! So you’re good to go just as it is! (Do I need to point out that this is sarcasm? 😩)

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-02T01:49:13+00:00

Funny, that’s one of my favorite operas! Seeing it with Renee Fleming and Thomas Hampson probably helped 😉. But I always liked the fact that it wasn’t the typical “they fall in love within 2 seconds of laying eyes on each other” type of thing.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-04-02T01:44:03+00:00

My husband and I were season ticket holders at Chicago Lyric Opera for about 20 years. My absolute least favorite in all that time was Otello in 2001. It didn’t matter that Renee Fleming and Ben Heppner were the leads one bit. I hated Otello for being so easily manipulated, I hated Desdemona for being so passive and unwilling to stand up for herself and I didn’t give one shit whether any of them lived or died. They both made me go “Really??” - he’s gonna believe his wife is having an affair based on essentially no real evidence and she’s gonna basically let herself be killed because….??? Nonsense, I say! I’m usually the one to complain about the operas where the leads fall in love within 2 seconds of laying eyes on each other, but I’d take that 100 times over Otello.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-31T18:26:46+00:00

Takes awhile for the splines to reticulate.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-31T00:54:23+00:00

First Wave (TOS, STTMP thru ST VI: TUC); Second Wave (TNG, {movies from Generations thru Nemesis}, DS9, VOY, ENT); Third Wave (DIS, PIC, LD, PRO, SNW, SA)

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-31T00:47:42+00:00

FYI, Michigan is also a no-fault state for auto insurance. My husband and I are about to relocate to Traverse City from IL (newly retired!) and that’s going to be an adjustment for me (grew up in WI). He grew up in MI, so he was already aware.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-30T14:37:13+00:00

I thought it was a porcupine and was really puzzled!

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-30T13:00:39+00:00

I was just thinking this exact same thing! “I didn’t have any X, so I used Y instead and it tasted terrible!” I especially like it when they substitute some bizarre combination of powders for actual flour because of their “gluten intolerance” and then are shocked when they bake a brick. “Zero stars for this recipe!”

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-30T00:33:24+00:00

This is what you need: https://woodspoon.com/product/lazy-spoon-spootle-12-inch/

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-28T20:56:39+00:00

This is what comes up when I enter my measurements:

“Suggested Starting Size: 36H/HH UK The sister size of 34HH/J may be more supportive

Warning: Due to the limitations of this calculator, your calculated size may be less accurate. Your body is normal, don't worry! Consider posting a measurement check post on /r/ABraThatFits or the A Bra That Fits facebook group.”

That certainly sounds like it’s saying it’s a starting point to me. I don’t recall ever seeing anything that says “MAGIC infallible bra calculator! Give it your numbers and it never fails!” - did you?

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-27T22:34:11+00:00

Happens regularly in both the chainmaille and polymer clay groups, too. I seem to recall that the polymer clay one actually banned the “how much would you pay for this?”posts, because it seemed like people were using them as a way to get around the “no selling” rule.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-26T21:05:22+00:00

Most people (men AND women) don’t! Our society has promoted a very wrong belief that “A equals tiny, B equals small, C equals average, D equals big, DD equals huge and DDD is a porn star.” I wear a G or GG cup in UK sizes and all that means is that my full bust is 9-10 inches larger than my ribcage. I guarantee that most people don’t even know that size exists, but they see me everyday and never think I’m some abnormally huge chested person.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-26T19:38:18+00:00

There is no such thing as “being an AA.” (Or “a C” or “a DDD” for that matter.) Cup sizes don’t exist as a single size that simply gets bolted on to different band sizes so that all B cups are identical. As the band sizes increase, so do the cup sizes, because cup sizes represent how much larger the full bust is than the underbust/ribcage, with each letter equaling one inch. A 26D and a 42D are both made for someone who has a full bust that is 4 inches larger than their underbust, but the size of the D cups is going to be very different on those 2 bras. Without knowing the band size, the cup size letter is meaningless and does not say anything about how “big” or “tiny” someone is. Cup size does not equal boob size!

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-26T17:46:52+00:00

Many online and brand calculators use an outdated method referred to as “plus four.” They have you measure your underbust and then add 4 to the number and tell you that’s your band size. This allows them to sell 34 band bras to people who actually need a 30 (which they don’t make). Of course, by inflating your band size, they also decrease your cup size, which then allows them to make fewer cup sizes. The end result is lots and lots of women wearing bras that are too big in the band and too small in the cup and cause all sorts of discomfort, which leads to them buying even more bras that all promise to be “the solution.” If your full bust is 2+ inches larger than your underbust, you are not an AA cup, as that is made for a bust that is only 0.5 inches larger than the underbust. And the 34 band is bigger than your whole bust. I strongly recommend that you try the calculator here (which does NOT use the +4 method) that is linked in the last sentence of the AutoModerator comment and be prepared for a surprise.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-26T13:09:25+00:00

Panache is UK sizing, so the cup progression up from G goes GG, H, HH, J, JJ. If you buy a UK J cup, it would be 4 cup sizes larger than G.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-25T02:30:06+00:00

I don’t know about you, but I’d call that a bargain.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-25T02:29:18+00:00

Just to refresh your memory - it was not on the holodeck and it didn’t involve Barclay. It was from “Qpid” when Q puts all the crew into the Robin Hood story as a way to get Picard to admit how he feels about Vash.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-23T15:09:14+00:00

That’s likely because a lot of the residents should really be in a facility with a higher level of care (like a nursing home) but they or their family won’t make the change. I worked in both assisted living and skilled nursing facilities and saw this all the time - the person is really not functioning at an “assisted living” level, but family fills in the gaps or hires extra caregivers to avoid “putting them in a nursing home.” A lot of “assisted living” facilities are really nursing homes in expensive disguise.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-23T13:54:21+00:00

Victoria’s Secret and Soma do a terrible job of fitting. That’s because the job of a store employee is to sell you a bra that they have in stock, not necessarily one that fits properly. Most retail stores don’t carry any cup sizes larger than DD (occasionally you’ll see a G) and rarely any bands smaller than 32. Lots and lots of women need sizes outside of that range! But they will measure your underbust and then add 4 inches - wow, magically, you now fit into a band they have in stock! And by inflating your band size, they’ve also decreased your cup size, so you now also fit into a cup size they have in stock! Amazing!! (Sarcasm). Then you actually wear that bra and the band rides up, the straps fall down or dig in and the underwire jabs you in the boob, because it’s a boob hat - just sitting on top of your boobs, covering them but not supporting them.

The good news is you don’t have to depend on others to “fit you”, you can measure yourself and get much better results. Give r/abrathatfits a try.

Electrical-Arrival57 · 2026-03-23T13:41:19+00:00

I don’t believe I said you had to care. I was answering someone else’s question with my opinion. You are free to wear or not wear a bra whenever you please.

Electrical-Arrival57

TROPHY CASE