Signs you’re wearing the wrong bra size

If you get home after a long day and the first thing you want to take off is your bra, that’s a flashing neon sign indicating that said bra doesn’t fit you properly.

“It’s a common misconception that bras are always super uncomfortable,” says Kristina Born, Marketing Director for Forever Yours Lingerie, which has been supporting women in the Fraser Valley for 25 years at its Langley shop, and more recently at the newest Burnaby location, in the Heights.

Born says there are obvious clues that proper fit is an issue, with discomfort being the most glaring one.

Stop and think about how you feel when you’re wearing your bra.

Constantly readjusting throughout the day is another key indicator that you’re wearing the wrong size. Are your straps slipping? Are you continually pulling the back of your band down all day because it’s riding up? That means it’s too loose, Born explains.

“If you’re bubbling out of your cups—up or over, or from underneath, or if your wires are poking in the sides of your breasts: those are all signs that your bras don’t actually fit,” she says.

Most women visiting Forever Yours Lingerie for the first time are usually wearing the wrong bra size because they’ve never had an accurate fitting in a specialty store that offers sizes beyond a DD cup.

Typically, department stores and lingerie chain stores don’t carry extended bra sizes, whereas Forever Yours Lingerie carries an extensive size range starting at B cups and going all the way to M cups in well made, fashion-forward designs. Most of the brands they carry specialize in lingerie and have been manufacturing bras for decades.

Brands like PrimaDonna, Elomi, Chantelle, Panache and Empreinte can all be found at Forever Yours Lingerie.

As much as size and style selection is important for achieving the perfect fit, the guidance from expert staff, who help customers find the right fit for them, is also essential.

Born says that it’s the personalized service and the expertise of bra fitters that set their stores apart. The fitters go through a rigorous, in-house, three-month training program, and at the end, they do both a practical and written exam before they’re allowed to fit the customers on their own.

“Our fitters are the experts,” Born confirms. “I like to compare them to doctors in that they are not looking at your curves, your lumps or your bumps or anything like that. They are looking specifically at your breast shape and your breast density. They know what brands, fabrics and shapes are going to work for you.”

The measurement process is carried out according to the client’s comfort level. Born notes that some women prefer to keep their shirt on for the fitting process. Once the fitters take two quick measurements, they’ll provide a variety of bras to try.

“From there, it’s a little bit of trial and error,” Born observes, “but sometimes they nail it right away. We have endless options. Sometimes women go through 15 to 20 bras before deciding on the ones that they like.”

Born adds that they don’t fixate on numbers or sizes because sizes can differ across the various brands. “Often, clients will discover that their size varies between brands, so it’s important to not get caught up in the numbers and letters,” she quips.

Once a customer discovers the bra that best suits her, Born says there is an instant shift in their posture.

“They’re just so much more confident and happy with how they look and feel,” she says. “Quite often, we’ll find a waist, bring the breasts closer together and higher, find relief in shoulder pain —things that they didn’t know were possible.”

With the selection decided, it is recommended that the customer invests in at least two bras but that three would be ideal for keeping the bras in a rotation that allows for regular laundering and balance of wear.

Bras will last from six months to a year and a half if you’re wearing them consistently and rotating them.

“If you wear the same bra every day, it will break down and wear out sooner,” Born explains. “Much like a pair of shoes will wear out if you’re running a marathon every day. We wear these items of clothing from eight to 10 hours a day. They carry a lot. They work hard.”

When asked what surprises women most when they achieve that perfect fit, Born says most women don’t realize that looking and feeling a certain way is attainable and that as women, “we’re so hard on ourselves.”

“When women realize that options are available that truly fit and look good on them, their opinions about lingerie and undergarments change. This is why it has always been Forever Yours Lingerie’s mission to help women find the right fit, and we’re excited to bring this experience into the city.”