[prettylily]

If you're comfortable with the size you're currently wearing, then great! But a properly fitting bra should have a band that you can only fit a few fingers under comfortably (you shouldn't be able to pull it far away from your body). Also, different styles will fit different breast types and shapes differently.

Since cup size is relative to band size, D cups are certainly not always big. For some examples, look here: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search/cup/D/

[rateset]

D cup is big, but off course people can wear D cups even if they are too big for them..They wear demi bras that cover the whole breast instead of maybe 60% etc. And normally we speak about the band size 32 upwards and their cup sizes, 28 for example is really very small, that is actually a kids size, so not really representative.

And speaking about VS, the smallest band is 32, at most other labels its the same.

[prettylily]

32D isn't really that big: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search/band/32/

Even demi cups in the wrong size will have too much projection or will gap. I would say the most forgiving shape is a triangle shaped cup without shaping. Really, though, if a bra doesn't fit you, you will have fitting problems. If you don't, it fits.

Also, VS does carry down to 30 bands. They also run small.

[EllaC]

32D isn't really that big: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search/band/32/

Even demi cups in the wrong size will have too much projection or will gap. I would say the most forgiving shape is a triangle shaped cup without shaping. Really, though, if a bra doesn't fit you, you will have fitting problems. If you don't, it fits.

Also, VS does carry down to 30 bands. They also run small.

I find it all highly confusing. All I can say is I was measured up in store as a 12B. My breasts are quite wide apart so I need cups that are wider.
I also cant STAND anything tight around my chest :s
Moving to 12 bands has been the best thing I ever did!@! I must google and see what 12b is converted to US size!

[prettylily]

Like I said, your comfort is the most important thing.

Your band shouldn't be uncomfortably tight, but it should be tight enough to stay in place and provide your bust with support. For example, does your band ride up in the back after you've been wearing the bra for a while? Are you able to pull the band out very far from your back? These are signs that the band is too loose. It's probably not something that bothers you, but for busty women, it means the straps are providing a lot of the support which is bad and can cause pain. Also, it'll help strapless bras stay in place better.

When in comes to the cups, all the usual things apply: avoid gapping, quad-boob, wrinkles. You should also look to see if your underwire is wide enough. It shouldn't be sitting on your breast tissue either on the sides or between your breasts. Your center gore should lie flat against your sternum instead of being held away from your chest by your breasts. Since you have wide-set breasts, you'll have to look for bras with a wide center gore. Certain bra styles will also work better for you depending on whether you have shallow breasts, full on bottom, full on top, etc.

A lot of women wear bras that are too small in the cup and too large in the band, in part because of the faulty measuring system and in part because there's this myth that A cups are small and D cups are huge. The bra might appear to fit because the band is not sitting directly under the base of the breast. The problem is that migration will occur if the cups are too small and there's not much point to wearing a bra as a supportive undergarment if the band is too big. The bra might also appear to fit because all the breast tissue is not properly in the cups. That's why it's important to swoop and scoop when you put a bra on.

There's a lot to consider, but you don't necessarily have to get it perfect (though it's nice when bras fit perfectly!). This is all to help you find the most comfortable and flattering bra possible.

[EllaC]

Like I said, your comfort is the most important thing.

Your band shouldn't be uncomfortably tight, but it should be tight enough to stay in place and provide your bust with support. For example, does your band ride up in the back after you've been wearing the bra for a while? Are you able to pull the band out very far from your back? These are signs that the band is too loose. It's probably not something that bothers you, but for busty women, it means the straps are providing a lot of the support which is bad and can cause pain. Also, it'll help strapless bras stay in place better.

When in comes to the cups, all the usual things apply: avoid gapping, quad-boob, wrinkles. You should also look to see if your underwire is wide enough. It shouldn't be sitting on your breast tissue either on the sides or between your breasts. Your center gore should lie flat against your sternum instead of being held away from your chest by your breasts. Since you have wide-set breasts, you'll have to look for bras with a wide center gore. Certain bra styles will also work better for you depending on whether you have shallow breasts, full on bottom, full on top, etc.

A lot of women wear bras that are too small in the cup and too large in the band, in part because of the faulty measuring system and in part because there's this myth that A cups are small and D cups are huge. The bra might appear to fit because the band is not sitting directly under the base of the breast. The problem is that migration will occur if the cups are too small and there's not much point to wearing a bra as a supportive undergarment if the band is too big. The bra might also appear to fit because all the breast tissue is not properly in the cups. That's why it's important to swoop and scoop when you put a bra on.

There's a lot to consider, but you don't necessarily have to get it perfect (though it's nice when bras fit perfectly!). This is all to help you find the most comfortable and flattering bra possible.

Thanks Lilly.
Yes Ive only now realised how wrong I've had it all these years re my bra size.
I've been wearing up to 2 bra extension clips just to get the band not soo tight and squeezing my boobs together into little A cups. I hate to think how much tissue Ive pushed into my armpits over the years cause my breasts were too wide for the cups. At least now I've got it right.
I must must remember the scoop and swoop yes. Thank you!

[timarie]

I saw your post and don't have time to read the whole thread, but thought I might be able to help perhaps with a size in relation... But Rose was right, as far as what fits you is what is right. BUT what fits you is tricky for most people to know! And I believe that is what you are trying to figure out...?

When it comes to VS bras...
I have a 28" underbust and a 36" bust when with a bra (which is the equivalent to the leaning over method). When I was 35", I was a B cup and I was wearing a 32 band. If you wish to wear a 30 band, you would wear a C cup. But, this is only based off of my experience as a measurement. And I wear VS

And unlike what some have written before, I disagree with the difference. Yes, VS runs small, but not a whole cup size, girls. It is like, when you are a "full" of a VS cup size, you "just fit" the other bras of that cup size. That is not a full cup difference.

Hope that helps!

[timarie]

32D isn't really that big: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search/band/32/

Even demi cups in the wrong size will have too much projection or will gap. I would say the most forgiving shape is a triangle shaped cup without shaping. Really, though, if a bra doesn't fit you, you will have fitting problems. If you don't, it fits.

Also, VS does carry down to 30 bands. They also run small.

I find it all highly confusing. All I can say is I was measured up in store as a 12B. My breasts are quite wide apart so I need cups that are wider.
I also cant STAND anything tight around my chest :s
Moving to 12 bands has been the best thing I ever did!@! I must google and see what 12b is converted to US size!

I think a 12 is a 34, because I looked it up when moving to Australia and found that my 32 is a 10....

[EllaC]

32D isn't really that big: http://www.brabandproject.com/gallery/search/band/32/

Even demi cups in the wrong size will have too much projection or will gap. I would say the most forgiving shape is a triangle shaped cup without shaping. Really, though, if a bra doesn't fit you, you will have fitting problems. If you don't, it fits.

Also, VS does carry down to 30 bands. They also run small.

I find it all highly confusing. All I can say is I was measured up in store as a 12B. My breasts are quite wide apart so I need cups that are wider.
I also cant STAND anything tight around my chest :s
Moving to 12 bands has been the best thing I ever did!@! I must google and see what 12b is converted to US size!

I think a 12 is a 34, because I looked it up when moving to Australia and found that my 32 is a 10....

Thanks T. Yes I believe 34 is 12 too in "our" countrys sizes now
Its ridiculous as I always believed that your clothing size corresponded to your bra size, IE cause I wear XS or Small sized clothing (8 or 10) I thought that meant I'd wear size 8 or 10 bras! Boy did I get that wrong. But on the right path now. For me too now concentrate on bras with wider cups, which is doable but most of them are all squished together which I find soo akward.
For the here and now I find 12A to be the most comforterable as the cups in general are wider in the 12 bands