Just found this great bra reference page [click here] in the online Macy's catalog. One link has information on measuring size, which might be of great interest to crossdressers and stories about them, especially as it has the "formulas" for dealing with larger band sizes. No, you do not simply always add 5" to the ribcage measurement! I knew some of this, but I didn't know the whole deal. See the table. I was quite surprised as to dealing with ribcage measurements over 40". You might be, too.
For authors, there is another page with a great listing of bra styles and descriptions, and another page on dealing with fit problems.
Personally, I think it's a wealth of data in one spot! Hope this helps someone.
Comments
Thank you so much
Pippa,
Thank you so much for posting this. It's true that a lot of women wear the wrong bra size; you need to be measured and fitted properly and most lingerie departments will do it, even for cross-dressers. A quick phone call will tell you whether they will or not.
I found a lot of useful information here that I didn't know before and I've been wearing a bra for years.
I have taken the liberty of passing the link on to friends in a TG discussion group here in the UK.
Susie
Professional Bra Fittings
I've said it before, and I'll likely say it again after this. They are WORTH the cost. It's not an "unnecessary expense" at all.
Nothing says, "COMFORT," like a well-fitted bra.
The volume is not there
Well, I must say that any T girl who can be correctly sized by that calculation has my admiration. :)
I wind up a 40 D. However my boobs are more conical than a genetic woman's breasts, so I have the measurements but not the volume.
I have decided to try a 38 shelf bra since that completely goes around cup size, and I nipples perk right up with glee!
Getting By
Personally, I've been getting by with 38-B bras since I started doing this. I think I chose the size by default. It was the largest band with the smallest cup in a particular foam-rubber padded push-up bra that was in the Sears catalog. (That should give you a time frame without me having to scare any young'uns with my age.)
I've been baffled all along as to why that should have even worked for me, since at the time I was wearing a 42 sport coat and now wear a 44. All the calculations worked out that I should have needed a 44-AA bra at the very least, and yet, with a little extra padding, 38-B always seemed to be fine. (With the exception of strapless bras, which are too tight to fasten.)
Anyway, if I'm correctly reading the instructions, my actual size should be a 40-A, which explains why the 38-B works (see the section on "swing sizing"). As far as finding a 40-A bra would go, from my experience I would guess that was a fool's errand. They might be made, but not in mass-produced bras available at popular prices.
In conclusion, I've decided that a) I've been using the wrong measurement formula -- adding 5" or even 3" was wrong; b) I've been measuring the ribcage too high up -- measuring where the bra band actually lays on my torso produces a 38" or so measurement; and c) damn, a girl can get lucky sometimes, can't she?
Go out...
...try em is all I can say. There's a myriad of styles, cuts and manufacturers. Even if you worked out your size theoretically and practically... no breast is the same as the other and no body the same as the other and no manufacturer is the same as the other.
Charts
I never could go by charts. I prefer my sister's opinion.
I was at her home a few years ago and complained about my bra riding up. She said, "No wonder. Your bra is too small."
I tried one of her 42C and they fit perfectly. She gave me some of hers.
Love,
Billie Sue
Billie Sue