It’s a cliché at this point to say that many women are wearing the wrong size bra, but there’s no doubt it has a basis in truth. Part of the problem lies in how the industry has served or not served women–and that’s what I opened my store to answer–but part of the problem is us: our body insecurity, our failure to value ourselves and demand better.
Being in the business of proper fit, I and the women who work for me have the regular privilege of seeing women of all ages put on a really good bra for the first time. It’s amazing to witness. Some of them cry. I myself was in my forties before I experienced the close hug sensation of a good bra fit…and I had to go all the way to England to do it. I babbled so long about it to my husband that halfway through the flight back he suggested we go into the business ourselves.
Women try to save money and time on bra shopping because they imagine the bra doesn’t show the way that shoes and purses show. Here are the ways finding your correct bra size can show: it lifts and shapes your bust, which reveals and creates your waist and sets the draping of your clothes. You stand up straight and beam confidence because you’re not hunched forward in pain.
Contrary to popular belief, confident women don’t wear lingerie for partners. They wear it for themselves.
Looking better and feeling better would certainly be reason enough to not skimp on your foundation, but comfort and silhouette are only two points in the trinity of bra transcendence. A century of European corsetry tradition has made fine lingerie into a work of secret beauty. It’s an engineering alchemy of lace, color, embroidery, mesh, strapping and detail that creates an outfit under your outfit, and puts that Mona Lisa smile on your face. Contrary to popular belief, confident women don’t wear lingerie for partners. They wear it for themselves. I’ve heard this confirmed in the fitting room more times than I can count. Some of my clients talk about their favorite lingerie sets as a secret superpower. One of my lawyers had a lucky bra and matching underwear just for closing arguments. Whether you are dressed in a power suit or a lab coat, the knowledge that you’re wearing an exquisite set beneath is a constant token of your own self-regard.
Bra Fit Resistance
I have seen all kinds of avoidance behaviors, from complete refusal to visit a bra-fitter to treating it as an inconsequential purchase: the $15 bra from Walmart under the $1000 designer dress.
The mistake we make is in not celebrating the bra, not giving our lingerie the same status as our purses and our shoes. ...This leads to bargain hunting, settling for a poor fit, and an over-reliance on whatever number we’ve been assigned.
I’m just about certain there is no piece of clothing more emotionally fraught for a woman, especially if you developed early or developed large. Or both. The idea that you have these new body parts that require special equipment and draw creepy attention from men? It’s a nightmare. So the mistake we make is in not celebrating the bra, not giving our lingerie the same status as our purses and our shoes, not getting ourselves the expertise and attention we deserve to feel great in our bodies. This leads to bargain hunting, settling for a poor fit, and an over-reliance on whatever number we’ve been assigned. Many women come in believing that they wear a 34D, or whatever, and that’s that. The truth is, you don’t have a size–you wear a size, in a given style, from a given brand. There are so many more parameters than band and cup that make up your unique shape. Women will buy a new bra in the size that worked for them last time and it won’t fit the same because it’s a different make, a different model, from a different country. I was once amazed to be told by a Belgian fabric buyer that even changing the color of a bra can affect the fit–some dyes tighten the fabric more than others.
Virtual Bra Fittings to Help You Find Your Correct Bra Size
Remote Fittings (via Google Meet) used to be an occasional service for clients who had moved away. But of course, COVID changed everything and forced us to make many improvements, and we now attract new clients from across the United States. To find your correct bra size you can go to www.jenettebras.com and use the Book a Fitting button on the home page. When the time comes your fitter will send you a link to meet up. She’ll be in one of our actual boutiques (either in LA or Atlanta) with access to the whole inventory. She’ll start by asking you a few questions about what you’re looking for, then she’ll take a look at you in the bra you’re currently wearing. It’s best you wear your favorite, if you have a favorite, or otherwise the one you hate least. Having fit hundreds of women in real life she will be able to estimate your basic size by eye, but cup and band size is really just the baseline. A trained bra-fitter is evaluating things like where the breasts are rooted on the torso, width and slope of shoulders, softness of tissue and so on. From this information, and what she knows about your own preferences, she selects the most likely good fits for you.
If you fall in love, we will ship it right away. If you’re not sure, we will send you an email with pictures and information on each option. By making this extra individual effort at the beginning we’re able to cut down on the exhausting back and forth of trying on and returning. Often we get it right on the first pass, but if there is a misfit we’ll do a quick follow up fitting and make the exchange as painless as possible.
As you can probably tell, I’m proud of my staff and their dedication to this work, but honesty requires me to add a final advisory: NO remote, virtual, online process can equal the experience of an in-person bra fitting with a qualified professional. You might live closer to one than you know. Most of us don’t have big advertising budgets! Try a search for bra-fitting near me, and look for an independent, multi-brand shop with great reviews. Some department stores have good fitters but it’s hit-or-miss. Even if you have to make a trip to find your correct bra size, it’ll give you a better knowledge-base for remote fittings in the future
