You know that feeling when you try something and you realize you’ve been missing out for so long? Yeah, this was one of those times.
Today I am sharing my professional bra fitting experience with you guys. Normally would never share stuff like this, but I am because I actually feel like I could provide value to a few of your lives with my story! I feel as though I have a very strong female community following me so hopefully you all will find this article interesting or helpful in some way! And lets face it… finding a bra that fits right is something everyone goes through! But first… let me give a little back story.
Okay so I am just going to be very real here… I have a big chest. I also have a tiny frame. My entire life I have had SO many people tell my how “lucky” I am… but honestly thats not how I have always felt. Of course love my body and who I am, but it has not always been as “great” as it seems! For starters, I have always been confused at what size bra I was. I finally decided I was a 34DD and sometimes a 32DDD from Victoria Secret. It appeared to fit, so I went with it. Honestly there is nothing wrong with those bras, but the band was never tight enough or had much support! That was just one of many issues. I have always suffered back problems, sports definitely contributed to some of that, but I can’t help but think my chest had something to do with it too.
Finding swimsuits is honestly the worst. its a serious NIGHTMARE. I need an XL cup size but a XS band size. So what do I do? Do I get the cup size that fits, but is super loose and unsupportive? Or do I go with the band size that fits and let my boobs practically fall out of my suit? I usually settle for a Medium and I can “make it work”. But I don’t always feel confident in it. Sometimes I feel like I can’t run and jump around or swim at the pool in fear of a swimsuit malfunction because it doesn’t perfectly. I have found a few over the years that work and are more sports bra like and those are the ones I always turn to if I know I am going to be doing something active in my swimsuit!
And lastly… finding clothes. I know, part of my focus is fashion blogging. Anymore I have learned that what will fit and look good on my body and what will not. But growing up it was definitely disheartening. There were so many things growing up that I felt like I couldn’t wear because I would look “trashy” if I wore them even though a smaller chested girl could totally pull it off. It just sucked because I always have felt cautious about my style and what would be okay to wear without feeling exposed. As I have gotten older I have learned to care a little less, anymore I will wear anything and find a way to make it work because who the heck cares lol. But do you think I am gonna try and rock the tasteful no bra trend… hell to the no lol. I know my limits and what simply just won’t flatter me but I have learned to accept it!
These were serious battles I had growing up though. I finally had thought I had figured it out and felt comfortable with my size and how to wear clothes, until a company called Freya contacted me. I was intrigued by them because they had bras ranging from a B to a K cup! I was like sweet, this will be a fun company to work with because they represent ALL sizes! They told me I had to come in to my local Nordstrom to get fitted because their sizes work differently than other brands. So I went in, totally thinking they would just tell me I am a 34DD and was shocked to find that was NOT the case.
So I went in and a super sweet lady named Kylie helped me get fitted. Instantly she new my bra size was WAY wrong. She measured me around and said Im more like 27-28in around where my band would go… definitely NOT a 34. This I already kind of knew.. but what could I do, bra companies don’t make 28s around? WRONG. So Freya actually carries all the way down to 28 inch bands which I was so pleased to hear! (Quick side note- When finding a bra, if you go down one band size, you have to increase by a cup size. This basically just changes the composition of the bra. It does not necessarily mean the cup size is larger) So… she pulls out a bra and says I have pulled a 28GG for you to try on. My jaw kind of dropped and I was like haha there is NO way. She put it on me though and surely enough… it fit! I was shook to say the least but amazed at how different it felt. It almost felt weightless. I felt my posture improve SO much, my back just felt so elongated and it made my waistline look amazing because everything fitting properly!
I walked out of there amazed but SO happy. I couldn’t believe the difference! So the 28GG is European sizing. Apparently Europe’s got it together and recognized sizes larger than A-DD! I will include their sizing chart below so you can see how it compares to US sizing. BUT it is not like this bra is some massive bra. It actually looks super similar to my 34DD, but now it fits in all the places it needs to be. She told me it is actually a common problem in a lot of women. They are wearing too large of bands to compensate for the lack of larger cup availability!
So, if you take anything away from this I SO urge you to go get professionally fitted by a bra specialist. AND, make sure it is a company with a wide variety of sizes like Freya! You can go into a place like Nordstrom’s bra department to get it done and it is super simple. Nothing about it is intimidating and you will leave feeling so great!
Spread love & be confident! You are amazing because you are YOU!
XO Josie
