Heard the rumour that 80% of women are wearing the wrong bra size? Well, it’s true!

It may sound unbelievable, but most women have never really been shown how a bra is meant to fit, and, as a result, professional bra fitters all over the world report that in at least 8 out of 10 cases, they change a customer’s bra size when they fit them for the first time – and the change is often quite dramatic!

Most bra manufacturers use the same volume of cup to cater for more than one bra size. For example, a 34B bra will have the same cup volume as a 36A and a 32C because all 3 of these breast sizes are actually very similar. The main difference between women who need a 32C versus a 34B or a 36A is simply that they have a narrower back – the breast itself is actually very similar in all these sizes.

‘Why do I need to know that?’ you may ask. Well, most of us who haven’t had a professional bra fitting don’t realise how firmly a bra should fit in the back. The result? 80% of us are wearing a bra in a band size that is too loose and as a result putting up with the wrong cup size too.

Bra fitting experts report that the most common fitting error they find, is women wearing a back size that is one or two sizes too big and a cup size one or two sizes too small – for example the 32d woman who wears a size 10 or 12 in tops but doesn’t realise how firmly a bra should fit in the back so wears a 36 back. In a 36 back she will only need a b cup to accommodate the volume of her breasts – BUT crucially, a 36b bra will actually accommodate her breasts very badly – the loose back means that she will get very little support and shape and quite possibly be popping out of the cups and dying to take her bra off at night!

This is such a common problem, that bra fitters report that typically when they fit a customer for the first time she is likely to change from wearing an average size of a 36C to an average size of a 32E!