Yes, I have noticed that. Brand and style make a difference too. You have to try on several sizes to see what actually fits.

There is a lot of information on the subject in the link below:

Here is a link that might be useful: Wikipedia article about brassiere measurement

Wow! Petaloid, that is a LOT of information. But, I'm still puzzled what size I should get. Maybe I should just go with out, and let 'things' land where they may. LOL

I went to Victoria's Secret years ago and was actually "fitted" for the first time in my life. I'd been wearing bras too small for me for years. Their bras are a little more pricey, but the four I bought have lasted about eight years now. Usually I needed new ones at least once a year.

I agree about Victoria's Secret bras being better.

My understanding is that when you move down a band size, you move up a cup size in order to get the same size cup. For example, a 36C is the same size cup as a 34D, just the band around is different. Of course, there's so much variation by brand that you really just have to try them on anyway!

I finally found a brand I don't feel like taking off the minute I walk in the house. It's "Barely There" and most dept. stores sell them.

I got fitted at Nordstroms and I was wearing too small of a size for years. They didn't feel too small at the time, but I was amazed at the difference once I started buying the right size. I'll admit it was quite the pill to swallow to accept the size I really was. LOL. Go get fitted and then you'll know for sure. They do it for free, they just pressure you into buying the bra there.

I am not so sure about the "fitted" marketing angle. I think that you might measure 36 B when you're fitted with one specific brand & it might be totally different with a different brand in a different store. Then after a few wearings & washings, I think the size can be stretched out a bit. I prefer to try on any bra I buy.... fit can vary so much.

I bought a couple of bras for my teeny tiny mama according to the size she'd been wearing. Well every time she raised her arm(s), her little girl(s) would pop out. The straps were toooooo short. I had to buy the replacement thingies @ JoAnn's & alter them. These were Maidenform bra's. I emailed them & complained & they basically sent back "sorry about your luck". Several years ago I complained to Maidenform about a coupe of bra's & they sent me 2 new ones, after I mailed the others back as instructed. Customer service doesn't matter anymore it seems.

I only bought one bra from Nordstroms and have been buying all others since at different stores. I agree bras change a little with each brand, but I've still been buying the size they fitted me at.

Do you ladies prefer underwire, or no wire?

I bought a couple bras a number of months ago, and I went up a cup size. The girls have gotten bigger it seems. My bras all have underwire, but I bought one without any cause it was on sale, $10.

After trying bras of different brands, styles and sizes and COST, I finally found just the right one for me at KMart - it costs $6 and is the soft cup, no wires style - I just love the way it fits! It's a Bestform, style 5006222. The only thing I DON'T like is that it's made in Thailand. If I can ever find an American style that actually fits me, I will switch.

I like Barely There too, so soft and comfortable.

Do you ladies prefer underwire, or no wire?

NO wire! The cup is what lifts and supports the wire just sits in the crease. What is the point? A well fitted bra with a cup that fits doesn't need wire.

Don't believe me. Well when you are not wearing a bra cup your hand under your breast(s) and lift. That's support. Now take a piece of wire or cord and place under your breast and lift. Nothing. Wires are stupid.

I just went looking for reasons to wear underwire bras and discovered that there is evidence that underwires have been known to deflect bullets and knives. I wasn't expecting that. LOL

I think I'll still pass on underwires.

WOW! Thanks for the comments about the wires. Given that when you bra shop about 95% of those available have wires...... well, I thought it was just me! I've never understood the wire = support theory, big boobs or no. I have ONE wired bra.

My favorite bra is a nearly worn out Bestform. It was cheap & from KMart (or WalMart?). I bought 2 because they were not lined (I only like minimal to no lining) & there was a terry cloth are beneath the cups that I thought would be good when getting sweaty from exercising. Unfortunately they don't make them that style any more.

Buying bras is a real chore for me. You go to the store & there are rows upon rows. I look & look & rarely find anything I REALLY like. It's not like the size is an issue..... I am just "average".

"wires are stupid"

hahahahahahaha. Yep! What genius thought of that idea!?

If you are a large boobed lady, any bra without a wire will not support all that weight to a height that doesn't make you look 'dowdy'. Having no wire between the cups allows the 'uniboob' look and invites an ever present heat rash in hot weather. Add to that the fact that 99% of today's bras have stretch in the straps. Heavy boobs just pull all that stretch out leaving them sagging as soon as you put it on. I am a 36/38f and was a certified bra fitter for 8 years.

There shouldn't be a uni-boob look if the cup is constructed to fit well. If the cup is large enough for the breast and there is fabric between the cups then the wire would not be needed. Bras for large breasted women should be designed to fit in the first place instead of a wire forcing them apart and squeezing from the sides. It's just like pants. If they fit right the backside looks better than if they don't. What next? Underwired panties? Women are foolish enough t buy into this hype and the manufacturers have no reason to design better fitting garments. Cheaper to run a wire than to add the additional fabric to offer proper support.

Unless you have walked in my shoes, you can't be expected to know or understand the mechanics of a good bra fit for large breasted women. It doesn't matter how big the cups, the boobs are pushed to the center. It is a mattter of construction. Now if they were filled with silicon, maybe it would be different, but we are talking the real Mcoys here. As we age these mounds of firm flesh become sacks of mashed potatoes and take the path of least resistance. Yes there is a lot of room for improvement in the bra industry, especially for the naturally well endowed.

I never understood the need for an underwire either. I will not skimp on a good bra. I don't want a bra with showthrough (if you know what I mean). I have discovered Wacoal bras; they're a little expensive but I love them.

My best friend used to work in the "Foundations" Dept of a pricey women's store. She told me you measure the boobies at their biggest part, then measure your ribcage underneath. From that you determine band and cup size. Over the years I have gone from 32A to 34B. Thanks to two pregnancies, breast feeding and general middle-age weight gain.

I too, have never found a wireless bra that
has given me enough support with OUT being 5 INCHES tall
in between the girls! LOL With the wire, I find that
the bras can be lower cut, you know, at least 2 inches
not only between the girls, but also along the sides
of the girls. 36 DD....

I, also used to fit bras... a long time ago at JCP
and it was always a chore trying to sell beige or brown
bras. Women were wanting WHITE bras, but then having
to buy WHITE nylon camisoles because they didn't like
seeing their bra lines under their white blouses.
No matter how many times I actually SHOWED them on
a beige mannequin with a beige bra and white blouse
how a bra that matches your skin tone blends with
your skin and minimizes the visual bra line... they
just wouldn't believe me. I also can't remember how
many times I was told, I DON"T wear THAT size, I've
ALWAYS worn this size! LOL and yes, of course, the
measuring gives you a starting point, because maufacturers
(you'd be surprised that there aren't that many diff.
factories) and styles do run a little different.

Amen, gazania. If I've ever had a bra I liked and didn't take off immediatly, after my shoes, when I get home, I don't remember it. I've tried everything and now have no underwire bras, and no support and will buy an underwire next. I've lost weight and would have a cute figure again if I could get my boobs up where they belong. I wear a DD and the only thing that gives support is an underwire. I can't stand anything around me either. I used to feel like I had boobs on a platter with the underwire, it sure better than the "dowdy" look I have now.

I understand what those of you who are endowed with extra large breasts are saying but I still think it's simply a matter of poor design. If the problem is the breasts being pushed together and creating the "shelf" appearance then the problem is not wire or no wire but how the area is designed between the cups. I have notice that bra manufacturers do tend to skimp on that area often just putting the cups right together having an extremely small space between them. I could see how that would be a problem. So I still believe a good bra could be made to address the problem without wires if more women demanded it. A nice reinforced center that would do it.

Fit is important. I see many women buy bras for fashion and price instead of fit. I have a good friend who is very endowed. I was buying bras recently and she bought one too, I was buying the style I always wear I wear a full figured style in a 34 c and she bought one too. WITHOUT even trying it on! Now this lady is obviously in the triple EEE range or larger but she buys a bras off the rack in a double D and just buys a huge band size. I have tried to talk to her but you know what they say about leading a horse to water ....... Yes she does have back problem and grooves in her shoulders but you can't change a person who doesn't want to change.

Hello everybody, fun forum! Hi Marcy! Over the years we have discussed bras aplenty, you and I. I have laughed for years over you saying one day, "Yeah, I don't know whether to throw 'em over my shoulder or tuck 'em into my belt!"
Years later, I myself have settled on NO wire. They bite into me and I am not the vampire generation.I found a bra I LOVED, no wire of course, a Goddess Bra fitted by Nordstrom. Naturally since I found one I'd pay an entrance fee to buy, they no longer carry Goddess so I'm steeling myself for a day of being fitted yet again. There's more action being fitted than there is getting a mammogram. I'm a 38G or H or something equally far into the alphabet and that definitely requires fitting. In addition to it not having a wire, it can't have more than three closures in back, otherwise I feel like I'm wearing a carapice. The bra cannot take up more space in back than the girls do in front. The bra cannot itch so it has to have lace placed properly. What with all the requirements, the miracle is that I found one to begin with. But I did, and I know there are more out there.

I only buy minimisers and it is difficult to find them when I do I try and buy three at a time (after buying one and trying it out.
I don't like to stick out and would rather have a flatttter look of course I don't like it when a bra forms a third boob in the middle.

Dotmom......I would like to go without one, too, but I'm afraid of tripping!

maggiemay - if you know the model number of the Goddess bra you like, you might be able to buy more online. Checkout herroom.com - I have not bought from there, but it's a really thorough website and they carry Goddess. I know how hard it is to find a bra I like, and I'd hate to give up on one if I didn't have to!

Here is a link that might be useful: Goddess bras at Her Room

Last time I purchased a few different bras, it was from Just My Size, online. Was really disappointed: I ordered minimizers, and they looked like there was some good support there (I'm a wire person, too). But it seems that as you go up in bra size, they think support means PADDING! I sure don't need any padding--I have plenty already.

And I also hate poke-through. I use some concealers in those areas. They're not bulky and I don't even notice they're in place; they don't slip or move.

Thanks for the input about 'the girls'. What I need is a bra with a larger band size, but probably an A cup. I order all of my clothes from catalogs, and it seems all of the larger band bra's start at B cup and as the band gets larger, so does the Bcup. A cup bras with a larger band isn't even offered. Actually in the summer, I often (and can) go bra-less, and I 'hide' behind two bandaids. But when I dress up, I prefer the 'girls' be more at attention. I'll keep looking for what I want.

Is it just me? But EVERY SINGLE underwire bra I buy seems to within just a few months pop the wire out of the side of the cup and poke me under the arm...I hand wash my bras, treat them very gently, and yet they turn on me, lol!

Just found my favorite UNDERWIRE bras on sale at Victoria's Secret online. Only $14.99! I bought 5.

Thanks SilverComet! I had emailed the company but didn't get much help; a shop in Tacoma, WA. which ultimately didn't know what I was taking about. I saw several pictures on the site you suggested and although the style number isn't there, I see a couple I'm going to try. What did we ever do before we had our friends on the internet?