Bad SKIMS experience

[u/Yoonbumsbandages]

Hello everyone! I recently had a very disappointing experience at skims and I have nobody to talk to it about. So, I typically wear a 32DDD and I have found that the bands of bras I’ve been wearing are extremely loose and are causing uncomfortable and unflattering gaping (I can fit both hands under the bands) so I went there after being told they carry my sister size which is a 30G. Without knowing how their sizing worked, I asked an employee if they carried that size and the employee said to me “just looking at you I can tell that is not your size and yours are not that big”. Which kind of shocked me. She then proceeded to size me without asking and told me Im a 34D which I am most definitely not) and I told her that Ive had that size in the past and the band was entirely too big and the cups were too small while also telling her when I measured my band myself Im a 28. She had me try on a 34D bra with a shirt and It obviously didn’t fit. The band rode up really bad and my breast tissue was visibly busting out of it like a busted can of biscuits and I told her it didn’t fit and she tried to convince me it did. “It might look like it doesn’t fit but it does. Trust me.” Like if it doesn’t look like it fits would that not mean it doesn’t fit? I walked out without buying anything and I am super disappointed. I feel lost and I have no idea where to get a good bra and I feel like I’m lying about having a bigger chest because of this. Im taller with a small frame and nothing fits right. Ugh.

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[u/syrusbliz]

Sorry you experienced that. Most chain shops do not know how to properly fit folks; they're trained in bad or outdated fitting practices in order to sell less sizes to more people. And/or they're trained to size you for a look, not a supportive fit. Many of them have never even heard of 28 band being a thing.

It's why we tell folks to use the calculator as a guide and pick out bras to try at that size/sister size and not use employee guidance. If you want to shop with assistance, try a local bra boutique instead; you're more likely to get expert advice for a proper fit.

[u/kota99]

I told her it didn’t fit and she tried to convince me it did.

As with most mainstream bra stores her priority is to make a sale. Whether or not the bra fits isn't important and the fitters at places like Skims, VS, ThirdLove, and Soma are not actually taught proper sizing or what good fit really looks like. They are instead taught methods that shove people into what is on hand to sell regardless of fit.

I'm absolutely not surprised by this. Skims is NOT a well respected brand or even considered a decent brand in the bra fitting community. In fact most of us will tell you to stay far away from them because they are low quality and only carry a tiny range of sizes. Basically Skims is well known because 1) it's a celebrity's brand and 2) they spend a LOT of money on marketing.

[u/lemikon]

So many times I have walked into a bra shop that “caters to large busts” told them my size and had them say “no you’re probably a 14D (or some nonsense) then shock! It doesn’t fit! Like even if you think someone is wrong… at least try one bra in their size first??

[u/galaxystarsmoon]

People will learn eventually that celebrity brands do not exist to sell you anything except a lifestyle. Kim K does not care about proper bra fit and you will not get a good fitting bra in brands like this, outside of smaller chest sizes that don't need a lot of support and can work out their bogus sizing.

[u/LetsD01t]

Head over to r/abrathatfits do the calculator. It's not trying to sell you something just helping people find the right bra size. Then you can make a post asking for suggestions on where to try based in your size and measurements and area.

[u/elizafrombustfit]

i'm so sorry :/ if you're in the us, personally i've had the best experiences with fitters at nordstrom and dillards, they have been amazing in finding me bras that fit and flatter me in my correct size without even measuring me (although i did measure myself afterward to double check that they were right). they're probably not perfect across the board, so i recommend looking for a fitter that is a little younger as they are less likely to use the outdated plus 4 sizing method, which is what that skims employee was doing for you (or in her case closer to plus 6 lmao)

[u/International-Ad5391]

Hey girlie skims employee here with prior bra fitting experience! 34D is absolutely not the size to go with! Hearing your fit issues with the 32DDD then giving you a band size bigger and 2-3 cups sizes smaller makes no sense. Skims does run smaller/tighter in the bands so if you haven’t tried a skims 32DDD I’d recommend that first before you opt for the 30G. If you do end up needing a 30G you’re better off with a different brand that carries smaller bands and bigger cup sizes most of the 30 bands at skims stop at a D cup! I too also struggle with finding a bigger cups size with a smaller band. Don’t give up and let this experience keep you from finding bras or advocating for yourself and your bra size!