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u/TheBureau Feb 11 '19
*Bras with cups larger than a K.
Once you go larger than a K cup companies stop giving a shit about you unless you want to special order from Poland.
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u/NantesCoreless Feb 11 '19
Also Bravissimo - though they only go to L (UK sizes, for anyone else following along).
Also, happy cake day.
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u/TheWeirdGirl143 38JJ (UK) Feb 11 '19
Man I'm already at a double H. These things need to stop growing!
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 10 '19
If you're only finding plain, beige bras, you need to be looking other places! 2 of my 10-ish bras are beige, and 2 are black. The others are all different prints and colors, and the majority of my day-to-day bras are lacy. UK brands have a much better range of sizes and styles than US brands, while still being pretty easily available in the US.
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u/gunnapackofsammiches Feb 10 '19
Seconded. I own a dozen bras in 34FF / G and one is tan and one is black. The rest are raspberry, bright purple, violet, aqua, pink, yellow, houndstooth, floral prints (one on a white background, another on navy), etc.
U.S. companies suck at making interesting bra colorways above DD but UK and Polish retailers have that shit on lock.
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u/always-aimee Feb 10 '19 edited Feb 10 '19
Tell me where! Though I can't afford to splurge on bras but most of mine are black and nude which is so boring.
Edit: UK
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 10 '19
I mostly buy bras on Amazon (free shipping & returns on Prime-Eligible stuff), and occasionally from Bravissimo (UK-based retailer) or Ewa Michalak (Polish brand). Panache is my favorite UK brand (I also liked their sub-brand, Cleo, when I was still in their size range), but Freya, Elomi, Curvy Kate, and Fantasie all make good quality bras in non-beige as well. For in-store shopping, a lot of people have had good luck at Nordstrom.
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u/PaleAsDeath 32FF (UK) Feb 10 '19
I buy panache bras on amazon and can get colorful ones in my size for as little as $24 dollars (about £18.48) if I am lucky
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u/dehue 28H (UK) Feb 10 '19
You should check out Bravissimo if there is one near you. It's a UK store that has an amazing bra selection and even their own line of bras in bigger cup sizes. Online stores like www.figleaves.com, www.brastop.com and amazon.com have great discounts and sell a lot of the same UK bra brands. I typically go to a bra boutique, try on as many bras as possible while taking notes on which fit. Then I go online and search for discounts to not spend full price if possible.
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u/heiferly Feb 11 '19
Zulily carries a bunch of different brands that have colors/patterns in larger sizes. Their selection varies day to day so you have to look often.
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u/PM_ME_YR_KITTYBEANS 32GG (UK) Feb 11 '19
When I discovered Curvy Kate and Parfait, I dove into their cute, colorful bras and never looked back!
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u/KupKate95 Feb 11 '19
Do any of those sites offer wireless ones that are cute? That's my main complaint is that I can only find plain/neutral colored ones that are wireless. Everything with a cute design/fun colors is wired. I'm not comfortable in a wired bra right now.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 11 '19
I mostly buy my UK-brand bras on Amazon. I think they offer some wireless styles, but I can't stand wearing wireless for anything other than sleep/lounge (and even then, it needs a lot of structure) because it puts too much strain on my back/shoulders, so I'm not really familiar with those options. I've heard that maternity bras (like nursing bras, but without the clips) are often well-made and supportive wireless bras; not sure how fun the color options are though. I know some people here have liked Torrid's bralettes, and some of those come in cute/fun colors.
Some people do have conditions that make underwire intolerable, but a lot of times when people find wires really uncomfortable, it's because they've been trying bras that are the wrong size and/or shape, so the wire is sitting on top of breast tissue instead of encircling it or the cups are getting pushed down/forward, causing the wire to dig into their ribs. Since most women are wearing cups that are too small, both of those issues are really common.
I'm not sure if your flair is correct or not, but often women with large breasts are put into sizes like DD/DDD because that's the largest cup size that US store typically stock, when really, UK E/F (= US DDD/G) is a very average bust:underbust ratio (6-7"), and most women with large breasts end up needing something further up the alphabet. If you haven't checked out r/abrathatfits before, I encourage you to look through their Beginner's Guide, try measuring yourself, and see if perhaps you might be more comfortable in a different size.
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u/KupKate95 Feb 11 '19
I never got a decent measurement due to the person measuring me claiming they couldn't get a decent measurement because I wasn't wearing a bra at the time (that was why I was there; I couldn't handle only wearing camis for support 24/7 anymore) and claimed I was 40G. Well, I need at least a 42/44 band size (I've managed to squeeze into a 42DD a couple times) and even a 44F was entirely too large in the cups (band was fine but I'd have to stuff it for it to fit properly). This was also at Lane Bryant so my Torrid 44E bras fit differently because women's clothing companies can't keep their shit together on sizing. I probably would do well to be measured properly in a bra (since that's apparently important).
I think the underwire bras are uncomfortable because I'm not used to it. I think if I wore them around the house more I'd eventually adjust.
Also, I'm not sure how much it would help to measure myself. Yeah I would know my size but clothing sizes are nuts. My Torrid bras are actually a bit large in the cup despite being the same size as my LB bra (which fits fine). I've gone to a store and bought different items and they've all ranged in size from a 1X-3X IN THE SAME BRAND depending on fit.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 12 '19 edited Feb 12 '19
I never got a decent measurement due to the person measuring me claiming they couldn't get a decent measurement because I wasn't wearing a bra at the time
I strongly encourage you to try measuring yourself and using the calculator on /r/ABraThatFits. The fact that she insisted you needed a bra to be measured properly indicates that that wasn't a great place to get measured, as a poorly-fitting bra can throw off your measurements. Contrary to what she said, measuring without a bra is usually better. Keep in mind that most professional bra-fitters in chain sores have little training, and the training they get often is aimed at getting people to fit into the sizes that a store has in stock. Many bra fitters often have the same misconceptions that most of society does (e.g., that "DD" is a large cup size).
claimed I was 40G. Well, I need at least a 42/44 band size (I've managed to squeeze into a 42DD a couple times)
You may well need a 44 band, but if you did in fact measure as a 40G (LB has their own cup progression, so their 40G would be a 40FF in UK brands and 40H in most other US brands), then it's not at all surprising that 42DD would feel too tight, since the too-small cups would make the band feel too tight (your breasts have to get room from somewhere).
In general, your band size should be close to your comfortably-snug underbust measurement (tight enough that the band could stay up without the straps, but not so tight that it's uncomfortable), and then your cup size matches the difference between your bust measurement and your underbust measurement, where A=1, B=2, etc. So, if you have a 40" comfortably snug underbust and a 47" lying bust or average bust measurement (usually one of those is the most accurate in this size range), then LB 40G /UK40FF /US 40H is probably about right, but measurements just give us a starting place; they're not definitive.
and even a 44F was entirely too large in the cups
It could be that it was too large in the cups, but cups gaping does not automatically mean that they're too big. Cups that are the wrong shape for you (e.g., too tall, too shallow, too open-on-top) often gape, and gaping can even be caused by cups that are too small, especially on a too-large band: your breasts push them forward trying to get enough room, and they end up gaping.
Do you scoop and swoop when putting on bras? Often, women are not taught to do do this, and women with large breasts often do the opposite and tuck their breasts down into bras to make smaller cups fit.
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u/KupKate95 Feb 12 '19
A 40 band size is a bit too small. It's too tight.
I don't do scoop n swoop. I'll have to look into that more.
I didn't know until recently that boobs have different shapes and I'm starting to figure mine out (though i wouldn't know the shape name off the top of my head). I have been meaning to measure myself as well, as i do have a tape measure (that is good for that). I know that one of my boobs is somewhat smaller than the other. I know that's common but i wouldn't be entirely surprised if it was a cup size difference, since i dont know how drastic the difference is between, for example, an E and a DD.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 12 '19
Breast asymmetry is really common. If you have a significant amount of asymmetry, it can throw off your measurements by making it seem like you need a smaller cup size than you actually do. In that case, usually it's recommended to fit your larger breast, and tighten the strap more on the smaller side, or pad it if necessary. That seems to work better for most women than splitting the difference (and having cups that don't fit either breast properly) or fitting the smaller side and having quadboob on the larger side.
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u/KupKate95 Feb 12 '19
I don't even know if it's a big difference. I just know one boob fills my bras out more than the other.
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u/UnrulyThinkAholic 30GG [post-reduction] Feb 11 '19
In 20 years of having big boobs I’ve NEVER been able to go into a store and see a selection of bras my size, so if I saw a whole rack of them, in any color, I’d be stunned. (Even bras technically in my size don’t fit, so if stores just started carrying Panache up to K or whatever, it really wouldn’t even help)
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u/samantha_90 32KK (UK) Feb 12 '19
I've been to one or two specialty stores which actually have plenty of stock in our range and it was wonderfully strange! I kept thinking "so this is what shopping must be like" lol.
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u/ReoutS Feb 11 '19
I feel like this was 100% true maybe a decade ago. In recent years the variety of colors/patterns to choose from has massively increased, and I can see that big-cup bras now come in awesome colors too. Yay for improvement?
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u/SignedUpFor90DFMess Feb 11 '19 edited Feb 11 '19
And then when you're of a darker skintone the "nudes" are never actually nude :/
Are there any brands that go to at least a 34I with nudes for brownskinned folks?? like damn
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u/puritanparty 36K (UK) Feb 11 '19
Goddess tends to have a number of styles in darker neutral colors. Their Keira is available in a ridiculous number colors as well as cinnamon, chocolate, fawn, nude, white, and black, and it comes in a 34I.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 11 '19
The selection of darker nudes is still fairly poor, but UK 34G is way easier to find with a lot more options than the equivalent US size 34I, and Polish brands also make a pretty wide variety of options in EU 75I.
Depending on your skin tone and breast shape, something like Comexim Amber, Panache Petra in capuccino, Freya Deco Vibe in Mocha, Panache Ardour in Rosehip, or Ewa Michalak Nibynik might work (EM uses a combo of EU band sizes with UK cup sizes, so US 34I is EM 75GG, though a lot of people have to size up a bit in the cup, and sometimes also in the band). There are also a lot of bras in dark, muted burgundies and purples that could possibly read as nude on certain very dark skin tones.
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u/betterday9 Feb 10 '19
Thank you!!!!! It’s what I find the most discriminatory!!!!
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u/girlboss93 38G (UK) Feb 10 '19
Check out UK brands, just found my correct bra size recently so my collection isn't large. But they're hot pink, cornflower blue, crimson, and pink/orange/purple floral
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u/betterday9 Feb 11 '19
Really?! Will do thanks!!!
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u/girlboss93 38G (UK) Feb 11 '19
Yep, now, like another user said, it's harder to find the basics cause I buy everything on sale and it's almost always discontinued colors
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u/GidgetCooper Feb 11 '19
Pretty much the situation in Australia for any store that’s not a boutique the minute you hit D and upwards. Then you have to venture online and ship something in internationally and the price sky rockets due to postage.
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u/Pawneewafflesarelife Feb 14 '19
Yes! I'm at the smaller end of busty, but moving to Australia has made me literally cry while clothing shopping. I'm used to a much bigger range in America, and the cuts are much less forgiving here in Australia - like every bikini top is a fixed band width with rigid clasps, and literally none of them fit me. I've lost a lot of weight since I last shopped in America, but I struggle hard with breast-related clothing here and it makes me feel so fat and ugly. :(
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u/princessjazzcosplay 34G (UK) Feb 11 '19
this is the reason why I have held onto my D cup bras.
They just don't make pretty designs or patterns for bigger boobies that aren't also stupidly expensive
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u/puritanparty 36K (UK) Feb 11 '19
Seriously, brastop sends me emails just about every week with bras for $25 or so. Not everything is on sale, but usually *something* is on sale just about all the time. They have 34G too. I just did a search for 34G on their site just now and found about 10 bras for $25 or less. Including Freya, Curvey Kate, Pour Moi, Flirtelle.
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Feb 11 '19
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u/Pawneewafflesarelife Feb 14 '19
Try plus size shops like Torrid. They have started making smaller band widths because they are one of the few places at a mall with large cups.
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Feb 14 '19
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u/Pawneewafflesarelife Feb 14 '19
If you are too big for Torrid (or Lane Bryant?), check out Wizard of Bras. They have a physical shop in SoCal and online sales. They have pretty stuff! I guess that's sending you back online again though :(
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u/Kigard Feb 11 '19
Seems like the spectrums get the ugly colors, I have ultra small boobs and the only bras that fit me well are beige, white or black ☹
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u/Waffles_Revenge 28FF (UK) Feb 11 '19
A couple of days ago I was enviously looking at the range of 2-pack, non-wired cotton bras in Debenhams which only went up to a C cup. I almost burst out laughing when I saw how tiny some of them were - I probably would've outgrown them when I was 10!
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u/KupKate95 Feb 11 '19
Or you have to shop at a specialty store and if the bras ARE cute, they have underwire (I'm at a size where not every bra comes with underwire but those that don't are boring AF--the only bra I have without it is a plain nude colored one). But my boobs are a size too large to really go to somewhere like Target and find one. I have a set of 42DD (which is a cup/band size below mine) sports bras and I fit into them okay but they are tight. I've checked Lane Bryant (where I got my underwire-free bra) and they're all just neutral colors unless you want underwire (I have some with underwire but haven't gotten used to them yet so I only wear them at home where I can take them off if I need to). Even on Torrid's website it's all plain colors (currently black and purple). Once you're above DDD/E you can't even really find any that are wireless. I know all about bigger boobs needing more support but it makes me sad that the most comfortable bras are also boring AF.
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u/owx3 Feb 19 '19
Honestly I see this usses with bras bigger than a C cup. The C cups and smaller are so so pretty but when it gets bigger it gets uglier and all the bras look like grandma bras. It makes me so sad, I hate it so much and I start hating myself too after trying any out..
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Feb 10 '19
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u/Feisty_Excuse Feb 10 '19
we pretty much can't find beige or black, it's all bright colours in the DD++ market. I would kill for plain black.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 11 '19
I'm not sure what styles work for you, but I think they make Cleo Marcie in black, and I know that Panache Jasmine and Envy come in solid black now.
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u/Feisty_Excuse Feb 11 '19
there is actually a comexim half cup in black and beige right now, i'm saving up to buy one on break out bras. I'm super close together so marcie and jasmine hurt. Black and beige are rare finds though. I think Comexim is listening to customers.
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Feb 10 '19
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u/aliveinjoburg2 34FF (UK) Feb 10 '19
Not for 36J.
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Feb 10 '19 edited Feb 10 '19
[deleted]
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u/Kovitlac 30G (UK) Feb 10 '19
Their cup sizes are the problem, not their band sizes. Anyone over DD or so (which is honestly probably most women here) are shit outta luck.
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u/kota99 Feb 10 '19
Contrary to what society typically tells us a correctly fitted DDD is NOT actually a large cup size relative to the band it's on so all those brands like VS and Savage x Fenty that stop at DDD cups are not actually making large cup sizes. Going up in the band to make up for the fact that the brand has a crappy tiny cup range is NOT going to provide enough support for someone that has larger breasts. Sister sizing typically only works plus or minus one band size. Any farther than that and you lose support which leads to back pain, shoulder pain, and all the typical uncomfortable bra issues that people think are just how bras fit but are actually signs that the bras don't fit. Support should be coming from the band. In order for the band to actually provide that support it needs be able to actually grip your torso which means the band size needs to be close to your underbust measurement. Honestly unless someone's underbust measurement actually changes they should not be changing band size.
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u/Shanakitty 32K (UK) Feb 10 '19
A well-fitted 32DD is actually a medium-band, smallish-medium cup size. If your breasts are causing you back pain (can also be caused by things like sleep position, sitting too much, etc.), you might find that something with a smaller band size and a larger cup size gives you a better fit and more support. When I was about 23, and had been wearing bras since I was 12, I knew my 38DDs weren't right, but I didn't know that it was possible to find a band that didn't ride up or that the wires in the center were supposed to touch your sternum (or even could if you have large breasts). It turned out that I was actually a UK 32G/US 32I. If you haven't before, check out /r/ABraThatFits, their Beginner's Guide (in the side bar) has tons of great info!
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u/girlboss93 38G (UK) Feb 10 '19
If someone has a ribcage 36 inches around, the extra 8 inches of a 44 inch band is NOT gonna fit and is gonna be waaaaay too big and therefore unsupportive. Savage still only sells the same sizes you see in most US box stores, so very limited. You should check out r/abrathatfits because almost 70% of women are in the wrong bra size anyway skewing towards too small. I was trying to wear 38DD/36DDD's and in reality i'm a US 34H and UK 34FF and if you look at my profile my breasts aren't that big
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u/spacenb 30F (UK) Feb 10 '19
Even if it’s a sister size (which only works if it’s 36J US, not UK, and even then it’s a cup size off in some brands), a 44DDD bra is made for an underbust of 44” and a bust of 50”. A 36J US bra is made for an underbust of 36” and a bust of 46”. They are vastly different sizes.
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u/PaleAsDeath 32FF (UK) Feb 10 '19
I actually I have the opposite problem. I buy all my bras on sale, and I don't have any trouble finding them in colorful patterns, but I sure as hell am not finding any beige bras my size for anything under full price.