Choosing a Bra that fits

Bras that pinch, slip and cause bulging have no place in your wardrobe. Your bra should feel like a second skin; you shouldn’t be conscious of it. 

The matter of a bad bra may not seem like such a serious issue, but a poorly fitted one can cause back and shoulder pain from the weight of your breasts pulling on the muscles of your shoulders, neck and lower back. With a proper fit, the parts of the bra with the most stress will be the back, the sides and the triangle in the middle.

Bra experts suggest re-checking your size once a year. Pregnancy or weight loss or gain can make a difference. But even if your weight hasn't changed, sometimes it shifts, for example when you're pre-menopausal or have started a new fitness routine that bulks up your back muscles. Even if your cup size stays the same, you might need a bigger band. Your bra fits when the back sits level along the same line as the bottom of your breasts, the underwire covers the side of your breasts but doesn't pinch, and the triangle lies flat against your front.

Although brassieres were invented to provide comfort and support for a woman's breasts during physical activity, they quickly became an indispensable piece of every woman's wardrobe. Today, almost 90% of Western women wear a bra outside of the home. We wear them to enhance our breasts—to push them up for greater cleavage or down to minimize their presence. Finally, clever innovations and softer fabrics are making a super comfortable bra a reality.

There's nothing like setting off airport security alarms. Correction. There's nothing like a security guard circling your breasts with a sensor wand, only to have it beep loudly, with everyone watching. The culprit—a metal underwire! But the word on bra trends is that plastic is replacing metal more and more. Today's bra technology goes way beyond that, however...

I WANTED TO BE THE FIRST WOMAN TO BURN HER BRA, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOUR DAYS TO PUT IT OUT.

–Dolly Parton

Inventions such as a bra that detects breast cancer at a curable stage are not so sci-fi anymore. A Smart Bra, developed by the Centre for Materials Research and Innovation at the University of Bolton in the U.K., uses built-in microwave antennas to generate data about each breast. An alarm alerts the wearer about any potential cancer threat. 

In the meantime, in Australia, researchers at the University of Wollongong have designed a fabric with built-in sensors to monitor women’s breast movements when they walk and jog. It’s a promising tool to help bra manufacturers better assess how their designs function. 

Despite this, the overall ABCs of bra technology have been more evolutionary than revolutionary. Everyday bra-wearing is more comfortable than ever, thanks to small advances, such as softer, itch-free microfibre laces, and underwires that are flexible, foam-encased and with a flat edge so they don’t twist and turn when you do. Then there are the newest moulded bras, most of which have ditched thick foam pads for “spacer cups” made of a breathable 3-D, double-knit jersey that has an airy bubble-wrap-type centre. These bras, are moulded to fit your bust and weigh about half as much as older bras and dry in less than half the time. The perfect fit is key to comfort.

Ill-fitting bras do your body no justice, yet 3 out of 4 women wear the wrong bra size, according to WonderBra. As your body is constantly evolving, it is recommended that you get fitted by a professional at least once a year. Remember, the right foundation is the key to looking and feeling your very best!

Find out how a properly fitting bra boosted a reader's confidence.