CAN’T wait to throw off your bra at the end of the day?
Chances are you’re wearing the wrong size, as two-thirds of women do.
Soozie Jenkinson, head of design at Marks & Spencer, said: “Your bra shouldn’t feel so uncomfortable that you have to take it off as soon as you get home.
“Our fitters often see women whose bra straps are riding up at the back, which is a sure sign it doesn’t fit.
“You may also experience the strap falling off your shoulder, or you may be busting over the top or at the sides.”
M&S BraFit experts help around 900,000 customers a year.
And they can fit everything from first bras to nursing and mastectomy bras, as well as regular A-K cup sizes.
This month, the high street giant launched its Love Your Boobs campaign, encouraging women to give their breasts the TLC they deserve.
We sent three readers for an M&S fitting to find out what size they really should be wearing.
Here are their verdicts . . .
‘After breast cancer surgery I felt boobs were not my own’
WRITER Esther Shaw, 43, lives in Battersea, South London, with husband Rob, 40, who works in investment, and her children Jess, six, and Josh, three. She says:
April 2020 was a hard time for everyone as we went into lockdown.
I was working from home, home-schooling two children and then found a pea-sized lump in my left breast.
I noticed it in the bath with my daughter and thought how awful it would be if I had cancer – but that’s exactly what happened.
I was diagnosed with grade-three triple negative breast cancer.
Chemotherapy began in May, then in September, I had a therapeutic mammoplasty, where surgeons remove the tumour but try to save as much of the breast as possible, then mould the remaining breast, making your boobs smaller.
They did the same on my right side.
I felt lucky to be alive, but I woke up from surgery feeling like my boobs were not my own.
I’d always been slim and wore size 32B bras for most of my life, though I’d never been measured.
Now my boobs were smaller and I felt like their shape had changed too.
I’d put on weight during treatment and lost my hair, which made me feel very unattractive.
Breast Cancer Now was a huge support and I started to get back on my feet.
Since then, I’ve got back in shape, and now my breasts feel a bit like my own again.
The M&S fitter was so lovely.
As soon as I walked in she guessed I was a 38D and was spot on.
I normally live in T-shirt bras, so it felt nice to choose something that wasn’t practical and mumsy.
My favourite was a red lace full-cup bra called Wild Blooms, £18. It was pretty and comfy.
Best of all, it made me feel sexy again – like the old me was back.
‘I’d just pick a boring T-shirt bra in a medium’
LUCY BAKER, 47, runs the Geriatric Mum blog and lives with husband Dan, 39, and their children Nancy, 12, Ivy, ten, and Rocky, four, near Lincoln. She says:
Despite never having been measured, I was always convinced I was a 34B.
So that was the size I bought, even after having my three children.
I took my eldest daughter for a fitting but I never thought to do mine, even though most of my bras gaped at the sides and dug in at the front.
Most of the time I’d just pick up boring T-shirt bras in a size 10 or a medium and think, “That’ll do”.
If I wanted a nice bra, I’d choose something I liked the colour of, rather than trying anything on.
During my fitting, I was measured as 32C, which really shocked me – I’d probably been wearing the wrong size all my life!
The fitter asked what styles I liked and I literally had no idea what suited me best.
She came back with about 12 different styles.
Even in my correct size, some gaped a bit or dug in a bit in places.
But when I tried the Rosie for Autograph high apex plunge silhouette bra, £30, I knew instantly it was the one for me.
It fit perfectly and my boobs looked amazing.
The experience has totally changed how I’ll buy bras and from now on, I’ll definitely try before I buy.
Having the right fit made me feel so much more confident about myself – it was a fab experience.
‘I’d tighten straps instead of going for a fitting’
LAURA MYERS, 42, a shop assistant, from Ilford, Essex, is mum to Lewis, 23, Samuel, 15, and Sophie, seven. She says:
I never really planned to lose weight, but in the past few years I have dropped from almost 14-and-a-half stone and a size 16/18 down to around ten-and-a-half stone and a size 12/14.
I know a lot of people put weight on during the pandemic but the stress had the opposite effect on me, and I wasn’t eating as much.
Obviously, my breasts must have changed size and my 36DD/E bras all felt very loose, but I never bothered to go for a fitting.
Instead, I would just tighten the straps.
During my M&S fitting, the fitter was so kind and lovely and you could tell she really knew her stuff.
I couldn’t believe it when she said that I was actually a 34F – I don’t think I’ve ever bought a bra that size before.
Trying the bras on, I realised she was spot on.
They fit me so much better and felt really comfortable.
There was no gaping and they weren’t hanging off me like so many others I have left in my underwear drawer.
I went with a Rosie for Autograph silk lace wired plunge bra, £29.50.
I felt really sexy in it, especially having lost so much weight.
It was such a positive experience, I’d encourage other women to go for their BraFit like I did.
I can’t believe I’ve hit my forties before finally realising the importance of a good fitting bra.