A Quick & Dirty Guide to Bras for Those With Large Chests
After many years of struggling to figure out where to buy bras for myself, a person with a large chest, I finally decided to give up going the cheap route and instead learn about what real options were out there. My education is now to the benefit of those who, like me, spent too many damn years wearing ill-fitting, ugly bras and believing a big chest was a life sentence to misery.
You need to learn that you’re probably wearing the wrong bra size. Deal with this. What Victoria’s Secret or Lane Bryant tells you is your size is likely bologna. They fit you to their stock, rather than fit you.
It took me many years before I would even try to get bras from Lane Bryant, since their clothes never fit me (and were expensive, too). But when I finally sucked it up and got a fitting there, they fit me at a 42DD. That was super convenient because, lo, they have those in store!
And that fitting? Wrong. Even after I lost some weight and my body changed shape, a resize that took me down was also, terribly, wildly wrong. But hey! Their in-store bras had my size, so. I trusted.
DO THIS to get your correct bra size. Do it yourself, and/or if you’re comfortable with someone helping you out, even better.
After you calm down from seeing that your size is “huge,” realize that it is not. That 42DD I supposedly was? Was all wrong.
I’m a much smaller band size and a much larger cup size. And now, after many years of wearing correct-fitting bras, as well as more weight loss and physical toning, my bra size has shifted again. But it’s not as you’d expect. My band size is down but my cup size is up. That’s because poorly-fitting bras move your breast tissue into the wrong places. When you begin to wear bras correctly, things shift to where they should be.
Like the guide says, you’re going to whine about not finding these bras in your normal places. THAT IS A GOOD THING. It means you’re fitting you and not being shoved into an ill-fitting bra for the sake of a store’s sale. Once you find your real bra size and begin wearing bras that actually fit you, you will feel so much better.
The guide above offers up some really great places for looking into bras. There are links! There are brands! And oh, you do need to spend some time in the bratabase – it’s a database of bras, with users talking about fit, size, etc.
Now having tried my hand at fifty million of these bras, here are some I think are worth recommending. I offer ‘em up as a starting place for those who want to wade in and feel TOTALLY overwhelming in the world of properly-fitting bras.
I work out and I work out hard. I used to double-bra it up with cheapie Target sports bras. Not a BAD thing, but also offers zero support and they really don’t fit.
Prior to that, I used to wear an underwire beneath a sports bra.
Suffice to say, I prefer a workout bra that has wires, support, and a smoosh factor.
Here are my two favorites (and I’ve tried MANY):
The Chantelle high impact bra is outstanding. Aside from support, smoosh, and the underwire factor, there’s a hook on the back to make this a racer back, which takes so much pressure off your shoulders and back. GREAT for all of the moving you need to do. Yes, this is a $70+ bra. You want a bra that doesn’t suck, you pay for it. Also, it lasts.
I threw down $80 to try one of their everyday bras, too, but I hated it. Zero support, there was nothing to the cups (oh, it FELT nice, but that isn’t enough to actually support large breasts), and I decided to send it back.
The moving comfort Maia sports bra is also great. It has less of a size range, but I find their bra sizes are weird anyway. You can size down a little bit on this one and it’ll work. This has underwires, smoosh factor, and it’s surprisingly comfortable (the Chantelle one I have to take off after working out because it’s not so comfy). I’ve gone through three of these bras, and I’ve had great customer service from them, after one bra’s hook broke very quickly. They sent a new one, no problem.
There are two great brands that work for me: Elomi and Cleo by Panache. I prefer a balconette style, though I’ll pay down for a good plunge, and these companies make good plunge bras. I don’t wear molded cups or heavily padded bras because I got enough of that and my breast shape is amenable to non-molded cups. Here’s a sampling of favorites from the companies. I’m linking through Amazon not because I’m an affiliate (they aren’t affiliate links) but because it’s easiest. You can buy ‘em in any outlet you prefer.
The Elomi Orla bra is amazing. It’s super soft, cotton, and works under any kind of shirt.
The Elomi Naoko is very similar to the Orla and also comes highly recommended.
The Elomi betty plunge bra is also fantastic. This one isn’t lined, so it’s much thinner and great under lighter tops. This is a true plunge, too, so it’s good under your low-cut tops and it does a great job of not pushing your breasts out of your v-necks.
Want lift and shape? Then the Minnie bra is outstanding for that, and it’s super cute. I’ve had a couple of this one, and the quality is great, as are the colors. It’s comfortable enough to wear for long stretches. The top part is sheer, too, so the only part that feels like a typical bra is the lower part, where you need the support anyway.
The Erin balconnet is very similar to the Minnie above in terms of lift, support, and shape, but it doesn’t have the sheer panel at top.
Those are my favorite picks, based on my extensive try it then decide philosophy. I’ve tried bras from Curvy Kate, and they don’t work for me or my shape (they fit strangely on me, but ymmv). I’ve also tried Freya bras to about the same experience. They aren’t bad and they are worth trying because everyone’s breasts are different shapes, sizes, and density.
If you’re not into spending $50 or more to try out new bras when you’ve figured out your new size, I have a really good solution, which is purchasing from Marks & Spencer. You can order them and they’ll be delivered very quickly (which is nice since it’s from the UK – to the states, I’ve gotten my orders in days). Their bras are inexpensive, so you can buy and test out new sizes, while also knowing you’re getting a decent quality bra.
It can be a pain to try and find yourself continuing to buy, try, then send back. There are stores you can go to and try these on in person – but if you do find yourself in a position you can’t go in places and spend the time in person, be patient with the send-and-return philosophy. You are WORTH the time and effort to find the proper bras because once you find them, you will feel so great about yourself. They will change the way your clothes fit and the way you carry yourself.
They are costly, but you do not need to keep replacing them because they are well-made and are built to last. It might be easier to pick up a cheap bra at Target, but it’s not going to last or make you feel as great as spending $50 on a well-fitting, quality, and not to mention CUTE bra will.
But most importantly, you are being fit for you, rather than fit for the narrow window of sizes in large retailers. They don’t care about you. Pink or Sexy or No Angel or whatever – they do not care about you or your body. They only care about your dollar and will misguide you to get that dollar from you.
Do not be ashamed of your body. Embrace it and embrace the breasts you have as they are (however that may be!). Once you begin to see that options do exist, bra shopping becomes less of a pain and more of a thing that you do and feel good about.
There are probably a million other things I could add, but this seems to be quite enough talk about bras and breast sizes. There are tons of great resources out there, many linked in the tumblr post above. Good luck.
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