A fit for a good cause: Most women wearing wrong bra size

After 15 years fitting women for bras, Becky Trimble has seen it all.

D-cups squeezed into a C. Or even a B. Band widths too small. Bras that ride up in the back. Double cleavage. Statistics by bra maker Wacoal estimate that eight out of 10 women wear the wrong bra size—one and one-and-a-half inches too big or too small.

Based on her own professional experience, Trimble thinks it’s more like nine out of 10 women. Most of those are women wearing a bra size too small for them. Trimble has only met five women who were wearing a bra too big for them.

“They think they should wear the same size as they wore when they graduated high school,“ said Trimble, a fit specialist for Belk department store in Dothan. “Bras and shoes are comparable. If they’re not comfortable, we’re not going to wear either one.“

Hillary Beulah, a spokesperson for Wacoal, said it’s recommended that women be fitted by a specialist once a year. Gaining or losing five to seven pounds can change your bra size.

Trimble—who has three boxes of 4,000 index cards with customer names, bra sizes and even favorite brands—also fits women who have had mastectomies, breast augmentation or breast reconstruction.

She’s a believer in a good-fitting, well-made bra.

“It’s like riding in a Cadillac and riding in a Chevrolet,“ she said.

It’s all in the fit

Becky Trimble, a fit specialist at Belk, offers these bra tips:

• If your bra rides up in back it’s too large in circumference. “If it’s up around your neck, you know you’re in trouble,“ Trimble said.
• If cleavage spills over the side of cup or is doubled up above the cup, the bra is too small.
• Underwire should fit under breast tissue not on top of it. Women who have had open-heart surgery, hiatal hernias or acid reflux may want to steer clear of underwire because of the pressure it can cause.
• If your bra cup wrinkles up, it’s too big.
• A good bra, cared for properly, should last three to four years and can average $50 in price.
• Bra sizes are not created equal. A 34B in one brand may not fit the same in another brand.
• Women who are asymmetrical should wear a bra that is sized for the larger breast.
• The number of bras a woman should have? Three, according to Trimble—the one you’re wearing, one clean in your lingerie drawer and a third in the wash.
• Don’t dry your bras in a clothes dryer. Line dry them instead.
• Wash them in lingerie bags on a gentle cycle by themselves or with lightweight clothing such as shirts and other underwear. No jeans or heavy clothing—these can wrap around the bra and damage it.