Usual bra size doesn't fit? Try the Sister Size!
So you have heard the term 'Sister Size' but you have no idea what it means. Let's see if I can help you to better understand bra sizing so you can get back to finding your perfect fit.
If you think about bra shopping like shoe shopping it might help to simplify things a bit. Ask most women what their shoe size is and they will say something like, "Well I am a size 7 but sometimes a 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 depending on the style of shoe or brand.
Bras are similar, you have your starting size which is a measurement based on your under bust (the band size) and over bust measurement (the cup volume) but sometimes the fit isn't quite right. The band might feel too tight even thought the cups are good or the band might be perfect but you are spilling over the cup. This is where the 'sister size' bra comes into action.
If you find your usual bra size isn't quite fitting right this is how you use the sister sizes. Let's use a starting size of 16F as an example. If you find the band is too tight then you probably know to try a size 18 right? Just like you would in a pair of jeans. Unlike jeans however bras can be a little bit trickier because if the cup was perfect in the 16F but just too tight, then when you try the 18, you will need to come down to an E cup.....Yep and 18E is the same cup volume as a 16F, only the band size has lengthened. If you jump from 16F to an 18F, you are increasing both the band size AND cup size. Why did they not teach us this in school.....way more useful than algebra....which has nothing to do with bras.
Likewise if the 16F was great in the band but the cups were too big, stay in the 16 and drop back to the 16E or 16DD. If the cups were too small, stay in the 16 but try a 16FF or 16G.
And just to go the other way, if the16F was a perfect fit in the cups but the band was too loose and riding up your back, try the 14FF or 14G. That's right, when you go down in the band, you need to go up in the cup.
So if we go back to our original starting size of 16F, you can now see all of it's sister sizes.....
16F is the starting size
16FF is the same band with more cup volume
16E is the same band with less cup volume
14FF is the same cup volume with a tighter band
18E is the same cup volume with a larger band.
So now if your usual bra size doesn't seem to fit quite right, go and grab some of the sister sizes to see if you can get a better fit.
