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Boy, what a loaded question! There's so much more that goes into determining your bra size than just taking a few measurements. No one person is created like another, and the same goes for bras. A person’s breast size, shape, and volume, their body shape, torso height, etc. can all impact the size ultimately needed, not to mention finding the right styles after that first part is done.

Everything you need to get started can be found in our Comprehensive Fitting Guide. Follow that up with our Troubleshooting & FAQ section for even more helpful information and tips. If you still need guidance, you can reach out for a virtual fitting via phone or email with one of our highly trained and passionate fitters, who will gladly help you find your way to the perfect-fitting bras.

Adding inches to your band measurement is an antiquated method developed by US bra manufacturers and retailers to decrease the number of individual sizes they need to manufacture and stock. This “trick” allows more women to fit into the 9–12 cookie-cutter sizes they produce and stock per style. The only way to get women into one of these sizes is to lie to them about what their true size is, and putting them in a larger band and bigger cup is the easiest way to accomplish this. You can tell that this is the case since almost all shops only carry bras up to a double or triple D.

Breakout Bras is about "Truth In Sizing". When you want something to fit, you start by taking measurements. When you go to a tailor or seamstress, they take your measurements and use those measurements to create a suit, dress, or pair of pants that fit. They don't add inches to your measurements. If they did, your clothes would fall off. The same thing is true for a bra. When you add inches to your actual measurement, your straps fall, your bra falls, and your breasts fall. When you don’t add these extra inches, the bra fits, with 90% of your support coming from the band. If your band is too big, you won't have support; it's that simple. The UK bras that we offer typically come in 40–80 or more sizes per style and color, to ensure you get your correct size without tricks.

We're very selective when choosing lines to offer. We want brands that are passionate about ensuring a proper fit and are aligned with our sizing philosophy. We choose to offer brands that consistently produce quality, well-fitting bras and are committed to listening to fitters and customers alike to ensure the industry is meeting expectations.

The biggest difference is that UK brands use double-letter cup sizes more extensively (i.e., FF, GG, HH, etc.). UK brands also offer a larger range of sizes when compared to their US counterparts. When using the Breakout Bras sizing method, the resulting size will be listed in both your UK and US sizes. Please click on our conversion chart to find your US size and the corresponding UK size. Both sizes will be listed on each item page, as well as a link to the conversation size chart, making it easier to order.

Your new bra should be snug in the band, especially for the first week or so of wearing it. The band is what holds your breasts up and in place (with just a little help from the straps). Keep in mind that bras stretch as you wear them; you want them firm in the beginning so that you'll get more wear out of them. The cups should contain all of your breast tissue, and the wires should extend to the back of your armpit area. Check out our Troubleshooting & FAQ page for detailed pictures and descriptions of what you want to look for in a perfect fit.

Seams are your friends, and not just there to show through your favorite summer outfits! Seams are strategically placed in a bra's cups to ensure the shaping and support of your breasts. Seams are especially important for those with heavier breasts, with vertical seams sewn in to make the cups sturdier and shape the tissue upward for maximum support. Horizontal seams are placed in the cups to push the breast tissue inward for a more forward-facing shape. (No one wants their boobs under their armpits.) Then you have 3 and 4 part cups, where a combination of seams are used to lift and shape in harmony, resulting in beautiful lifted, rounded breasts.

When breasts are heavier, the fabric has to work harder to maintain support. The more weight put into the cup of a bra, the sturdier the bra needs to be. Seams are what provide this extra support in a bra. Seamless t-shirt bras don't have seams; therefore, they just don't fit, support, or hold up longevity-wise for larger breasts. Manufacturers are trying, though, and the size range has improved over the last few years, with a small number of seamless options now available up to the UK HH and J sizes.

HAND WASH, HAND WASH, HAND WASH!! Regardless of manufacturer instructions, Breakout Bras recommends hand-washing everything. Using a washing machine (even on a gentle cycle, even in a front-load washer without an agitator, even in a laundry bag) can warp the underwire and potentially cause it to poke through the fabric of the bra. The use of standard detergents and/or putting them in the dryer typically breaks down the delicate fabrics of lingerie, causing your bras to deteriorate quickly and lose their elasticity. NEVER PUT YOUR BRAS IN THE DRYER!

This depends on how many bras you have, if they're the correct size, and if you care for them properly. Bras stretch every time you wear them, so if you have at least three or four of them to rotate, you'll easily get 1 ½ to 2 years of use from each of them. Again, this is assuming that the bras are cared for properly and are the correct size. If you wear the same exact bra every day, it's going to stretch out much more quickly after having been worn and washed so many times, resulting in a much shorter life span.

While measuring for your correct size is very important, taking your body and breasts as a whole into account when choosing the right style is crucial for your success. There are different styles that work better for different body and breast shapes. For example, bandless bras tend to work well for women with a shorter torso, while molded cup bras work well for women with less mass at the top of their breasts. Check out the Breast & Body Shape page to determine your breast and body shapes and which bra styles would work best for you!

Maternity/Nursing bras are designed for the changes seen in a woman’s breasts and body during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so they’re much different from your standard everyday bra styles. Nursing bra manufacturers have come a long way in making bras more fashionable; however, the main concerns are still functionality and breast health when it comes to the final product. The timing of when to buy a bra during pregnancy and after delivery can also be tricky.

There are just so many questions that arise on this subject, so we created this great 2-part blog series to answer all your questions and provide all the information and tips you’ll need when shopping for maternity and nursing bras. Check it out!

A lot of customers just can’t believe that their band size is as small as we’re saying it is. As a result, they continue to struggle with the issues associated with a poorly-fitting bra. Melissa always says, "You can’t keep trying the same thing over and over again and expect to get a different result." If you think your band size is 38 but it’s really a 34, you will never find the correct fit by continuing to try only 38-band bras. You're on this website or in our store because you haven't been successful on your bra journey, and you're now reaching out for help. Let us help you!

Sister-sizing is defined as a complimentary bra size, similar to your actual bra size, but with the fit adjusted with 2 inches more in the band and two inches less in the cup. So you’re just redistributing the inches needed for a bra to fit your breasts and body from one part of the garment to another. A couple of examples of sister sizes are:

Actual size UK 32GG, sister-size UK 34FF

Actual size US 36J, sister size 38H

The team at Breakout Bras has a love-hate relationship with sister sizes. Fitting a customer in a sister-size is not something we like to do often since wearing the correct bra size will ultimately result in the best fit, support, comfort, and garment longevity. A first-time fitting into the correct size can take some getting used to and may require a little "breaking in" of the garment, as almost all women will do with new shoes. Not all of them, however, want their new bras to be as snug as a correct fit requires, so we strike a balance by easing them into the process with their sister size. The result is a much better fit than what they’d been buying, but something they feel comfortable enough in to actually wear. More often than not, they purchase their actual size the next time they’re fitted since starting with a sister size leads to a loss of support and structure more quickly due to it technically being too big from the start.

Yes, and you’ll be glad you did! We use the shoe analogy all the time because it’s true. When you buy new shoes, especially leather ones, you almost always go through the process of breaking them in. This is where the shoe is stretching and giving a little to mold to your foot. The same goes for your bra. A bra is a support garment, so you want it to be as snug as it can be to provide maximum support. After a couple of washes and wears, the bra has stretched and molded to your body for a perfect, comfortable fit.

Having said that, this process is a lot easier for some than it is for others and is usually a one-time necessity when first fitted into the correct size. It tends to be hardest on women who are really far off with their size. We have women come in all the time that are wearing 38 and 40 bands, but they’re really 32 and 34 bands. This is quite a difference, so wearing a bra that is that much more snug can be overwhelming. Don’t worry! It won’t take long for you to get used to the feel, and you’ll definitely appreciate everything a properly fitted bra provides.

Absolutely! Pulling in is one of the most important things to do to ensure you're fitted into the correct size. Factoring in the amount of side breast tissue you have and how much of it can be pulled into the cup can make or break your bra's fit, support, and comfort. Many women mistake side breast tissue for "back fat", but your breasts actually extend around the side of your body. The more side tissue that can be pulled into the cup, the better. To achieve this level of "pulling in", we must be sure that your cup size is large enough, the wires go back far enough, and the band is snug enough to keep the tissue firmly in the cup once it's pulled forward. This will not only create a smoother look under your clothes, but it will also result in an overall better fit and level of comfort. (No one likes wires poking into the sides of their boobs.) Some women need one or even two cups larger to account for side tissue, which is not always accounted for when taking measurements with a measuring tape.