It was a Saturday morning, which began with a text message from an acquaintance who I will call Grace for the purpose of this article. I met Grace once before at a party and gave her my business details and she was now contacting me for a bra fitting. I responded by saying that we did not offer this service and proceeded to recommend famous brand no.1, whom I believed would be able to help.

"Oh no..." said Grace, and she then proceeded to tell me why she didn't use this brand, She continued,"I normally go to famous brand no. 2 to get measured, however the lady who normally fits is not available and I need someone who can assist me today. Can you help?"

Now, "famous brand no.2" recently had their royal warrant removed, so it was immediately apparent that Grace knew a thing or two about buying quality lingerie. She furthermore went on to say that she planned to meet her friend Simone that day who also needed a bra fitting. Grace was helping Simone transform her life through a healthy eating and exercise program, noticed Simone's lack of interest in her underwear :-) and wanted to buy her some new lingerie to encourage and motivate her on her journey.

Did I hear girlfriends supporting girlfriends?

How could I say no to Grace and before I could say "..but it's my day off...." There I was, two hours later with Grace and Simone in Oxford street, London, in the fitting rooms of famous brand no.1, conducting a fitting.

WHEN SHOULD YOU MEASURE YOUR BRA SIZE:

It is recommended that women get measured every three to six months because of age, hormone changes and fluctuating weight and measuring is not as complicated as you think, just follow our easy steps below and you can’t go wrong.

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR BRA SIZE:

Now there are many way you can conduct a fitting, but I like to keep it quite simple, which is the following:

1. Determine your band size:
Start by wearing a light padded bra to keep your boobs in place if needed, and measure in inches around the bottom of the band, directly under your bust as shown in the image below. If you get an odd number, round up to the next even number.

2. Determine your bust measurement:
Wrap the measuring tape loosely around the fullest part of your chest (at nipple level). Round to the nearest whole number.

3. Calculate your cup size:
Subtract your band size from your bust measurement and refer to chart.

For Example:

Bust measurement: 37 inches

Band measurement: 34 inches

37 minus 34 equals 3 inches.

3 inches according to the chart below is C Cup.

Take the Band measurement above (in this case 34 inches) and combine it with the C Cup and voila!

Your bra size is 34C.

Grace also had an amusing tip recommended by famous brand no.2. To ensure your bra fits correctly, bend over in front of you at a 45 degree angle, put your hands through your bra straps, jiggle your boobs into the bra and then flip back into to an upright position, this ensures that your breasts are fully in the cup and fitted accurately.

Mmm.... This was news to me and before I could say, "That's a load of nonsense..." there we were, doing jiggling motions in the changing room. It was a fun morning, and yes, it is good to take your time make the process fun.

So, after trying on a few bras, Simone had found her bra, her style and she was beaming with a new found confidence.

4. Exact sizing and fit may vary from band to band.

Now, even though Simone had found her bra, Grace who arranged the whole morning, did not, because the bras at brand no 1 did not suit her body type. So ladies please note, even though you may have calculated your bra size correctly, you may have to shop around to find the right bra for you, as bras may vary from brand to brand, so don't be disheartened as this too is also a process, but once you find the right brand, you are good to go.

BRA FITTING SERVICE

Finally, because of this experience we are now offering a bra fitting service to our customers. Unfortunately because our business is online we cannot invite you to our store as we do not have one - yet.., but we do offer a service where we could meet and conduct a personalised bra fitting at the brand of your choice.

Please email us at info@olyinka.com to make an appointment.

How to measure your bra size

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