When You Should Get New Bras and Get Fitted Again

These two questions are often the same. If your bra isn't fitting correctly, it's time not only for a new bra but also to get fitted for your bra size again.

Generally, it's recommended to get refitted every six months to a year. Bodies are always changing, even outside of puberty, so good support means the correct bra size. Girls going through puberty should be refitted more often.

You should have at least three bras to rotate between (washing per the care instructions extends their life) - ideally seven or more, but to each their own.

Signs It's Time for a New Bra and a Fitting

• Cup wrinkling means your cup size is too large.
• Cups gapping means your band size is too large.
• Breasts spilling or overflowing out the sides means your cup size is too small.
• The band riding up your back means your band is too loose.
• The band pinching your skin means it's too tight.
• Straps pinching or digging in, even after adjusting, means your band is too loose and your straps are doing all the work - support should come from the band, not the straps.
• Straps falling off even after adjusting means your band size is too large.
• The bra moving up when you raise your arms means your band is too loose.
• If anything feels too tight or too loose, or it's simply been years, or your body has changed (weight loss, weight gain, pregnancy, or anything else) - it's time to get refitted.

How to Measure Yourself at Home

All you need is a soft measuring tape and something to record your measurements with.

Step 1: Measure Your Ribcage for Band Size

Your band size is crucial to a proper fit. Measure your underbust, keeping the tape parallel to the floor and snug around your ribcage, and round to the nearest whole even number. A band size will be 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, and so on.

Step 2: Measure Your Overbust

Measure the fullest part of your breasts, tape parallel to the floor, not too tight and not too loose. Round to the nearest whole number - for example, 32.5 rounds to 33.

Step 3: Find Your Cup Size

Subtract your band size from your overbust measurement. That's it - no need to add four inches to the band, the way the plus-4 method asks.

Overbust measurement minus band size equals cup size. Each inch equals a cup size:

• 1 inch = A cup
• 2 inches = B cup
• 3 inches = C cup
• 4 inches = D cup
• 5 inches = DD cup or E cup
• 6 inches = DDD cup or F cup
• 7 inches = DDDD cup or G cup

Combine your band size and cup size, and you have your bra size.

Real-Life Examples

At the BRABAR Studio, we often had repeat guests come every year for new bras at the start of a school year or before summer camp. Two sisters were brought in by their mom for the second year in a row.

The previous year, the older sister, a teen girl, had been a 34C. This time, she was a 34DDD or 34F. She went from a 34 underbust and 37 overbust to a 34 underbust and a 40 overbust - she grew three inches in her overbust, but her band size didn't change at all. She got her usual Soft Day Bras and also tried the Soft V Reversible Laceback Bralette for the first time. In my experience, styles from the Soft Collection, like the Soft Day Bra and the Soft V Reversible Laceback Bralette, tend to work especially well for a 34DDD.

The younger sister had been a 28A the previous year. This time, her underbust measured 29 inches, rounding up to a 30 band, and her overbust measured 32 inches - a 2-inch difference, making her a 30B. She got her usual Soft V Crop Bras and Soft Cami Bra Tops, both unlined and great starter bras for preteens and tweens. These were her favorites from the previous visit too, which makes sense for her age group - the Soft Cami Bra Top is a fan favorite, and the Soft V Crop Bra is our most comfortable bra.

You can see the difference a year makes. It was necessary to get both girls resized - especially the older sister, given the jump in cup size with no change in band size.

It might not be as dramatic a difference for you, but it's always good to double-check. If your band is too tight or too loose, your cups are wrinkling or gapping, or you haven't gotten a new bra in a couple of years, it's time to get fitted and shop for something new.

Check out BRABAR's full collection of teen bras, tween bras, teen and tween bralettes, sports bras, lace bralettes, halter bralettes, cotton bras, everyday bras, strapless bras, and comfy undies.