For women a good fitting bra would seem essential but experts still believe up to 77% of women are not wearing a bra that fits correctly.

A ‘Which’ report found that only six out of 75 high street fittings resulted in a correctly fitting bra. To ensure that customers purchase the right sized bra for them it is important to go to outlets which offer a knowledgeable personal fitting service such as an independent retailer.

Due to the varying brands and sizes it really does take an expert with experience and practice to help find that perfect fit.

Discovering your correct bra size can be life changing. This might seem a little extreme, but it is easy to underestimate how much your figure, the way your clothes look and the way you feel about yourself can be transformed by the correct bra.

A wrong size Not only means that there is very little or no support but it also does not show off your figure to its full potential.

Wearing the correct size bra can help transform your figure putting the curves back in the right places and can change your silhouette dramatically.

Julie says that it is important to be re-fitted regularly as your breast size can change due to weight change, illness and age.

Forget Your Tape Measure!

For many women, past experiences in trying to find the right bra size have meant getting a tape measure and measuring themselves - taking over and under bust measurements, adding or subtracting another number, working out the difference between two other numbers and then, ending up - hopefully - with a bra size.

At Bare Necessities, years of experience of bra styling means we believe that tape measures don't work when it comes to finding a bra that fits correctly. Every woman,s breasts vary in volume, shape, size and spacing and these are all factors in getting the correct size. The volume of your breasts may be more at the bottom, sides or top, and this will affect the size you need to ensure you look superb and feel comfortable. If you take a number of women with identical over and under bust measurements, our experience shows the bras that actually fit them may all be different sizes.

This is why we urge you to forget about measuring your bust and concentrate instead on how your bra looks and feels. You may find trying a bra on in front of a mirror helps you to really see which areas are right and which may need some adjusting.

Here's three simple steps to help you find the right bra size for you. Don't forget, if you have any difficulties or are not sure which size to order, our staff are happy to offer you bra fitting advice over the phone. We would love to hear from you, so please call and have a chat with us on 0161 427 6984 if you have any questions at all.

• Step One – Check to ensure that you are wearing the correct back size.
• The strap should be firm around your body
• The strap should be horizontal at the back
• You can run two fingers under the band

• Step Two – Check to ensure the wires sit flat between your bust and aren,t being pushed away from your body.
• Flat wires at the front

• Step Three – Check to ensure you are wearing the right cup size.
• Your breast should be enclosed in the cup with no wrinkling of fabric
• Your breasts don,t bulge over top or side of the cups
• (even in a balconette or plunge bra)

Wearing the Wrong Bra Size

It is really important that we all fit ourselves regularly as you will not remain the same bra size throughout your life.

We women go through many changes – age, puberty, pregnancy, the contraceptive pill, general weight gain and loss are all factors in the changing size and shape of our bust.

The main issue with wearing the wrong bra size is the lack of support your bust will get. Wearing the wrong size can cause neck, shoulder and back ache due to the weight of the bust pulling the bra up at the back. If your bra is not supportive enough, your muscles have to do all the work. Not only may you suffer from aches but the bra may also rub and cause skin irritations.

Wearing the wrong bra size can also mean the wires of the bra sit on your breast tissue. The wires should encase and support your bust and should not be on the breast tissue as this causes unnecessary pressure.

• Common bra problems

• Back of the bra is riding up
• Shoulder straps dig in
• Bulging out of the cup
• Wrinkling in the cup
• Wires standing away at the front of the bra in between your boobs
• Bra moves when arms are raised
• Old Bra

Please use the tables below to convert between UK, US, European and French sizes.

Brief & G-string conversion.