The NUDEA Fit Guide is here to share our expert knowledge on how your bra and knickers really should fit. Read on to learn about how to avoid all that poking and gaping going on and discover our core collection, designed for pure comfort and style.
BRA FITTING GUIDE
UNDERBAND
Your underband is crucial for support. It should feel seamless against your skin, resting in a straight line. Now, try to put two fingers under the band - there should be just enough room, leaving you with a perfectly snug fit!
If you have a digging, uncomfortable sensation around the band, try a looser hook or a band size up and youʼll feel much better.
When choosing a band size up, remember to go for a cup size down to ensure the perfect fit (i.e. a 34D would be swapped for a 36C - see our section on “sister sizing” for more details).
Go too big however and find that the band will ride up your back. This may not happen as soon as you’ve put your bra on so try pulling on the band at the back. If it quite happily stretches then you need a smaller band.
WIRES
Your breasts and cups should form a seamless curve, no bulging or gaping, fully enclosing your breasts and giving you an invisible bra feel under your clothes. All wires should sit comfortably around the bust, flat against the rib cage and breast bone.
Watch out for any lifting at the centre front, often caused by too big an underband, the wire should never sit on the soft tissue of the breast. If this is the case for you, you should try a band size down or a cup size up. On the other hand, any bulging is often caused by too small an underwire, which pushes your breast tissue outwards causing all sorts of discomfort.
Remember if you go down a band size, to find your “sister size” by choosing a cup size up (i.e. a 34D would be swapped for a 32E - see our section on “sister sizing” for more details).
STRAPS
If your straps are digging in or leaving red marks, try The Strap Slip Test: Your underband should provide enough support that your breasts stay calm and collected, even when you slip the straps off!
You donʼt, however, want your straps to be slipping down of their own accord, so make sure to keep them snugly tightened. We recommend adjusting your straps every couple of months to ensure a great fit!
CUPS
With the cups of your bra, you donʼt want them too tight, bulging over the top or at the side and you really donʼt want gaping between the cup and the top of your breast (neither of these look good under your clothes!)
If you find yourself bulging over the top or sides of your bra, you should try going up a cup size. And if you find there is a gap between your breast and bra - you guessed it - go down a cup size!
CENTRE FRONT
The wiring that curves up between your breasts should lay flat against your breastbone without any discomfort or rogue wire poking out. As for your underband, this forms a snug foundation around the rib cage.
If you find the band lifting away, it could mean that your cup size is too small or the band is too big and weʼre really not sure how we feel about the underboob look…
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Remember if you go down a band size, to find your “sister size” by choosing a cup size up (i.e. a 34D would be swapped for a 32E)
and if something still doesn't feel right...
Use your current bra as a starting point
Your band fits but cups don’t: If there is space between the cup of your bra and your breast, go down a cup size. Alternatively, if you are bulging over the top of your cups, you will need to go up a cup size.
Neither your cup nor band fit: If this is the case for you, you need to try a band size up, for example changing up a 34B for a 36B. If the band and cup of your current bra are too small, going up a band size will also allow the cups to adjust to a more comfortable fit.
You cups fit but your band is too big or small: Here, you will need to adjust both cup and band size. If your band size is too loose (you can fit more than two fingers between your back and band), then go down a band size and up a cup size. So, for example, if you are a 34B you would try a 32C - make sense? See our guide on Sister Sizing for further explanation.
HOW TO PUT YOUR BRA ON
Okay, we know this sounds simple, but trust us, putting your bra on correctly can lead to a whole new world of comfort...
Wear your new bra on the loosest hook so as it stretches, you can make it tighter. Our bras are fitted with 4 hook & eyes which allow you to keep you bra longer than other brands.
Jiggle your boobs into the bra making sure that nothing is bulging out from under the band or sides.
You can adjust the straps using the sliders on the back strap, we would advise tightening every couple of months to keep the straps supportive. Our unique system of adjustment allows you to wear the straps across your back in “racerback style”.