As an experiment, a bra fitter and her friend go undercover and surrender themselves to the mercy and dubious expertise of Lisbon bra fitters. The hilarious / tragic results (depending on your sense of humour) have been photographically documented for your entertainment and education. The post originally appeared on Bra Fitting Cidade.
Another Lisbon shopping center, I have some free time so I just decide to have a look into a Triumph shop. Though, I don’t really expect to find anything for me… as this brand is not really known for having full range of sizes. I just go there to check my theory, mind you – without a camera, so no photos this time.
So I ask for a bra for 72/101 and a shop assistant there measures me with a “special Triumph measuring tape”. The measurements she gets differ from mine – she measures my ribcage loosely and she gets 77cm. And then I get two bras to try on – a 80B and 80C….Well…. This is really highly incompetent. Considering how stretchy most Triumph bras are an 80 doesn’t provide any support, and the cups… well 80B is for 95 around breasts, and 80C – 97cm and about 85-90cm underbust. I try them on knowing they will not fit- it’s a massacre what they do with my breasts. Jesus, my poor boobs try to escape from these small cups in any direction they can – up, down, to the sides, the underwires dig into my breast tissue and don’t lie flat on my sternum. The band rides up almost to my neck. I just regret I didn’t take a camera…. I ask the shop assistant to take a look. She doesn’t even try to claim that it looks good, she brings 80D…(for 85-90/99cm). which still has too small cups, too wide band and doesn’t support anything.
I show it to the shop assistant and she brings a 80E which in theory is for 101 around boobs – it should fit…. shouldn’t it? However, after putting it on correctly the cups are still too small, not to mention the fact that the underband is still too loose. If I removed the straps it would simply fall down… I show it again to the shop assistant and try to explain what the problem is – small cups, band rising up etc. Well, the shop assistant suggest loosening the straps…
Oh my God<banging head on the wall> It means that owners of such shops don’t really train their stuff in anything!!!
Well, more examples. Another shopping mall with several lingerie shops. I am there by myself, M. doesn’t have time to go with me and investigate, but this time I have my camera…
I start with another Triumph….
What I get there is 80D (for 99cm bust):
You can see a bulge under my armpit and also on the right the underwires don’t lie flat on my sternum.And 90D (109cm bust)…. Looking more or less the same as 80D… (meaning – bad)… And actually these two models are not really that stretchy… but they still ride up on my back.
After that the shop assistant there measures me and she gives me a 75E… a very stretchy one – stretching up to 20 cm more (96cm bust), as you see it proudly claims on the label “up to big cups”. It really made me laugh, 75E is NOT a big cup at all.
And it says there on the label “comfort wire”…. Well, if it’s fitted correctly then maybe it is comfortable. I didn’t find it like that… Loose, riding up band, wires cutting into my breast tissue, wires at the front not teaching the sternum… And personally I’m not a fan of this “breasts hugging each other” look… although you can get it in a well fitted bra too.
... to be continued
She reveals her real bra size in the last segment of this series, till then -- can you guess it ?