Ladies, I share you pain as a male (well, actually, non-binary gender) bra-wearer. While my boobs are, luckily, reasonably similar in size, I have exactly the problem Virgin Angel describes wehn I can't fill the cup with boob.
For me, the solution is chicken fillets so that when I get the wire to fit the base of my boobs and that leaves a gap, I can fill it up and pull up my flesh up to give the appearance of 38C boobs which I don't have.
More recently, although I'm still the same size as ever, I've been able to fit into more 36" bras - D or DD cup. I might need an exrtender for the first few times I wear it, but then the band settles down and feels just like most of my 38" bras.
I feel fortunate to have two good fitters who help me get all this to work. I can't overstress the importance of being fitted as each bra really is a bit different and a good fitter can deal with all the problems like unequal boob sizes and unusually-shaped boobs.
I think pretty well all the sizes you ladies have come up with are available, but the important thing is that when you go and have a fitting with a properly skilled fitter, she'll find bras to fit you even if they're not actually the size you think you are. One of my ladies has fitted me into 38C, 38D, 36D and 36DD bras all within the last year and a half, and I haven't changed size noticeably in that time.
My general policy is to get the band size right, then the cup size that gives a good fit for the wire (I only wear underwired bras) and finally to fill the cup with chicken fillets if I need to. Admittedly, being born male I have a different shape chest ot many women, but my fitters don't see that as an insuperable problem, just another day's work. Most of my bras fit well enough for me not to notice them through the day and I change at night into a bigger bra with forms to sleep in. All feel lovely to me. I don't get sore even though I wear one bra or another all the time.
MrPink, which version of the chicken fillets do you use? LH are selling several and I have no idea which would be best or whether there's even a noticeable difference between the various models...
38G (I'm overflowing my bras now just need to buy new ones but they're so expensive like £20 a bra if I can even find my size)
That's often a big part of the problem for me too, Kirsty. The price. I feel like there not only aren't a lot of places near me that carry my size, or much choice in my size; nor a lot of places with in-store fitters, meaning I have to make a million trips to the dressing room; but that the places that might are too upscale for my wallet. At least in terms of pretty but practical bras for everyday wear.
I tend to fit a 34F, 34FF or 34G bra depending upon the style and brand but LH seems so limited for bras for me :( They have one or two in these sizes but no where near as much range as there is for smaller sizes. Any awkward size sisters here?
I have one boob slightly larger than the other, which is normal I guess. But the thing is, I'm between a B and a C. The C fits nicely on my leftie but the cup has a huge gap in it for the rightie. I find a B is a little better, but sometimes I get the horrible buldge from the leftie so its a battle! I find softer cups work better.
Talia, mine are most like the Hollywood ones shown on Lovehoney. That is, they are crescent-shaped rather than boob-shaped, and I tuck them towards the sides of a plunge bra or in the bottom of a balconette style.
I always wear padded bras for this type of insert; you can use them in an unpadded bras but it's then harder to get a good shape.
I'd get the bigger size unless you're something like a 30 or 32 back with very small boobs, in which case the bigger ones would not fit in your bras.
While I love Chantelle lingerie, it's a bit spendy and I've had some brilliant results with Lepel Fiore push-up bras and chicken fillets. The Fiore bra has removable pads and comesin a huge range of sizes. That's just a guide; most push-up bras will do the trick and many others styles, especially balconette, can work well. Depending on you and the style of the bra, you'll have to work out the best way to put the chicken fillets in the bra.
Let me know if you need more help. I'm not the world's greatest expert, but I've been around a long while!
And ladies - I didn't mention this specifically in my earlier post, but if one of your boobs is a lot smaller than the other, a single chicken fillet might be just what you need .... It's not cheating, more like getting nice heels or glasses if you happen to be short, or short-sighted.
Thanks MrPink, I've put the Hollywood double boost ones on my wishlist. I'm with you on the price of Chantelle lingerie - it physically hurt to fork over the money for the bra but I considered it well spent for fitting and advice (small retailers need to make a living, too). And I only have the one - once I knew my size I discovered that I can find well-fitting and good-locking bras easily enough. At least in France...
Which is why I'm not looking at the chicken fillets for wearing in bras, but to fill out my corsets. I'm not sure why that's so difficult, but it is (well, might have something to do with a too big tummy)...
One of my former partners changed size quite a bit during her monthly cycle (you'd think if she had a bike she'd use it more often - boom-boom!) and kept more than one size of bra to cope with the fluctuations. And some girls have winter and summer clothes for the same reason.
I'd imagine that with a couple of bra sizes and the use, or not, of extenders in case the back becomes too tight, you should ba able to cope with all but really extreme changes of size. And of course, you need to be fitted for each bra (or try on carefully) because even if you're always the same size, your bras won't be, depending on make, style, colour (black tend to come up smaller, for example) and how you like a particular bra to feel on you.
If you always go out for a 32G, say, you may be missing bras that fit better even though the label says another size. I don't change size a lot - my back's been the same for years and my cup size has gone up a couple of sizes, maybe a bit less, over about 20 years! But I have bras in 38C (my 'normal size'), 38D, 36D and 36DD and even one in 38B that still fits OK. Oh, and a 34DD, but I definitely need an extender for that one!
Gem, you might want to try the Charnos Sienna bra, which I'm fairly sure comes in your size. It comes in various colours and new shades keep coming along. I have it in 38E (in white, dark navy, turquoise and aubeergine) for my big breast forms and it's the best big-boob bra I've tried so far, I think because the cup is better engineered than most. But it looks nice, gives good support, has decent-sized briefs and is sooo comfy - I sleep in mine more thsan any other bra.
It would be best to be fitted, but the sizing seems to be pretty accurate as far as I can tell with my limited big-bust experience.
Gem, you might want to try the Charnos Sienna bra, which I'm fairly sure comes in your size. It comes in various colours and new shades keep coming along. I have it in 38E (in white, dark navy, turquoise and aubeergine) for my big breast forms and it's the best big-boob bra I've tried so far, I think because the cup is better engineered than most. But it looks nice, gives good support, has decent-sized briefs and is sooo comfy - I sleep in mine more thsan any other bra.
It would be best to be fitted, but the sizing seems to be pretty accurate as far as I can tell with my limited big-bust experience.
Hope that helps!
Thank you darling! I use their website already, I will have a good look again xx
Not weird I guess, just very small. It does make it hard to buy lingerie since not too many pieces fit my breasts. I like how my boobs look, but when lingerie are too big in just that area, it makes me feel unwomanly.