The Bra Fitter Diaries: What the Heck’s a “Full Bust”??

If you’ve ever walked by Broad’s sign or seen one of our business cards, you may have noticed this line:

“Lingerie and swimwear for fuller busts.”

We hear a lot of questions about what that means, and we totally get it. The bra world can be confusing, and the terminology is new to many of our clients. Let’s try to clear it up!

Fuller?

First things first: full bust isn’t exactly a standardized or regulated term. It means something a little bit different depending on the store. (I know, I’m sorry!) At Broad, our size range runs from 28-44 D-JJ. Over our first four months of business, our bestselling size has been 34G. If you’ve never heard of some of these sizes, don’t worry! I’ll explain why that is in a minute.

Is full bust like plus size? Can petite people shop here?

Full bust and plus size are two separate concepts, although they can co-exist. Like full bust, plus has a shifting definition. In lingerie plus sizes are generally considered to be a band size of 38 or greater. (But plenty of people may wear plus lingerie and straight size clothing, or vice versa.) Because we carry band sizes 28-44, our range fits petite, straight size, and plus size bodies. Plus size folks are not always fuller-busted and petite folks are not always smaller-busted – every body is different! 36GG, 44D, 28J…these represent a range of body types and are all full bust sizes.

Above are Sam (Broad’s owner, right) and Ivory, her sister. They’re modelling Cappuccino by Ewa Michalak, in full bust sizes, and they wear straight size and plus size clothing respectively.

What makes Broad different from a regular lingerie store?

Another common question in our fitting rooms is, “So what would my size be in a regular store?” Our sizes don’t translate into sizes available at “regular” stores, because we go beyond their size range. Think of those places like a clothing store that only stocks up to a size 8 – sizes above 8 still exist and are legitimate sizes. This is also why you may not have heard of an H cup – many lingerie stores don’t carry cup sizes larger than D, or band sizes outside the range of 32-38.

(A quick refresher on how bra size is calculated: we take two measurements. First, we measure around your ribcage directly below your bust. Next we measure around the fullest part of your bust. The first measurement becomes the number part of your bra size. To get the letter, we count inches between the two measurements. So if your underbust measures 38 inches and your bust measures 44 inches, your bra size would be roughly a 38F. This is why a cup size means nothing without the context of a band size. For more on this, click here and here.)

Not sure if you’ve got a “fuller bust”? Come by for a fitting anyway. They’re free, and even if we don’t have the bra for you, you’ll leave with more information on what to look for. Plus, we’re really, really fun!