Despite what you might have heard, girl you do not have to go to the store to get fitted for a bra. You can find your true number right at home using a simple strip of measuring tape. We tapped lingerie pro Jenny Altman of I Love A Good and Soma to break down the ridiculously easy steps. Below, you’ll find a fast, simple guide to uncovering your number, along with a video of Jenny breaking down the process. Now all you’ve got to do is go out and buy yourself a bra — then learn the proper way to care for it.
Step 1:
Put on a good bra, nothing with padding or compression. Grab your measuring tape (not a metal one) and stand before your mirror. (Take a deep breath and remember nobody else can see this!) Wrap the measuring tape firmly around your rib cage, just around your bra band, and make sure it’s parallel to the floor all the way around. This helps to determine your band size. Round up to the nearest even number of inches to arrive at measurement A.
Step 2:
Shimmy your measuring tape up a few inches. You want it to be around your body at the fullest point of your breasts, again making sure the tape is parallel to the floor all the way around. Round up to the nearest number of inches. This is to determine your cup size, or measurement B.
Step 3:
Take measurement A and subtract it from measurement B. For example, let’s say measurement A is 34, and measurement B is 38. 38-34=4. Then, apply that number to this scale to determine your cup size: 1=A, 2=B, 3=C, 4=D, 5=DD/E, 6=F, and so on. The cup size for our example would be D. If you want the math done for you, try Soma’s bra fit calculator.
Step 4:
Put your two numbers together. In this case, our bra size would be 34D.
Now that you have your number, you’re done with an at-home fitting. Keep in mind that this number/cup size is just your starting point. Just like with jeans, different brands and styles will not fit the same.
