I spoke with Kristi Kidwell, of Phonix, Arizona, yesterday. With over eight years experience working with Champion sports bras, and other companies, including the Running Center, she is absolutely an expert in the field of the Perfect Bra Fit. She has performed about 1,400 bra fittings a year across the country.
Among other things, I learned that the bra I was tangled up in at Sports Authority is actually a very good bra. I just happened to get the one with a faulty zipper...and I was trying to fit into one that was too small (I also received an education on that!). However, the bra, a Champion zipper front is very good for the woman with limited mobility, or who may not be able to lift her arms over her head due to a mastectomy, arthritis, etc.
On bra fit: Purchasing a running bra is very much like buying a running shoe. First, we begin with size.
A/B Cups
These are the lucky women because they can wear all the pretty bras in a rainbow of colors. This is a compression bra, which means pulling the breast back to the chest. I call it "smashing the girls." These bras come in sizes XS, S, M, L. This is where I've made my mistake in trying to gain support by doubling up on bras, sometimes even tripling!
A/B/C Cups
These are also compression bras, but they may also have molded cups or back closures. The sizes here are S, M, L, XL with a chart for cup and band sizes.
C/D/DD Cups
Bras that use compression, molded cups or an underwire. They will have straps and/or back closures. They come in specific band and cup sizes.
D/F and Beyonds
These bras may use laminated fabrics, corset construction, underwires, thicker back panels and front panels. They also come in specific cup/band sizes. The Enell bra is one example that comes to mind.
I think the difficulty in finding the right bra size is that sometimes
we ladies go into a store and we have our regular street bra size in
mind. Kristi informed me that ideally, we should be fitted for our
running bras just like we do for shoes. Definitely, we should all be
trying on our sports bras because of manufacturer size discrepancies.
A Nike bra may be different sized from a Champion bra. For instance,
if you normally wear a 34D in a Champion, you may be more comfortable
in a 36C in another brand, or a 32DD in yet another.
Once we have the correct size, we look for a perfect fit. (Just like we do when we buy shoes).
Here are some rules:
Cups should not wrinkle, gap or buckle.
Excess skin should not spill out into the arm area or create excess cleavage.
Straps should be snug, but not cinched down so tight that you feel restricted.
The
band or back closure should be snug but not digging into your back so
that rolls of skin overflow. You've heard of "muffin top?" I don't
know what you'd call this look, but I think I've been guilty of it.
Women
who have half their boobs under the armpit should look for a bra cup
that captures this tissue, which often leads to a bigger bra size. It
may be a bigger size than you think you need. (This reminds me of
jeans shopping. I'm always a bigger size than I think I should be!)
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