How to choose the right size bra and swimwear

I am still getting excited about clothing sizes.  Size is just a number and there is no consistency between countries, manufacturers, ready-made vs sewing patterns etc etc.  No wonder women get confused. 

I went shopping with my skinny minnie friend a while ago.  She was wearing NZ size 8 jeans but was struggling to find some new ones that she liked.  She was only looking at size 8s because she thought they were the only ones that would fit her and she wouldn't go up a size as she thought that would mean she was getting fat - yeah right!  So I raided the racks in a couple of shops and she tried on many pairs from a size 6 to a 10.  She ended up buying two pairs - a size 7 and a size 10.

Many women still don't wear the right sized bra.  If you google bra sizes you get all kinds of weird stuff including an old calculation that included added 5 inches (about 12 cm) to your actual measurement.  The easiest way is to measure around your chest under your breasts.  This is your band size and is the size bra you buy.  The A,B,C ... K is the cup size and you work that out next.  The best way is to go to a good store and get professionally fitted or try on every bra you can find in your band size until it's fits really well - your cup size may be different/bigger than you are currently wearing if your current bra is not totally comfortable and flattering.  Those cup sizes don't mean much either - did you know that a 75/30E is roughly the same cup as a 80/32 D and a 85/34 C and a 90/36B ... ??

So if you read the last post about Sonsie swimwear then it's easy to find your size.  The 'cups' are multi-sized and will fit most D-Gs.  Just measure around your chest and:

SMALL

78-85 cm

31 - 33 1/2 inches

AVERAGE

88  -  100 cm

33 1/2 – 39 1/2 inches

LARGE

100 - 115 cm

40 - 46 inches

So do you know your measurements and do you wear a great fitting bra?