Are you putting your bra on correctly?

Put your arms through first and then fasten the bra at the back.

Option 2 – Put your bra on back to front

Put your bra on back to front, in other words with the cups on your back, so you can fasten it under your bust. Then turn the bra until it’s the right way round and put your arms through the shoulder straps. If you’re wearing an underwired bra, make sure you don’t have the bra on upside down with the shoulder straps downwards, otherwise you’ll have to flip the bra which damages the underwire.

Option 3 – Front closure

If your bra has front closure, put it on as if it were a waistcoat by first putting your arms through the shoulder straps and then fastening it. It’s easiest to close a hook and eye fastening from the bottom up. This can be a little fiddly if you have a large bust and can’t see the lowest hook and eye, but it’s just a question of practice. Most people find that front-closure bras are convenient and quicker to put on since they don’t require any twisting movements. The reason more bras aren’t made with front closure is because the width of the closure can’t be adjusted. Bras that fasten at the back have 3-stage closure, which means that they can be used for longer as they become stretched over time. Since the closure itself is positioned between the breasts on a front-closing bra, you can’t make it wider without affecting the placement of the breasts.

How to adjust the fit once you’ve put your bra on

STEP 1: Adjust the shoulder straps

Once you’ve put your bra on you can adjust how the shoulder straps fit and feel against the body. Go through the following steps:

• They shouldn’t cut in, but they also shouldn’t slip down when you move.
• If the shoulder straps are adjusted correctly, you should be able to fit the tip of your finger between your shoulder and the shoulder strap without difficulty.
• Reach up with your arms. Is the band under your bust pinching the breast tissue? In that case the shoulder straps are too short (or alternatively the band size is too big).
• If they are too loose the bra won’t fit well, especially if the cups are unpadded.
• If the shoulder straps are too short or too long, take the bra off and adjust the length. You can repeat this step several times until you feel the shoulder straps are the right length.

Always adjust the shoulder straps so they aren’t too loose.

STEP 2: Do the Scoop & Swoop

Now it’s time to scoop the breasts together in the cups. This step is commonly forgotten but it makes an enormous difference to how a bra will fit and feel. Put your right hand in the outside of the left cup and make a sweeping motion, lifting the breast upwards and towards the middle of your chest. Then do the same on the other side, in other words using your left hand in the right cup.

STEP 3: Bend forwards

Stand up and bend forwards. Move your arms back and forth and gently shake your bust. If you’ve done the Scoop & Swoop correctly your breasts shouldn’t move. If your breasts slip out of the cups the cups are too small. If there’s empty space between the breasts and the cups then the cups are too big.