The Right Bra Will Change Your Life

Attention: Most likely, your bra band is too big and your cup size too small.

That's what the otherwise ambiguous "8 out of 10 women are wearing the wrong size bra" is referring to.

A few years ago, when I was working in London, I was expertly fitted by Rigby & Peller (official bra-maker to the Royals) as a 28D. Did you even know such a size existed? Probably not, seeing as the bra-fitters I've visited since moving stateside have--tape measure in hand--tried to put me in a 32C or even a 34B, even as I would jam my entire hand under the band to show her it clearly wasn't tight enough. The stores didn't carry anything below a 32. Even if you search "bra" on shopstyle.com your smallest option is a 32. And so I became--rather disgruntledly--a 32C, hiking up the straps for support and cursing myself for not stocking up in London.

Yesterday I decided to put my faith (or chest) in the hands of Intimacy, a lingerie store/bra fitters on NYC's Upper East Side that a friend professed as changing her life. I was skeptical. My fitter--sans tape measure but instead tugging and adjusting my current bra--estimated I was actually a 30D (Hurrah!), said that she herself was a 28D, and that most women are wearing ridiculously too-large band sizes. As I figured, a bra's support doesn't come from the straps: the famous over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder description is wrong. It comes totally from the band underneath. (She also said that lace styles last much longer than any others--a practical point to remember when you're debating the sexy black lace vs. the smooth T-shirt bra.) I walked out--standing taller, looking leaner in my dress, feeling infinitely more comfortable--having bought a whopping seven new bras from a range of brands I never knew made my size. I even squealed over them, they were so pretty and perfect. Plus note: When the bands start to stretch, I send them back for free alterations.

Point being, the right bra will change your life--or at the very least will knock of 10 pounds and straighten out your posture. And be wary of any bra-fitter who comes at you with a tape measure.

Intimacy has a few locations across the country and aren't just for the tiny chested--they carry up to a size K, and the alterations are free for as long as you have your bra. They're not the only ones, though, who carry a good range of sizes.

Here are some websites to check out:

*Figleaves.com: goes from a 28A to a 54F, and carries everything from Elle Macpherson (my favorite) and Princess Tam Tam to Chantelle.

*Barenecessities.com: starts at 28DD, and free shipping on orders over $50 (which is like, the cost of one bra).

*Rigbyandpeller.com: their in-house line starts at a 30D, and happily they now deliver stateside. (Yay!)