Recently, I had a chance to speak with Karen Bromley of the Intimate Apparel Council where we discussed bras and size issues. Our talk ranged from sizing issues (especially for smaller women) to shopping tips and the fact that women are wearing incorrect sizes (85%!). According to Ms. Bromley, bras are a very technical article of clothing, and therefore, it is extremely important to have a good fit – especially if one wants to look good and be comfortable. However, it isn’t just the shopper who is buying the incorrect size, but also because many stores do not have professional fitters (in other words, she does not believe that some stores ill-advise women just to get a sale). Ms. Bromley highly recommends that one go to a specialty store (i.e. not chains) to purchase the correct size.
A bra made by The Little Bra Company, which focuses on smaller sizes
But what about the smallest of sizes? What does Ms. Bromley have to say about those of us who are less than an A cup or smaller than a 32 band?
Ms. Bromley on the Lula Lu Lingerie issue when they announced that they were going to sell AAA cups and the blogosphere went crazy, indicating that the company was trying to appeal to very young girls:
The average bra size today is a 36 DD – therefore many manufacturers have stopped producing the very petite sizes. As it is they produce each and every bra style in a range of cup sizes(some up to K) and in several band widths from 32 up to 50 and above. Lula Lu is just creating lingerie for the petite women out there who don’t have as many choices as the plus size women do.
On why she thinks it’s harder for society to accept the fact that there are grown women who’re very tiny:
I don’t think that is the case. However some manufacturers are focused on the junior market, some on the women’s market and some on the Plus size market. There is something for every body type available.
On why she thinks it’s easier to find smaller band sizes in Europe and Asia:
Asian and European women tend to be smaller in frame and in this country, our average bra size is 36DD and the average dress size is 14!
On whether she thinks it’s harder for smaller women or larger women to find well-fitting bras:
Today the larger busted woman has many more choices. Manufacturers are accommodating the tremendous growth in larger sizes as demand has required it. Smaller sizes are a bit tougher to find as readily.
Tips for smaller women looking to find well-fitting bras:
Shop online and also some specialty stores may special order for customers.
One question Ms. Bromley was unable to answer was why she thought that sizes like 28C were not considered “petite.” Her answer to the quesetion was:
Manufacturers offer a wide variety of sizes however retailers tend to select what sells best in their stores. So the sizes are available from some brands in petite sizes – it is often times a good idea to shop online for petite sizes.
While this answers the question on petite sizes in general, it does not say why 28C is not a petite size. Perhaps other lingerie professionals could elaborate?
