You guys, I had something of a bust-size shocker last weekend when I went to buy a dress for my brother-in-law’s upcoming wedding.  At Nordstrom, I found this awesome frock, which was a perfect fit except for a missing, um, pair of breasts.  Let’s just say A and B have always been the names of my chest game.

When I asked for some help, the lingerie lady came right to my dressing room (hello, Nordstrom’s top-notch service!).  She took measurements, looked at the dress, and said she’d be back with bras for me to try on in my size…34D.

If I had been drinking something, I would have done a spit take, which would have been embarrassing.  I was pleased (me? a D?), but a little suspicious. But she then explained that we small-busted women should throw out everything we think we know about our bra sizes and consider these 2 factors:

1. The Fit of the Band — The bra’s band should be snug on the loosest setting so you can tighten it as it stretches with time.  It also should be snug so that it can maximize lift, which is crucial to enhancing the look of a bra under clothes.

2.  The Placement of the Underwire — This was a revelation to me – the underwire’s fit is what determines your cup size, not the actual dimensions of your breast.  Ideally, the underwire should go all the way up your breast so as to be at the center of your armpit. I quit wearing underwire bras a few years ago because I feared health consequences, not least because the wire felt like it was digging into the lower, outer part of my breasts.  I guess that was my inner D-cup yearning to be free!

The last piece of advice she gave was the method for putting the bra on.  You should fasten it, and then lean forward (into almost a half-forward-bend, for you yoginis out there) and gently nudge your breasts away from the wired edge of the bra, so they’re in the center of the cup.  Again, this is especially for us smaller types, as this is our only chance to achieve any cleavage whatsoever!

Have you ever had a bra-fitting shocker?  Are you inspired to get properly fitted?  Share your stories!

(image via: http://www.businesspundit.com/the-10-best-april-fool%E2%80%99s-pranks-by-companies/)