FAQ

Anne of Craicor staff in Kerikeri offer bra and swimwear fittings free of charge.  Contact them to arrange a fitting time.

How often should you wash bras?

Every 3 or so wears.  Sweat and body oils can be harmful to the bras fabric, so it is essential to not go too long between washes.

How do you know if a bra fits?

A bra that fits well will make you feel comfortable and give you complete support.  The straps won’t slip off your shoulders or dig in.  The band will sit firmly around your back and will not ride up.  A good fitting bra will hug your body with no gap between your ribcage and the bra.   Your breast tissue goes all the way to your underarm so it’s important all your breast is supported by your cup. The Centre of your bra fits firmly against your chest wall.

Around 70% of women wear the wrong bra size so we have put together some tips for you to consider before trying on your next bra.

1. Put on the bra and fasten the hook on the loosest hook (especially when brand new as over time as the material stretches and you may want to tighten it later)
2. Loosen the straps
3. Ensure your underwire sits as far up in the ‘breast crease’ without touching any breast tissue
4. Make sure all side breast tissue is scooped into the cup.  This can be achieved by bending forward until your breasts are fully inside the cup.
5. Tighten straps ensuring two fingers can fit underneath them. Don’t  tighten your straps to achieve the uplift.
6. If you have one breast that is bigger than the other, make sure you fit your bra to the bigger breast. Adjust your straps so that the cups sit closely to both breasts with as little bagginess as possible.  Certain bras have more stretch so the bagginess doesn’t show.

The bra you are wearing now may not be the size on the label? 

Bras have a lifespan and the material can stretch over time. Your replacement bra might be a lot tighter than you are used to. It may be that your body has changed due to hormones or a difference in your weight and you may need to go up or down a cup or back size to achieve the perfect fit.

Don’t be scared of trying a new size. You may have always worn a 34D/12D as that is what used to fit well and now you are bulging out of that size when you try it on.  Hormonal and weight changes could mean you now need to wear a 34DD or 36D.

Consider the following when you are looking for the perfect fit.Band size– when working this out you can use your dress size.  So if you are a size 16 in dresses then your band size will be a 16.  If you are trying on bras from USA/UK or Europe the sizes chart will help you convert them to Aus/NZ sizes.

Size Conversion Chart

Aus/NZ	USA/UK	Europe
8	30	65
10	32	70
12	34	75
14	36	75
16	38	80
18	40	85
20	42	90

Cup size– if you are going up a band (back size) you will need to come down a cup size to ensure the cup size stays the same.  If you are going down a back size you go up a cup size. Different style bras suit different shape breasts.  Some bra sizes suit a full round breast while others suit teardrop breasts.  A specialised bra fitting will help you with this detail.