Hi Ladies,

I received many emails regarding my last post on bridal bustiers - so here’s a bit of follow-up on it, in response to one particular email that came in:

dear marianne

i saw your post last month about fitting bustiers.  i get the part about fitting on the loosest hook, so that i can go to the tighter hooks as i lose weight before the wedding.  however, i’m still having problems finding the right bustier size.  i wear a bra size 36D, so that’s the size i bought my bustier in but it didn’t fit.  it was too tight around the tummy.  i have some lovehandles and whatnot that are keeping me from closing the garment, even on the loosest hook.  help pls!!   –mariella

Let’s first take a moment to consider the differences between a traditional bra and a bustier.  A bra wraps from the upper back around the bust.  (The band measurement of a bra is an indication of that distance, specifically around the top of the bust.)  A bustier however wraps around the entire midsection - and whereas bra bands are made of stretch fabric, the bodice of a bustier is often rigid.

Therefore if you are pear-shaped, much fuller around the midsection than the upper back, you will run into fit issues if you extrapolate out your bustier size from your bra size.  In such cases I suggest moving up one increment in band size - but also down one cup size, because going up in the band will often increase the size of the cup as well.  In Mariella’s case, I would suggest going from 36D to 38C.

Hope that helps!

Best,

Marianne