Finding a suitable bra & supportwear

[Johndoe1]

Congratulations on your first fitting and your "first" bra! I really believe the stores are starting to see there is more than just a female market needing bust support. While there are still stores who resist, overall things are much better now than just a few years ago.

[SideSet]

Soma is great.

Glad you had a good experience.

You look good in that bra 

Glad it feels good, too.

Before you know it, wearing a bra will be second nature to you

[Confused old man]

The reason I waited so long to get fitted was because I was losing weight. I thought for sure that things would change on top. After losing 25 lbs. I feel much better, but my bust measures the same as before. So now that my belly has shrunk down my boobs stick out more😂😂. I was drawn to this site because I was thinking of surgery. But after reading so much about acceptance and my wife accepting the changes in me, surgery is out. It scared me anyway. So this site really helped me but not in the way I was thinking at first. Happy with my decision and happy with my boobs...they are part of me. And happy that other men are willing to share their experiences. Helps alot!

[hawkdaboo3]

Soma is great.

Glad you had a good experience.

You look good in that bra c

Glad it feels good, too.

Before you know it, wearing a bra will be second nature to you

I really like the compression and smoothness of these bralettes. The only thing I am a bit hesitant about is how small the straps are. The bra provide me decent support right now- but I would worry if they grew then it might start to dig in or something.

[SideSet]

Hawk, your measurement sounds like a 40 B, so I am guessing you might fill a B cup in the right underwire bra.  Your cup size looks smaller in that bralette, but that style bra does not do anything to swoop up the tissue on your chest and use it to fill your bra cup.  You should do what works best for you, but know that over time your body will most likely change (that is boobs get bigger) and what you want in a bra will probably change, too.

Confused Old Man, so great you had a wonderful bra fitting experience.  The staff at Soma are so nice.  And their bras so good, too.  I loved her comment. C cup is impressive.  I bet you rock that bra 

[hawkdaboo3]

Hawk, your measurement sounds like a 40 B, so I am guessing you might fill a B cup in the right underwire bra.  Your cup size looks smaller in that bralette, but that style bra does not do anything to swoop up the tissue on your chest and use it to fill your bra cup.  You should do what works best for you, but know that over time your body will most likely change (that is boobs get bigger) and what you want in a bra will probably change, too.

Confused Old Man, so great you had a wonderful bra fitting experience.  The staff at Soma are so nice.  And their bras so good, too.  I loved her comment. C cup is impressive.  I bet you rock that bra

I removed the cups from my bras & bralette so it really give me more compression & wraps my whole chest. When I put the cups in, it is like 50% of it is empty. 

[SideSet]

What size is your bralette?

[bikerbob]

Keep in mind that bra sizing charts are designed for women.  When I stuff everything into an underwire bra, I fill up a 42C cup but don't even come close on a 42B non wire and molded cups don't work at all. I have almost as much boob under my arms as I do on my chest. My wife can wear the same size in wired and non wired but I can't.  I suggest trying out a pullover leisure bra.  They are inexpensive and there is no hardware to show through your shirt.  Once you get past a C cup, you need a big girl bra.

[SideSet]

I completely agree with Felix.

Confused Old Man, your experience is the same as many of us.  We gain weight disproportionately more in our breast, but lose it disproportionately more elsewhere, so at the end of our dieting, we are left with smaller breasts, but not that much compared to our loss elsewhere, and our breasts stick out more than ever without the surrounding fat.  Sometimes our bras go down in band size, but our cup size stays the same, and I have heard of some ending up with a bigger cup size.

[hawkdaboo3]

What size is your bralette?

I am a XXL on the bralette. I measured myself again- seem to be right below 38" underbust when I exhale. And it is 41.75" over the nips. 

[JKing]

As one already stated, the standard charts for measuring for bras is based on a woman's skeletal structure.  For the average man the over bust measurement will also include a large ribcage diameter and larger muscle structure, especially the lats.  So you will have to experiment a bit.  I know my "measurements" said I needed a B Cup. but the actual breast tissue only fills an A Cup. 

Having said all that, people that start getting C Cups and larger probably fit the standard measurement profile a bit better. But that is pure conjecture on my part. 

[jan1north]

I’m another fan of Soma, with Torrid a close second!  I have had nothing but helpful and respectful service both places. 

As far as clasps go, this works for me to fasten behind the back:

• Stick arms through shoulder straps an position bra band under the boobs. 
• With left hand, reach around back, grasp the loop side of the back fastener, fold the material away from the row of loops making them easier to snag with a hook without interfering material in the way. 
• With right hand guide hooks to loops.  I try to catch the top loop with the top hook.
• Now keep a bit of tension (thus keeping the first hook caught) catch the second loop and hook pair.  Work your way down the fastener catching each hook & loop pair keeping just enough tension to keep joined pairs connected while you feel for and join the next. 
• Once all joined, I run my finger under the band in the back smoothing and positioning any label flat under the band along with smoothing and checking the fastener for mishaps.
• Turning attention to the front, I bend forward helping the boobs to fall into the cups.  I reach into the left cup with right hand and pull under arm flesh into cup. (Swoop and scoop) Repeat for right side. 
• Do a final check of shoulder strap and band position and you’re all set!

It does take a bit of practice. 

[Rich meier]

much easier to put it with hooks in front then spin it around. both my wives have done ot like this and so do I. when your older or have mobility issues you have no choice

[Johndoe1]

The ultimate is when someone else hooks your bra. The bra can be perfectly positioned and you are not fighting the band or straps trying to back hook it yourself or trying to get the bra in the correct position after you spin it. I personally like my bra very snug so spinning makes it difficult to get a comfortable fit for me so I have had to learn to back hook it myself.

[aboywithgirls]

Same here John. My mom showed me to hook in the back from the start. A few years later, at a fitting, the SA at JCPENNEY gave me the same speech. The bra band needs to be snug to get the proper support.