It’s time for another bra blogger roundup! This time, I’m focusing on bra bloggers who wear and review bras on the higher end of the band spectrum.
To start off with, I want to say that the term “larger band”, just like “smaller bust”, is a fairly fluid one. What really makes someone “smaller busted”, or “larger banded”, or “larger busted”, or “plus sized”, anyway?
It’s like the “What are small cups?” issue that I wrestled with before posting last Friday’s roundup. Does “small cups” mean just the AAA-A range, as is often assumed by mainstream manufacturers? Or is it more in the DD-and-under cup range (basically, women who have 5″ or less difference between their bust and underbust measurements)? How does band size factor in (remembering that a 38C is about equal in cup volume to a 30F, and a 28D to a 34A)? I feel like there’s no one real answer, and I mostly based last week’s list off of those bloggers who identified themselves as “smaller busted”.
In regards to the “what is a large band size, exactly” question, Nicole of FussyBusty had some good thoughts in her recent blog post “Breaking Up the Sizes” (and there’s some good discussion in the comments, as well). I would personally tend towards picking 38 bands as the “cut off” for “larger bands”, since many brands and styles stop at a 38 or 40 band, which forces 38+ band women to look for alternatives outside the brands that sub-38 band women generally can wear (however, the definition is still tricky, as there are many women who consider themselves “plus sized”, but wear 34-36 bands. Remember that all bodies are different, and larger bands tend to be stretchier!).
With that said, it really is fairly rare to come across bra bloggers who wear above 34-36 bands. There are lots of great and lovely “plus-sized” fashion bloggers out there who would probably wear 38-40+ band sizes, but there are markedly few bloggers who choose to focus on bras (or review bras at all). Thus, my list is going to be fairly limited as a reflection of that. Hopefully these little roundups will help reveal the need for more bloggers in these various ranges!
(Also, just as with the smaller-cup-bloggers post, I would LOVE to hear about other bra bloggers in larger-bands (especially 40+ bands and in smaller cups), or posts that relate, so do share if you know of any more!)
Fussy Busty
Nicole of Fussy Busty has a great mix of bra reviews, thoughts on sizing, plus-sized fashion, and more (and she used to work in a bra store)! She wears/reviews bras in the 38-40 HH-JJ range.
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| Elomi Hermione Bra, 40HH – image from and review by FussyBusty |
Bra Nightmares
Bra Nightmares blogs in both Finnish and English (the English translation is in the second half of the posts). She generally wears about a 40H, although she’s reviewed bras in the 38-44 G-HH range, depending on brand and style.
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| Panache Sport Bra, 40GG – image from and review by BraNightmares |
Brood’s Big Bras
The lovely Brood owns her own bra store, and she focuses on Curvy Kate bras – so if you’re looking for Curvy Kate reviews, this is the place! She generally goes for the 36/38 K/KK size range. Note that Brood is from Australia, so she often uses AUS sizing (36K = 14K).
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| Curvy Kate Romance Bra, 36K – image and review by Brood’s Big Bras |
Lily’s Lovely Lumps
Mhairi wears in the 38GG range. The majority of her posts tend to be fashion-related, but she does have some good bra reviews and bra advice scattered throughout, as well! (I also must say that I love and admire her sense of fashion!)
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| Masquerade Rhea Bra, 38GG – image and review by Lilybobombs |
[There are several other awesome bra bloggers that I wouldn’t really categorize as “larger band” bloggers, but they tend to label themselves “plus sized” in regards to fashion, and sometimes review bras that come in larger bands, so I’ve included them below]:
Fuller Figure Fuller Bust
The lovely Georgina has scads of posts on proper fit/sizing, clothing, fashion, and bra reviews, and more! She generally wears in the 34-36 H-J range, but sometimes goes for reviewing “close enough” sister sizes (like 38GG) for bras that don’t come in her exact size range
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| Bravissimo Fleur Bra, 36H – image from and review by FullerFigureFullerBust |
XL Hourglass
XL Hourglass writes very thoughtful and detailed bra and bust-friendly clothing reviews, sharing her thoughts on correct fit along the way. I really appreciate how she gets into the why of whether or not things are the best fit or the right shape (often with helpful diagrams/drawings!). She currently wears and reviews bras in the 34 J-K range, generally.
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| Pepperberry Dress – image from and review by XL Hourglass |
The Curvy Pear
Emerald wears/reviews bras in the 34HH/36H range, and considers her body type a “pear with boobs”. She only has a handful of posts on this current blog, and she’s on a hiatus now, but she has several great bra review posts up and I’m hoping she’ll be back soon!
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| Elomi Abi Bra, 34HH – image from and review by The Curvy Pear |
Various informative posts:
Fussy Busty’s very useful guest post on The Lingerie Addict outlines 8 Bra Choices for Plus Sized, Full-Busted Women
Georgina of Fuller Figure Fuller Bust talks a little bit about her journey to well-fitting bras (and what sizes actually mean) in her post Obsessed With Breasts
Bra fitter Claire of Butterfly Collection Lingerie talks about why women with “squish” around their torsos may do better in smaller bands than their underbust measurement may indicate
XL Hourglass has similar thoughts on firmer bands and “back fat” , with pictures of how various band sizes look for her in particular
Holly of The Full Figured Chest’s guest post on Butterfly Collection deals with cup size shock that can come from getting properly sized (generally going down in the band and up in the cup)
Bra Sizes Do Not Exist Without Back Sizes – very informative post by Fuller Figure Fuller Bust on why “DD” by itself isn’t a size.
Bra Nightmares has a good overview of thoughts and tips in her post Bra Fitting 101 for the Overweight, based on her experiences
Brood writes A Story About a Plus-Sized Girl and her Bikini Top
Venusian Glow gives some quick tips and reminders for bra fitting in the larger-band spectrum
Great fitting guide from Breakout Bras – it’s always good to fit-check!