Rejoice! Help is at hand for bra fitting

It's the news that will come as no surprise to many ladies. According to a recent study, up to 85% of us are wearing the wrong sized bra. And it's all being blamed on the tape measure! writes our fashion and shopping blogger Emma Iannarilli.

It seems that the traditional method of measuring using tape wear sizing is all wrong, according to Jenny White, a Sports Scientist at the University of Portsmouth. A more straightforward approach involving 'best fit' is apparently more accurate and provides more chance of finding the right size.

I personally think there are more problems with finding the right size bra than just the tape measure being inaccurate. A quick chat amongst my girlfriends led to the discovery that nearly all of us had avoided being measured for a new bra for years, and that this owed a lot to the way the experience had made us feel. I was last been measured for a new bra before the millennium, at a well known high street store (famous for its undies...you know the one...).

The experience was frankly horrifying. I was tutted at, and made to feel like an idiot by the harridan who was measuring me. My crime? I was wearing the wrong sized bra. The funny thing was that I knew this, it was the precise reason I'd come to be measured. So I really didn't need the tutting and unhelpful comments.

Since then I know my boobs have changed beyond belief. Weight gain, weight loss and pregnancy have all altered the size and shape, but I have had no desire to repeat what felt like a humiliating experience by being re-measured. And so I've guessed, whatever has felt comfortable, I've worn. Now we're learning that this is probably a better thing to do anyway.

But help is finally at hand. New lingerie company Lulu Lonsdale offers a fitting service with no tape measures in site, and is even offering measuring parties where you can invite all your friends to find their correct size too. This actually turns that humiliating experience into a female bonding exercise. 'We were all wearing the wrong size...great, new underwear all around, pass another glass of wine!'

But all jokes aside, the right fitting bra can offer shape, support and the sort of scaffolding that can make you feel more confident. Bras shouldn't be thought of as 'flopper stoppers' or 'Boulder Holders', they are an integral part of your wardrobe and your life. You wouldn't force your feet into the wrong sized shoes...why do this to your boobs?

Emma Iannarilli writes the Fashion and Lifestyle blog www.fashion-mommy.com