Bra fitters at major High Street stores like Marks and Spencer, La Senza and Debenhams are failing to provide the correct fit and advice. In 75 mystery shopping fittings carried out by Which? across the UK, just six chain-store bra fitters recommended a bra that fitted really well. An appalling 59 of them recommended poorly fitting bras – A third of the bras recommended weren’t even comfortable.

Which?, the consumer’s champion says it can’t recommend a single one of the services it tried.

Tessa Russell, assistant editor, Which?, says:

“We’ve been hearing for years that most women wear the wrong sized bra, with the advice usually being to get professionally fitted. Yet the services we tried are no use at all – they’re sending women away with bras that don’t fit properly and could be uncomfortable.”

One of my customers recently came in, having been fitted for a bra at M&S – she said it was very uncomfortable and we noticed straight away it was doing nothing for her shape. The lady in question was an E cup, but had been put into a bra that was far too big in the back. We gave her advice on how to check for herself whether a bra fits correctly:

• If the breasts are forced towards to the sides or bulging over the top of the cups, then the cup size is too small.
• If the cup of the bra wrinkles all over, it shows that the cup size is too big and a smaller cup size is needed.
• If the band of the bra does not sit straight around the body and rides upwards at the back, then the band size is too big.
• The band of the bra should be firm but not too tight.
• The shoulder straps should be properly adjusted to provide the correct support.

Sources: Which? www.which.co.uk, how to check the bra fits courtesy of Shock Absorber.