How to Measure Your Bra Size at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide for Pakistani Women

Have you ever found yourself in a lingerie shop, with two different sizes of bras in your hands, but no idea which one is yours? If yes, then know that most women in Pakistan have never been fitted properly for their bra. Fitting isn't provided by the stores selling lingerie, and it isn't always comfortable to try bras in crowded markets, and even when buying online, there is usually some guessing involved.

Fortunately, you won't need a fitting session or a professional to get an idea of your true size. All you need is a flexible measuring tape (yes, the sewing type—the ones that you will mostly find at home) and roughly five minutes. This guide will tell you how to measure your bra size at home yourself so that you can shop confidently both in-store and online at Blush & Lace.

The Importance of Knowing Your Bra Size

It's useful to get an idea of why knowing your proper size is important. According to numerous researches and experts on bra-fitting, the vast majority of ladies wear bras of inappropriate sizes, but do not realize it. Not only wearing the wrong size bra feels uncomfortable, but it may lead to such problems as:

Pain in the back, shoulders, and neck

Straps digging or constantly sliding down

Improper fit of the band

Gaping or spilling of the cups

Poor fit of clothes regardless of their style

After determining the appropriate size, everything becomes much easier and you will have no troubles with choosing bras when shopping (especially on the Internet, when you cannot try them on beforehand).

What You Will Need

Soft measuring tape (not the hard ruler)

Properly fitted or unpadded bra (measuring without the bra is also possible)

Mirror (to make sure the measuring tape sits properly)

Paper and a pen to write down the numbers

That's all! No need for an appointment or going shopping.

Step 1: Measure Your Band Size

Your band size is the measurement around your ribcage, directly under your bust.

Wearing a non-padded bra (or no bra), wrap the measuring tape around your ribcage, just underneath your bust.

Keep the tape snug but not tight, it should sit flat and level all the way around, front and back.

Take the measurement in inches.

Round to the nearest whole number. If it's an even number, add 4. If it's an odd number, add 5.

Example: If your under-bust measurement is 30 inches, your band size is 34.

(Note: Some fitting guides use a different rounding method, add 4 to an even number or round up and add 5 to an odd one, which is what we've used above, as it tends to fit better for most Pakistani body types based on common bra brands sold locally.)

Step 2: Measure Your Bust Size

This measurement tells you the size around the fullest part of your chest.

Keeping the tape parallel to the ground, wrap it around the fullest part of your bust, usually right across the nipple line.

Don't pull the tape tight; it should be relaxed, just touching your skin.

Take this measurement in inches and round to the nearest whole number.

Example: If your bust measurement is 38 inches, that's your bust size.

Step 3: Calculate Your Cup Size

Now subtract your band size (Step 1) from your bust size (Step 2). The difference tells you your cup size.

Example: Band size 34, bust size 38. The difference is 4 inches, so your cup size is D, making your full bra size 34D.

Step 4: Do a Quick Fit Check

Figures work perfectly well as a first step, but each brand has a unique fit that is why after putting on a bra similar to the one you found in Step 3, please make sure that these four things are satisfied:

The band should lay straight on your back, without riding up in the back. It should be tight on the loosest hook, so it would stretch and become more flexible with time.

The cups should contain your breasts completely without overflowing them.

The straps should not dig in your shoulders or slip down – they just provide support for your breasts.

The center gore (it is the middle part between the cups) should lay flat on your breast bone.

If you experience some problems with fit, don’t be concerned – it happens quite often and most likely you will just have to try on a sister size (please see below).

A Note about Sister Sizes

When you have a band that fits perfectly and not the cups or vice versa, you may need to consider sister sizing, which means that the same cup volume but different band-cup pairing is needed.

For example, when going up the band size, decrease your cup size (34D → 36C) and, when going down the band size, increase the cup size (34D → 32DD).

It can come in handy when ordering from the Internet and the size is unavailable or you do not know which size suits you better.

Measuring Yourself at Home

Measure in front of a mirror – in this way, you'll be able to keep the tape level throughout the measurement, it might easily fall down at the back without you noticing it.

Don't suck in or hold your breath while measuring; relax and breathe naturally.

Measure yourself every 6–12 months, or whenever you had a significant weight loss or gain, pregnancy, or a period of breastfeeding; your body really can change its size in this case, even if nothing else has happened.

Measure yourself, don't use your existing bra; they get stretched and become an unreliable tool when it comes to measurements.

If your measurement gives an odd number, you absolutely can experiment with two closest sizes.

How to Buy Bras in Pakistan?

The only thing which is unique about shopping for bras in Pakistan is the following fact: not all locally produced brands use the same sizing as international (US/UK) sizing and their sizing system can vary significantly from one brand to another. That is exactly why knowing your real measurements instead of relying only on "the size I usually buy" becomes extremely important. 

Now that you have measured your numbers, all you need to do is compare these numbers with the size charts available for any brand you are interested in, be it Blush & Lace.

Conclusion

Identifying your proper bra size from the comfort of your own home can take less than five minutes of your time, but make no mistake, your comfort is going to thank you for them. Pick up your measuring tape, follow the procedure mentioned above, and get ready to wear the bras that are perfect for you (until you change your body again).

For now, once you have determined your bra size, head over to our latest collection on Blush & Lace.