The hidden cost of having big boobs

“We didn’t think it was fair that women with bigger breasts had to pay more.”

Wearing the wrong-sized bra is an unpleasant feeling most people with boobs have experienced at some point in their lives. For this reason, if you’re anything like me, your underwear drawer is overflowing with a mismatched collection of varying band and cup sizes.

Naturally, our bodies change as we grow older and can fluctuate depending on the time of the month, so it makes sense that our breasts will, too. For those of us with big boobs, wearing the wrong bra size can go beyond being an annoyance – it can exacerbate back problems, lead to breast pain and cause tension headaches. Plus, bras in larger cup sizes are often more expensive than their A-cup counterparts.

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It’s a wrong that Melbourne-based lingerie label, Nala, is pretty determined to make right. “Along with size, there’s shape and bandwidth and asymmetries and a whole lot of things that make your body unique,” co-founder Chloe de Winter explains. “There’s a lot of room for error and so many women end up wearing the wrong size.”

Selling Nala exclusively online has meant Chloe has had to master long-distance sizing down to a tee – a necessity, really, if people can’t visit IRL and try it on. Thankfully, Nala takes a lot more than standard sizing into account when it comes to finding the right bra.

Fashion Journal: Why do bras always seem to be more expensive for people with big boobs?

Chloe: A lot of work goes into designing and constructing a bra for big boobs. It’s an art form and I totally get why they often come with a high price tag. When we started Nala however, it was vital that we kept our bras affordable, in fact making them expensive was a deal breaker. So we made sure we kept them affordable and we will always keep the prices as low as possible. We didn’t think it was fair that women with bigger breasts had to pay more.

Everyone’s breasts can vary so much. How do you navigate cup and band size, while taking into account your breast shape?

Cup size and band size are two different measurements. Band size refers to the length of the bra that wraps around the body, underneath the bust. It starts at eight and goes up to 24 and has nothing to do with your actual boob size. Your cup size is your boob size, it refers to the capacity that’s in the actual cup of the bra, like how much your boobs will fill that cup.

Breast shapes are different, which can sometimes impact your size and the choices you make when buying a bra. So if you have long-hanging breasts (or as we call them at Nala, ‘south-facing’) then you might opt for a more supportive style that lifts the breasts and gives more support. Those who have perkier or more athletic breasts may prefer a less supportive style that is lower cup and can show a little more skin. Everyone is different.

Although it can depend on preference, is there a certain bra style that best suits big boobs?

If you’ve got big boobs, you need to choose a style that has support built into the bra and one that’s been designed by experts in the boobie field. Underwire styles with a side sling are always going to suit big boobs, as they use their design to lift and shape the breasts.

Underwire can be brutal. Is it something you’re stuck with if you’re bigger than a D-cup?

Absolutely not! We knew that our D+ customers wanted wire-free solutions for their boobs that actually work, so we hustled for over a year to develop these styles. Our Support Wirefree Bralette, Mesh Comfort Wirefree Bralette and Bio Comfort Wirefree Bralette are the answer to all the wirefree bra prayers. We like to think we made the impossible possible with these babies.

Do you have any extra tips for finding your cup size if your breasts are bigger than a D?

Absolutely! We developed an online fit guide to help you find your size. It’s a library of real breasts and chests with size and product information. It’s also worth measuring your underbust and overbust as this can help, too. Plus, you can buy from a brand that has a great returns policy and incredible customer support to help you find the right size (ahem Nala, ahem).

Find your bra size here.