There’s an old joke about a Ghanaian man who planned to buy a brassiere for his partner. Unsure of her size, he cupped her breast and set off to the market with the cupped hand.
One can only imagine what would have happened if he was shoved by someone or mistakenly used his cupped hand for another activity.
Brassieres are undergarments, yet they play an important role in the overall looks of women. Wearing the correct size is important.
This week, The Mirror set out to find out from some vendors in Accra how they assist their customers — women who need them and men who want them as gifts — to choose the right sizes.
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Two of them confirmed that many women who came to them were unsure of their actual sizes, and so usually, they had to try on a couple to get their fit.
Unlike panties which are usually grouped in small (S), medium (M), large (Large), Extra-large (XL), etc, brassieres are not only sized in numbers but there are also alphabets attached to each number.
On a brassiere, you are likely to see 32C, 34B, 36DD or similar tags.
This reporter’s first interview was with a vendor close to the Georgina Stores at Makola, Accra, Maria Aziz.
Ms Aziz and other vendors sell their ware in the open so women who are unsure of their size, wear them on their clothes.
She said for people who were uncomfortable to wear the brassieres in the open, she is able to recommend their sizes by their body size.
“I have sold brassieres here for close to 20 years so I can tell your size by looking at your figure. We don’t have private rooms for people to try them on, so if I recommend and you are not sure, I can’t sell to you.”
“Brassieres are very intimate clothing and I don’t do exchanges or returns so you must be very certain of the size before buying them,” she explained.
When this reporter asked if she could tell her size, she mentioned a range but couldn’t explain further why she would recommend those sizes.
Our next visit was to 2nd Skin, owned by Rashida Rashid, a popular lingerie vendor on Facebook and other social media platforms.’
At her shop at Nyamekye, near Lapaz, Accra, she took this reporter through the steps used in determining the right brassiere sizes.
'Maths' of brassiere sizes
She explained that the numbers on the sizes represent the band size, a measurement of the area below the breasts (under bust), while the alphabet is for the cup size (over bust).
She said once these two are measured, the figure for the band size is deducted from the bust size which is always higher. The difference is then checked on an existing chart to know the exact cup size.
“For instance, if my band size is 34 inches, it means I am a size 34 for my band area. To get my cup size, I measure my upper bust which would be around 38 inches. So I subtract the 34 from the 38 and get 4.
On the chart, 4 is D cup so my brassiere size would be 34D. Many women don’t know this so the usual thing is to try a couple on and choose the type that best fits,” she explained.
She added that for people who preferred to try them on in stores, she advised that they should wear a non-padded brassiere underneath their dresses.
“If you wear a push-up or padded bra when trying on a new bra, you are not likely to get your actual fit as your breasts are already supported,” she said.
Asked how she is able to tell the sizes of people who buy from her online, she said, usually, she used their body figures to determine or asked the buyers to send pictures if they were getting them as gifts.
Types of brassieres
Ms Rashid, a nurse who has run 2nd Skin as a side business for close to a decade, said because of how important brassieres are in the appearances of women, it was important to get the right fit and type for different dresses.
The different types include push-up, t-shirt, sports, nursing, plunge, underwire, bralette and full cup.
Others are multiway, padded, adhesive, minimiser, front closure, halter, convertible and demi.
There is also racer back, balconette and bandeau brassieres.
She explained that the nature of the dress determined the appropriate brassier, saying, “A padded brassiere or the plunge for instance is ideal for clothes such as kaba as they give the breast the lifts and better enhance your contours.”
So, whether you are buying from the vendor in the open, in an online shop or in an enclosed space, with this guide and pictures attached, you can determine your size and also know the right type to choose.
