A Bra Fitting Tip to Make Your Bra Last Longer

I’ve got a simple but genius bra fitting tip for you today that will prolong the life of your bra.  Making clothes (including underwear) last longer is always a good idea.  Not only is it good for you, money-wise, it’s also good for the environment, so it’s a complete win-win!

Now, I don’t know about you but whenever I’ve bought a bra I’ve always bought one that fits on the middle hooks.  In fact, I’ve always been a bit mystified as to why there are 3 different hooks on a bra.  I had always assumed it was so that you had a bit of leeway with your bra.  You know, in case you lost or gained a bit of weight.  Even when I’ve gone to a shop for a bra fitting, generally the bra fitter has also fitted the bra on the middle hooks.

It turns out this is the wrong approach to bra fitting.

A Simple (But Genius!) Bra Fitting Tip

In this post from Refinery29, they take a different approach.  Instead, once you’ve found the correct cup and band size, you should fasten the bra on the outermost hooks.  They say that as your bra stretches through wear you can make it tighter, helping it to last longer.

Heidi Zak, co-founder of US online bra shop Thirdlove explains this method.  She says “the way you extend the life of the bra is as the band stretches — the elastic breaks down, and if you wear it every day for six months to a year — you move it in and tighten.  The one thing women should know is, if you’re trying a bra on that you’ve ordered at home or in a fitting room, you should only be trying it on the last hook, and it should be quite snug”.

This is a complete revelation to me.  I’ll certainly be putting this into practice next time I’m bra shopping!

ps: you may also be interested in this guide to ethical underwear and this guide on how to recycle your bras ;)