They say something like 80 per cent of women are walking around in the wrong size bra. Personally, I have a huge ribcage* so I have always had trouble finding well-fitting brassieres. For that reason I always planned to go for a professional fitting. Also, when you have to try some on by yourself, then get dressed to go and choose a few more, it gets very frustrating very fast, and I usually give up.

I’ve read how to measure yourself for a bra several times, so I couldn’t understand how I could be wearing the wrong size. Good news – I wasn’t. The problem was that I had no idea how a bra was supposed to fit. I always wore them too loose in the straps and too loose around my ribs. At my fitting I kept saying ‘that feels too tight’ and she would check and tell me if was supposed to fit that way!

I got one new bra, at a price might make my father-in-law pass out. I knew it would be expensive but I’d already decided that one good bra would be worth it. Unfortunately I can’t wear it under t-shirts because of the type of bra it is. Maybe in the long run I should stop wearing so many t-shirts. I am almost 40!

*I illustrate the size of my ribs by sharing the story that at age 12, as a skinny little thing, I could not zip up my mother’s wedding dress. I didn’t have any boobs at 12… apparently I was all rib.

Here’s a photo of my new bra hanging up beside the measuring tape in the dressing room.