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What you don’t know about bra fitting could bust your clasps

Local business owner wants you to get a new bra and feel good doing it
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Hayley Armstrong Durst and co-owner Marie Armstrong in their store, Purple Cactus Lingerie. Stop by the store on Dec. 6 for deep discounts and free bra fittings.

Band numbers, cup sizes, DDD and all the other letters. It’s a lot, right?

“It’s hard! Why wouldn’t you hate it?” says Hayley Armstrong Durst, owner of Purple Cactus Lingerie, “We should be taught this stuff as we grow up.”

Not to mention that U.S. and U.K. size charts are different, all the negative body messaging about how you’re supposed to look, and the guilty feeling that you ought to have learned this already. At Purple Cactus Lingerie you can leave all that worry behind.

“No one is going to lecture you,” says Hayley, “This is a place where everyone is welcome.”

Purple Cactus Lingerie carries band sizes 28 to 54, and has expanded their cup sizes from AA all the way to M.

“It’s not just a transaction. Shopping at Purple Cactus Lingerie is an experience. Everyone who works here cares about giving people what they need and what they want.”

Is Dolly Parton a DD?

“Before I started working in lingerie I thought A was small and DD was big.”

Now Hayley knows it’s a lot more nuanced than that.

“A lot of people don’t realize that the cup corresponds with the band. And everyone carries their tissue differently, so there isn’t really a “big” or “small”” explains Hayley.

But all those letters and numbers don’t matter much compared to how you feel.

“At the end of the day it’s just a letter. It’s just for the suppliers, it’s not a reflection of your body.”

“If the band is off the whole bra is off.”

The band is usually the most accurate measurement in your bra fitting, which means you can really hone in on your fit.

That’s the measurement around your rib cage, where the bottom of the bra sits. Having a properly fitted band can do wonders for your support. Straps digging in? Under-wire pinching? Your band might be the base of the problem.

“There’s a stigma against under-wire,” says Hayley, “Almost always it’s uncomfortable because the band is the wrong size.”

Have yourself measured and fitted by a pro and see how your comfort improves.

Every brand is different

“So many people are inbetween sizes,” says Hayley, but that’s not a reason to despair. Numbers and sizes are just the beginning of the process.

Every brand fits differently, and the staff at Purple Cactus Lingerie can help find the one that’s right for you.

“There’s something for everybody!”

Everything is on sale!

Stop by the store on Dec. 6 for 20% off all merchandise including bras, pajamas and robes, and Christmas surprises.

A Triumph stylist will be back in store for consultations, or you can get fitted by Purple Cactus Lingerie staff to find the bra that works for you.