A well-fitting bra should feel supportive, comfortable, and balanced — never painful or distracting. Here are the key checkpoints:

Band – The band should sit level around your body and feel snug but not restrictive. If it rides up at the back, it’s too loose. If it digs in painfully, it’s too tight.

Cups – Your breasts should sit fully inside the cups with no spillage (“quad-boob”) and no gaping or wrinkling. The cup edge should lie flat against your skin.

Straps – Straps should rest on your shoulders without slipping off or digging in. They should provide lift but not do all the work (most support comes from the band).

Centre front – In wired bras, the gore (the piece between the cups) should sit flat against the chest. In non-wired bras like mine, the centre front should still sit comfortably without pulling forward.

Comfort test – You should be able to move freely without constantly adjusting your bra.

👉 A good tip: try putting on your bra, then raise your arms and move around. If everything stays in place and feels comfortable, it’s a good fit.

At Somewhere Never, my bras are designed with large back adjusters and flexible strap settings, which make it easier to fine-tune the fit. The rigid embroidered tulles I use don’t stretch like jersey, so the fit comes from precise pattern cutting and darts — if the band feels snug and the cups lie flat, you’ll know it’s the right size.

The band is the foundation of bra support — it does about 80% of the work, while the straps do the rest. Because of this, it needs to feel snug, but not painfully tight.

Snug, not restrictive – You should be able to slide two fingers comfortably under the band. Any looser and it won’t give enough support; any tighter and it may cause red marks or discomfort.

Stay in place – The band should sit level all the way around your body. If it rides up your back, it’s too loose.

Movement test – Raise your arms or bend forward. If the band shifts or slides, it’s too big. If it digs in so much that you can’t comfortably move, it’s too small.

Fabric matters:

Stretch fabrics like jersey or mesh will “give” more, so you may prefer a firmer fit to start.

Rigid embroidered tulles (like I use at Somewhere Never) don’t stretch, so the fit comes from precision cutting. For that reason, I build in large back adjusters, giving you flexibility to tighten or loosen the fit without losing support.

Tip: Always start wearing a new bra on the loosest setting. As the elastic naturally relaxes over time, you can move to the tighter hooks (or slider adjustments in my bras), which extends the lifespan of the bra.

If your bra has a traditional hook-and-eye closure, you should start on the loosest hook when the bra is new. Over time, the elastic naturally relaxes with wear and washing, so you can gradually move to the middle and then tightest hooks. This helps maintain support and extends the life of the bra.

For Somewhere Never bras:

I don’t use traditional hook-and-eye fastenings — instead, I design bras with E-hooks and adjustable sliders.

This system actually gives you more adjustment range than hooks, so you can fine-tune the band length much more precisely.

The principle is the same: start with the band adjusted slightly looser when the bra is brand new, then tighten as the elastic softens over time.

👉 Whether it’s hooks or sliders, the goal is the same: a snug but comfortable band that supports without digging in.