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“Eighty percent of women wear the wrong size bra,” said Nichole Daniel, managing director of Lingerie Plus. “They think adequate coverage means they have the right size but coverage is not support. Support is what is essential.”

Lingerie Plus carries the Panache line of lingerie. It caters exclusively to the full-busted woman with cup sizes from DD to G. (To those of you in shock from learning that there are such things as size G brassieres, let me give you a rundown. In increasing sizes, bra cups can be AA, A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G, H, HH, I, etc). Within the next three months, Daniel hopes to acquire bras up to size K. Also, in terms of chest measurements, she has from size 28 to “50-something” inches.

In addition to bras, Lingerie Plus carries other types of underwear including panties, body suits, and shapeware - “from bust line to panty line.” With regards to the shapeware, Daniel does not recommend those that shape your thighs. They restrict the blood flow to the legs and that can cause problems such as varicose veins. She does recommend the mid-section and full bodied shapeware because it is made of more flexible material “so you can breathe.” Those are available in high cuts, boy cuts, and thong backs.

It all started when Daniel was looking for a bra for herself. She simply could not find one that fit right and so started doing research.

“People in my office began to notice and I began taking care of them also. After that, it just expanded from there.”

At the moment, Daniel worked in conjunction with Elaine’s in Centre Point Mall, Chaguanas. She has mobile representatives that make house visits and she also makes a trip to Tobago once a month.

“Many full busted women are surprised the bras are actually attractive. We have strapless bras and when we put them into one it’s like ‘Oh my God!’ They never ventured to wear spaghetti strap dresses or strapless tops because they could not find a bra to fit. They are also shocked when I tell them what cup size they should be using,” she said laughing. The reason why strapless bras are possible for these women is because it is not the straps but the frame of the bra that supports the bust.

“So if they are hanging, drooping, or falling to sleep on you, then you know you have the wrong bra size.”

Pregnant full busted women especially need good support. The breast is not a muscle but a ligament so you can’t work out to get it firm. If you get stretchmarks, know that there is damage to the tissue and there is nothing you can do about it except maybe plastic surgery.

There are many problems a badly fitting bra can cause: spinal curvature, shoulder drop, back pains, fibresystic lumps, and dark circles under the breasts which are actually fungi — just to name a few.

A good way to check if you have the right size bra is by measuring the length of your shoulder to waist. The peak of your breasts should not be lower than half the difference.