How to...
Put on a Bra the Correct Way

Step 1: Place your arms through the shoulder straps

The best way to put on a traditional bra with the hook-and-eye at the back is to put your arms through the straps and position your breasts into the cups.

Fastening your bra at the front and twisting it round should be avoided where possible, but we know this isn’t possible for everyone. If you are unable to fasten your bra at the back, make sure you gently twist your bra around so you don’t put unnecessary strain on the elastics and underwires.

Step 2: Fasten the hook-and-eye clasp at the back

Arms and boobs in, now fasten it up! Most D+ cup bras will have 2 or 3 rows of hook-and-eye fastenings, but sometimes you may come across more such as with sports bras, longline bras and basques. This is the bit that can be tricky, but practice makes perfect and it will soon become second nature.

If you’re putting on a brand new bra, make sure you’re fastening it on the loosest set of hooks to begin with (unless it’s a maternity or nursing bra). This is so you can tighten it onto the other hooks as it stretches out from wearing and washing over time. If you’re straight onto the tightest hooks and don’t feel like you’re getting adequate support, try going down a band size.

Step 3: Adjust the shoulder straps

This is one step that is often overlooked – adjusting your shoulder straps! While they’re not there to add much support (remember, 80% of the support in your bra comes from the back band) they do need to be at what we call a ‘two finger tension’ to ensure they stay in place throughout the day to keep your cups secure. Nobody likes a bra strap that digs in or slips down!

Use the slider at the back of the strap to find the right tension. They don’t have to be even on each side, you might find one side needs to be a bit looser than the other especially if you have asymmetrical breasts. Check you can fit two fingers between the strap and the top of your shoulder, and you’re good to go!

Step 4: Scoop and Swoop

Our favourite, and the most important part of putting on your bra! Scooping and swooping your breast tissue into the cups ensures your boobs are sitting where they should be, meaning you’ll be less likely to need to readjust throughout the day and won’t have underwires pressing in all the wrong places.

Bend forwards slightly at the waist so the weight of your bust falls into the cups, then take your hand and reach into the cup on the opposite side to ‘scoop’ all that breast tissue forwards and upwards, out from your armpit and into the cups. Repeat on the other side, making sure you don’t have any breast tissue left sitting beneath the underwires.

Follow this with a ‘swoop’ of your finger underneath the neckline of your bra, from your cleavage to the outer edge, to ensure it’s sitting nice and smooth.