How tight should a bra band be?

Snug and level, fastened on the loosest hook when new, with room for two fingers underneath but not more. It shouldn't move when you lift your arms. As the elastic relaxes over months of wear, move to the tighter hooks.

Why do my bra straps dig into my shoulders?

Almost always because the band is too loose and the straps are carrying weight the band should hold. Go down a band size and up a cup rather than loosening the straps.

Why does the middle of my bra not touch my chest?

A floating gore means the cups are too small: the breasts are pushing the frame away from the sternum. Go up a cup size on the same band. If it still floats with cups that fit, you may be wide-set: try a plunge or wide-gore style.

Why do my cups gape at the top?

Either the cup is too large or the shape doesn't match yours: many people are fuller at the bottom and gape in cups cut full on top. Try a cup size down first, then a different style such as a balconette or plunge.

How do I know if my cup is too small?

Spillage over the top or sides, a gore that floats, or underwire sitting on breast tissue rather than the ribcage. Any one of these means go up a cup.

Should a new bra be fastened on the tightest hook?

No: on the loosest. The tighter hooks are for later, when the elastic has stretched. If a new bra only fits on the tightest hook, the band is already too big.

What is the scoop and swoop?

After fastening, lean forward and use the opposite hand to draw the breast tissue from under the arm forward and up into the cup. It seats the wire in the crease and removes most side-spillage. Do it every time you put a bra on.

Buying guide · US 42A

The Best Bras for 42A

Computed from published size charts, not sponsorships: 22 of the 49 brands we chart cut a 42A. That is real choice with real differences, so the table below separates brands that carry it deep in their range from those where it is a chart-edge size, each in the brand's own notation.

One size, every label

42A in every system

US 42AUK 42AEU / DE 95AFR / ES 110AAU / NZ 20AIT 7ªAJP B95

Cup letters diverge above D, so the letter changes even though the bra does not. Convert by position, and match the printed tag in the table below.

Start here

Strong first tries at 42A

ThirdLoveYour size there: 42A · US sizing · well in range

These are chosen by rule, not payment: your size sits inside each chart, away from its edges. The complete computed list follows.

Computed, not sponsored

The complete list: who makes 42A

Brand	System	Their label for it	Range position	Interactive chart
ThirdLove	US	42A	well in range	chart →
Aerie	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Amoena	EU	95A	at chart edge	chart →
Anita	EU	95A	at chart edge	chart →
Bendon	AU	20A	at chart edge	chart →
Berlei	AU	20A	at chart edge	chart →
Bras N Things	AU	20A	at chart edge	chart →
Chantelle	FR	110A	at chart edge	chart →
Cuup	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Harper Wilde	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Hunkemöller	EU	95A	at chart edge	chart →
Knix	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Le Mystère	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
M&S	UK	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Maidenform	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Marie Jo	EU	95A	at chart edge	chart →
Savage X Fenty	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Skims	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Soma	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Triumph	EU	95A	at chart edge	chart →
Victoria’s Secret	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →
Wacoal	US	42A	at chart edge	chart →

Of the 22: 1 carry 42A well inside their chart, 21 at its edge. Well in range means the size sits inside the brand's chart, cut from a block graded around it. At chart edge means it is the first or last size they make, which is real but drafted at the limit of their grading. Your measured size guide: the universal 42A page.

Check first

Is 42A actually your size?

Snug underbust, relaxed bust. Tap the unit to switch inches and centimeters.

Same published math as the calculator: snug measure, no added inches.

Choosing well

How to choose at 42A

42A pairs a larger band with modest cup depth, a proportion the industry underserves in the opposite direction from full-bust sizes: bands go up but the assumed cup depth climbs with them, leaving shallow-cup wearers with cups that wrinkle at the top.

Look for stretch-top cups, lightly lined or unlined styles, and wireless constructions with structured bands. At this proportion the band delivers the support and the cup mostly needs to follow the profile without excess fabric.

Brands whose plus-band ranges start rather than end at your band tend to grade the shallow letters more honestly there.

Watch for: Wrinkling at the top of the cup here usually means the profile, not the letter. Try a stretch-edge cup before sizing the letter down and losing base volume.

Styles that earn it

Constructions that work for a fuller band with a proportionally shallow cup

Wireless with structure Unlined T-shirt Front-close Longline bralette

Each guide explains the construction, who it flatters and its honest trade-offs.

Same volume, different band

Sister sizes for 42A

40Bsnugger band, same volume

A sister size keeps identical cup volume on a different band. If the 42A band rides up or digs in while the cup fits, the sister is the fix.

Answered

42A bras, answered

Which brands make a 42A bra?

Of the 49 brands whose published size charts we track, 22 cut a 42A. The strongest first tries: ThirdLove. The full table on this page lists every one in the brand's own notation, converted by chart position.

What is 42A in other sizing systems?

US: 42A. UK: 42A. EU / DE: 95A. FR / ES: 110A. AU / NZ: 20A. IT: 7ªA. JP: B95. Letters diverge above D, so always convert by position, not by letter.

What styles work best for 42A?

For a fuller band with a proportionally shallow cup: Wireless with structure, Unlined, T-shirt, Front-close, Longline bralette. Wrinkling at the top of the cup here usually means the profile, not the letter. Try a stretch-edge cup before sizing the letter down and losing base volume.

Ready to shop

Multi-brand retailers with deep size ranges

Bare Necessities HerRoom Nordstrom Figleaves HauteFlair

Shop links may earn a commission; your price does not change, and commissions never touch the computed tables above. How this site makes money. HauteFlair shares ownership with this site, disclosed here.

Shop itAt HauteFlair, our sister retailer

42A bras →Sister 40B

HauteFlair labels cups in UK letters, so these links already convert your size by position (a US DDD lands on a UK E, a US G on a UK F). HauteFlair is owned by the same company as Brasize.ai; that relationship never changes the sizing math, charts, or fit advice on this page. How this site makes money.

Not sure this is your size?

Two measurements give you an exact size, then this guide rewrites itself around it.

Calculate My Bra Size →