Bras: where do I start? I've always had a difficult relationship with my breasts, and hence with my ... bras too. From being mocked at school for being a late developer, then having mixed feelings when I finally started wearing a bra at age 16 - a combination of relief at finally being 'normal', but at the same time feeling acutely self-conscious about my new shape - and finally disappointment that my modest late-adolescent growth spurt was as good as it got.

All my adult life, I've been trying - and failing - to find the unicorn bra that would magically solve the number one issue I had with all my bras: cups gaping so much that it showed through my clothes. What was wrong with me? Why was it so hard to find a bra that fitted me? Was I really that much of a freak? Cue huge body image issues, largely focused on my inadequate and 'weird' bust, and fantasies of breast augmentation.

Finally, after 30 years, I had a revelation (thanks to A Bra That Fits), that my perfect bra was so elusive because I was repeating the same mistake, over and over, of buying the wrong size. I shouldn't be wearing a 36A, but a 30E! On the one hand, I couldn't quite believe it, but on the other it made perfect sense.

There were still some practical and psychological hurdles to overcome, mostly in figuring out which bras would best work with shape, but I finally have my unicorn bra (in fact, several of them) and no more gaping cups - thank you, bra makers of Poland! And I can even wear unlined bras, which was completely unthinkable before (Cleo Marcie, I love you).

I still have a small bust, and it's still a challenging shape (low set, conical, splayed, outer fullness, immediate projection, shallow upper pole, tall roots), but at least now I know how to make the best of it.
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