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How to Fit – Athleisure Tops
Welcome! You’re about to learn how to find the athleisure top that’s the right size for you. To do so, you’ll be using your underbust and full-bust measurements. If you’re ready, let’s begin. This presentation will only last a few minutes. There are several reasons why an athleisure top can be a great fashion choice. First, like each component of athleisure wear, it’s highly versatile. It can be worn at the office, at school, around town, or at home; and, it makes sense in the gym, in the yoga studio, or on a hiking trail. That’s because it can serve as business-casual attire, loungewear, or athletic apparel. Second, though highly comfortable, it also tends to be very durable. The comfort derives from a great deal of fabric elasticity, extra roominess in design, and/or flatter seams that minimize chafing. The increased durability results from the use of fabrics made with synthetic fibers, like spandex, or stronger, natural fibers. Third, depending on the style, an athleisure top may incorporate multiple, special characteristics or abilities. Such traits may include: light reflectivity; wrinkle resistance; odor resistance; skin-temperature reduction; moisture wicking; and/or UV-radiation protection. Also, many tops are made with small, hidden pockets that can hold keys, cards, or money. And finally, an athleisure top can provide more than just comfort; it can add to an overall sense of well-being in the wearer. Worn in a variety of fitness and active social situations, it can help the wearer feel covered, customized, and confident. It may truly compliment one’s interactive experiences. Before we talk about sizing, here’s a couple of helpful tips. If you’re looking for a top that offers ultraviolet-radiation protection, look for styles with Ultraviolet Protection Factors – or UPFs - of 40 or higher. A UPF of 40 means that the garment’s fabric allows 1/40th, or 2.5%, of the UVA and UVB radiation hitting it to pass through. Such protection is considered excellent. Also, athleisure tops are items of casual wear and not shapewear, so they don’t create compression even though they incorporate fiber elasticity. Therefore, there’s no need to step into them when putting them on, as you would when wearing, say, shaping camisoles. To put on athleisure tops, simply pull them on over your head, as you would common T-shirts. Now it’s time to figure out which athleisure-top size is right for you. If you already know your correct bra size, then you’re almost done. Depending on the brand, your ideal, athleisure-top size is either your complete bra size, your bra-band size, or a generic equivalent of your bra-band size. Your complete bra size is your athleisure-top size for those styles using alpha-numeric sizing. Your bra-band size alone is your athleisure-top size for those styles using only numeric sizing. And, for those styles that are generically-sized, or available in sizes Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, and 2XL, your bra-band size corresponds to a generic, athleisure-top size, as shown in this chart. For example, say you’re a 34C. Drop the “C” and you’re left with a 34. Looking at the chart, a 34 corresponds to a size Medium. If you’re not sure of your correct bra size, it’s no problem. Stick around and learn how to determine your bra-band and cup sizes. To do this, you’ll need to measure the lengths around your underbust and full bust. You’ll need a flexible tape measure, a pencil and paper, and a mirror. You’ll also need a buddy to assist you. Now, we’re ready to get down to business. It’s best to take off your shirt when measuring your underbust, as the fabric gets in the way of accuracy. Place the tape measure around your torso, right underneath your breasts. Make sure that it lies flatly, and parallel to the ground, all the way around your body. Pull it snugly to get an accurate measurement. Round the result, up or down, to the nearest whole inch. For example, if your measurement is 29 3/8”, round down to 29”. Or, if your measurement is 31 ½”, round up to 32”. Write down this number, since we’ll next use it to calculate your bra-band size. Take the number you just found and add 5” if it’s an odd number, or 4” if it’s an even number. Continuing with our examples, 29” + 5” = a 34” bra-band size. Or, 32” + 4” = a 36” bra-band size. Next, we’ll measure your full bust. Place the tape measure around your torso again, this time over the fullest part of your breasts. Make sure that it lies flatly, and parallel to the ground, all the way around your body. Round the result, up or down, to the nearest whole inch. For example, if your measurement is 37 3/8”, round down to 37”. Or, if your measurement is 37 ½”, round up to 38”. Again, write down this number. Now, subtract your bra-band size that you calculated earlier from your full-bust measurement. Continuing with our examples, a 37” full-bust measurement – a 34” bra-band size = a 3” difference. And, a 38” full-bust measurement – 36” bra-band size = a 2” difference. This difference between your full-bust measurement and bra-band size determines your cup size. A 1” difference translates to an A cup, a 2” difference to a B cup, a 3” difference to a C cup, a 4” difference to a D cup, a 5” difference to a DD cup, and a 6” difference to a DDD or F cup. Continuing with our examples, the differences we just found by subtracting the bra-band sizes from the full-bust measurements were 3 inches and 2 inches. Those results translate into C and B cup sizes respectively. Combine your bra-band size with your cup size and you’ll determine your bra size. A bra-band size of 34” and a cup size of “C” correspond to a bra size of 34C. Similarly, a bra-band size of 36” and a cup size of “B” correspond to a bra-size of 36B. As stated earlier, your complete bra size is also your athleisure-top size for those styles using alpha-numeric sizing. And, your bra-band size alone is your athleisure-top size for those styles using only numeric sizing. But for those styles that are generically-sized, or available in sizes Small, Medium, Large, X-Large, and 2XL, your bra-band size corresponds to a generic, athleisure-top size, as shown in this chart. If you're tall or short, we recommend that you try on athleisure tops at your favorite brick & mortar store before buying one. That's it - now you’ll feel confident when looking for the athleisure top that's right for you. For more information about how to fit athleisure wear, or any type of shapewear silhouette, visit us at CupidIntimates.com/HowToFit or subscribe to our YouTube Channel at YouTube.com/CupidIntimates. Thanks for watching! |