My infamous bra trek

While there's certainly plenty of choice, finding the right size is a lot more complicated.

Nearly 80 per cent of women are believed to be wearing the wrong bra in Britain, with the majority wearing a size too small in the cup and too big at the back.

Not only can it spark backache and neck strain, a badly-shaped bra can even add inches to your waist. So why is it so difficult to find the right size?

With a free fitting service now available in most stores, what it boils down to if anything, is confusion. Women are told they are one size in one shop, then another size in another shop.

To find out just how difficult it really is to find a bra to fit, I picked six shops at random and put them to the test.

M&S: 34B or 32C
My first port of call was M&S. There's a vast selection do I want a plunge, balcony or minimiser? Having not been blessed with a chest the size of Jordan, I pass on the minimiser and grab a selection of others.

The changing rooms are modern and spacious with a lock on the door and a buzzer you can press to call for assistance.

As I'd been fitted at M&S a few months back and been told I was a 32B, I am surprised to find I've actually gone up a size and am now a 34B.

'You're definitely not a 32B,' declares the assistant after a quick fit.

'You're a 34B.' Confused, I try on a 34B for size.

While there's plenty of room around the back, not only does there appear to be a slight overspill at the side but my cleavage (or what I had of one) has completely vanished.

This can't be right.

'You could be a 32C,' suggests the assistant, handing me another bra to try which is no better. Asking about the side bulge, I am told 'everyone has that' and as long as the cup fits, it's normal. I'm not convinced so I put it down to the style and leave the store empty-handed.

BHS: 36AA
My next stop is BHS. 'Right,' says the fitter, wrapping the measuring tape around my front. 'Now, let's see. You're definitely a 36AA.' 'A 36AA? Are you sure,' I ask, astounded. How could I have gone up two sizes in the space of two hours? 'The chart says you're definitely a 36AA,' comes the reply.

I am told there shouldn't be any bulges and the previous bra I'd tried on was obviously too small.

I am also advised to try my top on over the bra which is a good tip because, as great as a bra with air-boost padding looks in a fitting room mirror, it could be a bit distracting for colleagues.

'A balcony style would be nice,' she says, and offers to meet me back at the lingerie department to point out some styles.

There aren't many bras in my 'new' size and the choice is limited to a chocolate brown lacy number which looks like it was built for a pair of Maltesers.

As I'm trying to come to terms with my expanding back and shrinking boobs, another woman comes over and asks the fitter for help. She says she's wearing the correct bra size but suffers from terrible backache.

Coincidentally, she'd also just come from M&S and had been told a completely different size. I realise I'm not the only one having trouble, put the brown bra back on the rail and (again), leave empty-handed.

ELIR: 34C
Perhaps I need to try somewhere a bit more specialist, I think. So I make my way over to Elir, an upmarket lingerie boutique in Gardner Street, Brighton.

I am the only customer so the bra fitter comes to my aid immediately. It all feels quite lavish.

'Definitely a 34C,' proclaims the fitter. What? I was a 36AA ten minutes ago. How can this be? She inisists there's no way I'm a AA or a 36, recommends a balcony style and advises me to fasten the strap on the loosest hook on the back, tightening it gradually as time wears on.

'This would be ideal,' she says, handing me a bra. I agree and am about to take it from her when I spot the price £99.

For someone who never spends more than £16 on a bra (and that's a two-for-one offer), it's a bit expensive.

The bra is beautiful, there's no doubt about that, but it doesn't seem to fit. Fortunately, sense kicks in and I figure I'm not going to spend £99 on a pure silk bra with half my boob busting out, so yet again I leave empty-handed.

Debenhams: 32D or C
I need something more in my price range so I make my way back to Debenhams in Churchill Square, expecting the usual faff of a queue but thankfully, it's quiet.

The assistant is switched on and seems to know what she's talking about.

'The side shouldn't dig into the breast tissue,' she explains. 'And these straps are far too loose.' While she's tugging the shoulder straps of my old bra, I point out that even though they're loose, they're digging into my shoulder.

She looks confused. 'If it's digging into your shoulders, it's because you're wearing a bra which is too big at the back and your shoulders are taking the weight of your boobs rather than the strap.' 'So what am I?' I ask, eager to know if I've blown back up a 36AA or stayed the same at 34B.

'You're a 32C or D,' she says.

Dumbfounded, I put my coat back on and follow her back to the shop floor. I've somehow shrunk a back size and increased my cup.

That said, I try on two Air Boost bras by La Senza in a 32C and am genuinely taken aback by how well they fit (once I take all the padding out). The strap at the back sits perfectly, the top strap isn't digging into my shoulder and there is no bulging over the side.

I'm just about to get dressed and head to the till when the assistant reappears brandishing a Wonderbra.

'This might be worth trying if you're looking for a cleavage,' she says.

I haven't worn a Wonderbra since my student days so I'm not so sure about this, but agree to try it all the same. Well, they don't call it Wonderbra for nothing, my for want of a better word knockers, have tripled in size.

Confidence restored, I buy all three.

Bravissimo: 32D or DD
My next port of call is Bravissimo, the 'big boob' experts on North Street.

The store specialises in lingerie from a D to JJ cup so I'm too small to fit into any of them. But shoulders back and chest out, I venture in regardless.

The assistant invites me to take a seat on the large pink sofa until a fitter becomes available and, thankfully, it's upstairs so there isn't a steady stream of shoppers gawping in.

By some bizarre coincidence I realise I'm sitting next to the same woman who was complaining of backache and looking for a bra to fit in BHS. It turns out she has also been given three different sizes.

The fitting rooms in Bravissimo are the best yet. Spacious, modern and private. There's a bell for assistance, a bra-fitting guide on the mirror and even an oversized T-shirt and pink silk dressing gown you can put on while you're waiting.

'We have a policy here that we don't measure people,' says the assistant, assessing my chest. Bra sizes are about volume and proportions, not straight line measurements and we believe using a tape measure just doesn't work.' Given that my bosoms have so far fluctuated between a AA, a B and a C, I can't wait for the verdict without a tape measure. 'Looking at you, I'd say you were a 32D or DD,' she says.

A 'D', I can hardly contain myself. How could I have gone from a AA to a DD in the space of a few hours?

I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt and try on some D and DD cup bras for size. I am instructed that the strap around my body should be firm but comfortable and shouldn't ride up when I stand side on in the mirror.

The wires at the front should lie flat against my ribcage and there should be no 'spilling over the sides'. I'm also told to lean forward and literally shake my boobs into the bra (I shoot her a worried look at this departure but am assured it's the best way to get the right shape).

The 32D and DD bras arrive and again, I'm genuinly shocked to find they fit. Whether it was the low lighting, my sudden cleavage or the excitement at being pronounced a DD cup, I'm not sure, but the next minute I'm at the till buying one. I am now £53 down and still none the wiser about my true bra size.

Contessa: 32C or D
My final stop is Contessa, a small but friendly lingerie boutique in George Street, Hove. The manageress is helpful and, after a quick fitting, pronounces me a 32C or D. She comes back with an armful of bras.

There's a sale on (this is more like it), including an offer of two bras for £12. By some miracle, three of them fit. I'm even tempted by the After Eden Plunge, which gives an amazing cleavage, but manage to reign myself by wondering where I would wear it.

I end up spending a further £35 in Contessa, vowing to take the Plunge the following week.

My bra trek has left me confused, frustrated and £88 lighter (there goes the winter coat).

On the plus side, I have acquired seven bras and a cleavage, yet I still don't know my true size.

Most bra fitters are trained in store and the measurements are often designed to complement the styles in that shop. Sizes can even vary between colours in the same style due to the dyeing process. A black bra could be slightly tighter on the back than a white, for example.

'Very few people can say' 'I'm a size 12 in every single shop' and the same applies to bras,' says Gina Robinson, retail manager for Bravissimo. 'The most important aspect isn't a measurement but whether the bra fits.' Diet, pregnancy, medication and even the Pill can all have an impact, which means the size of your boobs can change from one month to the next. The other rule is, if you go down on the back size, you go up in the cup, so a 30DD is comparable with a 32D and a 34C is the same as a 32D.

There doesn't appear to be any easy route to finding your bra size. The best advice seems to be to forget about sticking to one size and try on a range of styles, which isn't exactly helpful if you're cash-strapped, short of time or want to purchase something over the internet.

There is no chance of picking up a half-price bra from the bargain bin at H&M, you either run the risk of your boobs bursting out or being squashed or join the back of the queue and try it on first. It also puts an end to those kinds of presents at Christmas how is your other half meant to know your size if you don't?

'It is very confusing,' admits Gina. 'Women don't have enough education in how a good bra should look and feel. The best thing is to ask yourself, 'how does it feel?' With greater awareness of the health benefits of wearing a good-fitting bra, Gina is hoping the old stereotype of Mrs Slocombe from Are You Being Served? is disappearing.

'So many people stand in the changing rooms and say, 'Oh my God! I've got a waist.' Having a bra fitted shouldn't be a negative experience, it should be positive, it should make you look and feel fantastic.'

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