[mochaccino]

My under bust measurement is 29, and adding 5" to it gives me 34, which fits me perfectly. That number was confirmed by two dressmakers recently, so I know it's the right measurement. 32's are painful and the cups are positioned too close together so that they sit on top of the fat on the sides of my breasts. 36's don't even touch my skin under the armpit. They actually hang down in that area. Right now I own bras from L.E.I, Fruit of the Loom, Victoria secret, and some other brand that I don't remember, and 34 worked best in all of them. That's why I never really took issue with standard American sizing, even though it doesn't make much sense. The system doesn't work perfectly, but US bra companies really do follow standard sizing, unlike clothing companies. The band seems like it should be the least tricky part of the fit, since it's not affected very much by the style of the bra, unlike the cup size. I'm not really sure why someone would be two sizes below the band size recommended on the bra's sizing chart. It just seems like such a straightforward measurement, but maybe I'm biased because of how well it has worked for me.