Captain America and the Mysterious Bra Size

I really enjoyed Captain America last Saturday night, and there's been a lot of press about Chris Evans' chest.  It transforms from "scrawny to brawny" in a matter of seconds.

However, I was more interested in the chest of his co-worker, Hayley Atwell.  In one scene, she looks stunningly voluptuous in a red dress by costume designer Anna Sheppard (see below).  So when she showed up in this white shirt in the next scene, I had two questions: (1) what is Atwell's bra size, and (2) how is her shirt not gaping?

The answer to question 2 is clear from this photo.  Sheppard put gathers along each shoulder to supply enough volume for Atwell's bust, and she cinched it at the waist with darts.  The answer to question 1 is less clear.

According to my Google search results, Atwell is either a 36C or a 36D.  I say no way, although I've been wrong before.  My theory is that Atwell is either not revealing her true size to the world, or she doesn't know it.  I wouldn't be surprised if it were the latter.  Many women don't realize that cup sizes exist beyond a D.  I believe she is either a 32E or 30F.

At a Campbell & Kate trunk show last month, I explained to a customer that my shirts were for women who wear D cups and up.

"Oh," she answered, "that's not me! I'm a C cup."

She agreed to a bra fitting, however, and lo and behold, she was not a C cup.  In fact, the Campbell & Kate shirt in size 8L fit her like a dream.  She purchased it after her teenage daughter confirmed that it looked fabulous on her.

The customer wasn't the only one to learn something that day.  I learned not to assume that every woman I introduce my shirts to actually knows her true bra size.  A woman who thinks she's a C cup can still look and feel amazing in a Campbell & Kate shirt (although she'll look and feel even more amazing if she's wearing the right bra).