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Side fullness, roots, and underwires
I guess this is the next step in learning my own shape, because I've started to notice problems I never saw before and I'm drawing a blank.
So, my breast tissue is super spread out over my rib cage, and in particular I have quite a lot of fullness to about halfway under my arms, aka the "sideboob". The fullness is typical boob-shape round, but the actual root and tail are shaped somewhat like the Nike swoosh, and wrap back to my shoulder blades without much volume to speak of in a very flattened curve, so the ends of any underwire that is steeply curved in a U shape (read: every bra on earth) will rest on top of them. This is typical and not uncomfortable or even noticeable in 99% of bras for me. Either way, I have a whole lot of breast tissue that is not in my breasts, making it sometimes feel like that monthly "breast" exam becomes kind of a whole upper body grope.
Recently while wearing some of my bras, especially ones that have sturdier bands, I've noticed the underwires *look* like they're digging into the root tissue they're on top of. With bras like my 32DDD - Natori » Sheer Jacquard Full Fit Contour Underwire Bra and my 32DDD - Natori » Hidden Glamour Full Fit Contour Bra (736044) , which are my everyday bras, the wires under the arms are so low (and slim, and flexible) that I've never noticed any discomfort or tissue being pushed around where it shouldn't be. I noticed it with my new 30F - Fauve » Agnes Padded Half Cup Bra (0361) , the 30FF - Panache » Andorra Plunge (5676) , the 30F - Panache » Thea Balconnet Bra (9261) , and the 30F - Cleo » Zia Balconnet (6851) , and you can just barely tell in the photos how the top edge of the wing is not in line with the wire channel because it's being pushed out by tissue.
Now, I have bras that have shorter wings, like my 30F - Fauve » Marla Padded Half Cup Bra (0291) and my 30F - Fauve » Pearl Padded Half Cup Bra (0221) that don't do this. They aren't as short as the Natoris, but they are shorter than the 3 previously mentioned. I also have some bras with taller wings, like the 32F - Fauve » Bronte Padded Longline Bra (0331) and the 30FF - Tutti Rouge » Liliana Bra (TU100) , that don't do this either. I haven't noticed a distinct pattern in either shape of that side of the cup or something like if the wires in these bras don't take up the whole wire channel, for example, so I'm kind of stumped.
If anyone has any insight, I'd love it.
Filed under Bra sizing and fit
11 comments
My experience with Natori - the styles I own and the ones I've tried on but didn't buy because my boobs needed the space in the bottom of the cup that, hidden glamour for example, simply didn't have to give - is that they have very stretchy bands. All of the styles. I have a couple of contour styles (cool contour, body sense contour, and contour balconette) and the stretchy band is consistently a feature I've identified even on the styles that I tried but didn't buy.
I've got tall+wide roots, my most favorite best fit unlined style is Chantelle's rive gauche which really seems to be a marvel of bra engineering because when it's just sitting on the bed it looks like the wire shouldn't be right and the bra shouldn't work for me. Once it's on is a different story, and if it's not bra engineering it's magic. The 2nd most favorite and best unlined fit is the Wacoal Enchantment. When comparing the numbers on the two, the Wacoal has a lower wing but more depth. The Chantelle has wider cup, longer band, longer wire, and the wing/gore the same height and higher than the Wacoal.
Now, what this all means? Other than the guess that the slight design differences and measurements just work with my body? Heck if I know. ;)
The thing that made me switch to tighter hooks on my Fauve Pearl was that the gore poked when it never had before, and once I got the band tight enough again, the stabbing stopped. I had the worst time with Chantelle and stabby gores, but maybe I should consider re-assessing them with tighter bands?
Stabby tall gores and upper-cups that are too closed off are the reason I don't do many balconettes. Is the Rive Gauche super open on top>
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