A Strange Thing Happened on the Way to the Fitting Room

I previously tried the Alex in 36HH and was impressed with the comfort, but not the shape or fit. It was a little wide-set and the gore didn't quite tack. I wasn't really planning on trying another size, but it was available on Prime, so I tried this 36J and a 34J. I was in a hurry when I first put them on and just noticed that this one was a bit wrinkly and saggy in the cups and the other was a bit tight, so I re-bagged them and set them aside in the return pile. But I wanted to take pictures and enter the measurements here, so I got them out again today. And something strange happened.

The cups were still wrinkly on the tops near the strap and on the sides and the bottoms had major creasing due to too little projection. But then I walked into the other room and noticed it... no jiggling! I thought I was imagining it, but no! I put my Elomi back on, and it was still allowing all the movement that is part of my daily existence. So I had a mystery: why was this seemingly poor fitting bra holding the girls so steady?

Turns out there are probably a few things. First, I had accidentally fastened the bottom hook onto the middle loop. This seems to have changed the angle of pull, allowing the wire to anchor more firmly against my bottom rib. But my bottom rib is not in my IMF, so that's not necessarily a good thing. But weirdly, the folding of the cup bottoms does fit in my IMF, and so snugly and with such faithful contour, and the fabric of the cups is so sturdy, that it seems to be functioning as a second underwire of sorts! This is somehow the first bra I have tried that fits and stays tucked in my IMF! Just not the wire.

Another thing is that the wires are wider. But I'm not sure why that is helpful here, because they are definitely wider than my root on the outer bottom cups where there is some empty space, even on the larger side. So,???

Regardless, the feeling of support is an amazing, rare sensation for me, and I put this bra back on and just walked around for 10 minutes enjoying the stillness. Other bonus: the Alex is still quite comfortable. The shape is still not my favorite, but it's a little better and more projected than the 36HH was, despite the wrinkling, and the gore tacks, so I think I'm moving this puppy into the keep pile!

The construction feels really solid, and the fabric is thick, sturdy and soft, if somewhat utilitarian in appearance. The upper cups are a two-layer, non-stretch mesh with an attractive but simple lace pattern embroidered on the front. The bottoms have vertical seams and a side-support panel.The straps are subtly decorated and fully adjustable. This one is the Sand colorway, which is a bit bland, but a necessary staple in the wardrobe, and it will make a very good everyday and work bra. Like an ugly duckling, this little bra that seems quite boring and fits all wrong turns out to be the most supportive "fit" I've found so far!

Sand colorway

Updated on Jun 24, 2019 Flag this

• Show all comments (6)
• how curious. glad its workign for you, tho!

• My theory is that comfort and support are above all else, even if it doesn't scream "wow" or pass all the fit checkmarks. Glad it works for you!

• i wonder if its because it has enough apex projection for your breast to not have to be smooshed?

• 2

  It is curious. I'm trying out the staggered hook arrangement on my Elomi today, and it does seem to help the band to get a better "bite" on my ribcage, leading to a little bit better support, but not to the same extent. It's got to be the fabric, I think. The Alex fabric is much more heavy-duty than the Elomi - I think it may actually be two-ply across the whole bottom cup. It's quite industrial by comparison.

• 3

  Pinniped like many extra-projected people who experience a discrepancy between the total cup volume theoretically needed and the localized depth they'd need in a given part of the cup to fit properly, you've basically sized up in the cup and down in the band (thanks also to the tighter setting on part of the band) to make it work. Basically, the fit you get in this bra is "so wrong it is [kind of] right" insofar as drastically overtightened straps and band are doing a fairly adequate job of compensating for the slackness in the much-too-large cup. If you apply enough tension to oversized cups so that the entire bra is pulled SUPERCRAZYTIGHT around you, this will create enough compression to provide support. With wired bras, there are limits to how well this can work because you still have rigid elements sitting where they don't belong, and those overtight straps will end up cutting into your shoulders eventually. But if you are open to nonwired styles this sort of sister sizing can be more forgiving. Hope that made some sense!

• It reminds me of how my 32KK - Bravissimo » Erin Bra (LN441) fitted me.. It took me a while to figure it out. The bra had a tight band for the size. Also I adjusted the straps very short to get rid of wrinkling and that way the bra felt very supportive. But after a while the straps would cut in so badly and the bra felt less and less supportive. Apparently the cups on the bra were too big, but the tight band would distort them so they became more shallow and wide and less projected made them feel like they fit when there was still lots of wrinkling at the sides. I wonder if that is the case with your bra too? What happens when you loose the straps?

  Maybe the style is not the best for your shape? I'm not sure about it though, I never tried any Fantasie bras yet. I think Bravissimo could be a good brand for you. They work well for me and I also need very deep projected cups.

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