This is my new all-time favorite bra. Everything about it is outstanding. The band fits perfectly, the wires are the perfect width and height, the cup depth is perfect, and get this -- even the straps are in an acceptably comfortable spot. Plus, there's enough uplift to make my saggy, FoB boobs look pretty freakin' amazing. The addition of the pad inserts (which I am wearing in the pictures) just give me a little extra oomph when I want it. The cups still fit great without the pads. Also, I LOVE polka dots! I finally have a bra with polka dots, plus I love red and black together.
I ...don't really have much else to say besides the fact that I'm in love with the S cut! I did not feel this passionate about it when I was a larger size. I used to have 70JJ - Ewa Michalak » S Porcelanka and 75J - Ewa Michalak » S Fiołek , which were both on the verge of being too small for me at the time. I began wearing the PL cut in size 75JJ shortly after, so now I'm 2 band/cup sizes smaller than before. The cup construction is slightly different in the larger cup sizes (70JJ+/sister sizes is where it starts, I suspect.) The cups are made with 4 part in that size range, whereas in this 65JJ - Ewa Michalak » S Pieprzyk (473) the cups are made of only 3 parts. The 4 part construction actually makes the cup shape more round, which I kind of missed in this size. In the larger sizes, I had more fit issues (wires too high under my arms, straps too far apart, cups too far apart.) However, all of these issues were barely to non-existant in my new size, thankfully! I will definitely be getting more S bras when the new designs are released. Read more 213 more words
This bra looks amazing on you. I just felt like I had to say something because it's so perfect.
I do wonder though. You say you're full on bottom? I haven't really seen anyone who needs narrow wires but is full on bottom. I'm curious as to how that breast shape looks...People often call breasts in this size "teardrop shaped" but I swear I have seen a few that seem more like a upside down lightbulb naturally. Is that what a full on bottom breast might look like?
I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, I'm in the middle of writing a blog series about breast shapes in this size range and I want to make sure that I include all types and I remembered you had different needs than most gals in this size range so I went to look up what bras you liked.
xelestial Thanks for the sweet words! I was very happy when I got this bra (even though I've gained a few pounds and it's a bit small now, ugh.)
Huh, I didn't think my needs were all that odd! I've always considered myself full on bottom because in a bra, I have no volume at the top AT ALL unless the bra is engineered in such a way that it provides a lot of lift (which is why I love Polish bras!) However, when I do get the proper amount of lift, I do have breast tissue near my collarbones. Am I wrong about my breast shape? My tissue is very, very soft and I'm quite pendulous. Also, I am fairly short and petite with short breast roots, so maybe narrow wires are just better for my body proportions? I have no idea. ;) I just know that half cups look terrible on me unless they're 2-3 sizes too small to squish all the tissue to the top. Maybe I'm more even fullness, but since I'm so soft, everything just kinda flows towards the bottom? I have zero firmness, so it's kinda hard to gauge, I guess!
Here's a blog post that has a friend of mine I met on Bratabase who is basically a body/boob twin. She is Boobs A in this post. My boobs are so much like hers it's scary (but you can tell it's not me because our complexion is different), and she wears Ewa Michalak exclusively. Our measurements were pretty much exactly the same at the time of this post, but now we're slightly different. Maybe this will help? http://www.venusianglow.com/2013/06/pictures-of-breasts-with-narrow-roots.html
Let me know what you think! I honestly haven't even analyzed my own breast shape since I first came on Bratabase 4 years ago. Other girls helped me figure out things, so I kinda just went along with what everyone was telling me. Also, I've had some migration as well, so I guess it's possible my boobs have changed in the last few years of wearing properly fitted bras.
xelestial Ha, I just re-read that Venusian Glow post and noticed my friend called herself even fullness. Maybe I am even, then?
Yes, that's the problem with perfectly fitting bras sigh. They always end up changing at some point because we gain or lose weight, so I feel ya there.
Breast shape is really difficult...that's why I am trying to learn more about it from all different types. I didn't mean to make you feel odd or different :( I don't really know many people in our size range...so my sample size is probably like 10-15 people, but they all seemed to be mostly even or full on top so I hadn't met a full on bottom person at or above a J cup that I know of before. That's why I wanted to learn more about you before I go around acting like I know what I'm talking about and leaving people out ;)
From your description and my own limited knowledge, you really do sound like the rest of us for the most part. I am theorizing that all people above a J cup or so have certain general needs, those being they have high set breasts, short breast roots, narrow breasts and typically breasts that appear close set.
I could never do a half cup...it'd just spill right out the top I'm certain, because they're so soft and full. To me your breasts look more firm, rather than soft. I was talking about this with someone recently on here, that people think their breasts are soft but for the most part unless you have wrinkles from extra skin in your breasts, you are considered average or firm. It's possible your breasts are so compressed in this pic they appear firm though, I love it when that happens. All of these things are what I'm trying to gather information to talk about all these similarities and misconceptions and confusing bits about J cup and up boobs.
I think she thinks she's even because it looks like she has a tiny bit of full ness on the top. I think...it's a tough decision but I think she has a tiny bit more fullness on the bottom that makes her count more as a full on bottom (refer to the third pic). If she had a bit less fullness on the very bottom, I'd say she'd be an even. So I think for all intents and bra purposes, it'd be safest to go with full on bottom - not full on bottom, or just FoB. Thanks so much for relinking this page for me, I was making some drawings and it really helps. Now I need to compare my own lol. Mine are very similar but are probably "very full on top". But the rest of the shape is basically the same for me.
Sorry for rambling I kept getting distracted intermittently and thanks for the great response, very helpful.
I meant "not VERY full on bottom"
xelestial Glad I could be of help! Ok, so if you think Boobs A is more full on bottom/even than full on top, then I am correct in thinking that's what I am since I look *exactly* like her pictures. Without a bra, you can just basically draw a straight line down my chest that flares out where my boobs sit on my ribcage (so, I guess 2/5 or 2/6 from that image you linked me?) Haha, MY boobs firm??? No way. That bra just makes them look firm because it's on the verge of being too small. I lean towards the snug fit in cups so it helps me look more firm and hides my stretch marks more! My boobs are a perfect example of that not-completely-filled water balloon analogy. They just kinda flow wherever. I have had a lot of significant weight gain/loss over the course of my adult life as well, so that hasn't helped things (why can't I just stay at one weight???) Also, not that this makes much of a difference, but I'm almost 39 -- I definitely don't have the elasticity or firmness of someone in their early 20's, either. I think I'm at least 8 or 9 years older than Boobs A from that other post.
Thanks again! This has been an interesting conversation. Good luck on your research!
Yup, your boobs really are soft then and just look compressed in this bra. I get the same thing, after nursing for a year and a half. Weight fluctuations are also a sure sign of softness, sigh.
I'll be posting it to the Sophisticated Pair blog as a guest post when I'm done. Thanks again!
xelestial Hi there! I just wanted to chime in again and let you know that I think you were right about my shape -- I think I'm more even than FoB. I recently tried some holy grail Cleo bras for shapes: Cleo Lucy (FoB), Cleo Marcie (FoT), and Cleo Lily (even). Cleo Lily fits me PERFECTLY while I could not get a great fit in either Lucy or Marcie.
Maybe I was FoB when I first started my bra journey, and now, after a few years of migration and wearing proper sizes, I've regained the upper fullness that previously was living in my underarms. ;) Just wanted to let you know that I think your previous research was correct!
Thanks letting me know...I'm glad you found a good fit. I think I used to be very full on top but now stuff like the Marcie just wrinkles on me...maybe I need to re-evaluate mine too. Interesting stuff, thanks!
xelestial Hey, just thought I'd chime in one more time about something I was thinking about to add to your research:
First, I finally got Marcie in the proper size. It actually fits pretty perfect. Now I really don't think I'm as FoB as I once thought! So, the results of my Cleo experiment were: Lucy fail (unless gore was sewn together, then it was okay), Lily and Marcie fit great.
I was thinking about when I first started my bra fitting journey, I think I sometimes confused softness with quadboob. Sometimes when you're soft, you're just gonna spill out no matter what. I tried to remedy that by sizing up. Looking back now, I think I may have sized up TOO much in some cases. The quadboob was gone, but now my breasts were just settling into the bottom of the cups, which left me with empty space at the top. I thought those bras fit back then and I was just FoB. Now I think the cups were actually too large, and since I'm very soft, of course they would just settle into the bottom of the cups (hello gravity!)
Anyway, I hope that explains why I thought I was FoB for so long. Now I'm wearing smaller bras and don't over-analyze a tiny bit of quadboob due to my soft tissue. My boobs look and feel much better in my bras now.
This is the first bra I've had in forever that just. fits.
I purchased it "like new" without tags from someone online. It wasn't at a steep discount but I've been wanting to try and EM bra so I took the chance.
It actually fits great. The material is so nice and soft.
My only problems are the fabric towards where the strap meets the cup isn't really over my breast at all, so it doesn't always lie flat, but I feel like with most bras this tall it's going to be an issue on me. It's not very noticeable at all.
My second problem is there isn't ...a lot of compression, so it is VERY noticeable to me how one breast is larger than the other. from my angle looking down at my chest, I can see that my left breast sticks out nearly a full inch farther than the right. I don't think this is super noticeable from other angles, and the cups fit both sides. I'm not incredibly bothered by it, especially with how insanely comfy the bra is, but it might be a problem for some, and I think there's some situations where I might prefer a bra that evens them out a bit. It might be solveable by playing with the straps, but I don't think I can easily pad the small side since it's mostly a matter of projection.
I really can not stress how comfortable this bra is though. It feels like I'm wearing nothing. I was surprised by the band since I tend to hear that EM bands run a little snug or have little give, but it was very easy to clasp. I'm unsure how used this bra is, so it may be stretched or just old, but it has no marks or pilling to indicate it's been worn much if at all. Read more 210 more words
Loved this bra. Basic Ewa SF structure. The bottom parts of the cups are more structured, heavy fabric. The uppermost part of the cup is very soft stretch mesh, but isn't as supportive as some of the soft SF upper portions in other Ewa SFs with this feature.
Less stretchy all over than SFs made of the shiny microfiber of an SF Gładzioch. This makes the cup a lot more closed on top, and a lot less projected at the bottom of the cup (less immediate projection... ☹).
So these cups are a lot less tolerant of fluctuations in size, the projection needs of really projected boobs, AND any fullness on top. I am FOB but still found this less-stretchy upper section cutting in, even though it is made of stretch lace.
Even though this bra is a lot more aesthetically appealing than an SF Gładzioch, I think it probably works for less people. But this bra also feels more likely to hold its shape longer. The SF Gładzioch bras are so stretchy that I found the band to stretch out way too quickly.
I didn't think I'd like this bra that much because I'm white as a sheet but o my god! I think I might like it better than the ja wiem! It's a cool tone brown, I think? Wow. I need to keep a more open mind, ewa knows what she's doing.
This bra is too small in the band for me (not surprisingly since I usually wear a 70 band), but with an extender on I love this bra! I don't have tall enough roots that I really make use of the upper stretch lace, but I do function with enough upper fullness that it doesn't wrinkle either. Plus its such a pretty bra!
For a few little notes on the bra, it does have two layers (the outer fabric and a powermesh). It also has an overlapping gore
Initially it was a little big in the band/cup. Probably would have fit amazingly as a 60JJ. The gore was also a bit too far apart for my very closed-set boobs. Sewing the gore together seemed to fix that issue.
This bra was purchased used while attempting to determine my Ewa Michalak size. Size wise, this bra was a miss.
My measurements at time of purchase: 27 inch snug underbust (68.6 cm), 26 inch tight (66 cm) and 41 inch bust (104 cm). For reference on the EM website this puts me at a 65H and a 28JJ using ABTF calculator. Though, I believe I was around a 65J (according to EM) when I measured in centimeters instead of introducing error by approximating/rounding/converting. Going forward I'll use the size by ABTF.
The band rides up a good amount. Again, I did buy it used so I don't know ...how stretched it was. The shoulder straps hit my armpit area, but it isn't as uncomfortable as my Braology bra or any of my Freyas. It is only uncomfortable if I'm laying down, which I don't do much of while wearing this bra.
The gore almost tacks, but due to my asymmetry from ribcage I'm not sure if I'll ever have a fully fitting gore unless it's really short.
The bra is gorgeous. I don't normally do red but this bra makes me break out of my color comfort zone. It's also very well made and the quality is apparent.
My one complaint that makes me hesitant to wear the bra is that when my arm (or anything) rubs against the side of the cups it sounds like someone is crinkling cellophane. It's a little weird.
I'lol probably keep it around. It's nice looking, and almost fits. I'm not too picky on fit.
As Ewa Michalak seems to have moved all bigger cup-small band-combos to special orders, imagine my surprise when I spotted this lonely 65JJ on her site! I grabbed it immediately and boy, am I happy for it.
Pros: - Heavenly comfortable for a plunge - eat your heart out, Freya Deco. - Veeerrry pretty (although as mentioned by other reviewers, the colour is darker than what it looks like on the stock photos). - Good, solid band. There's less stretch than in the CHPs Cappucino and Koktajl. - Removable pads for asymmetry correction - why hasn't anyone else in the bra world thought of this?
Cons: - The what? https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":D" />
What a beautiful red bra! As usual with Ewa's CHPs, the shape is stunning and the bra is super comfortable on - I forget I'm wearing it. However, the CHP Mak Nowa Koronka is large in the cup. I have two other half-cups in the same size, the CHP Koktajl and CH Biszkopty, which both are marginally smaller. In my case it means that the edge of the cup rises too high on both breasts, i.e, there's empty space, I should wear a 65J in this style. But since the problem is in the very upmost part of the cup, it doesn't actually show under clothes and thus ...I can quite happily use this bra. Pros: - Very sexy. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":D" /> - Great shape, consistent with Ewa Michalak CHPs in general. - Comfortable, supportive.
Cons: - Large in the cup - I have needed to ask Effuniak to make the straps in my bras 5 cm longer than normal as otherwise they wouldn't adjust long enough. So if you're tall or your boobs are not early-teens-perky, it pays to do this. Read more 79 more words
As I've been going through a bra size change, I simply bought a new Chp Koktajl in my new size. The bra is just as stellar as before! I've said it all before, but here it is again:
- looks: OMG, was my DH's comment, after he rolled in his tongue from the floor and wiped the drool off his chin. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":D" /> HP Koktajl's colour + lace is hot but yet still sophisticated and above all, it looks classy in the "Imported!Expensive!" sort of way, execpt that EM bras are very purse-friendly. - shape: rounder than EM plunges, but very front-and-center and gorgeously uplifted. Looks like million bucks under any shirt. - support: solid. No other definition required. - comfort: like all EM bras, the lining/material of the cups is silky soft against the skin and while the straps are sturdy, they don't dig in or scratch. - quality: outstanding. As usual, the sewing is immaculate. This is really a super bra. Get yours while you still can.
I bought this as a pregnancy/transition bra. When I bought it from another lady I was rapidly growing and having changes. Sense then I have stabilized into about a 28JJ/30J in Freya. So this is currently a cup large and will be a band size large (once my ribcage goes down post baby). So sadly it will not work for me as a pregnancy or transition bra. I've ordered a 28JJ PL Lilia to try next.
Because it does not work I cannot comment on wear, fabric, etc. One thing I found odd was the fabric under the arm between the wire and where the strap joins the cups. It has elastic or something similar which completely alters the fit of the cups for me.
This bra looks amazing on you. I just felt like I had to say something because it's so perfect.
I do wonder though. You say you're full on bottom? I haven't really seen anyone who needs narrow wires but is full on bottom. I'm curious as to how that breast shape looks...People often call breasts in this size "teardrop shaped" but I swear I have seen a few that seem more like a upside down lightbulb naturally. Is that what a full on bottom breast might look like?
I'm sorry if I'm being intrusive, I'm in the middle of writing a blog series about breast shapes in this size range and I want to make sure that I include all types and I remembered you had different needs than most gals in this size range so I went to look up what bras you liked.