I believe my breast shape to be shallow with wide and tall roots. Alas that does not seem compatible for this Stella Mccartney bra. The cups still fail to contain as much breast tissue as I would like, and I find my chest migrating out of the sides when I move. The back hooks are also mounted on an oddly stiff fabric that makes clasping the bra a little challenging. I really like the fabric and overall look of this bra, but it only looks decent if I stay completely still. Back it goes.
Yep I remember when you posted about the previous size you tried. This bra is just too small and while I agree you are shallowISH on the upper breast, and perhaps average on the inner half, you have quite a lot of side (outer half) fullness that does need support and room. Otherwise your tissue will escape on the sides just as it does here.
* the Betsey Johnson bra you have in your list of bras is a perfect example of a cup designed with more height as well as more room on the outer half of the cup, so that is a much better type of shape to give you the containment you need.
Yes! Your comments were (and are) so helpful! And good to know your thoughts on my breast shape. I've always have a hard time determining it. It looks okay at first, but then as I wear it more, my tissue escapes from the side of both breasts (and then gaps in the front of the right one.) I tried on the 32DDD/E, and it fit really well on my left breast, right one gapped in the front. I think this style may not be right for me, or maybe I could size up to the 32DDD then just put a little something something in the right cup. (By the way, random question are you an English teacher or a writer? Your grammar is always on pointe!)
Too bad this one doesn't fit you; it's such a pretty bra on you. That colour compliments your skin tone beautifully. Good luck on your continued search for ABTF!
Thanks EmmaOh I've been a teacher in the past, but I've been working as an editor and translator for a few years now! Yes I think sizing up in this and padding the smaller side might work (I have done this for one bra I absolutely LOVE and got at about 90% off). However, I would only consider this if you're ok with the uncertainty factor, because in these situations, when your boobs are kind of fighting the shape of the bra, you usually can't tell how the breast tissue will settle after a few hours. I have the opposite issue, so if I talk myself into buying a bra that's not a great shape match I tend to fall into/burst out of the middle instead of over the sides, but this usually doesn't happen right away.
Thanks so much Wilderness1! I was really hoping it'd work out, but no worries! I'll find something in a more fitting shape!
Ahh! Good to know! and good for you! It totally shows in your writing wendybien! And thank you for the advice. I think I'm better off sticking to shapes I know that work, like the Betsey Johnson plunges and such! Also I think my in store experience has soured me on this bra a little bit. But any who, I'm so happy to have stumbled upon this site. It's been so incredibly helpful!
Im sooo happy I got this givaway. It fits amazing with my measurements (29" comfortable underbust, 35" bust, 9.5 depth). Super comfortable. Half cups really suit me best - and the color is beautiful. Stella Mcartney bras really are well made.
Whoa! This bra is TIGHT! I almost considered a 32 band. So I measure 27 and 33/34. I am a 28-band comfortably (I like them tight) and something like an E or F depending on the brand. I got a 30E but if they'd had a 30F I probably would have fit better (no quadboob) and it would have had more room for my breast tissue in the middle. I have very wide, round breasts with no space at all in the middle, so I am forced to wear plunge bras. I was happy to find that this bra has a very tiny gore and does not stab ...me at all. The cups are padded, spongy and have the slightest amount of push-up padding at the bottom and about halfway up the cup, even in the E cup I purchased, which is nice except I needed a bigger cup size to avoid quadboobing but it was not available. So this bra could have been a t-shirt type bra for me but because of the quadboobing it is now a "sexy bra." But honestly, I quadboob most of the time just because of how my tissue is set in the center and because I must wear plunges. So not everyone will have that issue.
I definitely recommend at least going a cup and band size up. I was expecting to fit in the 30dd because that's my usual sister size but NOPE! The underwire is kind of pokey at first but if you get the bra on and bend it to the curve of your ribs, you'll be fine.
I am able to wear it on the loosest hook, and the loosest on the 32 band wasn't loose either. However, the straps are not fully adjustable and that is what made me not choose the 32-band. The straps only adjust halfway and I have to start with them fully tightened. The front of the straps is cool looking, though, and the back can be criss-crossed for a racerback style. The lace laying over the cup is very pretty and the 20 or so bras I was browsing all looked like their lace was in good condition. The black version of this bra fit me the same and also looked to be of good quality. Read more 273 more words
I was hoping for so much more from this bra. It is VERY wide and shallow, more so than any other bra I've tried. The band runs extremely tight. I sized up to a 32 band and can still wear it fairly tight on the loosest hooks. It has lovely lace detailing on the cups and the straps in back, but the straps in front are ruched, with some lace, and some unnecessary gold rings with the designer name on them. (see the photos) The wires are pretty soft, so I may try bending them to get a slightly narrower fit and more projection. An expensive mistake, this one!
It is the best fitting bra I currently own. The underwire placement is perfect for my wide roots. It is a very wide and shallow bra, potentially a bit too shallow for me but wearable. The band is crazy tight and fits more like a 30. As my original size is a 30 band, it’s not a problem. I just don’t really like tight fitting clothing or underwear and therefore size up in bands. If it was looser it would be perfect! I wear this bra when I need a nice smooth shape underneath t shirts (which is the only time I put on a bra as I just don’t need it).
Nice bra; I wanted to like it, but it didn't fit The cup is a nice quality, straps nice, and the lace pretty good, but the band in the back is flimsy and cheap.
I normally wear either a 28 or 30 band. I found the band to fit well. I also liked that the straps didn't feel too far apart. I have wide-rooted, shallow boobs. I was able to fill the bottom of the cup fine. Unfortunately, the top of the cups angled into my boobs and caused quadboob. Otherwise, this would have been a pretty good fit.
I have this in the azalea pink color, and this is my first bra that really, truly fits! I have a 26.5" snug underbust, and I mark a lot of bras with 30 bands as "fitting" but I still need to wear them on the tightest hooks. This bra is the first one I've owned that is actually too tight on the tightest hooks. It works well for my shallow, FOB shape. Maybe I could do with a little more center fullness (there is a tiny bit of gapping near the center), but otherwise it is perfect. The band definitely runs tight but the cups run TTS.
The material is a little stiff but I'm not sure if that's just because I haven't broken it in yet.
This bra was acquired from a friend of mine to pass on to a woman who I thought might be this size, she was not however and I am far from this size as well, but it's new and should make someone happy.
This bra is flattering and comfortable and gives a sexy plunge look without padding. The angle of the cups are nice. Due to the band being a tad loose, and the low plunge style, the gore doesn't lie totally flat for me which can make the molded cups gap when I lean (stupid teardrop boobs), but the bra is still supportive enough. The thin material is nice for disappearing under clothes, but it also makes the wires less comfy.
I returned this bra because it seemed to push my breasts down and to the side a bit. I didn't get the lifted, centered effect I get from my Ewa Michalak 3D bras. The bra itself is pretty and sturdy looking. I couldn't figure out why the construction, which resembled my other lined, three-part cups, had such a different effect. After this bra, I gave up on Stella McCartney bras.
November 2015: Someone please take this away!! This bra is the result of my breasts getting larger last summer but I was broke and desperate for a new bra, so I went to Zovo Lingerie in Seattle (University District location) the ONLY location in the state of Washington that (kind of) sells 28 bands, and the sales rep was so impatient (I'm sorry it was a slow day, but you didn't have to take it out on me!) and their selection of 28E (my size at the time) SUCKED. I even called ahead and they're like "yeah we have a good selection!" They had a few 28E bras ...for FOB breasts, and then she just kept bringing me 30 bands. When I tried a stretchy Claudette bra, the elastic cut into my tissue at the top, and you know what the sales rep told me? "That's normal, it's supposed to do that." ......SAY WHAT???? Ok, sorry, this isn't a Yelp review, but I just can't help it because it was such a terrible experience for me... She did not care for fit, she just wanted to sell something expensive to me whether it fit or not. In comes this bra... I tried it on in 30DD, and while it fit everywhere else, it cut into my FOT breasts and this time wasn't taking sh*t for an answer, and told her that it fit wrong and shouldn't do that. So what does she do? Bring me the next cup size up. Sure, it didn't cut in on top, but it sat about an inch below my roots on the bottom and was too wide on the sides and too deep in the apex. I was so exhausted after trying on about 10 bras that didn't fit and her getting frustrated, when she said "no cutting in on top, that's a much better fit!" I didn't protest and just bought the stupid thing. It was like a crazy $70 or something (the mark up there is DEPLORABLE). They have a 7 day return policy, and after a few days I wanted to return it, but I literally had no other bras that weren't painfully small in the cups and I had no more money, so I just kept it. (Look, I understand that we weren't making progress, but it was NOT MY FAULT. She kept bringing me 30 bands and every time she came back and tried to say the bra looked good, she would get frustrated when I pointed out where it didn't actually fit. I never usd a "I'm better than you" tone, I was just being honest and didn't want to buy a bra that didn't fit just to please her. Sadly, I ended up doing just that.) The straps were way too long and only partially adjustable, so I had to wear it racerback all the time. The band was clearly too large, and despite that, ended up wearing out and stretching out really fast. There are no actual elastics, just seamless iron on stretchy stuff, so this bra has absolutely no support and broke down with a few washes. The band stretches a whopping 13 inches!!! To 36" long!!! This is more like a 34 band now. I will NEVER be pressured into buying an ill-fitting bra ever again!! (I've had a poor experience at the Bellevue Square location too; lady said I should buy a $80 strapless 30-band bra to wear on the tightest hook for one event. Lol what??? These girls have some serious sales goals pressured on them! Sorry, I'm Yelp reviewing again https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" />)
Basically, this bra sucks. Now it's definitely too small in the cups and still huge in the band and still too long in the straps. Also, it is very difficult to see, but this is the first bra I've ever had a floating gore. It's only about 1/8 of an inch, but it's there. I'm tempted to just trash it and use the wires, but I know that someone could use this as a comfy/casual bra. Other than the extreme stretchiness of the band, there are no stains, snags, or other signs of wear. Read more 592 more words
.....well...at least it looks super pretty on you.... Don't be ashamed of loving that back picture, the smoothness from wearing a band several sizes too big is the exact reason why Japanese women wear bands several sizes to big with massively padded cups. They know it's not terribly supportive, but they cannot allow the slightest bulge/bump! I'm so terribly sorry you had to deal with a woman like that. She didn't even understand that when you increase band you must decrease cup! I also don't think that they have to sell anything..I just think they don't actually want to help anyone and probably view as a job their working at just to make money...around where I live...the workers will not bring you anything from the back room stock, they ask you if you found it on the floor and if you didn't, then they don't have it.
LeProfessor I happen to live only 3 miles from this store now, haha. I've been back a few times, and their selection is about the same. At least the sales reps are honest now; they don't carry many in the 28 band range still, and they'll let you know when they don't have more than the usual 1 beige molded cup bra they always carry. 30+ bands, LOTS of options, so luckily my sister found about 5 bras when I took her, my mom, and my aunt to the Bellevue branch last year when I was helping them find their "true" size. :) If I need a brick and mortar store, I go to The Pencil Test down in Portland Oregon. They're honest, knowledgeable, prices competitive with U.S. online websites, and will dig through every drawer to bring you 20+ bras to try. Fabulous every time, and I ALWAYS find a bra that fits there! <3 Thanks for the comment on such an old review. :) And hopefully you can find some bras either in store or online to try!
Good: This bra is the perfect shape for me, and the material is beautiful even after many wearings and washings. My boobs have shrunk, but when I was a true 32DDD/E it gave a nice rounded top shape that is hard to achieve with my shallow natural shape. The band has only barely begun to stretch after over a year of wear.
Bad: The underwires do start to dig in against my sternum after a full day of wear. Straps don't adjust quite short enough for me, which is common with Stella McCartney bras.
Good: shape is much like a balconette with slight demi slant to the top of the cups. Wires and band are comfortable. Gorgeous fabric. Bad: straps are a bit long, and a bit wide. Slight gap in the cups.
The band is quite tight for a 30, or the underwire is very painful. Trying this on in store, I thought to buy a 32 for a moment, but decided against it. I need a 28 band, so this is quite odd.
Cups plunge low, great for my close-set pair. Straps do not give much option for shortening--I'm on the shortest length already. This bra gets uncomfortable after a few hours and I'd never sleep in it. I think the pain is from the underwire digging into my ribs but I can't understand why.
This isn't really a push-up bra, but if the straps were shorter I could see it pushing up and the plunge would make it a big quad-booby for me, but perhaps not everyone. I really like this bra, just wish the straps were better! I do wear this bra occasionally because it matches my skin tone pretty well and is seamless https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
I ordered this in violet and it is GORGEOUS. Fantastic feeling bra, but way too small in the cup and a very tight band. I am a 28E/F in general, but this one starts at 30. I ordered a 30DD which often works, but this one didn't. I am exchanging for 32DD and keeping my fingers crossed. This is truly a luxurious bra.
Yep I remember when you posted about the previous size you tried. This bra is just too small and while I agree you are shallowISH on the upper breast, and perhaps average on the inner half, you have quite a lot of side (outer half) fullness that does need support and room. Otherwise your tissue will escape on the sides just as it does here.