First of all, my ideal size is somewhere between a 28C & 28D, with shallower, athletic breasts. I wear lots of lululemon sports bras in size 4 that seem to fit very well and pad enough with their added pad inserts.
This bra was quite the adventure trying to get it on and off around my broad shoulders & lats. the band does NOT stretch very much despite being a 30band, but once I got it on, the band felt extremely comfortable. However, trying to get it off was the biggest issue and the main reason why I returned it...if only this bra utilized hooks.
When I first put on ...the bra, the fit was ALL wrong...quad boobing, wrinkling at the bottom, etc. Most 30Cs tend to be too large on me but after scooping in, I was getting some serious quad boob! The top seam of the cup is definitely very low cut and cuts in a little. Not only that, but the cups seemed to sag a lot!
But then I realized that the straps might be too long, so I pinned up the straps and the bra fit 100% better...still minor quadboob in my left breast since that one is slightly bigger but what a difference shortening the straps (by 2 inches) makes! However, the bra is still extremely low cut and when I pull my shoulders forward, there is quite a bit of opening and gapping. This is probably due to the gore not tacking AT ALL but gapping out at least 1.5cm in front...probably because it is a soft-cup wireless sports bra. The straps are also very wideset so they cut into the front of my shoulders if I move my arms across me in an X shape.
Definitely do not think this bra will hold me in for some high intense, crossfit activity though once I shortened the straps, the shape looked pretty attractive. Unfortunately for the price, I could definitely just wear a standard t-shirt bra for casual wear or a lulu bra because their bands are stretchier and they don't still my boobs out. Read more 241 more words
The Little Bra Company calls the Angela bra a "Level 2" padded bra.....this bra has some pretty extreme padding. I really like how and where the placed the contoured padding/pump pad. I tried to take a picture of it's placement. It's almost as if a thick cookie was placed at the outer corner of the bra, it covers the complete outer side of the bra cup and half the bottom of the bra cup. It's quite effective at pushing the breast in and up. Above this padded portion the cup opens up fairly well to allow the displaced breast to rest, giving the wearer a wealth of cleavage. Technically speaking ...this bra should've been too narrow for me, but it never felt like it was sitting on my tissue. I didn't get any marks from it either. The band is too large for me. Even through the stretched measurement was only 28" which is small for a 30. I would have to say that TLBC is correct when saying their bands run about one size smaller that average brands. It also only has one hook per column and three columns. I really did not like how thin the band was, but i can certainly see the allure of a delicate almost invisible band. The straps are not wide set at all and they come up from the "middle" of the cup. I think this works really well on me and probably most women in this size range. Petite with narrow shoulders? This bra is for you. They carried quite a bit of the weight from my breasts and I had them lengthened as far as they would go. I would also have to say that they run about one size small in the cup as well, although the design of this bra leaves quite a lot of the breast uncovered. So maybe only a half a cup small. The less coverage a bra is supposed to have, theoretically the less depth it should have. I was pretty much falling out of the bra and when I first got it I was sure there was no way such a small bra would fit me. I wore it with a ribbed tank that hid the obvious quad-boob. I had pretty intense cleavage and a lot of people stared. I really like the feel of the materials, definitely not luxe and luscious feeling, but comfortably soft and smooth. Would be pretty supportive if you're wearing the correct band size/cup size. A 28D/DD would be ideal for me. I hope TLBC does extend their sizes to include more sizes within the 28 and possibly 30 band. They should mostly be focusing on band sizes 26-30, IMO cups A- at least D if not extending up to E/F. This would truly encompass the petite woman market. Read more 359 more words
I agree they should make these bras in larger cup sizes. I am a 30DD and narrow waisted and would love a petite bra. I tried one of their 34C bras and loved the closer straps and overall look of the bra but it just didn't work
Thank you bobbiesj I appreciate the boost of confidence! Totally erana , you could check out Skarlett Blue, Mimi Holliday , Natori, Calvin Klein, and Boux Avenue. SB has quite a few choices with narrower straps. The others not so much, but you can find them and they definitely have a more "petite" aesthetic. I feel pretty lucky that I can JUST pull off this brand, as long as i don't care about the cup being too small. They have this one I might recommend, it's called The Mercedes as it is kind of bigger than the rest of their bras. It's another one of those brands that make me want to start a petition to expand their sizes. Also one of the brands that's driving me to learn about pattern making so that I can create my own bra brand. I also find TLBC is the only petite brand to actually make petite bras instead of bras that have huge bands and very flat shallow cups (i.e. LuLa Petites) who's 32AA has the same depth as a 30B but is like 6" wide and essentially a flat cup. Terrible. You may want to learn how to move the straps in on your bras!
This bra is currently my best fitting bra, and I kind of love it.
So, I've tried the smooth Sascha in 28B, 28C, and 30C now. 28B was way too small to bother, and the 28C was better, but still gave me quad boob even without the pads. They don't make 28D (to my great disappointment), so I sized up to 30C. And finally, some cups that fit!
Honestly, the cups really are a great-feeling fit. No gapping even when I hunch my shoulders. No quad boob, with or without the pads. And while my bigger and smaller breasts fit slightly differently, they both work fine with or without different ...levels of padding. The underwire is nice and wide, which I've found I want. I should note that the gore doesn't tack perfectly, but it feels comfortable, and it's very nearly touching at the top, so I don't mind. I had problems with the 28C cups just barely coming up high enough to cover my nipples (which are not especially large), but that's fixed with this size.
My only (minor) issue is that, well, I'd still really like to try a 28D. As you may be aware, The Little Bra Company's bands are quite tight, so as someone with a ribcage in the vicinity of 26", I am just fine in their 28 bands. The 30 band is definitely acceptable - it doesn't ride up, it stays in place when I lift my arms, and the straps aren't doing any work holding things up (so, while I have yet to wear it out strapless, I'm pretty sure it'd be fine). But I just like the tighter feel of their 28 bands. It's not a huge deal, and when it stayed pretty much in place during a whole night of dancing (great test for a new bra), I knew I'd be keeping it.
I still have occasional problems with straps falling down, but I think that's just something about my shoulders. I like that I still have a small amount of cleavage without the extra padding, or more if I do put the cutlets back in. The shape it gives me is great.
The construction of the bra seems solid. The dark nude color matches me well enough. It's a great basic bra, so not the prettiest thing, but I like the look of it, particularly strapless. Read more 283 more words
I've a tiny bit of a quad-boob, which sucks, but without padding it fits rather nicely. Comfortable and stays up all day. Not the cutest, but it looks structurally good at least, and I think it is as well.
For reference, my ideal size measures between a 28C/D with a 27.5" underbust and 31.5" around the bust. My left boob is a little larger than my right boob.
This is probably the best fitting strapless bra I have gotten in terms of cup size and band width. The band definitely fits like a 28 band and I am generally on the middle hook on this bra. I heard that the cups in this bra tend to run smaller than most other 30C cups...and therefore they fit me well! I tend to not fill many 30C cups all the way depending on the shape, but this Sascha bra seems ...to fit a shallower breast very well. My left side is a little more bulgey out of the top with the strap holding it up, but the right fits in perfectly. I can utilize the padded cutlet on the right to help balance.
One visual imperfection I noticed that happens when using the strap is that the hook in the cup where the strap attaches tends to pull upward and indent (see pic)...just a constructional flaw I noticed. If the hook was a bit higher near the top of the cup, or the cup wasn't as foamy, it might not dent as much. With the straps out, the cup looks smooth without indenting.
Lastly, this bra definitely gives my little boobs some oomph!! Definitely a good pushup factor and lifts them very well. Read more 131 more words
About me: Shallow, tall and narrow-average roots, even vertical fullness, close-set but extremely outer full so I don't look close-set at all.
This style runs on the tight side for TLBC, which generally runs a size small in the band - I'd say this one is two or almost two band sizes small, but that's fine for me as a smaller 28 band. Aside from being slightly tight, it fits beautifully. Someone with more projection (since it's a soft cup) or center fullness could probably get away with it just fine. As a warning, the Apricot colorway is quite a bright coral pink compared to the pictures on the site! My picture should be accurate. Also, the lace shows through more tops than I expected it to.
About me: Shallow, tall and narrow-average roots, even vertical fullness, close-set but extremely outer full so I don't look close-set at all.
This style in the nude colorway runs slightly on the small side for TLBC bras, perhaps a band size and a half. I really wanted to love this bra (so pretty!), and had very high hopes it would make me actually look like my bra size ends in a D (since my breast tissue needs to be scooped inward rather than upward), but unfortunately it was not to be. The cup placement is simply too narrow for me, there's a huge amount of push-up padding, and I ...also suspect the cups and/or wires weren't tall enough for me - I had outside spillage on one side and gapping in the center of both cups. If you are close-set with narrow, perhaps-not-as-tall roots and significant inner fullness, this bra will probably work far better for you. As for me, however, I'll have to wait until they make a similar style that at least has removable padding. Push-ups and I do not get along. Read more 75 more words
About me: Shallow, tall and narrow-average roots, even vertical fullness, close-set but extremely outer full so I don't look close-set at all.
As with most TLBC bras, this style runs one size tight in the band, and I'm firmly in the 28 zone so that's not an issue. This bra is basically a duplicate of the Montelle and Aerie bras I own - a tall, shallow, wireless molded cup - and it fits just as well. If you can relate to my self-description and are within TLBC's size range (keep in mind that I sister-sized up), you will probably really like this bra. Someone who has a bit more center fullness or is extremely close-set could probably also wear this style just fine.
As a small appearance-related heads-up, the Apricot lace is definitely a brighter coral pink than pictured (same case as the Ava, except for this style it only affects the lace band). I don't hate it but decided to exchange it for the Honey colorway.
About me: Shallow, tall and narrow-average roots, even vertical fullness, close-set but extremely outer full so I don't look close-set at all.
This bra runs a cup size big, at least for me. The band is perhaps a bit more true to size than most TLBC bras, but still runs 1-1.5" small. The gore was very uncomfortable, I suspect because it was both too low and too wide. I generally need either a pretty tall gore, as with some Freya styles, or none at all, so I don't think this would be remedied by sizing down. Also, this style was too center-full for me (there was more gapping in the middle than at the outsides). I would recommend it for someone a little more... average, in terms of projection, root placement, root height, etc. There were loose threads on the bra I ended up with, though, so be careful of the poor quality control.
About me: Shallow, tall and narrow-average roots, even vertical fullness, close-set but extremely outer full so I don't look close-set at all.
As with most TLBC bras, this style runs one size tight in the band, and I'm firmly in the 28 zone so that works just fine for me. This bralette is too narrow for me overall in terms of cup placement, and it likes even fullness, but it does a good job of hiding fit issues because it has literally 2 cup sizes' worth of padding. It's still very comfortable and wearable despite the fit issues, but I can't personally ignore them - nor can I ignore the pulls in the lace and the loose thread I spotted. If you're narrow-rooted and close-set, and a small cup size looking for a massive boost, look no further, but be prepared for this one to fall apart relatively quickly.
I'm shallow, full on bottom, pretty wide-set, with tall-ish roots. This bra has always fit me well. However, when I got pregnant my ribcage expanded, and afterwards it never quite went back to its pre-pregnancy volume. Now the band on this bra is a bit too tight. I got an extender but now the straps are too far apart and fall down my shoulders.
I love this bra. I actually own it in every colour it comes in. I'm a big fan of TLBC, even if sizing is a bit hit or miss. They run a full cup and band size small and sizing is not consistent across the brand (Like seriously, if I'm a 30C in one bra you make, I should be a 30C in every bra you make), but as a tiny banded person, I really appreciate that they make cute bras in tiny bands and every colour is available in every size (uncommon size people know the struggle of your size usually only being available in black or ...beige). Ethel runs very big for a TLBC bra, I'm usually between a 30B & 30C cup wise and the Ethel bra fits me well in 30C. The band is closer to a 28 or 26 than a 30. The quality of pretty good and it's held up being one of my most worn bras for almost three months now (I got one small run in the lace near the top of the left cup, but it hasn't unravelled anymore like I was afraid it would, so I would say the lace is pretty rip-stop.). The straps also need to be adjusted every few days, as they slip a bit. The bra is basically unpadded, it's got a very nice thin layer of soft foam, enough to conceal nipples and provide structure/support to the bra without adding any extra bulk. The cups also have pockets for removable cookies, but I can't attest to their performance as I took them out and threw them in the corner of my room someone where and haven't looked back.
This bra is extremely wide and shallow. It is described on TLBC's website as 'lightly lined'. It is not lightly lined: there is non-removable padding that takes up a significant amount of the cup, makes the available space contained by the bra very small, and that gives the bra a very pointed shape. The top of the bra slopes inwards quite quickly, leaving me to wonder what size/shape breasts it is meant to accommodate -- perhaps a projected 28C without much volume? The model I got was in a 'nude' color: it is a deeper, rosy beige. The straps are a lighter, less rosy beige. The straps are also very narrow and thin -- about a centimetre wide and flimsy. They are almost like stretchy craft ribbons. With that said, if you need essentially no support, think you'll fit into this shape, and want a pink-based, medium-dark beige bra in a soft and comfy material, the Lea might be it.
This is a beautiful bra that is actually made for petite women -- for the first time ever, I have perfect cup separation, a strap that buckles on the first row of hooks (even in my 28D panache bras, I could never start with the first row), and shoulder straps in the perfect location. Unfortunately, there is either vanity sizing run wild in the cup sizes, or sizing so shallow/filled with padding that it can only be called poorly designed (in this particular aspect). I expected this to run a little small in the cups on me (as I currently wear 28D in panache, which I have realized ...is around a cup size too small), but these 30C cups don't contain my breasts at all (whereas the 28D panache ones make a solid effort). The entire circumference of both my nipples (including the one on my smaller breast) stick out over the cup, although the lace can hide this. When scooped, the quadboob is strong. So strong that it's obvious despite the efforts of the lace overlay. The back and shoulder straps are very thin. I would not recommend this bra to anyone above a 28C/30B or with any amount of projection or fullness on top. Read more 98 more words
This bra runs a full size small in the band, but I'm not complaining because that means the 30C is a snug fit. It doesn't work under very thin tops because of the bumpy lace. The cleavage it gives is to die for but at the cost of comfort. It feels really really narrow* and close set and aggressively squishes my boobs together, which is admittedly what this bra is for. To be worn on special occasions. Oh yeah, and it requires occasional re-scooping throughout the day to keep the girls on top of the padding because they like to slowly, gradually slide underneath it where they end up being squished ...even worse.
* Edit: I realized that the wires are not actually too narrow. They do sit right at the edge of my root all the way around. It only feels too narrow because the pads put so much pressure on the sides of my boobs, it literally leaves red marks on my skin where the pads sit when worn for a full day. So as far as I'm concerned, it still doesn't deserve to be marked as a technical fit on the grounds that it really isn't.
I found this bra to run VERY small in the cup in comparison to other TLBC bras. I was spilling out of the 30C, which I thought would be a better size than the 30B - The Little Bra Company ยป Sonia (3743) which was also too small in the cup. Has anyone else found the cups on the Lucia to run super small? I kind of wonder if I was in a mis-tagged bra...
I know the Lucia is TLBC's flagship bra, but it was really uncomfortable and awkward on me. The gore is at least a finger's width away from my sternum and the other part of the underwires are digging in.
This is a basic nude bra with clean lines. I did find the color to be too light against my skin to be considered nude (so it was visible underneath light-colored tops). The Angela has angled pads (non-removable) that create nice cleavage. The band is also tight. Unfortunately, the cups did not really enclose all my breast tissue on the sides, so it did not quite fit.
The band of the Sascha in black is extremely tight - I could not even extend it to 26 inches, so I was not able to try it on! The floral lace overlay is very nice, and the bra seems sturdily constructed. There is very heavy padding on the bottom of the cups (removable). It comes with removable straps as well.
wonderful details on this bra. Thank you