Bra fitting help » wires cut in underarm, wires too low, wires too narrow

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Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) » 34FF 34:8

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  I will try to help as far as I know - your band sounds pretty good to me, I have a 81-84 underbust (tight-loose) and have recently switched from 34 bands to 32. But because your underbust difference is larger, 34 bands sound good to me for you.

  Regarding the cup, have you tried Elomi bras? They have relatively SUPER-wide wires! I personally like my Elomi Caitlyn a lot, it's got REALLY wide wires (too wide for me) which might work for you.
  It looks like the cups are too small on you, and the combination with the low wires results in armpit-boob.

  I'd say bras with higher, wider wires might be the way to go for you. To accomodate the breast tissue that's now pushed to your armpits, you may want to go up in the cup size.

  No idea though which bras specifically could work for you (except, well, Elomi in general), so I'll leave those details to others.
  Hope this helps!

  Updated on December 27, 2012 Flag this

  
  

  • Thanks! I didn't know that Elomi had wide wires, sounds like something I need to try then.

  • Oh yes at least my Elomi Caitlyn does and I generally hear they are wide - my 34JJ Caitlyn is much wider in the cup than any of my other bras even while it's supposed to be smaller in the cup, it's pretty much the same size.
    You could try a 34FF in a full-cup Elomi and see how that fits. If you've been wearing bras like this one for a long time there is possibly migrated tissue under your arms - wide wires can help your breasts start migrating back to where they're supposed to be.

  • I may or may not have been wearing mostly sports "bras" since my early 20s when I decided wires poking in was not worth it, so it's quite possible there is some migrated tissue there. Only started wearing real bras again a couple of years ago when I was 29-30 and first read about properly fitting bras and found out I'm definitely not the size I thought I was but I still haven't managed to find any well-fitting bras.

  • I hear ya... I thought I was wearing properly fitting bras, but since I started reading about it I discovered that what I thought was a good fit was actually still too small. Am now also trying to find a well-fitting bra. It can be difficult, but with the supportive community here I believe that we all can find the best fitting bras in existence!

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  Hi. Look at this fitting session a couple of months old: http://www.bratabase.com/troubleshoot/dhik9/#suggestion-267

  It's me Look how crazy similar we look in our way too small bras I'm now wearing around 32HH/J 34HH/J

  I still have the problems with wires not being high enough. It has made me size up sometimes beyond the size I need, so I actually own and wear from times to times a 36J Andorra. However that bra is lower in the armpit so I probably wouldn't recommend it. I need it for different reasons. (I lack bottom tissue)

  I think petalmoon is right about you trying Elomi.

  Updated on December 27, 2012 Flag this

  
  

  • Oh I forgot to add that I think your size might be 34G/GG/H to begin with :) If you'd try this bra again I'd probably even recommend a 34H.

  • Thank you Branarchist, I do see similarites! Been looking at Elomi on figleaves tonight and it seems like the smaller bandsizes sell out very fast (which hopefully means their bras are well made).

    I would love to try this bra again but I think even if I size up the sides will just be far too low.

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    @Branarchist - I was waiting for you to digg in so I can agree with you :)
    Do you think bravissimo halfcups are a go here? :)

  • Vee: if the wires will become high enough I think halfcups will be good yes :)

    @petronel: http://brasandbodyimage.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/putting-your-bra-on-properly/ Here's where you see how to put on your bra :)

    How high is the distance between your underbust line and your armpits? On me it's up to 19 cm if I remember correctly. All of my firmness is on top so I need shallow cups that pushes my boobs against my body in the same kind of way it would do if I lay down on my back and just hold the tissue on the sides (like a side support panel) to prevent it from slipping to my back :)
    
    http://www.bratabase.com/profile/3bw/adventures/323/#adventure-entry-323 You can measure yourself like this if you want to give us even more information about yourself so that we can help you better :)

    Here's another very illuminating post that I think might help you. http://www.bralessinbrasil.com/2012/07/torso-length-height-underarm-fit-and.html It's about needing higher wires. So you should avoid bras with a so called partial band with wires that sit below the band line.

    I actually still haven't tried any Elomi. I was going to but I couldn't determine what I wanted and I got for a Jasmine and Alexa instead.

    Also the Ewa Michalak HP Nina I have at home in 36G and 36GG might fit you better than they fit me since I think you're smaller than me so far.

  • I'll look at those measurements sometime, just read the entry and feel pretty confused!

    About 17cm from underbust line to armpit if I'm measuring correctly and thanks for reminding me of that bralessinbrasil entry, I read it this summer and it's good to keep in mind about the bands as well as the wires.

    I haven't tried the Ewa Michalak HP style since I read it's being discontinued, I have tried the CH and CHP styles though, which were just far too deep and narrow on me to work at all.

  • You might be able to wear some bras you now couldn't wear when you go up in size. That's how it worked for me.

    Here's a list with less extensive measurements :) http://www.bratabase.com/profile/353/adventures/302/

    Us braboritarians (that's me, Vee, MilkAndHoney and alisa) has to make more exact lists and instructions for measurement in the future :)

    Anyhow: It works like this: When you get a bigger bra the wires can come further back under your arms, which might be a good way to start if one wants to get the tissue in the armpit into the cups.
    

  • Thanks, we'll see how it goes. Would be nice to be able to get it into the cup even if it takes a while.

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  With an almost 10 cm difference between a loose underbust of 89 cms and a tight underbust of 81 cms I think you'll be happier in a 80/36 band with most bras.

  Also the Marcie has a relatively tight band, so going for a 34FF in this bra is clearly overkill. Look at the wires, they are completely bend out of shape.

  The wires under your arms should be pointing upwards to your head, in the Marcie they point to a spot behind you. This is also why the wires poke you so much.

  They are clearly too narrow and too short. I think you could try the Panache Tango II Balconette and the Goddess Keira in 36F/FF (UK). Figleaves has the Goddess Keira.

  Elomi is probably going to be too deep, if you are going to try Elomi your best bet is the Elomi Lara Halfcups and the Elomi Paloma. Look for the Elomi Lara on ebay. Elomi Suzie/Betty/Valentina might work too. Elomi Caitlyn is not too bad, but I think the Goddess Keira is probably better for your breastshape.

  You could also try the Freya Halfcups and Fauve Halfcups.

  Do you have by chance a list of bras that you have tried in which sizes?

  Updated on December 27, 2012 Flag this

  
  

  • Thank you, if Elomi is generally deep in the cup it's very unlikely to work, the reason I've been trying Cleo is reading that they're shallower in the cups.

    The reason I got the Marcie in a 34 band was that I was already using Cleo Darcy and Juna in a 34 band and they were borderline large. Didn't know back then that the Marcie (and Lucy) which I got at the same time were tighter in the band so ordered the same band but up a cupsize from the padded bras since they were clearly too small in the cup.

    I've lost some weight over the past year and the bras I were using before were 38-bands and they were just so much too big that I thought one bandsize down wouldn't be enough, but they had been heavily used so probably were quite stretched out.

    Right now I mostly use the 34F Darcy and Juna I have since they don't poke me and even though they're clearly too small in the cup I actually feel supported (probably because they're quite shallow), unlike deeper cups where I feel like I just fall into them and might as well not be wearing a bra at all.

    I've previously tried Panache Tango II Balconette (when I wore a 38-band) but it poked my sternum too badly to use, the Tango II Plunge was alright but didn't feel very stable or supportive. I still fill out the cup of the 38F Tango II Plunge I have but the band is so loose now that it's impossible to use, which is a bit sad since the wires are a good height under the arm.

    I've tried a few Freya balconettes which were just wrong for my shape I think because they didn't work at all but I've never tried one of their half-cups - do you think I should go for a 36-band in those as well? The Freyas I've tried were really very stretchy in the band but the half-cups might be different?

    Also tried Ewa Michalak CH and CHP but they're just clearly way too narrow and deep and I'm not trying them again.

  • I agree that the unpadded Freyas would be just wrong on you. But the halfcups are different, meant for a wide and shallow shape. In those you could try a 34 band bc Freyas are indeed stretchy. If you intend to loose more weight getting a 34 band and using an extender makes the most sense.

    If the 38F Tango II Plunge still fits you in the cup, take in the band. I also think that you could try the Tango II Plunge in 34G (sister size to your 38F). This is also the size I would try in the Freya halfcups. So you need a 34i US in the Goddess Keira.

  • Thanks for your help. Since there were some Freya halfcups on sale I ordered a couple, hoping they'll fit better than what I have!

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