Bra fitting help » Small cup, deflated, wide-set, with constant issue of both quadboob and gaping
Betsey Johnson Intimates » Eyelet Lace Demi Bra (723325) » 30D 30:4
Issue resolved
I got some great input here, but probably the most crucial to my bra-fitting quest is the discovery that I have short roots and need short cups. This was a major "Ah ha!" moment.
Original problem
This is my first time requesting fit help. I'm sort of reiterating what I wrote in my review. I would say that this and Charlotte have, hands down, been my closest to really fitting. However, I'm still trying to make sense of my shape.
When I first put it on, I get quadboob, but as I wear it, this settles down and the cups fit nicely. I find that a little poking and tucking (very minimal) of my super squishy tissue helps me fill it properly. The wires fit well under the arm and around my boobs. The gore seems to be a good width for my wide-set, but I'd probably benefit from it being a little higher. I say that for two reasons. If I lie on my side, I spill right out of the cup and
after wearing this for several hours, (probably because the band and straps are so stretchy?) my boobs settle way down. I start getting some quadding towards the gore and a bit of gaping in the cup-meets-strap area. (These two issues are constants for me....just about every bra I've ever tried on.)I would love to hear what you guys see going on with this fit and where I should maybe go from here.
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Suggestions (3)
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OK so this fit here is actually a beautiful illustration of "short boob problems" or the vertically petite boob shape that we were talking about the other day.
If you have noticed the name of this bra, it is called "demi" aka half cup, yet it fits you, in cup height like a regular balconnet. This height and wire length are really pretty good for you. The slight gaping and spilling you encounter in certain positions or after being active for a while are due to the fact that demi cups are designed completely open at the top,i.e. they offer generous depth higher than you need in this case (Since the fuller part of your boobs is lower down).
So this brings you a step closer to the data you need to find a fit. You know this wire length and cup depth is good, so you can do a search with these same measurements, and the same gore width, and then select bras with similar measurements that are NOT demis. That should give you some more to work with!
Updated on January 8, 2016 Flag this
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Yeah demis tend to be cut shallower than other bra shapes, so since you need some decent projection they aren't going to be your go-to in most brands. But in this case it served a useful purpose!
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This bra is very open at the top edges of the cups. It's possible that you may be in between cup volumes, that is to say, you may find that the volume of a 30D bra is too small while the volume of a 30DD is too large. If they made a 30D½ that would be ideal but I don't know of any companies who do that.
If you feel that this bra and the Parfait Charlotte are the closest to being "perfect" I guess stick with them. Sometimes if we can't find a perfect bra the best course of action is just to find bras that are better than the ones we have already tried.
I find that a lot of the moulded Curvy Kate bras are very open at the top edges of the cups. Have you tried the Ritzy and the Soda Pop?
Updated on January 8, 2016 Flag this
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Saskia_C Thank you for the advice!
It's interesting, I find that if I pull the cups slightly closer to my body, mimicking a tighter band, I very clearly quad out of it. So, I guess that if I was looking at a tighter band, I should also look for slightly more cup depth?
This and Charlotte aren't perfect, but they're closest to fitting (although technically, based on the criteria when adding measurements, neither fits). And maybe that's as good as it's going to get for me, but I haven't tried enough to throw in the towel yet. It would be so nice to just put on a bra someday and have it feel like it really fits properly. My next order is going to be Charlotte 30D, I think, since the 28DD is so tight and I haven't tried it in any other sizes yet.
I haven't tried any Curvy Kates yet, because I kept hearing a lot about needing projection ...or maybe upper fullness...with them (I think that was the deterrent. Whatever it was, it was something I definitely don't have.) I am not opposed to trying though.
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It actually just means the cups are too small, which the fit when you first put it on also tells you. If you're only recently into a better fitting bra you may need to swoop and scoop or otherwise adjust through the day. You ideally need more projection in the cup, you need something closed on top rather than open on top but with reasonably wide wires. You have short roots which is why the open top doesn't quite work for you. I would have thought the unlined Curvy Kates would be more likely but I'm no expert on them.
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I don't think your roots look overly tall & wonder if maybe this is too open? I don't know. I'm kind of at a loss. Have you tried Cleo Lucy? Cleo Maddie or Juna?
Updated on January 8, 2016 Flag this
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lcl0706 Normally, I would avoid such an open top, but the more things I try on and the more I study my boobs, the more I think that a very horizontally cut, open top, could actually work for me. If this gore came up a little higher, I think it would help prevent both of the issues I am seeing with the Betsey Johnson.
I did try Lucy. The shape was definitely a major misfit (and big disappointment. I had a lot of hope in that one.) Maddie is on my list to try.Actually...to clarify...when people say the top is open, what are they describing? I assumed it meant that the top edge doesn't curve in. I'm not sure how to explain it.
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Yup, that's exactly what it means. Maddie tends to run small in the cup and stretchy in the band. If I were you, I would try it in a 28DD. It is open on top, but with your short roots I wouldn't tell you to size up.
I still don't think you're extremely shallow, and I'm wondering if Maddie would be too shallow at the wire. Have you tried Juna? It has more room for immediate projection than Maddie does but is still a relatively shallow cup and is also open on top. Maybe a 28DD in that too?
If you're going to run with the half cup idea, might as well try out some Freya half cups too. I'm still not convinced open on top half cups are exactly what you need, but I'm not quite sure what else to recommend yet... also try them in 28DDs.
I went back to your Lucy and as I was looking at it thought about Curvy Kate Bardot in a 30D, and then scrolled down to the comments and realized I'd already said that LOL. CK Bardot is about the opposite shape of the open on top half cups I previously suggested, but it's also the shortest bra I've ever met. Why not? Maybe your shoot roots really need a very short bra. It's more closed down on top than Lucy was. In the Lucy you look pretty projected for your size range, really.
Did you ever try Lucy in a 30D? I'm totally running all over the map here, suggestion wise.
Other Curvy Kates typically demand quite a bit of upper fullness, they're very FOT friendly. Average to wide wire widths, and average amounts of projection at the wire. The width might be okay, but I suspect they'll want more upper fullness than you have. Bardot is a unique cut to the CK line.
I'm not sure I'm helping at all.
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lcl0706 You are totally helping! I appreciate it greatly! It is so helpful to get feedback on here instead of just all this stuff racing around my head and making me crazy. I'm looking into every suggestion everyone is giving and my Amazon list is growing.
Lucy is the only Cleo I've tried so far. I didn't bother ordering it in 30D, after trying on the 30DD. In person it just didn't look like a smaller size would ever fit right, shape-wise. I still have the 30E here (most things I have bought on Amazon, that one I impulsively bought from eBay, NWT, and I haven't sold it yet). Trying it on again, with the knowledge gained between then and now, and other bras I've tried on since then, and considering what you are mentioning, I'm reconsidering. I mean, this is HUGE on me. I can actually make a fist and fit it in the cup with my boob (LOL ... I can't even believe this is how I am spending my time these days). I have a hard time imagining that 2 cups sizes down would actually not still be wanting more upper fullness than I have and wouldn't gape all across the top. But..... on the other hand, the bottom of the cup does offer a lovely shape and fills out nicely rounded and forward. Maybe the 30D is worth a shot.
When it comes to projection, this is still really confusing. Let me see if I can clarify what I'm experiencing, so that you can get a better picture. Maybe this will help make sense of it. If I cup my hands at the inframammary folds and completely support my boobs, they project a little bit past the end of my hand. The projection is a bit more than 3 inches. The tops are very flat though, supported or unsupported. Without that support, they slip down so much, the projection is then 1.75 inches and it's all in the bottom. The only way I get rounded on top is if I both support underneath and push in a little. So, I think I was initially pretty projected, before pregnancy. I just don't know how that translates to what will fit now.
The Bardot sounds intriguing and it would be very interesting to see how it fits, but Amazon doesn't have it in a small enough size. (They do have the babydoll, but I feel like those are never actually the same size as the bras of the same name). ??
I don't know if this info is helpful in any way, but last night I used an eyeliner and drew around to get a visual of my roots. They are definitely wider than they are tall. Horizontal ovals.
I do have a 28DD Freya gem half cup on the way from eBay, so that will be interesting to see.
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To chime in here, you may want to try some other Cleo cuts. If you want to try a style that is good for short boobs, Marcie and Minnie could work. They are not as low cut, but do allow upper fulness. I also have short boobs and tend to do well with open cups, but as a balcony option those two Cleos are awesome for me. However, they are more suitable for projected shapes, I'm not sure if that applies to you...
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sereneindeed The way you describe yourself sounds like a miniature version of me. Pretty deflated on top, with bottom fullness that hangs down past the IMF. This is called pendulous, & it can happen in any size. If I support my breasts from underneath with my hands they take on a flat pancake shape. In a bra, however, they become more even.
When you lean over 90 degrees do your breasts fall away from your chest wall & towards the ground? Shapes like yours & mine definitely require some room at the underwire. You probably don't need as much as I do but I'm hesitant to tell you to try Maddie now because it is so shallow at the wire. Juna would likely be okay. When you put your bras on you're making sure the underwires are up in your IMF right?
Marcie & Minnie would have more room in the top of the bra than Lucy does, so I'd not really suggest those. I'd like to see what Lucy does in a 30D and still think Bardot may work if you could find your size. I think in balconette styles like those you'll need bras with short cups and closed tops because of your short roots. But half cups are designed to provide lower coverage so the open top may not be an issue. Hope that makes sense!
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lcl0706 Yep, they fall towards the ground like they're trying to run away from me. LOL
I kept questioning if it was considered pendulous, because when choosing your shape on here, it mentions that pendulous almost always means a smaller root than the rest of the breast (I forget the exact wording) and I don't have that.
I am going to keep an eye out for a Bardot in my size...maybe next month that will be my big bra splurge. I'm very curious and really want to try it.
I just got a Ciao Bella 30DD a couple of days ago. It actually fits surprisingly well, giving more forward projection and is just a little tiny bit big in the cups...I'm probably going to keep it, because I kind of love it. (I'll write a review very soon.) It happened to arrive at the same time as my period though, so I'm waiting to see if it still fits in a few days. I don't get much boob swelling lately, though, so I'm hopeful!
So, anyway, since we seem to have a similar shape....despite differences in size, what kind of styles have worked best for you?
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Bras with room at the wire, but not really projected at the apex. EM half cups, Comexim 3 part half cups, Cleo Juna. Juna should work for you. The only reason it doesn't for me is because the wires are too wide in my size. I suspect you probably don't need wires as narrow as I do relative to your size, so any one of those could work for you. But as far as projection at the wire goes & cup shapes that work for our kind of shape, it's pretty hard to beat the polish half cups.
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wendybien Thank you, again. :) Very interesting about the demi issue...with this bra fitting like a regular balconnet! Before my recent braducation (haha) I avoided demis because they would cause all sorts of quadding and awkwardness. I didn't even realize that this was one...too busy looking at measurements and reviews and thinking "hmmm...maybe that would work"....
OK.... back to the drawing board.