Bra fitting help » starting on my bra journey, looking for direction... How bad is the fit? ;p

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Cleo » Darcy Padded Balconette (6821) » 28D 28:4

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Suggestions (4)

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  The fit looks great! There is nothing technically wrong with the fit. The vertical seam/half cup shape works really great on you. However I feel you on the comfort issues; Cleo is not the comfiest brand out there, and it's also kind of "a lot of bra" for small boobs.

  The lace/room at apex thing looks lie it's not so much a size issue but shape of the bra. That doesn't mean, though, that 28D will always be the best size for you; brands all size differently and every model fits differently, so always keep an open mind for other sizes. In terms of being a problem here...it's not, really. This is as good of a technical fit as you can expect to get from a bra that hasn't been made to your measurements. Every bra will have some tiny fit issues -- you just have to decide whether they are important to you.

  I feel you also on the strap adjusters! I actually take mine out (they're so chunky!) of my Cleos and just re-sew the strap back to the back of the bra; I am a confident sewer but it's not hard. This gives me an extra half inch of strap that I need and gets the adjusters out of my shoulder blades; I can do this because I don't feel that the straps stretch out too much over time/I don't feel the need to readjust them. You could also turn them around so the adjuster is at the front of the body; again, light sewing but very easy.

  One thing you can do for comfort is to wash the bra a couple times. Another is to use an extender for the first few weeks.

  Since I'm guessing you don't need a ton of iron support, you may be more comfortable in 30C. Betsey Johnson stocking stripe comes in that size and might work well. Other brands worth trying are Passionata by Chantelle and Natori/Josie by Natori, Calvin Klein, and b'Tempt'd by Wacoal. (B'tempt'd ciao bella in particular). Also Affinitas is really affordable, and their stuff runs VERY small in band and cup; I'd try 32C in it. Most of these brands cater to a young body type and will be well suited to your needs -- they tend to run small in the band because they are designed for young people so even at a 26" ribcage you should be ok in a 30 band. It will all depend on the individual bra, though. If you have a Nordstrom or Rack by you, def go in and try stuff on. You can also peruse the 28D and 30C sections of websites like herroom to see what speaks to you.

  Updated on March 19, 2016 Flag this

  
  

  • Thanks for the help! I'm off to buy some extenders.

    Sewing the adjusters in front is bordering genius! :D I never would have thought of that.

    I feel better knowing it's a pretty good fit, I feel more confident to try playing with sizes.

    I'm in France and I don't think here's any Nordstrom or Rack here, but I should be able to find Passionata. Thanks for the recommendations.

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  The cups aren't a bad fit, per se, but I suspect you will get an even better fit in a bra that has a slightly shallower and taller cup design to better match your natural shape.

  For the band, try an extender (not the kind with a bit of elastic in the middle--you want the nonstretch ones that are just hooks and eyes on 2 tabs of fabric). I suspect it is tighter than you need and this may be causing some of the pressure and irritation from the wires.

  Very lean people often prefer to size up in the band especially if they do not have a heavy chest to support. When you don't have a lot of padding on your torso, you can experience more discomfort from rough or constricting bands and Cleo runs particularly snug in many of its bras (though this isn't universal) so it may be a good idea for you to try 30s in this brand.

  Updated on March 19, 2016 Flag this

  
  

  • Non stretch extender, check out 30s and a bit shallower and taller cup next time. Got it!

    It's true that I don't have much padding on my torso, at least now I know where the line not to cross is :)

    Thanks for taking the time to answer!

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  Its hard to know if the band is too small, because you did not include the stretched band measurement. That should be somewhere around your comfortable ribcage measurement. You can always try an extender to see if its more comfortable that way.

  If the cup seems empty at the deepest part of it, that probably means the cup is a little too deep. your breasts look very tall, so more of the tissue volume is spread up and down. You may do well in half-cups. In fact, that sort of fits you like a half cup, really only covering the bottom portion of your breasts. But in general I think half cups tend ot be more shallow, but i'm really not familiar with anything in your size range. hopefully others will have more specific suggestions.
  

  Updated on March 19, 2016 Flag this

  
  

  • I didn't put down a stretched band mesurement, because it leaves me a little puzzled.... When is too much strength put in pulling the band? Doesn't the wire's degree of deformation owns more to its own firmness? Does it even matter in the end?

    I think I'll compare with the existing data to get a better feel of it first... (Maybe I'm overthinking it, sorry ^^;)

    Thanks for your answer.

  • I know some people stress about it. I find it so hard to stretch it while holding the tape measure at the same time, and i'm not very strong, so I just pull as hard as I can without dropping it. it seems to come about about where it should?

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• 1
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  28D is a good place to start with your measurements, and this bra looks like a good choice for your shape, but I wonder if it might fit you better in 30D? The cups look like they're verging on too small even though you have the straps adjusted as long as possible, and that empty space might be a consequence of the cup being too narrow (so your breast tissue can't fit in there to completely fill it out). AFAIK, the lace on this style often doesn't lie flat against your skin unless the cup is too small.

  The band also looks like it's being pulled quite tight, which could be causing the ends of the wires to dig in. I'm not saying the band is too small - if you're comfortable with it, it's fine - but I have very similar ribcage measurements to you and find some 28 bands put too much pressure on my ribs for my liking even though they technically fit. Sizing up to 30D or 28DD *might* also make the straps a little longer.

  Updated on March 19, 2016 Flag this

  
  

  • I'll definitely look into 30 bands, and I'm glad my first try isn't too far off.

    Thanks a lot.

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