Bra fitting help » To keep or to return? Gaping, band and straps too long.
Cleo » Juna Balconnet Bra (6461) » 28F 28:7
Issue resolved
I decided to return it
Original problem
I am not sure if I should keep this bra (and other one, Freya Rapture in the next topic) or return it. Balconnet may be just the wrong model for me. If there is no chance to get a better bra, I believe this one can be altered somehow. My breasts feel rather comfortable in the cups.
There is a list of problems:
First, the band is loose. It doesn't feel uncomfortable, but I have "fat rolls" on the back beause of it. I feel like the cup is too small on the sides where I have my main volume, so the tissue is pushed to the sides where the band cuts in.
Second, the straps are too long. I can not get them any shorter, if they losen through time.
Third, the gaping in the center. It is the most strangest thing I had in all balconnet bras I ordered (freya rapture 28F and tutti Rouge Betty 28FF, Freya was the worst and betty was the best fitting one). If I move the strap to the side (as if I had wider frame), gaping disappears.
If I order smaller size, the underwire would be too narrow for me. So this is not the option.So I wonder if I should keep the bra or search for other balconnets to fit me. Or I should alter this bra and how is better to do it?
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Suggestions (3)
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helpful
This bra looks like a clear shape mismatch. Sizing down will probably cause more problems than it fixes. Have you tried the cleo Marcie yet? I think you'll find that to be a much better fit for your shape.
As for the too big band, you can try altering it down. PetiteCollegiate and other users with a small band size might have some better recommendations.
Updated on May 18, 2016 Flag this
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helpfulYou have plenty of room at the sides; a smaller cup will not make the underwire too narrow. This is simply an inappropriate cup size for you.
Since this is a half cup, it's great for shallower shapes like yours. I think this could be a great bra for you and the size I'd start with is 28DD. The right cup size will make the band feel tighter. It also may shorten the straps, but even if it doesn't, this is a very easy alteration.
Updated on May 19, 2016 Flag this
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I do not have plenty of room at the sides! The cup depth is even smaller than my horizontal perimeter. When I go down to 28E, I usually have PAIN at the sides because underwire hurts my breast tissue. I need super-wide wires :) 28DD would be a horror
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The pictures must be misleading. It looks like you have a lot of room at the sides if I follow the line down from your frontal armpit to where your breast root is.
I'm just a person on the internet, but you did ask for advice and I've fit hundreds of women :) This is definitely not the "correct" cup volume for you, but that's your business -- some people like a nonstandard fit for whatever reason. But, going so far up in cup volume is part of what's making this band so loose on you, and it's causing the gaping in the cups, as well as making the straps wider. A tighter band will spring the wires, making them wider.
Cleos have extremely firm wires, which you don't need. Perhaps another brand would be more comfortable, since you have wire pain. Similarly, the imprint on your back is not caused by the too-loose band but by the relatively stiff elastics that Cleo uses.
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it is true that pictures are misleading, that is why I wrote that 28E bands are too narrow. I had some experience, believe me.
About the band, the only thing that makes the band loose on me is the band itself, this "28" inch band is actually 32 inch long when stretched. When I tighten the band with my hand, the "fat rolls" disappear so I think tighter band would make it better.The advice I asked for was - to alter it or to return so, I assume, you advice to return it?
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helpfulIf the Cleo Juna is too narrow for you (you said the wire is too short and it is wrinkling/slightly too big or to deep at the same time), it's time to look for even wider, shallower bras.
Libby and the users of a German bra fitting forum have compiled a list of such bras a while ago and here it is: http://www.bratabase.com/adventures/entry/2346/
Scroll down to the section that starts with "The main reason why we started our "research" was that there are a number of women who need even wider wires /shallower cups than the bras listed so far provide."
I'd especially recommend the Lepel Fiore Plunge and the Bravissimo half cups. Also, OnlyHer is a Polish bra manufactorer whose plunge bras are super cute and work awesomely on people who need very wide wires. If you're able to get your hands on one of these, or ordering from Poland is an option, it's definitely worth a try.
Updated on May 19, 2016 Flag this
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from that list I strongly suggest the Freya deco softcup. That list is a little outdated unfortunately but i'm pretty sure they still make that.
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from that list I strongly suggest the Freya deco softcup. That list is a little outdated unfortunately but i'm pretty sure they still make that.
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Thank you for the link. Unfortunately, most of these bras do not exist in 28 band size (like fauve and lepel) and it seems that 28 band in Freya and Cleo is too big for me. I tried to chin up and dance in both bras I asked here about, and they move terribly on my body and in the end the tissue escapes from the sides and I find the wire lying on it. It seems that I will not keep them in the end.
I already have some Tutti Rouge bras and Shock Absorbers and they fit perfectly. And I will continue my search.
It is pity that polish bras are uneasy to find... -
fain Freya bras and the Cleo Juna you tried are known to run _very_ stretchy in the band.
I tried the Lepel Fiore Plunge myself and the band was very tight in a 30, even though I comfortably fit a 30 in Cleo and most Freya bras.
Keep on trying, check out the measurements on Bratabase, and always keep in mind that bras by different manufacturers run very differently. Also, bra _color_ can make a huge difference in band size. Dark/black bras usually run tighter than light/white/beige bras because of the dying process.
I tried a black and a creme Cleo Juna and the black one was definitely tighter, and the same applies for other bra models as well. Bratabase is a great help with this.Good luck with your search!
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Thank you for the information about the color. I aclually ordered this bras without much reading, they were only ones available in my size and recommended for my shape in stock at the time I ordered my favourite bra that I knew will fit. So I decided to return them.
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According to the measurements, Marice in this size is much narrower and deeper, and I need right the opposite. And I guess the straps will be also too far apart in Marice and the band will be as big. I am experienced in altering the backs of 36B's but it always look ugly in the end and I do not feel comfortable to undress.
Maybe you could advice something which is not Freya or Cleo, but is also easy to get in 28F?