Bra fitting help » Little wrinkles several places, what's wrong?
Curvy Kate » Bardot Balcony Bra (SG3101) » 30DD 30:5
Issue resolved
Going to try Cleo Hettie and Mimi.
Original problem
Little wrinkles in several places, but not anywhere near a whole cup size, I think. What's the fit issue here? This is only the third bra in my quest for ABTF, so I don't have a lot of info to go on yet. I got a Cleo Kali at the same time, and it fits best of what I've tried so far.
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Suggestions (4)
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1
helpful
Nah, this one looks like a "ski jump" in profile (that's the word we use in the German language bra fitting community to describe exactly that shape - it's not meant to be offensive, lol).
That's the shape you get when the cup is too closed off the top, but also too projected at the apex.I seem to have been wrong when I suggested "FoB" bras to you based on the Freya Starlet review, I am sorry.
Also sad to hear that Patsy Plunge did not work out. From your description it sounds like it's too deep/projected for you (and Freya is notorious with stretchy bands as well).
Do you have any ideas about your root shape? That would be incredibly helpful with bra search.
It looks like wide roots to me that are somewhat spread out on the ribcage, but not so wide they extend to the sides (under your armpits). What's your personal impression on that? Did you have any issues with the wire width of the Bardot, or did you feel they matched your breast root well?Looks to me like you're a candidate for "tall roots" as well, as there certainly seems to be some breast root above the cup, and up to your collarbone. That's what it looks like in the pictures.
My suggestion would be to look for more shallow bras with some immediate projection and medium width wires, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on root shape first, before I continue.
Updated on February 5, 2017 Flag this
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That "ski jump" profile thing is common in certain bras in the smaller cup size spectrum. They are created with larger cup sizes in mind, and scaled down without actually testing how they work on people, so there are weird fit issues sometimes. I've rarely seen an unpadded Curvy Kate bra work well in our size range.
Did you do a T-shirt test? How does it look under a tight T-shirt or top? Any visible seams, wrinkles, quadboob, cutting in?
For the molded bras issue - molded bras are created with a very specific shape in mind. They're not as able to adapt to one's shape than seamed bras are, so it's completely "hit or miss" and some people find they cannot wear them at all (I also don't own any that fit me). Don't worry about that.
I sound like a broken record on the recommendations I'm giving, but have you ever tried Cleo Marcie? It's right in between shallow and projected, and it works incredibly well in the smaller cup size range. It's also not as closed off the top as Bardot is.
Cleo Juna might also be worth a try.
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I haven't tried Marcie, but it's on my list. I was a little worried that my lack of upper fullness would not work with it, but it's worth a try. I heard Juna doesn't fit anybody, lol. But it would probably be my luck that I would be the one.
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Added some pics with clothes and wire marks.
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Juna fits quite a lot of people in the smaller size range. There's one quirk though: The lace on top NEVER EVER lays flat in the correct size, so don't expect that to happen. (It it lays flat, it's hiding quadboob.) I guess many people aren't aware of that and dismiss it as "bad fit".
Regarding T-shirt appearance and wire marks: What's your impression? Are you happy with the fit?
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Meh about t-shirt. I wore it yesterday with a looser shirt than that and it looked fair. It was very comfortable. Those marks are from the end of a full day of wear, and I was very pleased that it stayed up; I'm used to badly fitting molded cups with a too big bad and the wires end up way too low pretty quickly, lol. The wire is definitely not too narrow, not sure if it is a good fit or a little wide. In the pic with my arm down and back, it looks a bit wide, but in the pic with my arm up, it looks perfect. In any case, it was comfortable. Do those pics give any more insight into root shape?
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This cup shape is designed to fit a breast shape that is sort of like a lowercase letter "b": the upper half of the breast root is projected (filling the apex of this bra) and ends abruptly (no tissue thickness at the edge of the cup which is quite closed-in). Your upper half instead tapers very gradually upwards and is somewhat shallow. So ideally you'd need a cup design that accommodates that a bit better.
Updated on February 5, 2017 Flag this
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That's exactly what I meant when I wrote "the cup is too closed off the top, but also too projected at the apex."
So I fully agree with that assessment.Any ideas which bras could meet that criteria?
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The wires look right in OP's IMF. I wouldn't want to go much narrower. Perhaps CK Ellace in the same size would be ok. The stretch lace top might be more accommodating and it has a rounder shape in general.
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Yeah I definitely wouldn't look for anything narrower (I don't know if cupandahalf thought I was advocating that?) The foam cup Cleos like Maddie, Juna and so on tend to be shallower and more open at the top. The Mimi is a more recent one that seems very popular. I would give those a whirl. Within that category there are more projected ones and more shallow ones. Look carefully at the cup depth measurement to try and guesstimate your starting size--it looks like you've mostly tried unlined cups so far, which fit bigger, so you'll often need to size up in the foam cup designs.
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wendybien No I wasn't. Just wanted to make sure OP didn't size down to get less projection and end up with wires too narrow.
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Yep I agree there is no room to spare at the sides
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I just found these comments, lol. Not sure how I missed them! Thanks for the feedback on the wires. I was checking out the foam Cleos that were mentioned, and it looks like Maddie is molded, Juna is 2 part, and Mimi is 3 part. While we've been talking about trying shallower styles, I think I'm going to start with Mimi, which I realize should be the most projected of the three. I just received the Comexim 2hc that I've been waiting on, and it's no good. I'm going to close this fitting help and open a new one with that bra. Thanks for your suggestions so far!
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helpfulIt looks pretty good on you. How does it feel? I think maybe it doesn't have quite enough room at the gore for your center fullness but nothing major. The slight wrinkling near the straps most likely won't show under clothes. It may not be a perfect fit but if it's comfortable it could be part of your regular rotation.
Updated on February 4, 2017 Flag this
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The lines near the gore are a definite sign of insufficient center projection. There are a few CKs that have more center projection than Bardot: http://www.bratabase.com/list/glk/
Note: Cascade does not have as much immediate projection as Bardot.
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helpfulhave you scooped and swooped? are these photos just tried it on or end of the day? It does look pretty good. How does it feel?
Updated on February 4, 2017 Flag this
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Yes scoop and swoop but I'm just learning that technique so I could probably do a better job of it. I don't feel like I have too much migrated tissue, but I guess you never know until you work with it. Just tried on. I'm going to wear it tomorrow and see how it wears through the day. My tissue is very soft and definitely shifts and settles through the day. I don't think I'll ever find a bra that I don't have some wrinkles by the end of the day, lol.
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Wrinkles in a soft cup that appears to be the correct size usually indicate a shape mismatch. If you feel like the wires sit comfortably and are an appropriate width. And, if you find that the band does NOT shift downwards while wearing. And that the band is not too tight and thus is not pulling and distorting the wires. And if you feel supported and don't think a cup size down will fit - then the mismatch here looks like centre fullness. Bardot is actually not bad (in my size range) for centre fullness, but CK styles seem to vary in shape depending on size. Here is my favourite centre fullness blog below. As to what this means for future fits, the CK narrow and projected unpadded all fit similarly, but not quite the same - which is great as it adds more fit variation - so you may find a better or worse fit in the same size in Ellace, Portia, Florence, Dreamcatcher, Daydreamer, and possibly Cascade or Madagascar. You can look at the relative numbers in your size here to get some ideas (most effectively about cup width). Flirtelle is a sister brand of CK and I really like some of their unpadded balcony's as well - Ellie, Giselle, and Peacock especially.
Otherwise, you might try a Cleo Marcie or Lucy - Kali is related to Marcie, but not quite the same (and inferior to me). I like the Hettie because it is Marcie with stretch lace on top. With the Cleos, you may find the cups a touch bigger and may choose to size down. If you are feeling adventurous, you might be the perfect shape for Nessa's or Gorsenia's (100s + style numbers) unpadded. Alternatively, if you prefer a softer wire and an narrower centre gore, you could try Comexim's 3-part Half Cups (3hc) . Comexim bands usually run tight. Freya may well be hopeless for you - the plunges are the only shape that might accomodate centre fullness and they generally all fit the same. Freya sizing is more like Cleo that CK and you may find a size down works better. Fantasie generally never fits my centre fullness and are shallower and wider in general - especially the side support models - and rarely has enough immediate projection. Same with Bravissimo. Charnos, Parfait, and Lepel tend to be wider and shallower, but the models I have tried all accommodate centre fullness fairly well. Good luck and I hope this is helpful!
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Thanks very much. That blog post was super interesting! I am still reading up on all the polish brands to figure out what I want to try. I do have a Comexim 2 part half cup on the way, so I'll go from there with that brand. I'll check out Nessa, Gorsenia,and Kris Line.
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The Patsy Plunge I got is just outright too big. It's so big I can't even get an idea of what it would look like in the correct size. I'd have to go down a size in band and cup to try again. I might, eventually. Ski jump, lol. Yes, and while that might not be the ideal profile, that is what my boobs look like. I can't get any mounding at all unless I do a serious amount of mashing up and in. I really mean a lot of mashing. If I support my breasts underneath with my hands flat like a shelf, they just stick straight out forming 90 degree angles on top and bottom. They actually form a 90 degree fold with my chest wall, lol. If I cup my hands more like a bra, it's a little better, but only a little. I don't expect any bras to work total shape miracles. I just want some in the right size that are reasonable for my shape. I didn't post it for fitting help, but there are pics of my Cleo Kali also, if that would help.
Wide-ish roots, sure. Kind of wide on my chest wall, but definitely not around to my side. Tall/short? I don't have that figured out. If I smash my breasts up and in, I can get the tissue to move up pretty far, but I'm so shallow on top, I'm not sure it will affect fit too much. I usually have issues with gaping at the top of molded cups.