Bra fitting help » Underwire is painful & pokes underarm + gore issues. Can this bra be salvaged?
Cacique » Bold Lace Full Coverage Bra (195851) » 40G 40:8
Issue resolved
Didn't fit. I plan to sell or give it away.
Original problem
I thought I'd picked the right size for this bra (I tried on a 38H and 40G two weeks ago), but now looking at the pictures, I realize it's the wrong size. The underwire pokes me in the arm on the right side. The front of the underwire is painful and presses hard into my sternum. The band, which was really tight when I first tried it on, is now getting loose after wearing it for several hours. You can see that it's rolling up a little. I probably should've gotten the 38H, though I'm not entirely convinced that the 38H will fit right either. In the store, the 38H felt so tight in the band I couldn't get it on, which was why I opted for the 40G.
This bra/brand might be all wrong for me in general. I recently went up a size, so I bought some bras on sale at Lane Bryant / Cacique just to tide me over for a while. My new size is 38GG-38H and the Elomi Amelia 38GG is my best fitting bra at the moment. It's an exact fit, though I'd love a little more center projection.
My old Elomi Bijou is my second best bra right now and mostly still fits because the 38G in that style runs very big, but there's a tiny bit of quad boob. Oddly enough, the measurements for this Cacique Bold Lace Bra are kind of similar to the Elomi Bijou, but the fit is all wrong. Maybe because the Bold Lace Bra cups are wider? Last night, I was trying to see if I could fix the poking underwire and tried to lightly bend the wire to make it wider, but maybe it's too wide and should've tried to make it more narrow in the cup?
Is there any way to alter this bra now that I've worn it and can't take it back? I'm also trying to decide whether to return the other Cacique bras I bought or if it's worth exchanging them for the 38H.
Also, the gore on this bra is terrible. I wasn't so worried about the gore not laying between my breasts at the top because I have close-set breasts, but the gore on this bra is very uncomfortable. It rubs/digs in at the bottom because there is no soft elastic there, just the fabric. All my UK bras have soft elastic lining the bottom of the bra. I find it weird that Cacique doesn't do this, considering their target market.
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Suggestions (3)
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helpfulI don't think you have to put up with a floating gore for close set breasts. A floating gore on this bra seems to show a too wide cup on your shape. Looks like you may need a narrower wire and more projection. Check the gore width on future bras... one inch is wide. Even .75 or .6 of an inch gore width will make a difference. From your measurements it looks like a 38 band may be better depending on brand and stretch of the band. A too large band creates a wider cup which can be contributing to the wire bothering under the arm. What set of hooks are you on?
Updated on December 28, 2016 Flag this
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I have tried wire adjusting too and it never really works as the wires are set in the fabric at a certain angle. Maybe try a different brand. This one does not seem to be right for your shape.
Your measurements are similar to mine in band and some 38s I can get on but tend toward 40 as too much pull on the band also causes wire distortion. If you like the 40 better for comfort, another brand will be better. The underwire is digging in and painful because you are not projected and lifted from the wires being so wide.
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Thank you for explaining roxannelovesbras! I was confused as to why the underwire was hurting so much when I don't have this problem with my old 38G bras from Freya, Elomi and Panache. With those, it's more that the weight of my breasts is too heavy now, so my back hurts, but there is no pain with the wire. But I guess those cup designs are narrower and more suited to my shape. I'll probably have to return these Cacique bras. My no wire 40G bras from Cacique are okay, though maybe a tiny bit big in the cup. I may have to stick with the no-wire from this brand or take a measuring tape with me to check the cup width.
Oddly enough, my Elomi Amelia Spacer bra is wider in the cup than this Bold Lace Bra, but it is very supportive and doesn't poke or chafe or cause any discomfort. I suspect that Elomi uses better materials and construction.
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Yes, I would agree on the materials for sure. Better materials is better support :)
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helpfulI agree with Roxanne, this bra is a hot mess in terms of fit compatibility (and I'm also questioning the quality). It looks very shallow, unrealistically so for the typical demographic in this size range, and particularly shallow at the cup edge which is likely why it does not tack. It's extremely shallow at the wire, not "built for shallow breasts" shallow but rather "this part of the cup was never intended to accommodate any breast tissue at all because not even a 40G lady astronaut whose boobs have adjusted to zero gravity and float all day has such a thin sliver of boob at the base of her breasts." The construction, with just two vertical seams that don't even span the full height of the cup, is basically a joke when it comes to supporting a 13.5" perimeter breast.
This extreme shallowness and poor construction is probably what led you to select this size, in which the wire is too tall and pokes you in the arm, with bonus poking due to the non-tacking gore which allows wires to move around causing more pain.
Whoever decided this design was suitable for a full cup size range in a plus-focused brand should be made to eat one!
Updated on December 31, 2016 Flag this
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wendybien Yeah, it looked okay when I first tried it on in the store (but I didn't lift my arms and really examine the cup), but as soon as I got it home and actually wore it for 10 minutes, it was obvious that the bra was painful and having problems.
I think you're right that this bra is just really poorly constructed and doesn't make a whole lot of sense for plus size ladies (and those with large breasts). I've worn other Cacique bras in the past that were a little better made, but now I'm kind of turned off from buying bras from them. I need to send back the other bras this week. I was trying to save money because of a tight budget this month, but sometimes it just isn't worth it.
I went to the bra boutique yesterday and spent the money to get a Curvy Kate and a Pour Moi bra and my boobs are much happier. And now that I've tried on a lot of bras in the shop, I'll have a better idea of which brands and sizes will work , so next time when I see a bra sale or a good eBay listing, I'll be able to get a quality bra for less.
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helpfulI also agree with others that this is both a shape and a size problem.
First of all, Cacique is an American brand using American sizing. Their 40G is the equivalent of a UK 40FF, which is one to two cup sizes too small for you (your sister size in a 40 band size is 40G/GG or 40H/I in Cacique, while a 38GG/H is a 38I/J in Cacique, which they don't do). Second of all, the bra is a total mess with your shape. You need something with a lower gore and more room for centre-fullness, as well as deeper cups (but that's normal as this bra is too small). I think your issues with underwires digging in are most likely due to this bra being a suboptimal size and shape for you.
I would recommend to forget Cacique altogether for your future bra purchase. Their 38H is an American H, which is the equivalent of 38G in UK sizing, which is most definitely too small for you. With a too small cup, it's normal that the band feels ultra-tight, since your breasts are pushing the band away from your body in an attempt to seat at a spot where they have space to be.
If you liked Elomi Bijou Banded Moulded Bra (8720) , you may want to give a try at the Elomi Carmen Plunge Bra (4010) , Elomi Bijou Soiree Banded Moulded Bra (8780) , Elomi Matilda Plunge Bra (8900) , and other plunge models from Elomi. I would recommend giving these a try in 38H rather than 38GG.
Updated on January 28, 2017 Flag this
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I did return the other Cacique bras and will stay away, apart from the no-wire bras, which fit okay. I still have this bad-fitting bra, but it just sits in the drawer. I agree that Cacique is just all wrong for me now. I had bought a plunge front-close bra before I bought the bra in this fit request and the fit is so bad.
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Thank you roxannelovesbras . Yes, I do think a .75 gore works better. I generally stick with the 38 band, but when I couldn't get the bra on in the store, I thought maybe it was too small and I needed to sister size. But maybe it was just that the bra was right out of the packaging and not broken in yet from people trying it on.
I just tried to bend the underwire a little to narrow it and moved to the middle hooks. It does seem to have less wrinkling. Not sure if I'm adjusting the wire enough.