Bra fitting help » Seam between lace and fabric gives quad boob.
Cleo » Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011) » 36F 36:7
Issue resolved
Bra no longer fits, now wearing 36G.
Original problem
I only figured out that I was wearing the wrong sized bras this year and am starting to get a sense of how a well fitting bra should feel. When I wear my old bras (I can’t afford to replace them all at once), I can’t believe I ever thought they fit. I hang out the top and bottom and the bands are way too loose (I was wearing at 38D and now wear 36E-G depending on brand). I could swear that my boobs are getting larger, which seems weird because I lost some weight in that time (I’ve gained a few pounds back but not much).
I bought this bra in the summer. At the time it seemed to fit, but the lace on top was really loose. It fits better now and the lace isn’t as loose as it was, however I’m getting serious quadboob at the seam with this bra. I’m not sure if it’s a size or a design issue with this bra. The lace seems too loose when the cup fits and now it should fit better, but the seam cuts into my boobs. At the sides there is a weird gap at the top of the underwire (which seems a little short for the bra). I think the straps might be a little too far apart for me too.I bought this bra because I loved the colour but should have paid more attention to the weird seam. Even with the loose lace it seemed to cut into my boob a bit.
I’m looking for some advice on what to look for in a bra that would suit me.
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Suggestions (2)
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helpful
I can't speak to all your questions, but I think the in cup quaffing you describe with this bra is common for certain types of breasts in a lot of bras with a lace panel on the top. For example, I get this really bad in the curvy Kate ellace bras, and some get it in Cleo Marcie while others don't.
Updated on December 11, 2017 Flag this
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I also noticed this in-cup quadding in Hettie 28ff when I was trying it. And I decided to not to buy it.
But everything is OK in Marcie 28FF and 30F ( excepting my bigger few days a month, but then they are just too small for me) -
cupandahalf Did you successfully tighten the upper section to remedy quad boob in a CK bra? I recall it was easy...
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Yes, I pulled the lace in at the top of the gore to give better tension. Only works if the cups are tall enough and roots are short enough to not have the elastic cut in on top however.
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I thought this was a picture of me in a blue Hettie for a second. Yes, I have this problem in lots of bras with lace panels. Main offenders are Curvy Kate, Freya, and Fantasie. While bras like Panache Envy and Jasmine have other problems for me, the lace panel is made from a tighter stretch lace that, for whatever reason, helps with this problem. I also believe that bras that have a firm lace or elastic seam, as this does, near the top of the cup or lace panel exacerbate this problem for me.
I think it stems from some combination of shape or at least lack of upper fullness, and softer or pendulous breasts. If I were to take a piece of ribbon and tie it around my arm fat or something, it would do the same thing to my arm that bras like this do to my breasts.
I'll also add that in GG+ sizes, Hettie comes with a second layer of mesh lining in the top panel that cuts down on this issue for people in your size range (or so I have read). Not saying that's an appropriate size for you, but something to keep in mind when looking at other bras.
I modified my Hettie sort of following cupandahalf 's guidelines and had some success. I say "some" more because of my poor sewing skills than poor instructions or concept. :D
Entry closed
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helpfulI think generally speaking this bra is just not a good shape for you. According to your measurements, this bra is definitely too small for you and it also looks like it is too small for you.
There also appears to be some oddities in your measurement. Your standing breast (horizontal) breast perimeter is 3" larger than your laying breast perimeter. This is a really big difference. I would double check it if i were you, I also suggest using your opposite hand to find where the breast tissue stops on the outside of your torso because using the band on that side messes with the accuracy. Also, I am not sure how your nip to neck measurement is the same as your breast base measurement? Both measurements start at the clavicle, one goes down to the nipple and the other goes straight down the sternum to the approximate location of the IMF (where the breast tissue stops on the torso). Although i find it easier to think of it as starting at the clavicle and going straight down to where the band of the bra w would sit on the body. Your nipples would have to be at the bottom of your breast for these two measurements to be the same length.
Before recommending anything I'm curious about how the wires fit. Do they follow your breast root nicely or are the laying on top of breast tissue under your arms? You say that there is a weird gap at the top of the under wire indicates that this bra has wires that are too wide for you. Locate your breast root, press your finger right behind it and measure/guesstimate the space between your root and the under wire.Updated on December 15, 2017 Flag this
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I’ve redone my measurements and hopefully they make more sense. I have a hard time getting some of the measurements as gravity has definitely taken hold.
With this bra, the underwire seems to sit a bit on my breast tissue and there the tissue above the band on the sides looks like it’s migrating from where it should be. I think the gap I mention is because the underwire don’t come all the way up in the bra (the underwire isn’t as long as it should be, it looks like it’s a couple of centimetres shorter than the bra cup. If I push the underwire so it goes up hire in the armpit the gap resolves, but then I feel like the center underwire is stabbing me in the chest.
I’m in my late 40s and I don’t know if it’s hormones or what, but my breast size seems to have increased over the past few months. A bra that I bought that was a little too big for me in the summer is now a little small and bras that fit in the summer, seem to be straining a lot to keep me contained.
I’m going to try to get into a shop to try on some bras. I’ve had bra fittings with mixed results and would like to try a few sizes and styles to get a feel for what will work best without the pressure of a bra fitter/sales person.
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A lot of women find that their breast size increases when they start wearing bras that actually fit them!
I know how hard it can be to get those measurements, and I have very small, sort of self supporting breasts with only center fullness. It took me a while to get them accurate.
If gravity has made your breasts more pendulous then you can take a ruler and put it under the breast and push up until it is touching breast tissue and measure from your clavicle down to the ruler.
You may also want to take your horizontal perimeter measurement with a bra on as this will help you figure out how much depth in the cup you really need.
Cleo bras are known to have shorter wires than most, and it is always recommended to get a bra with wires that do not sit on the tissue. In my case, I went from needing fairly wide wires to average/narrow wires as all my tissue migrated back to the front of my chest.
I wish you luck when going into the store and trying on bras! Don't give up! I know finding bras that really fit is hard but totally worth it when you figure it out. -
P.S. I wish I could find this bra in my size!
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I got this in-cup quadding with cleo marcie (and never found a curvy kate I could find) but not on other bras with lace on top - i only wear Panache and Ewa MIchalak now - Ewa is one of 2 very popular polish brands around here, and there are a few other fairly common polish brands. Cleo run deep and narrow, as do polish bras. My conclusion was that Cleos are a good shape but poor quality.