Bra fitting help » Cups are too big. Suggestions for other styles to try?
Cleo » Juna Balconnet Bra (6461) » 28D 28:4
Issue resolved
Doesn't fit
Original problem
I have the smallest Cleo Juna currently available, and the cups gap horribly at the tops (even if I ignore the lace). Should I wait for the 28C version to come out for AW2014 or just try another bra style? Would the Cleo Maddie t-shirt bra give me the same issues? Should I avoid balconette styles altogether?
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Suggestions (3)
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It's hard to say but my guess is that the wire width here is quite good on you but that the cups are just too projected. This would mean that a 28C most likely would be too narrow in the wire and potentially still too deep... On the other hand the B and C cups are supposed to be adapted for the smaller sizes so it might still be worth trying.
The center gore will be wider so maybe the wires will end up ending in a good place under the arm anyway. So, maybe don't give up just yet.For half cups I would suggest the Freya Deco Moulded Half Cup Bra (4232) over Cleo Juna (6461) for now. You might also like the padded plunge bras from Curvy Kate, like Curvy Kate Elegance (CK1401) , Curvy Kate Tempt Me (SG4001) and Curvy Kate Wild (SG1701) .
Updated on February 23, 2014 Flag this
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Ah, if so the Deco half cup might be too big too... :/
Sadly all but Curvy Kate Flaunt Bra (CK106), which is Bravissimo exclusive is discontinued. Which is quite annoying because these bras used to work very well on shallower wider boobs and create decent cleavage as well. I think the 28J - Curvy Kate » Tease Me [Showgirl Collection] (SG2001) and the other half cups might be too deep for you too... Elegance is available at Amazon.co.uk but for full price, but with free super-saver shipping though, in 28D.
I don't know, but maybe the Curvy Kate Entice (SG1601) would be small enough...? Anyway, I would really keep an eye out for the new smaller cups in Cleo, as they are adapted to the smaller cup-shape it might be just what you are looking for, even if it means another model than Juna...
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Thanks a lot for your suggestions! I think I'll keep checking for those Curvy Kate models (Flaunt, Entice) to go on sale.
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Nesoa, mellowjello88: The Flaunt and its sister cuts (Tempt Me, Wild, Elegance) are often available for cheap on ebay UK or amazon! I recently did some research for Curvy Kate bras and I saw LOTS of them.
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bracrastination did you see any in 28D? I found a black Elegance on Amazon for full price only...
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mellowjello88 Did you check out the reviews? I remember the "Tempt Me" styles run small by 1 or 2 cup sizes. I saw a 28DD on ebay for about 10 GBP plus shipping.
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bracrastination My actual size is 26D/DD, but everyone tells me to size up to 28C/D for availability. The 28Ds I do own are all too large in the cup, so I'm hoping these styles in 28D will fit me.
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mellowjello88 OK I see 28DD is not the best starting point :| I cannot find any discounted 28Ds either. (The only one I found on amazon UK was an Elegance for 28 GBP.) If that's too pricy you'll probably have to keep your eyes open, regularly check ebay/amazon/brastop/bellelingerie and set up an ebay "saved search" so you get notified as soon as anything pops up. But it's a bit of a gamble because all the bras are discontinued, so they might be sold out completely at some point. Sorry I couldn't help you.
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bracrastination ooooh I didn't know you can save searches and get email notifications for ebay. Thanks for the tip!
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mellowjello88 , you appear to be a similar shape & size to me (although you are slightly smaller around the ribcage). I would most definitely suggest to try Mimi Holliday , as they are the ONLY bras I've ever found that fit me.
You might want to start with a 28C in Mimi. I'm somewhere between a 28B and 28C in Mimi. The one in my profile pic is a 28B. I get a bit of quad boob in the 28B plunge models that have a solid top edge (without lace trim), but the same bra in 28C is a bit too big on the cups.
HOWEVER, Mimi have recently made their sizes a bit larger (see my post here http://www.bratabase.com/profile/9ni/adventures/3006/), so the 28Bs are now too big for me.
If you want to try a Mimi 28B for free, I have a BNWT Mojito (http://www.bratabase.com/browse/mimi-holliday/mojito-padded-super-plunge-bra-ss12-110/) that I can lend you to try (you can buy it off me if it fits, or send it back to me if not). What country are you in? This bra is a gorgeous colour (the photos on Bratabase don't do it justice). I'm wavering as to whether to ebay this bra. It gives me slight quad boob but I love the colour so much that I feel like wearing it anyway, lol! The band's a wee bit tight on me too, so would probably be perfect for you.
I've also just taken delivery of 4 bras in 28B and C from The Little Bra Company (Nicole and Ethel in 28B and C), and will be posting pics and fit details of each of them here very soon, for comparison. I see that you have a Nicole in 28C which was a little big on the cups? Same story with me - the B is much better. The Ethel 28B is perfect. Watch this space.Updated on February 28, 2014 Flag this
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Hi raine! I've been eyeing Mimi Holliday for a while, but those bras are so expensive! Also, I'm worried about the coverage on those plunge bras... Since I'm so full on bottom, my nipples are actually fairly high up on the breast tissue.
Would you mind doing a quick measurement of the cup depth from the underwire to the top of the cup on your Mojito? Also the regular cup depth would be helpful too. I think I'm looking for 5.5 to 6.0 inches on the gore-to-wing cup depth.
TLBC Nicole 28C was too projected in the cups for me. The wires were slightly too narrow as well. I'd expect the Ethel to have similar issues for me. I only kept the 30C Lucia, which fits fairly well... but because of the floating gore sometimes I feel the front riding up (the band is probably too loose for me).
The TLBC Sascha 30C fit better than any other strapless I've ever tried, but the cups were too short... Sadly I decided to return it. I may try a 32B at some point in the future and alter the band down. I actually live in Canada so I'm still waiting for my return to be processed...
I saw your adventure about the email exchanges with TLBC. I've heard that TLBC has significant size variation between styles. It could very well be that the Nicole and Ethel in 28B are equivalent to the Yvonne in 28C and the Lucia in 30B. But I think the better answer is the shape of the cup: the Yvonne and Lucia are known for being very shallow, and the Lucia itself has a tight band.
Sorry for the long post! But I am interested in trying the Mimi Holliday bra if the measurements work out... I'm thinking I might need the 28C though. Thanks for your input!
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Yes, Mimi Holliday are SO expensive. I managed to find that Mojito and an identical one in another colour on c21stores.com at $19.99US each in the January sale, so I snapped them up. Even once I'd paid shipping to UK and VAT they were still well below retail price. :-)
You're right to be worried about the top edge of the cup being too revealing - I think most people (everyone??) have that same problem - I have to do a bit of "adjustment" after putting the non-lace-top bras on!
The more I think about it, I think you'll probably fit a 28C-D in Mimi Holliday, perhaps more likely the D?? I'm sure the 28B will be too small.
Anyway, to answer your question, the cup depth ("fabric length"?) on the 28B Mojito, from the inside edge of the underwire at the bottom of the cup, to the top edge of the cup, is 7cm. The equivalent measurement on me, to the top of my areola, is 6.5cm.
One more thing - the wires on all my Mimis really aren't quite as wide & shallow as you & I ideally need, but given that nothing else has ever come anywhere near as close to fitting me as the Mimis, I just do a more extreme swoop & scoop and it's fine. As I mentioned in my Fete Coquine review here (http://www.bratabase.com/bra/dlagp/), I left it in the drawer for a year or two in the mistaken belief that it didn't fit me, as I had no idea what a good-fitting bra looked and felt like!
I've just uploaded measurements of the The Little Bra Company 28B and 28C Ethels that I've just taken delivery of. I'll post fitting pics and a review of the 28B over the next few days, then do the same with the 28B and 28C Nicoles.
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raine, Yes, I'm pretty concerned about the cup height. I measure just over 3" or about 8 cm from the base to the top of the areola.
If the wires are narrow then I probably do need a 28D. But then I'd be worried about the cups being too deep and causing gapping. I might be able to swap out the underwire with wider wires and hopefully flatten the cup a bit at the same time.
I think I might pick it up in 28C or D if I see it on sale or on ebay...
I'm interested in how the Ethel and Nicole fit in comparison to each other. I'll keep and eye out for when you post more about them :)
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raine they're on sale!
Have you heard about the fit on other styles like the balcony, comfort, and shoulder bras? There's a super cute balcony bra that looks a lot like TLBC Sascha that didn't fit me. But I'm thinking the comfort bra style might fit better because of how the straps are attached to the cups.
I might pick up a padded super plunge and a comfort bra in 28C and hope for the best.
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Mimi Holliday bras are now 1 size bigger in the cups. They changed their sizing. Just in case you ever want to try them.
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This bra looks like it fits you. People have been saying if the lace on the juna lies flat that means it's too small. I see the lace lying flat on you. I'm not saying it's too small, but I think it looks like a pretty good fit from your pictures.
Updated on March 6, 2014 Flag this
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Thanks for your input. The cups fit well on the bottom but the top of the cups are gapping as much as half a cm at the center gore. The top part of the cup above my nipples doesn't touch my skin at all, but the lace is hiding that fact in the picture.
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To me the fit doesn't look completely off either. Which hooks did you close the band in? I'm asking because the gapping could be due to a band that's too wide for you (Juna bands run very wide, and you also wrote this one was too wide for you).
Maybe if you closed the band in the tightest setting (or even had someone hold it together for you/made a knot) this bra could fit. What does it look like under a tight shirt anyway?
The Maddie is less likely to fit IMO: Its cups run about half a size bigger (at least in the original Animal Print) and they come up higher (about to where the lace ends on Juna).
If you were prepared to shorten bands, you could also have a look at Elle Macpherson half cups /contour bras and Calvin Kleins. The only brands that come to my mind where you could find bras you would not have to shorten are Ewa Michalak (but the smaller size models are nowhere near as good as they used to be) and OnlyHer (try the plunges, as they have a better rate of success than the half cups). -
I'm wearing the bra on the tightest hooks in those pictures. I put it on again and pulled the back of the band as far as it would go, and it did improve the fit of the cups (though not perfect). I will try sewing the band shorter sometime to see if it fits better.
If the Maddie has taller cups, then I'd guess the fit would be worse for me. I might need cups that close on top rather than open? Perhaps I should avoid balconettes? Too bad Cleo seems to only have balconettes.
Thanks for the other brand suggestions. I'm worried about the fit of Ewa Michalak since Bratabase stats point to deep cups and narrow wires, which is the opposite of what I want. I think at this point I'm going to start trying 30Bs for wider, flatter cups and altering the bands.
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I wish you get a 26 D in this bra. It looks pretty on you. Maybe you could alter the band? If the band is too loose or too big it can make cup seem too big. If your comfortable u/b is 26 then a smaller band in this bra would fit better. Also because Juna bands tend to bigger than other Cleo models. I have 28 band Juna and the band is very stretchy. I wouldn't want it any bigger. And right my comfortable underbust is 27.5. Hope this helps! Good luck in your bra learning it is very fun. :)
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You're right about the 28C Juna, it might have narrow wires. The wires on the 28D fit me perfectly. I suppose I can still give it a shot.
I have the Freya Deco Softcup in 28D, and while it is very shallow, it is comically huge on me (cups have too much surface area). I think even the halfcup would be too wide/large for me.
I'm having a lot of trouble finding those Curvy Kate models, they seem to be discontinued? I searched Amazon, eBay, and figleaves, but I couldn't find anything close to a 28D.