Bra fitting help » Overspill at top and sides of bra, 3" of empty wrinkled fabric at bottom of bra

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Shock Absorber » Active D+ Classic Support (N109) » 34GG 34:10

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Suggestions (5)

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  In a non-wired bra the band acts as underwire, so the bra sits way too low on you. You got all this empty space at the bottom of the cup that is missing on top.

  Try to adjust the bra better.

  If that does not work, you need a different bra. Hard to say in which direction to go, bc according to your profile you have not tried too many bras yet.

  Some of the standard beginner bras like Panache Andorra might be better suited for a fitcheck.

  Updated on April 10, 2014 Flag this

  
  

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  I had a thought... try this without actually putting your arms through the straps: hold one of the cups up in front of the corresponding breast and place it over the breast with the base of the cup exactly at the base of the breast. Pull up the top of the cup with your hand and see if there is in fact enough room in this cup for your breast at all (suggesting that this cup design could fit if it were somehow positioned at the right level) or whether it is the wrong shape or volume altogether for your breast tissue.

  If the cup itself does fit you in shape and size, perhaps you need to go down in band and then do an alteration to shorten the straps.

  If not, I think another bra is your only option. When you look at your breast tissue, does it extend a lot upwards towards the collar bone? Does that upper-upper boob tissue (which is not usually contained in a regular bra) also extend to cover a fairly large area, so that despite a narrow base/root, the totality of your breast tissue is spread over a sort of upside down water drop shape (narrow at base, wider up top)? This is the exact opposite of what the bra design assumes--if you notice the shape of the cups it assumes that the breast tissue is going to be able to be compressed into a "right side up" drop, narrowing to the point of the cup at the top. When you have this degree of shape mismatch this bra can never offer you the support or compression that is intended.

  Updated on April 12, 2014 Flag this

  
  

  • Thanks! That's a good idea. I'll try that and see how it goes.

    I'm definitely a 'right side up' raindrop shape, but the lack of room around the middle of the bra pushes my boobs up towards my collar bones and out at the sides.

    If the straps adjusted so short that the band was actually at my underbust level (or I altered the straps to be able to do that) I worry that the top of the bra might actually go up and over my collar bones and the sides would almost completely restrict arm movement.
    

  • If that is the case (strap alteration causing those problems) that would indicate that this cup shape is too shallow, too narrow and too tall for you, I'd think.

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  I'm not sure what you mean by "Try to adjust the bra better."?
  I'm hoping another size might help with the problem, rather than another bra entirely.
  No, I haven't got many bras up yet.

  Updated on April 11, 2014 Flag this

  
  

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    It looks like you have the bra band pulled down too low in the front. Have you tried raising the band so the bottom of the cups lines up with the bottom of your breasts?
    Also, have you heard of "scooping and swooping," to make sure your breasts are sitting in the cups right?

    After you've tried those the problems may be resolved or become more clear. However, it's simply not the case that every bra is good for every shape, and this bra may end up not working for you in any size.

  • I did try to move the band up as much as possible. I didn't pull it down. I adjusted the straps to their tightest and scooped and swooped for the photos. Could not pull the breast tissue at the sides into the cups without it popping straight back out again. I really couldn't get it much higher up on my chest. When I did it it cut in under the arms more and wriggled back down at the front and up at the back anyway.

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    I think that may be a problem with Shock Absorber. I had a different model, but it also had the issue that it didn't seem to go out to the armpits enough, so breast tissue would try to escape there.
    Is there a particular reason you want to stick with this bra and not try a different one?

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  If you want a sportsbra, I always say Lynx Sportswear. It will not matter if there is extra fabric at the bottom - the support comes from the sides/fabric of cups.

  I have issues with everything in my size assuming I'm much taller, much taller-torso-ed, much taller-boobed, and/or more of an oval shape in ribcage instead of more circular like I am (meaning my ribcage depth takes up a lot more of band length and my ribcage width a lot less than manufacturers think, so straps are always too wideset for me). Wearing the Lynx, this doesn't matter at all. I'm still totally supported by the fabric/sides.

  Updated on April 11, 2014 Flag this

  
  

  • p.s., I also think you need a bigger cup.

  • Okay, thanks for the notes on Lynx, I might check them out another time. But what I really wanted help with was working out if there is another size I could exchange this bra for that would fit me. It will be harder to get a full refund, and I can't afford to just keep buying new bras. When you say bigger cup, do you mean a 34H, or 32H etc?

  • Definitely down in band and up in cup. I don't know the size range for the shock absorber, so I can't be more specific. I might even try a range 1-2 band sizes down and 1-3 cup sizes up. If that's possible for you.

    It looks like you are short and/or your torso is short. If this is true, you may always have some extra (vertical) fabric, even if the cup depth and band size fits. Most sportsbras give support from the band and straps. So, sizing down band and up cup might help with the bra not moving up your back, but will probably end up with the cup not fitting you right or not giving support you need.

    I have the same problem. I cannot wear traditional sportsbras, even the bra-sized ones, because of this. This issue does not happen in the Lynx, which is the only reason I mention it.
    

  • I think the biggest cup in the range is H, so if 32H didn't work I'm not sure there's anything else I can try. I'm actually about 5.10" with a longish (12-13" underbust to hip) torso, but maybe my boobs are set a little higher than the bra allows? I'm not sure. I definitely want to sort out what to do with this bra first, but then I can look into Lynx further. Thank you :)

  • Yup. Higher set boobs act as if you are short-torsoed. Can have similar issues. Good luck finding one that works for you!

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    I definitely second drownedsalad's recommendation to try the Lynx sports bra! I find their size guide to be totally trustworthy as well and I usually never trust size guides. I struggled with EVERY SINGLE sports bra I tried before I found this one. I don't know, it just feels like a bra that likely fits most women, and that certainly can't be said about all the other sports bras out there. The fact that DrownedSalad's shape is the exact opposite of mine confirms that it suits a large range of shapes :) My breasts are proportionally taller than what my general size suggests (30FF), meaning that although the underwires and the depth is right (no overspill), a large portion of my breasts are chilling outside of the cups, way up and beyond where the bra "hem" would normally hit a woman.

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  You put it on wrong. Look at the photos of this bra in 34H here in bratabase and try to do the same. You definately need to pull the cups up and the band on your back - down. maybe you need a smaller band size to keep it in place.

  Updated on April 12, 2014 Flag this

  
  

  • I can guarantee these problems did not occur because I 'put it on wrong'. I put it on just fine, with the straps adjusted to their tightest, scooped and swooped every bit of tissue I could, pulled the bra all the way up and the back down.

    What you see in the photos is what the bra looked like 2 minutes later. How the tissue slid out and the back slid up.

    Obviously I suspected that the band was too small, that's why I asked for fitting help- to see what others opinions on alternative sizes might be.

    I was hoping for specific suggestions of sizes I might exchange this bra for and why they might work better, not to be told 'you did it wrong, here are some steps you already mentioned that you took while putting it on' and 'buy a entirely different new bra'. Might just email Shock Absorber about it.

  • I made "specific suggestions of sizes" saying that you need a smaller band to keep the back in place. If the bra was sitting right (like on photo of 34H) but after 2 minutes the band rode up, the band is too big, not small. You could compare your measurements to the ones of the girl with 34H.

    The straps in shock abrorbers are not fully adjustable, they may be just too long for you in all sizes.

  • I meant to say 'too big', not 'too small', woops. I mentioned the largeness of the band in my description of the fit issues. The reviewer in the photos of the 34H said "It's not really a good fit on me, since my size would be around 32JJ / 34J but it's better than nothing...Also it's not really comfy, the cups are clearly too small and I have some breast tissue escaping on the side and on top." So maybe she took the photos before she had a chance to show the same problems as me.

  • Unfortunately I have not seen much photos with Shock Absorbers sitting right, so that girl's photo is better than average. In your case the cups do not seem to be small, they are just not in the right place. With smaller band and shorter straps (maybe you will have to use scissors) the size of the cups may work well. Try to imitate it with clothespins and yoou will know if you need a size up

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