Issue resolved

I figured out that I was wrong about my shape. I have more depth and less width than I'd thought. I also have wide set breasts. This gave me a better idea of what I should be looking for in bras.

Original problem

I know that I need either a 34 or 36 band depending on the brand and model. I ordered the 38 in this bra because reviews suggested that it was tighter than usual and that people should size up in the band. It's about right, but I wish I'd actually ordered the 36. Still, the center gore lies flat on the last hook column, and there is no gaping at the top (a problem that I usually have). All things considered, this is one of my better fitting bras, but it does have too much of the east-west thing. Also, my left breast is at least one cup size larger than the right. That means this bra requires me to scoop up the left side and sort of...fold it up into the cup. There's a slight quad-boob effect, which is rare for me because I'm bottom heavy. But it doesn't look pronounced and doesn't show up under clothes. Other problems: As with most bras, the bra straps are set too widely apart and tend to fall off, and... The thing is, I'd be able to live with all of these fit issues if the left strap didn't dig in so painfully.

I am writing to get fitting advice on this bra as well as fitting advice in general. In my late 20s, I gained about 40 pounds. Between the weight gain (much of which happened in my chest) and a rare side effect for a medication I was taking, my breasts morphed from my lifelong C cup into... Well, I'm not sure now, but some American H cups and some UK G and GG cups fit decently (NOTE: This was way off, see note at the end). Now my breast root and boobs are wider than my torso, and point outward. Also, I have lupus and chronic arthritic pain, mostly situated in my shoulders and neck. I'm sort of desperately searching for a bra that doesn't hurt.

So, this is how I THINK my boobs are shaped: I have both wide boobs and a wide root, but the depth of my breasts is higher than usual in women with a broad root (I THINK... I read here that wide roots are associated with shallow boobs). I am bottom heavy. Every bra but this one gapes on top, but like every other bra, the underwire on the left side hits my breast tissue. And that really hurts too. I almost feel like I need cups that are too big in order to feel okay. Also, my boobs are set low, so I really need fully adjustable straps, but they're hard to find. Bras that seem to have wide enough underwires invariably have straps that are too wide set and that I can't keep on at all (Curvy Kate is one brand that I have this problem with). Finally, my boobs are not super close together. They're about 1.5 inches apart, which feels significant for the size of my underbust -- they definitely never, um, fall in toward each other.

I've recently tried on a lot of bras and figured out a lot that DON'T work for me. Here they are:

Fayreform's cups seem to run large. This is the only brand that seems to fit me in an FF cup and 36 band, Their bras look good on me, give me good lift and forward projection. But within about 3 hours, I'm in severe pain because the underwire hits my breast tissue on the left side and the straps are not long enough. But I do wear them sometimes because I've seen much worse, such as the Panache Andorra in the same size that doesn't even come all the way up to my nipple (I think I might need to go up about 3 cup sizes in Panache to a GG or H.

Wacoal bras are comfortable, especially the Wacoal Awareness. Their G cups look like they fit, but they always cause pain because the left underwire is too narrow. I can wear their H cups comfortably, usually in a 36 band. All of the models made in an H cup come up almost to my clavicle, and I don't really own any shirts with necklines high enough for that. I get no real lift or forward projection with Wacoal either.

I have tried several Elomi bras in stores. They look like they fit well at a 36G cup, but the straps are too short. I can tell they would hurt once I got them home.

Fantasie... Well, with Fantasie, I'm just confused by cup size, because their G cup is bigger than any G cup I've ever seen, and I have no idea where to start with size. Bra fitters have recommended the Rebecca to me, but I have no idea what size I would even need. Haven't tried any Freya, but plunge bras never fit me well.

Kris Line bras have wide enough underwires, but their straps are way too far apart, and I get a lot of gaping at the top. Their bands run stretchy, and I need a 32 or 34 for a snug fit.

Of all that I've tried, the bra that looks best under clothes is the 36H Le Mystere Dream Tisha. But it's a poor fit. The left underwire is definitely too narrow, as it hits my left side breast tissue. The center gore is about an inch and a half away from my body. This bra hurts less than most, and it does give me lift and forward projection. At least while I'm wearing it, the cushioned straps make me feel better. The pain with that one starts when I take the bra off. I always get pain after it, I suppose because of the bad fit. I'd go up a cup size if Le Mystere made a larger size.

I just haven't found anything that fits really well. I think I generally have a problem with 3-panel seamed cups, but 4-panel ones may work better, as few and far between as they are.

Sorry about the less than quality photos. Obviously had to take them myself.

Addendum: Based on all the measurements I gave, this site isn't recommending anything above 20% confidence, but the few recs it does provide are, well, some Cleos, Panaches, Curvy Kates in the HH to JJ range. And it says I should have a 34 band always, which... I'd sort of started realizing lately. Wow... The way so many smaller cup bras appear to fit me, I would NEVER have tried these cup sizes. It's also recommending shallow cup bras that have less depth like the Cleo Maddie, so I may have been over-estimating the depth of my breasts based on the discomfort I was getting in the small cups, and the way the bottom of my breasts weighs down heavily in all my bras. Anyway, I'm new to this site, so hopefully this helps.

10 years, 4 months ago Flag this