Bra fitting help » Cup too shallow? Suggestions for alternative styles?
Freya » Marvel Side Panel Bra (1501) » 32G 32:9
Issue resolved
It may be that he cup is indeed too shallow, or too high for my boob. I'll try some other brands to be sure.
Original problem
I am actually super pleased with this Frey Marvel in 32G. I think it fits me quite well, but since I only recently discovered my actual size (I've been wearing a 34E for years, quad boobing all over the place), I am not 100% sure, so please let me know if I'm delusional
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My one problem is that the under wires seems to sit a bit too low on my ribcage, they do not quite go into my inframammary fold. This makes the bra feel like it's dragging down a bit, even though my boobs are as perky and uplifted as I've ever seen them. When I am not sitting up straight, I get a bit of a line/mark where the band hits my chest (I'm not sure if you can see it in the pictures), and this line is lower than where the bra should sit.
After some searching on this site, I found a few potential causes, but I'm not sure which is the right one. 1: the cups are too shallow. 2: the band is too small. 3: the cup size is too small.
I tried this bra in a bigger band, but it seemed to be too large (I could fasten it comfortably on the second hook right away, and on the widest hook it was too wide already). The 32 band is tad tight on me, and I do have the feeling that the wires warp just a little bit.
I also own this bra in a bigger cup size (32GG), which also fits quite well on my "bigger boob days" (bit of gaping sometimes), but that bra has the same problem.
Which leads me to believe that it is probably the cups that are too shallow. Do you think this is it?
And if so, doe anyone have any suggestions for models that are similar (in terms of the open on top shape, and non stretchy cup material which I LOVE LOVE LOVE about this bra) but a bit deeper?
Thanks!
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Suggestions (3)
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helpful
reading reviews of the bra, most people are saying its shallow and does not have a lot of immediate projection, so i would assume thats the problem you are having. I still think you may be shallower-built than i am - i'm a 32J, FOT and very projected. I am not sure what fits me would fit you.
Updated on June 6, 2015 Flag this
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well, if its not painful, you can just live with it. Esp since you love everything else about it.
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This bra looks great on you. You're getting that wonderfully round, perky, cakes-on-a-plate cleavage. You've already tried what I would've suggested, which is to keep the same band size but go up a cup. If this bra is comfortable and looks good under your clothes, wear it. Most everyone has a loved bra that is technically a tiny bit off in fit but works beautifully otherwise. The fact that the underwire won't stay in your inframammary fold is not necessarily a deal breaker, unless you feel it is.
If you want deeper half cups, for a similarly round, perky, and cakes-on-a-plate cleavage, you might try some of the Masquerade half cups. Their bands tend to be tight. You may want to try 34 bands. Unfortunately Masquerade was discontinued as a brand. They're owned by the same company that owns Panache. You can still find their bras on eBay, some online retailers, and the secondhand market.I suggest reading reviews to see which Masquerade half cups were deeper than others.
I'd also suggest Ewa Michalak half cup cuts. I believe her half cup models are HP (now defunct, I believe), CHP, and...I can't remember. But there's tons of info on Ewa Michalak here and on blogs.
BTW, I really appreciate that you did your research and experimented before putting this fit request out there. You pretty much had the answer already. This is exactly the kind of fit request that is incredibly helpful to everyone out there.
Updated on June 6, 2015 Flag this
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Thanks for the tips! Haha, cakes-on-a-plate, that's a new one for me, but I see what you mean, and I do like that kind of look a lot. I'll see if I can find me some Masquerade or EM bras to try.
I've had a hate/war relationship with bras for years, as I never have been fitted correctly, and have been wearing ill fitting, dowdy, aweful bras for years that were expensive to boot. Since discovering this site and reading some bra bloggers I feel elated that there is actually so much more out there than the stuff I've been trying in stores where I live (they really have a very poor selection of brands and sizes in my country).
Finding out what shape I am (wide set, slightly splaying, evenly full, with wide roots is my current diagnosis) and what styles would suit me is a bit difficult. When I look at where my fullness is it seems to be slightly more on the bottom, but I really recognized the problems that are associated with FoT boobs. So based on the favorites of a FoT blogger I tried this Freya bra and it is already such a huge improvement.
I think this bra is 95% perfect. The downward drag is just a little uncomfortable, but I can certainly live with it (perhaps until I find my perfect match).
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helpfulI hope this is understandable, but one thing you need to consider about cup projection is that it's represented not just by one ratio (cup depth/cup width) but by TWO: overall depth/width, AND overall depth/height. The Marvel's cup is shallow both horizontally and vertically, it is tall AND wide in relation to its overall volume. It looks to me like you, on the other hand, have boobs with average projection, perhaps average to wide width, but the projected part of your boobs is not very tall. So the height of the overall surface area that this underwire outlines on your torso is taller than what your boobs occupy. I would look for bras that are suited to what people sometimes call "short boobs" i.e. a breast mass that may be more or less projected but is not very tall, at least for the fleshiest, most projected portion which needs support from a bra.
This metric is not entirely foolproof but looking at the wire length in relation to cup depth can help you identify some bras that are better suited: usually, in your size range, a wire that is the same length or greater as the depth measurement indicates a taller cup, whereas one that is shorter than the depth measurement (say, 10.3" length for the wire and 11.2" depth for the cup) indicates it may be suitable for "short boobs." Just make sure to also look at the photos and review to assess the overall structure of the upper part of the bra cup: if you need a more open, deep upper cup half, versus a more closed, shallow upper cup, that is something you must take into consideration to decide if a bra is suitable for you.
Updated on June 6, 2015 Flag this
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Wow, boob science! I love it (as I am a big nerd) and I'm trying to learn more, but I'm not sure if I understand everything you say. I agree with you that my boobs are about average projection wise, but more eon the shallow than on the projected side. I definitely have wide roots and my boobs are wide set (they start really under my armpit, while in the middle I can easily put two fingers flat in between).
Could you clarify what you mean with "the projected part of your boobs is not very tall". Do you mean I do not have tall boob roots (I would say you were right again)? Or is that something different?
And what do you mean with "the height of the overall surface area that this underwire outlines on your torso is taller than what your boobs occupy"? Do you mean that the wires come up too high for my breast tissue? From what I see and feel, I do not get this impression, the wire comes up exactly high enough under my armpit, and the gore also seems the right height.
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Yes, it means that your boob roots are not very tall (well, if you outlined absolutely all the breast tissue including the thin layer that can reach up to the collarbone on some people, that might be a "tall" shape, but the shape of the conventionally recognized boob that sticks out from your body is not very tall).
What you say about the wires not being too tall reflects a misunderstanding of the symptoms of that phenomenon... People usually assume a too-tall wire is going to have ends that o up too high and poke the underarms or sternum. In fact, a too-tall wire can be recognized by the fact that it may, depending on your anatomy, wander in either direction, up OR down. The wires aren't going too high on you, they are going too low instead! So the base of the underwire is the part causing problems, instead of the upper ends. A too-tall wire will not necessarily hurt or feel bad; the symptoms are that you will just notice that it encompasses a space that is taller than your boob root and therefore there is empty space in the cup either above, OR below the breast mass.
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Ah, now I get it, thanks for the explanation! There is much I still have to learn about my boobs.
I don't find any empty space at the bottom of my cup though. Actually the opposite seems to be true, the bottom of the cup (directly from the wire up) is very full and the fabric is stretched tight, which seems to pull the wire out of the fold, if that makes any sense.
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What do you mean by the fabric being stretched tight?
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I am not very projected I think (how do you know for sure?). I often find that I can't quite fill out the apex of bras in my correct size (especially full cup bras), and if I try a smaller cup size, I get quad boob on the top.
The thing is, I like everything else about this bra, the vertical seams, the opaque, non-stretch fabric, the shape, the straps, so it's just this little thing that's standing in the way of this being my go to every day bra. And it doesn't look like there are that many similar styles around.