Bra fitting help » Cup collapse, tight straps, bottom heavy.
Bravissimo » Alexa Bra (LN553) » 36HH 36:12
Issue resolved
Needed more immediate projection.
Original problem
I am new to NON Victoria secret measuring. And this is a new size trial. This bra seems to fit fairly well in the band but I can't fill the bottom of the cups. Every cup collapses, whether to big or to small, the bottom folds in. I'm definitely bottom heavy! The gore is flat tho, and I like the wire here I think but the cups next to the gore seem to be pulling apart? I don't quite fill the top of the cup on my smaller side. And the bigger side seems to a quad just a bit. The straps are so tight that they hurt. Almost every bra I've ever worn the straps are too tight. To the point where they leave red marks and cause pain. My suggested sizes range from 34gg to 36j. This is the only 36 band I've tried because I kept going up in bands to find a cup. One brand had me in a US40H. Not my best look.
Need help figuring out what to try next, also help for the tight straps. I can't be the only one who always has tight straps. Maybe my shoulders are high? Or low breast root?
*Edit, I've tried a few 40/38h panache balconies, and 40H I think Charlotte parfait. I'm pretty sure the bands were problems. But I HATED the panache balconies, bullet boobs aren't for me.
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Suggestions (2)
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Welcome to non-victoria bras! Big learning curve coming your way... There are a number of things wrong with this bra but I will just pick a couple. When I was first learning about bras, I found it challenging to think about everything at once. From the front, what sticks out is that the wires of the cups do not sit in your intramammary fold or right where your breast tissue meets your torso. This is important for good support and also for comfort when you get into better fitting bands. I found that I needed to learn where to put the bra strap but in your situation, the bra does not have enough projection (space or fabric) at the wire to accommodate your breast tissue. The bra is shimmying down your torso so that there is enough room for you. Something to start thinking about anyways; bras with more projection. Other posters have talked a lot about brands that offer such bra construction options. Good luck in finding better bras for your shape.
Updated on March 25, 2020 Flag this
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I suggest trying to nail down your size in unlined bras. They will have the most projection, which you need, and once you have a better idea of what your volume is, you can play with molded or lined bras. It may take a while either way, but from what I have observed, starting with unlined bras usually works more quickly.
Cleo bras often give a rounder shape than many unlined bras. Hettie has a ton of projection, but may not work if you are very full on bottom. You said you didn't like the Panache balconies, but I would suggest at least trying Jasmine and/or Envy in different sizes. Both are quite projected. Even if you do not like the look, you can at least get a better idea of your size.
I would also look for bras that have a closer depth match to your breast perimeter. You may find a slightly smaller depth works fine, but a 2.5 inch difference is a lot.
Important thing to remember: if you try the same bra in several different sizes that are around your likely size, and NONE of them fit, the shape is wrong for you. Keep track of which bras don't work, it can help you figure out what will.
Updated on March 29, 2020 Flag this
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Your horizontal perimeter is listed as 15.0 inches, while the bra cup depth is listed as 12.3 inches. That is a 2.7 inch difference. Your tissue would have to compress a fair amount in order to "fit" into a cup that is that much smaller/shallower. (I am a bit pendulous and soft, so I do tend to wear a cup that is not quite as deep as my leaning perimeter measurement, but as a general rule, a cup depth that is close to your horizontal perimeter is likely to fit better.)
I suspect you will find you need a cup depth that is somewhere between your horizontal and laying perimeters - so between 13.5 and 15.0 inches. You can search Bratabase to narrow down which bras meet certain parameters, like which size in a particular model has cups that are X inches wide and Y inches deep.
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Thank you so much for all your information!!!! I'm so grateful for you. I got an Elomi in today so I'll be posting that soon. Eeek I'm getting closer.
Thanks for all your help. Can you explain what you mean by look for a bra closer to depth match to my breast perimeter? 2.5 inch difference where?
Also, I have tried about 6 balcony or balconette type bras ranging around 36HH-40H and none of them fit. That why I switched to trying plunge. I tried 5 different sizes of the Charlotte by parfait. I breast fed for 4 years total. Bottom heavy AND hangy. Not saggy really because they are still full.