Bra fitting help » What bra for center full, narrow wire?
Gaia » Semi Soft Goldie Maxi (BSM899) » 70K 32:11
Issue resolved
Ordered Comexim plunge and 3HC to try first, then I'll move on to Bravissimo, Kris Line, and Ewa Michalak if necessary.
Original problem
Just received my first overseas order from Other Eden for 6 Gaia bras! This is the best fitting bra I've found so far, because the cup is fairly narrow, although I think the wire is still too wide for me.
Like all the bras I've tried, I have quadding at the center front, the gore doesn't tack (I think it may be too wide at the top of the gore), and I have gapping at the outer top, under the strap.
The straps feel too wide, and the silhouette is wide-set for my frame. I also feel the side-view is more pointy than I'm comfortable with. The top-view shows the main issue best: spilling out at the center.
I also feel an intense, painful pressure on my ribs from the bottom of the underwires. I think they may be rolled forward from the pressure at the center, where I'm the most full.
I've tried Freya, Fantasie, Curvy Kate, and Panache, and I've been too center-full and/or narrow-framed for all the styles I've tried. Elomi wires are also too wide for me.
Do any of you have tips on what style or shape of bra to try for my center fullness? I'm reading that Comexim might be better, any particular model?
Should I try sizing up in the cup, or will the cups just keep getting more wide-set?
I don't think I want to reorder Gaia bras regardless, because the material feels lower quality and not very durable. Not a surprise, since they were very inexpensive.
Do my guesses on the fit issue look correct, based on the photos?
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Suggestions (4)
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helpful
I think this bra might be a bit too small for you in cup. The cup depth measurement in this bra is quite a bit smaller than your laying breast perimeter measurement. For me personally the laying breast perimeter measurement is a good indicator of the cup depth I need in a bra. I also have center full boobs and rather narrow roots. It's a difficult shape to fit - with sizing up all wires get wider - I found out that in some cases I can stand a wider wire if the overall fit and comfort of the bra is good. From Fantasie I only can recommend the newer bras that have stretch lace on top, like Fantasie Illusion Side Support Bra (FL2982) due to that it allows more room at the center. I don't recommend Freya as they are very wide and tall in your size range. Curvy Kate is also tricky to fit as they are shallow. I had some success with Bravissimo, in almost all bras I tried from them I had enough room at the center.
Updated on September 7, 2020 Flag this
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Oh I see on your Fantasie Illusion pics that it didn't work. Sorry I recommended it. But then it's the only of their bras I found wearable. I would not recommend others as they will be even less roomy.
So yeah Bravissimo... I love them, I wish there was more reviews here but I cannot try all of their styles. I'd totally would if I lived in the UK and shipping / returning wasn't such a hassle.
I have tried a few... so their balconette styles are mostly modelled after the Alana a staple style. Alana runs a bit small in cups. (Imo most Bravissimo bras do, but there are many who disagree with me- I just have to size up a lot because I'm full on top)
Then there is their full cup cut which is most popular in Melrose, Darcy or Selina (those have been around for a few years) and the Lacey is a special cut as it's taller than most bras but also bit shallow.
Sadly there are many Bravissimo styles that only got 1 -2 seaonss and colors and disapeared again.
Comexim - I did not found their plunge cut good for my shape - I would fall out in the middle and push the gore away - I also find their wires bit too weak to support larger sizes.
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Thank you Alisa, this info is gold! Good to know about Bravissimo's balconette and full cup cuts. Striking Fantasie off the list... Ah well.
I'd been ordering from Amazon to find my ballpark size, but there are no longer good Prime options for me to try there, so I recently signed up for PayPal's "return shipping on us" service. Otherwise I definitely wouldn't have the strength to order from overseas, without some idea of what will work! Even so, there's the wait for international shipping and reimbursement. Patience is the name of the game right now!
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Yeah international shipping and returns is such a hassle. :( At least Paypal returns progrem helps some. I could get my money back for the returns I had to do. Bravissimo also does free exchange shipping.
I think they also have now an US site from Bravissimo but I don't know if they still ship only from UK warehouse.
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Kris Line could be worth looking into. I've tried a few, and they all seem to have narrow wires and plenty of room for center fullness. I'm a 30GG and their 65H fits me well, but I'm probably going to size up again to a 65HH in the next half cup I try because they seem to run a little bit smaller in the cup.
Updated on September 7, 2020 Flag this
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Thank you, I'll have to check Kris Line out! Do you find that half cups work better for you?
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MsMarbles I've got a couple of other fit issues that mean half cups work for me (primarily tall roots that have too much upper tissue for closed on top bras and not enough for open on top bras, half cups skip that issue by not having an upper cup). I've also found Kris Line half cups to have extremely narrow gores, which help because I'm really close set. They're also the narrowest of any cups I've tried. You do lose out on support though because it's a shorter cup.
I've also tried a semi-soft, and while it's a little touch wider there's still tons of room for center fullness. It's a more projected cup than the half cups though, so it's a little bit pointy on me.
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I see, that makes a lot of sense. I'm not sure at this point whether I have short or tall roots since I haven't found a bra that fits, but I'm guessing short, based on the fact that I always fill the cup but have gapping at the strap connection.
Thanks for the info! I'll keep Kris Line in mind. It looks like some sellers may offer their bras on Amazon (without free shipping). I'll give them a try if I can find a free shipping option!
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For center full and narrow I would try Comexim plunge for a good budget bra. Ewa Michalak also nice but more expensive
Updated on September 7, 2020 Flag this
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Thanks for the tip!
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helpfulTry Polish bras! Look at Ewa Michalak or Comexim. (I have an Ewa Michalak posted on my page if you want to peek. The gore is very narrow.)
Updated on September 9, 2020 Flag this
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Thanks, I'm about to take the plunge! I ordered a range of Comexim sizes in the plunge and 3HC from breakout bras, and I think they'll arrive this weekend! I'm hoping I find my unicorn.
I love the Sf Garden color scheme, that dusky purple! The bra looks fabulous on you. :)
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Thank you Alisa, that's helpful! Good to know about Freya and Curvy Kate.
I have tried the Fantasie Illusion Side Support Bra in 32HH (http://bra.pe/X2rn/), which should be the right cup depth at 13.5". The gore sat on top of my breast tissue and I had some quadding at the center, and a bunch of loose fabric and wrinkles at the outer sides. I really like that bra's style and fabric feel, so I wish it worked. Maybe if I tried taking in the center gore to move the cups closer together?
I had been considering Bravissimo, but barely any of their current models are on Bratabase so I've been hesitant to try. Do you know if there's a logic to their cuts, like are certain bra types built the same way, just in different fabrics, or is it a toss up?
I'm considering trying Comexim via Breakout Bras too, but some folks say they're not suitable for center full. Hmm.