Bra fitting help » Something similar with more separation? Deeper cups?
Mimi Holliday » Golden Helicon Maxi Bra (SS15-) » 30G 30:9
Issue resolved
Trying different brands/sizes
Original problem
This is currently my best fitting bra, i.e. it doesn't hurt, and I can wear it all day; that said it obviously doesn't fit. I feel like this bra is fairly close to the shape I need, since the gore is short enough, the wires don't hurt, and it doesn't cut me off on top, despite being too small.
I clearly need something with more separated cups and deeper ones? I probably also need a GG, but this was all Bloomingdale's had ( I was amazed they even had a 30G), but I'm not sure that will solve my problem. Is there something like this that's deeper/wider-set?
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Suggestions (6)
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4
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The wires are sitting too low, they should be up in your IMF - if you swoop & scoop and put the wires there do they get pushed down? From the photos it looks like we may be a similar shape... I've found that the only way I can get underwires to stay where they are supposed to is by wearing bras with a lot of room for immediate/bottom projection. Here's a random blog post I found when I was trying to figure out projection that helped a bit - http://ifthebrafitswearit.blogspot.com/2015/08/a-short-explanation-about-immediate.html (however I would like to point out that projected and pendulous are not mutually exclusive of one another... I am pendulous and my tissue drops below my IMF, but I am also projected. Don't pay much attention to the drawings, the explanation that follows and pictures are the helpful part)
You might have luck with unlined Panache (Jasmine and Envy are two I would recommend trying) - you should be able to find them on Amazon with free shipping and returns (Prime or orders over $35).
Updated on November 25, 2015 Flag this
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I found all Panache gores to feel like they were trying to saw me in half (no matter the size) but I'm close set, so you may or may not have more luck. Panache wires are pretty firm, and they could possibly be coming up too high for you and resting on an uncomfortable area of your sternum. If the bras fit well in 32G (other than how the gore feels) that's at least a good starting point, and then you can look for something similar to the projection/depth they offer but with more forgiving wires or lower gores depending.
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I think I have the opposite problem - I'm wide and high set, plus short-waisted, and most bras end up being too much wire pressing on my sternum without breast tissue to pull them forward to take the pressure off. I think I need a plunge/demi with a lot of depth, but that's the tricky part.
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The band is pulled way too tight, distorting the wires and the bottom of the cup. The cup depth is also quite a bit too small compared to your breast perimeter.
Updated on November 26, 2015 Flag this
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I just posted a picture with an extender. Now it slides down for sure, and I can't even seat it in the IMF properly without tightening the straps, which is uncomfortable.
I agree about the depth, even though so far this is the most accommodating depth-wise. What would you suggest?
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The bra sliding out of your IMF, or even being unable to position it in your IMF in the first place, has very little if not nothing to do with the band and everything to do with the cup's lack of immediate projection - although having a band pulled so tight it distorts the wires on the side will cause the cup to be wider and shallower. I suggest retrying the Panache Envy and Jasmine in a 32G :)
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I totally agree - I think the reason I've been wearing 30's is because a tighter band helps the bras stay up; clearly that's been a crappy solution, since I wasn't addressing the fit issues.
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Right, there are other fit issues at play here. I think if you find a bra that has the sufficient projection you need, you'll find you don't need to go so tight in the band and the whole thing should fit you better!
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I definitely agree that the band seems too small. You can see where it's pulling along the wing. This will distort the cup and make it seem much shallower than it is, particularly at the bottom. I would try some 32FF and 32G bras. I think with a looser band you'll be able to get the wire to sit in your IMF. I'm not sure about suggestions for a wider gore. My first try at my new size was a 28E had almost these exact fit problems and it turned out that a 30D/DD solved pretty much all of them.
For general recommendations I would second Panache Jasmine and Envy, as well as unlined Freyas (which come in the greatest fabrics ever). I think Cleo Lily/Erin (which I see you've tried in a 30G, but I would try again in a 32), and Panache Andorra. Cleo Marcie/Minnie and Lucy/Kali could be worth a try as well, Minnie being my best guess out of those, it's a bit more projected. I would even hesitantly say that you might be able to wear Freya padded half cups which shouldn't get in the way of your tall roots but may be too shallow.
Updated on November 26, 2015 Flag this
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I don't know if the Erin is right for me, I feel like I have too much volume on the side, and the strap placement on the Erin seems to be wrong. Plus, with the extender, it slips way below my IMF. I think that's the reason I've been wearing 30's, because no 32 will stay up! I'm hesitant to try any other Cleos if they will all have the same issue.
How do I figure out if my roots are tall or short? I think I have really short boobs, but is that connected? I am so confused about all of this.
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Looking at your photos again I realize your roots may be too wide for Erin, that cut is known for being one of Cleo's narrowest. That could also be part of your issue with 32 bands in general, if the cup is too narrow your boob could be pushing the bra down rather than simply an issue of projection. In a 30 where the cup is getting pulled a little wider it may be more able to stay up at least a little better.
I think Fantasie, Curvy Kate, and Freya could be good brands to try, I want to say that they have wider wires, but not being in your size range I can't really say for sure. Cleo Lucy tends to be quite wide. You should be looking at 32G/GG I think for the most part.
For root height you can try mushing your whole boob kind of up against your chest and see how high up you can see/feel fatty breast tissue on your chest. Mine goes almost all the way to my collarbones, but they're shallow. Root width is similar, just smush your boob back against your chest and hopefully it'll make a bulge and accompanying crease where you boob ends on the side. You can also try laying on your back or side and seeing where your boob creases on the outside edge.
Tall roots generally become an issue with bras that are too closed on top which will cut in even in the right size. Honestly I have a couple bras that do that and I wear them anyway.
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Ah, ok, that makes sense. Yes, my roots are tall, they practically reach to my collarbones. As for width, the crease goes from under my armpit to almost halfway across my boob (both smushing and lying down). Does this mean they are not wide?
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When you say halfway across your boob, do you mean along the underside?
The important bit is mostly the widest part of your root. You want the wires to encase your entire breast without cutting in on the sides. Generally having roots which go under your armpit would be on the wide side. Narrow roots would stay more to the front of your ribcage and not extend onto your side.
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I think I misspoke - my roots don't extend under my armpit, it's just that I have splayed out breasts, and I have so much tissue on the side, it's difficult to tell. But my roots are on my torso, and they are the same width/narrower than my actual boobs (I'm having difficulty figuring this out).
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So not terribly wide, but I think maybe wider than some of the bras you've tried. You're probably around average. I'm guessing a cup width of around 6" might work. Cups tend to get wider as you sister size up, but they also usually get shallower so... maybe not too helpful. Projection is probably the main thing you want to look for.
I don't know much about outer fullness (I'm full on pretty much nowhere) so unfortunately I don't have specific suggestions with that in mind.
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Thanks, at least I feel like I'm getting somewhere. The options are overwhelming!
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I agree with throwawayforbras ' assessment. I would try an aggressive swoop and scoop to try and get the wire to sit in your IMF (this is the 'crease' where the bottom of your boob joins your ribcage). If the bra keeps inching down your body and won't stay there (like it's doing in your pictures), it's definitely worth trying something with more immediate depth at the bottom of the cup. I think you're correct and a 30GG in this bra is unlikely to alleviate your fit issues.
Panache Jasmine/Envy are definitely worth a go - they have deeper cups than many other Panache styles, and the stretch lace at the top makes this cut compatible with a variety of levels of upper fullness. Cleo Lucy might also work for you. If you compare the measurements of Lucy in 30G to the bra you're wearing, it has a slightly wider gore and more cup depth. I'm not sure how it goes for immediate projection though. Finally, the unlined Freya plunge balcony cut bras could be an option as well. I've never tried any unlined Freya, but as far as I know the plunge balcony is known for having immediate projection and you're just in the size range that Freya bras typically work well for. You also mentioned that you needed a lower gore, which was why this came to me.
Good luck! It sucks when your best fitting bra still isn't quite right.
Updated on November 26, 2015 Flag this
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I keep thinking that the Freya might work for me, but the one I tried was a complete disaster. It was a plunge, and it was really shallow, and I also think that the diagonal seam does not work with my wide-set boobs, since it seems to smash them down, rather than push them up. I'm nervous
about the plunge balconies, the measurements I've seen seem too shallow for me, but maybe I'll hunt around some more. It would be really nice if one of them works! -
Also consider the Freya half cups possibly, like Patsy and errr...Rapture (I'm brain fat ting on that one)
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Yeah, I keep looking at the Rapture, trying to figure out whether or not it will work for me. In terms of the Freya half cups, I think they are too shallow for me. I have a 30FF that I've outgrown, and while I love the shape of it, I think it's just too shallow at any size. I am considering the Patsy plunge balcony though.
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lcl0706 brings up a good point about the band - your measurements suggest a 32 band would work better, depending on the bra. Panache is known to have firm bands so I would definitely recommend a 32 band in their cuts, while unlined Freyas have more stretch and a 30 may work for you.
Updated on November 26, 2015 Flag this
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helpfulAm I crazy or are my boobs really high on my chest? I tried an extender, and as you can see in pics #8-10, when the band is not super tight, the bra is not level in the front, and just wants to sit waay below my IMF.
Updated on November 30, 2015 Flag this
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Your boobs are not overly high on your chest. The wires on the side look much better with the extender - they are no longer distorted. Again, the bra sitting well below your IMF is not all about the band, it's because the cups lack the immediate projection you need. This bra is a loss, period. It will never work for you - it's far too shallow.
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Well, at least it's the bra and not me :)
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Thanks! It seems I'm pendulous and projected, as I suspected.
This bra sits the closest to my IMF of any other bra - it looks really bad on my left side, because my boobs are so far apart, and if I swoop & scoop my right (bigger) one to feel comfortable, the left one has all this empty space.
I did try both the Envy and Jasmine, but I didn't get a chance to take pics before I returned them. I thought I had found my perfect bra in the Envy 30GG, but the gore was so tight I couldn't breathe - I don't know if I went up to a 32 if it would make a difference. The Jasmine wasn't too bad, I think it was uncomfortable in the gore, but maybe a 32 would be better. It might be worth trying again.