Bra fitting help » Cleo Mimi with Narrowed Gore
Cleo » Mimi Padded Balconnet Bra (8091) » 32FF 32:8
Issue resolved
An extender helps a little, but my shoulders are just too narrow for this bra.
Original problem
Can't decide whether this is workable or not. Before I altered it, I knew I was pushing the limits of the cup volume, but the open(ish) top was saving me. However, I had a lot of center quad due to lack of center depth.
Once I narrowed the gore, my center fullness had lots of room to settle into, but I lost outer depth, and now everything is spilling out the band. Plus, that too-tall gore is floating just a bit, and the shallowness at the wire got worse.
The obvious answer seems like "go up one size in cup or band," but these straps are almost too far apart as it is.
Is there an option I'm not seeing that doesn't involve deconstructing and rebuilding this bra? 'Cause this was a fun experiment, but it's not worth that.
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Suggestions (5)
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helpfulHave you tried it with a non-stretchy extender?
It looks like the band is a little too snug and might be stealing cup depth.By the way, a looser band (or an extender) usually *helps* with the strap-in-armpit issue (cups won't be pulled wide any more), while a larger cup does the opposite and makes it worse (larger cup = wider underwire = wider cups = straps closer to armpit).
Updated on September 28, 2016 Flag this
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helpfulUnless you erred in measuring your frame width, you're one of the most petite-framed posters I've seen here in terms of your shoulder width, which in most people is fairly proportional to their upper ribcage size. Flesh being extremely compressible, this means the real width of your actual ribs, seen from the front, is very tiny and that no matter what you do with the gore, these 5.8" wide cups are going to have to fold in close to each other into an unusually acute angle as they "wrap" around your small ribcage. This detracts from the cups' ability to contain your breast tissue where it is (mostly in front). As for the straps, forget it, they are so far back it looks like they are almost coming out of your shoulder blades. The elements of this bra just aren't sitting where the designer intended because in this size it was made for someone whose whole upper body structure is much wider side to side.
Anyway, try to look for bras that are more scaled to your super narrow bone structure because that's what the bra anchors to and hangs from. It's hard to even begin to mess around with the finer points of quadding when the whole front of the bra is not aligned with where your actual boobs are. Wide-set straps are going to be a nightmare, wider cups will be a problem, center shallowness is bad because your distance apex to apex is already much smaller than most bra designers planned for so center fullness issues will be exacerbated.
Updated on September 30, 2016 Flag this
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helpfulJust curious, are you asking for help with this particular bra? or for other bras that would be a better fit? have you tried comexim, which can be customized for you?
Updated on September 28, 2016 Flag this
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helpfulFollowing. I experienced these same fit changes when I narrowed gores. Ivp do you have suggestions?
Updated on September 28, 2016 Flag this
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I know with the Jasmine and the Skye, the contrast in tension between the stretch lace upper cup and the stiffer lower cup causes in-cup quad. It's basically unnoticeable on the Jasmine, but it was pretty bad on the Skye. It might work here, or maybe something stiffer but stretxhy, like swimsuit material? I'm thinking here of the Ewa SF.
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helpfulHi, everybody! Sorry I haven't replied sooner. Thank all of you for your feedback! I'll try to reply one at a time.
bracrastination , I think you're right about the extender. This is a very stretchy 32, which I've stolen 0.25 inches from, and I'm currently around 32.5/33. It improves the band fit, but new issues pop up: Gore float, strap drop. Still, I think it's more wearable that way. I regularly use that trick to deal with Ewa's bras (my usual best fit), so that may be what I have to do here, if I decide to keep it.
dbmamaz : I must have tried 6 or 7 different Comexims, but none specifically customized for me. I hesitate to order custom because (1) lots of custom orders seem to be arriving wrong of late, (2) all the half-cups seem to be much wider and shallower than both this and the CHP, (3) the Comexim half-cups I have tried are too closed on top, and (4) the Comexim plunges I have tried are just...off, in various ways I can't quite pin down.
Love4Pollinators Ivp : This is surprisingly narrow and deep for a non-Polish half cup, for what it's worth--very similar to my two CHPs in the same size. That gore, though.
wendybien : I don't *think* I measured my frame wrong, but it's always possible. I have a completely A-shaped ribcage, and I'm 5' tall with a rapidly rising weight/body fat due to a hormonal medical issue (endometriosis, which I just had surgery for--been flat on my back for 2 months). So all sorts of weird structural/compression/postural stuff going on here that even *I'm* not used to. My perpetual bra curse is strap drop off the left shoulder...and JUST the left shoulder, but I can't wear full cups at all to compensate, because of my other shape issues (uber-close-set, uber-center-full). Really, the CHP seems like my best and only resort most of the time. This one just seemed so darn convenient! I have purchased a Marcie since buying this, in a desperate hunt for an unlined skin-toned bra, but I think I bet wrong on the sister size. And so the wheel turns...
Updated on October 8, 2016 Flag this
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NotNorton: Great to hear my suggestion seemed to work for you! Keep in mind that the extender indeed gives you the right band length, but the strap placement is still off. When wearing a too-small band size with an extender, the straps end up too close to the sides at the back. This makes the straps more likely to drop.
Going up a sister size in the band would remedy this: You get the correct band size, and a strap placement that's appropriate for that band size. I think I'd go for a 34F in that bra.
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Unfortunately I don't , I think it's one of choose your issue ..padded half cups I have found unfortunately very difficult to alter fit wise . What I would do as suggested above and see if an extender helps but my instinct is that the cups are too shallow and you should really go up .however like you know that means for this bra it will probably bug your armpits with the wide straps . Me I think it's a dang pretty bra and I would be tempted just to make it work .
Something to consider is making it a half padded by adding stretch lace panels basically to the upper cup , or non stretch but stretch is more forgiving. Then I would remove the Gore adjustment so you stop spilling out of the armpits /band and in theory the lace should contain the center quadding . It's on I have not done myself yet but am thinking about on a half cup I have similar issues with