Bra fitting help » Strap Issues and Empty Bottoms
Panache » Porcelain Elan Moulded Plunge Bra (7326) » 36H 36:11
I purchased this bra from bra closet online, finally received it last week and have worn it a few times to get a feel for it. I got it in 36H because after my recent weight fluctuation, my best fitting bra, Cleo 38GG, fit in the cups but was large in the band. My actual underbust measurement is 38in, but I like my band very snug (when my Cleo band fit, I was 40in so I bought it in 38).
Frankly, always have issues with bras. I have never had a bra fit me PERFECTLY, but this bra is as close as I have gotten (yay!). My main concern here is the straps, especially the left side (side shown in strap photos). It causes a lot of pain and irritation where my arm/armpit/shoulder meet, as do all bras I own. The straps slip off my shoulders, regardless as to how tight or loose I adjust them. Wearing the bra(s) as a racer back helps, however causes more digging in the area previously mentioned. I am assuming I have narrow shoulders?
I also have empty space in the bottom of the cups in every bra I own, this bra is far less severe though. There is nearly no space in the right cup (my larger breast). I feel like the empty space is due to having very little tissue near the bottom of my breasts, and they're high on my chest. I cannot seem to pull (any) bra up enough for the bottom to be filled (I have tried many inserts without luck); my breasts are also vertically short (not sure if this a good descriptive term?), and together wider than my front chest area. The bottoms of my breasts are also sort of straighter instead of more curved.
I have seen a professional fitter (she was low in stock and couldn't fit me into a bra that didn't give me the empty bottoms, she initially suspected orange in a glass but that was proven not so), it has been approx 8 months though. I have lost about 25-30lbs since then, and the closest fitter/store with bras in my size is a 3+ hour drive, and I'm a broke college student and my parents are in their 60s and won't drive me to be fitted or actually try bras on.. so I am forced to order them online, and hope they fit.
Suggestions on brands, bras, what to do about these straps? I've heard of you order from Comexim they will alter the straps/gore for free, and some of their bras are in my budget (which is rather tight).
I plan on ordering another bra soon. Do any USA based stores/online have any options for me? I hate waiting 3 weeks for a bra that may or may not fit...
I'm sorry this is a lot of text to read! Let me know if you need Amy clarification, I'm sadly not good at using words to describe tangible things.
Also sorry about the bad quality mobile phone photos.[EDIT]:
I emailed a website called helenkukovski.com, a Polish bra company. Their site claimed they will customize any bra to any measurements, and when ordering a bra you can even put in your measurements or email them for a custom bra. I have not inquired on the price of said alterations, however I did email them asking if the information was true, and they replied yes and asked what style bra I was interested in (I had already said in the email the issues I have with bras).
Has anyone heard of them? The owner herself has an etsy she sells her bras and underwear on and has good reviews on there. Most of her bras are bralettes, but she does have some underwired ones.
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Suggestions (4)
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helpfulFirst off, how do the wires feel on the sides except for the slipping? When you take the bra off do they follow your breast root on the side?
If so, you might appreciate the Elomi Amelia. It is also basically seamless under your clothes, but is made of a flexible foam fabric that conceals nips but also is way more flexible. The straps are also more towards the center of the cup. I would try 38H to start.
You can buy them on ebay, Amazon, other online retailers. They are somewhat expensive but you can get good deals on ebay. Do you have Amazon prime? It can be worth it to try bras and return them for free through that service, especially when you are in the situation you are in. Maybe your parents could give it to you as a gift? Or, if they already have it and you live with them, they can share the benefits with you.
Comexim is a good brand for your short roots, but also requires narrow roots. If you take off your bra and notice that you have about a half inch or so difference between where the wire mark is on the side and where your root starts, then Comexim might be an ok fit for you. In your size, they are about 6-6.5 inches wide, so if not, they would be too narrow for you and would uncomfortably sit on your breast tissue on the side.
For Comexim, you might fit about an 85L or a 90K. They run small and use EU sizing. Your size is not refundable though. But someone here might want to buy it, so there's a thing.
Updated on February 23, 2017 Flag this
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I get it. It's pretty common to think you have wide roots when you have bigger boobs. If your breast tissue all sits in front of your armpits. Probably in your case it hangs a bit. And that's fine, you can still get bras that fit.
So personally I think the wires being too wide could be what's causing your wires to slide down. Once I got narrower wires that mostly stopped.
You may love Comexim then, especially since your roots are short. You can buy them at Breakout Bras in stock in the US to try a few sizes.
So are these your old measurements or your new ones? Have you updated them?
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If those aren't your latest measurements ignore my size recommendations. Generally going up one cup and band from your best fitting U.K. size works with Comexim (like from 36:10->38:10).
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cupandahalf
Those are my latest measurements, should I go K as in US or UK sizes? On Breakout Bras it has sizes for Comexim in 28-40 UK DD/US DD(E) to UK LL/US R. -
K as in US sizes. I might be wrong though. It's hard to estimate. Try one size and if it doesn't fit, do a second fit check with the new bra and we can reevaluate the fit.
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helpfulCan you double check your lying down breast perimeter? If it really is only 11" then this suggests you are now wearing cups that are massively too large in overall volume. Some women don't quite know what shape they need and as a result they end up sizing up and up and up and up just because they are projected, and they've been trying on bras that are too shallow for their shape. Finding cups that are a closer match for your shape will allow you to size down in actual cup size which will also bring the width and strap placement into better proportion, so both will be closer to what fits your build.
Updated on February 23, 2017 Flag this
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Wendy, maybe she's updated, but I see 3 perimeters - 11, 15 and 17. Which is quite a range, but easy to see with very pendulous, soft breasts and a sloppy measure
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My measurements are currently 14.5, 17, 19 so that range is quite possible. Also, OP said she had narrow roots and wide boobs, suggesting omega. And from personal experience (dbmamaz can chime in cause she's said the same thing to me- I think she said room for her boobs to stretch out!), omega shape often needs room for lots and lots of projection everywhere. So while the bra she's wearing is not projected enough at the bottom and the cups are too high for her, that doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't need 14.5 inches of depth in a bra that's projected at the wire if the cup is short enough.
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wendybien
I just checked, and laying perimeter is actually 12" (the other perimeters are correct), I'll be sure to correct it (may have accidentally measured my smaller boob),
and as dbmamaz said, my breasts are very pendulous and soft.
Also, as cupandahalf said, omega shape would indeed be the shape that would accurately describe my boobs (after some googling, I see).
(edit: also, a lot of underarm tissue goes into my bras. I never fill a bra out unless I swoop and scoop or scoop and swoop, whichever it may be.) -
If you noted an error in your measurements please make sure to go and edit and make the correction so the information associated has the right values.
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Jj already done (:
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oh yes that range is totally possible! My boobs are about twice as "long" when hanging. It was not the range that made me think there could be an error. It was the discrepancy between lying down measurement and cup depth, whereas the cup doesn't necessarily look excessively large.
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helpfulIts hard to find molded cups with really good projection. Have you tried a panache jasmine? Its my current favorite - tho the wires are very firm - kinda painful by the end of the day. but (at least in 32JJ) very projected - my breasts also come straight out at the bottom.
Updated on February 23, 2017 Flag this
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dbmamaz
I haven't tried that one! I'm not necessarily insistent on moulded cups. However I do not necessarily fit in balconette bras very well for some reason, and I hate high gores. I have the Andorra right now and it is okay, and I had the Tango and really disliked it. I'll definitely keep it in mind if I return to my panache stockist. Thanks! -
Oh, yeah, Jasmine is high. I need high gores to separate my girls. Lowest gores that work for me are ewa michalak - i think her SM and PL are her lowest gores. Comexim can customize gore height. Arent there some curvy kate w low gores?
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Unlined Curvy Kate plunges are also pretty great in the larger band/cup sizes.
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also, you can look at bras here on bratabase and look at the gore height in the size you want to buy. also look at the cup depth - i do think this bra is probably a bit big, but its a starting point for depth maybe.
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helpfulAs for strap set width, Comexim will customize. I'd recommend not moving straps further in that 2cm each as it starts to distort the way the cup sits. Otherwise, of the 80 plus bras I have tried, only one is set narrow enough for me 65J - Gaia » Annika Soft (553) and I have no idea what it would be like in your size. Ewa Michalak is particularly bad for digging into my arm pits and Curvy Kate has a couple newer models that are better, but is generally almost as bad. Panache wires are too wide for me, but the few I have tried have had wider straps. Cleo is wearable, generally, but not perfect. You might look at emailing Impimi as they advertise free customizations, but are fairly new and there is not a lot of data here for them. They are in Poland, of course, but I don't know any decent North American brands as they do not generally make 30 bands. You might try Fit Fully Yours - I have heard good things about them. Also, if wider wires work for you Parfait makes some very good quality products - again, not in my size. For strap set width alone, you might try Flirtelle - they are a Curvy Kate sister and fit similarly, but I have found their straps set much narrower in general. My 30GG - Flirtelle » Eva Plunge Bra (FL7211) seems like it might suit. Good luck!
Updated on February 24, 2017 Flag this
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maddy2596
Thank you, I have been looking into Comexim for that reason. I also found another polish bra site that will customize (I plan on editing my post asking for information about that).
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cupandahalf
Thanks for the reply, it seems as though my wires are wider than my chest/front of rib cage. Would a bra, like Comexim as you said, place my breasts on my chest instead of them being on my chest and under arms, and the cup still be able to contain the same volume, just shaped differently? I honestly cannot differentiate my underarm tissue and breast tissue, but all of my tissue is capable of being pulled out from under my arms. I hope that makes sense?
I think I misunderstood the aspect of 'roots,' because I listed myself as having wide roots, when now it seems as though I instead just have wide boobs. I just measured under my breasts/the front of my chest and then left wire of left cup to right wire of right cup. Under my breasts was approx 14in and the bra was 17in. That could be an inch and a half on each side going off under my arm.
I honestly feel as though I'm not being clear, still. This all seems like gibberish to me, haha.