Bra fitting help » Lace too loose on bra and have inner cleavage flatness.
Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) » 36G 36:9
Issue resolved
Too FOB for this style.
Updated photos, change in bra size and now fill cup.
Original problem
I’m not sure what combination of fit and style are causing issues with this bra. I’ve just had to size up my bras from 36F and I tried this in both the FF and G. I would say I’m somewhere between those two sizes and I opted for the larger style since I had a bit of quad boob in the FF.
I’m full on bottom and was focused on finding a bra with higher coverage and stiffer lace than the Jasmine I’d just bought. I think I got so focused on coverage that I ignored other issues with this bra. It emphasizes the size discrepancy between my breasts. As well, it weirdly flattens my inner cleavage. The lace is loose on top but isn’t really noticeable under clothes.
I’m so confused about where to go now. I feel like I should do the opposite of what my instincts tell me. Do I need more or less depth in my bras? What are the fit issues with this bra and how do I avoid them in the future? Am I going to be able to find a full coverage bra or do I give up that search? What bras should I be looking at trying next?
Also, I would like to buy a Curvy Kate balconnet bra and was wondering if anyone can suggest which styles would work best for my figure. How comparable are there sizes to Panache/Cleo’s sizes?
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Suggestions (5)
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4
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Marcie fits me a bit like this. The straps are just too far apart, this construction will never work for me. I think it's just this specific bra, doesn't mean you're suddenly unfittable
Updated on December 23, 2017 Flag this
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I think it’s just a bra cut vs. your shape issue, not a size issue. Band seems big in writing but looks tight from side. I would say try something with side support, to smooth things out and push things in slightly, hopefully helping fill the inner edges better, but the typically wider set straps would probably be an issue for you. Wires on outside seem uncomfortable, like digging in. Bravissimo makes several that looking on here I think might work for you, and provide higher coverage.
Updated on December 24, 2017 Flag this
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The band length is puzzling.
1. Check the wire marks along the base of the gore. Is one wire, perhaps, sitting on your breast?
2. Wear your bra upside down and backward. Is the band still firm?
Updated on December 24, 2017 Flag this
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I’m must have really tugged on the bra to get the stretched measurement. I re-measured and it was 97cm when stretched.
The gore sits on my breasts a bit. The underwire seems to sit on the inner lower portion of my breasts but not on the outer edge. It is just a little on the breast tissue.
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That's precisely where wires sit on my breasts. Strangely, a band 1-2 sizes too large will feel too tight when the wires sit on the base of my breasts. From my perspective, it looks like your breasts may prefer to sit a bit closer together than this bra (bra manufacturer) will allow.
The design of Cleo, Panache, Ewa Michalak, and unaltered Comexim are among the most "offensive" in the industry, because their gore base width is among the widest.
Plunges are often even more "offensive," because the lower gore distance is even further apart due to the curve of the wire.
Comexim will narrow the gore base. Wacoal offers a few models with narrower gore base, but their size range is limited and may not suit you.
Curvy Kate offers a slightly more narrow gore base, over all. The plunges, however, are too wide at the base for me. Daydreamer, Tropics, Cherie, Vegas, Florence, Bardot, Bridget, Lifestyle, and/or Victory may have characteristics suitable for your breasts. You may also appreciate wider straps and a more supportive band than Marcie (Cleo, Panache) offers.
Good luck! :-)
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Do you have any other brands that you know of that have a more narrow Gore base Love4Pollinators ? I always seem to have the Gore sitting on the inside/bottom part of my larger breast...it'll be fine in my smaller breast but the wire will follow my breast in the inside but the outside if the wire does not sit on tissue.... I sort of though there was nothing i could do about this except get even more narrower Gore's..but they usually only get narrower at the top of the Gore and not the bottom section of the Gore. Wacoal hardly carries my sister size,30C, b'temptd does more so. Do they have the same narrow gore base? And curvy Kate....oh curvy Kate.... I am at the bottom of their size range and most their non-padded, non-lined bras seem as if they will not fit a center full, empty every where else lady like my self.
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Thanks Love4Pollinators. I have been looking at a lot of bras online, but feel like whatever I tend to think will work ends up being the exact opposite. I feel like the fabric of this bra is straining on the near the gore and then there’s a gap at the top. I have looked a bit at Connexim bras but the sizing has me so confused. The website says I should be a 90G and here it says I should be 80G. When I’ve looked at bra dimensions listed here, they seem much smaller than other bras I wear.
I’ve tried on several Wacoal bras and they just do not work for me. I have a moulded plunge bra from them, but the top is empty no matter how I adjust. It is also a little too small for me now.
I am shopping for a few bras to order and try out to see what works. I feel like I’ve exhausted what is available to me in my area. -
Online calculators--giggle inducing. Comexim's calculator puts me in a 75, but some 65 bands have been too large. I recommend ignoring the Comexim suggestion ;-)
80G seems too small, from my perspective, too. Because you need every millimeter of Marcie's 6.3" wire, you may STRONGLY prefer Comexim halfcups. However, there is not much data available. Sigh. I would not begin below an 80HH which is 2 cups larger than an 80G. If I were you, I'd order an 80J. For clarification, I'm using Comexim sizing, not Wellfitting or another seller's sizing. Comexim 80J may be labeled 80G at some resellers....
Although it will cost more initially, you may sincerely appreciate the expertise of Jaimie at Bra Obsessed in Canada and/or Aisha at Zathiya in Dallas. Both are immensely helpful with Comexim sizing and orders.
When you are outside the bra matrix, options become very limited, very quickly. Hope your online shopping experience is rewarding :-)
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LeProfessor Gorsenia, excepting the plunges, have a more narrow gore base than many. Wacoal Bodysuede and Halo Lace are also more narrow than most. B. Splendid B.Wow'd is narrow and low, but it is a plunge and could present a problem for some of us.
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Love4Pollinators, it turns out I was using my old bra numbers (36:7) to figure out my size for the Connexim. I think I initially came up with 80HH and decided there was no way that was my size and second guessed the numbers I was using. I think I will take your suggestion and contact someone for assistance on sorting out what to order when I order a Comexim bra.
I’ve noticed that if I don’t swoop and scoop with my Jasmine and Marcie bras, the band does not seem tight, but it really squeezes into my sternum once I’ve adjusted properly. It also sort of feels like I need a deeper cup, but it could it just be that I need a narrower gore? I feel like my tissue is pushing out in the cup and I often have wrinkles at the bottom no matter how much I adjust. -
Center-full breasts are notorious for pushing wires down. Sigh.
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are you sure that band isnt too big? the stretched measurement is way bigger than any of your three chest measurements. (thats part of why I try to include a back pic, btw).
Curious why you are focused on high coverage, tho. I almost wonder if a plunge would help give you more space for your inner fullness
Updated on December 23, 2017 Flag this
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The band doesn’t feel as stretchy as the measurements make it sound. I might consider a smaller band in some styles, but this one feels snug.
I wanted to expand beyond the balconnet style that seems to work best for me and decided to see what I could find in a fuller coverage bra. True full coverage bras tend to flatten me out or make me look deflated. After trying a bunch of bras I ended up with balconnets with higher coverage in the end.
I’ve been looking at some plunge styles, but was worried that I may need more center support. I was thinking about ordering the CK Princess plunge, but haven’t really looked at a lot of styles yet.
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i think in my size, most bras call themselves balconettes but most are pretty full coverage. but i'm wondering if your breasts are short. idk
I usually experiment with bras that are last-years-model on sale on amazon, or used here, or occasionally ebay or fb
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I had to look it up, but I would say my breasts are short and projected. I tend to fit into lower cut balconnets better than the more full coverage bras.
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I always forget, but there's an elomi thats aimed at short women which is great for shorter breasts - i wonder if thats an option. if only i oculd remember the model. or the woman who always loved that cut. I"m terrible with names!
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cupandahalf - is it you?
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hmm, not cheap tho
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Hi! Elomi Etta, Tia, Amelia, and their plunges are all good for shorter breasts.
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For me personally a full cup is INFINITELY more forgiving of my center full shape, but perhaps that’s down to how cups are designed in my size range! My boobs aren’t super tall, as in, the full projected part is only about 4” high and there isn’t any tapering of the upper pole. So a traditional full cup completely bypasses the hard to fit part of my breasts as it is far above! YMMV of course with other breast shapes and size ranges.
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I honestly think this bra looks really good on you. So many women have the top lace of their cleo/panache and fantasie bras be a bit loose. I normally just let it go unless it's flopping about (like my fantasie bra) and looks bad under clothes. The much too wide straps seem to be the biggest fit problem here and I'm not sure if moving them in would work with the construction of the bra.. and IMO the bra is "flattening" out it your inner cleavage because that is a shallow area of this bra so your breasts are simplely moulding to the shape of the bra. Look around at what some other womens breasts looks like in this bra, I'm sure you will see similarities.
You should probably look for something that is more truly a full coverage bra as I don't believe that this bra is generally considered full coverage. This is what I mean by a true full coverage bra: http://bra.pe/XYA8/
How do these wires feel? Are they sitting on breast tissue? It also looks to me that the wires are not sitting right in your IMF. So, I think your breasts are pulling the cups down into your IMF (there appears to be gathering of cup fabric there) so that they can get to the part of the bra that has the most projection. I really hope that sentence makes sense to you.
I also think if you go down one band size and up a cup size, than that may fix some of your issues here!Updated on December 24, 2017 Flag this
Marcie is for FoT shapes, right? You will find something soon! 😀