Bra fitting help » Gore doesn't tack anywhere. Projection issue?
Parfait By Affinitas » Charlotte Padded Bra (6901) » 32E 32:6
Issue resolved
cups too shallow, not right shape
Original problem
I tried on this size and a size smaller (my "usual size"- 32dd) as I was told to size up. Glad I did, 32dd was too small.
see pics here http://www.bratabase.com/bra/diqvj/
I like the way this looks but it does not tack at all- top or bottom of gore. It feels like it is riding on my ribcage- which, I guess, it is; and not secure.
When I pull the band tighter, it still doesn't tack. I have a concave ribcage, I guess, which doesn't help.
I have this experience with most bras - really all except for the cleo and panache balconettes I have tried. But, their wires were not comfortable. I guess my chest/sternal shape is why most bras feel like they are floating on my ribs and don't feel secure --because they are..
The band fits comfortably. I can fit a whole hand in the back under the band, but I could do that with the 30 cleos I tried on that felt too tight. I tried them on upside down/backwards and the stretchier cleo (kayla) didn't feel too tight, although definitely snugger than the stretchy 32 natori and VS bands I"m used to. I am used to (and like) forgetting the feeling that I am wearing a bra..
I am wondering if my immediate or center projection is pushing the gore away and preventing it from tacking?
Any other ideas, comments or bra suggestions appreciated! : )
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Suggestions (3)
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helpfulImmediate projection (at the base of the breast root) does not usually push the gore away from the body, it tends instead to push the whole bra downwards. Is this happening? The Charlotte is not known for its generous projection, and 8.7" in a wide-ish bra could be still a little small for you.
I'm sorry for sounding like such a goober, but I'm still not totally clear on what you are referring to physically when you talk about the bottom of the gore not tacking--does it just refer to the fact the wires don't touch the body at all there as we can see in photos, or is some of the gore wire actually sitting ON breast tissue? If it is actually on mammary tissue, take that thing off and don't put it on again, because it's going to hurt! If it is not on breast tissue, a different size could be worth exploring.
Nontacking gore at the top may indeed be caused by too much center fullness (a common Charlotte issue for many many people and something you could perhaps combat by sizing up once more) or you could have a deeper valley in the sternum area than average, or some other anatomical quirk such as the ribs aligning with the bottom of bra underwires flaring out juuuust enough that they make the whole front of the bra stand away from the sternum. That last issue would be just bad bra luck and not an anomaly though, because nobody's ribs are perfectly perfectly aligned. There are plunge bras that are essentially goreless with the wires ending before curving back up and just a bit of fabric joining the cups, but they're not always super comfy for everyone--just something you might want to try I suppose, if you determine it's your ribcage that is making it hard for things to tack.
Updated on January 8, 2018 Flag this
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Oh no you're not using the terminology wrong! It is just actually a bit unusual for people to mention the gore not tacking at the bottom unless it's pinching breast tissue or unless the whole bra is way too small (like when lingerie stock photos picture the too-small bra on a model with large implants , you know the look I'm talking about lol).
So this is making me think you're experiencing something a bit unusual. However, the sensation of the whole bra sitting too low is very common and the typical culprits are
(a) cup not projected enough for you at the center, base or apex;
(b) band too tight;
or (c) a wire problem causing the underwire to be unable to sit comfortably around your root outline, such as the wire being too narrow to encompass the tissue or being too tall at the outer side under your armpit (this can make the tip of the wire bump into your pectoral muscle, into your actual armpit if you're super short or short-waisted, into your tail of Spence, or--although this doesn't apply here-- into just plain old flesh for fluffier people).Some things to contemplate! I hope this is helpful for the next stages of your odyssey towards a great fit...
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helpfulFrom what I interpret, it looks like it's not tacking at the bottom due to rib cage shape, and the top because the cups are either too small, or the wrong shape, or both. In picture #1 and #6, I can see some breast tissue spilling out of one of the cups. Your horizontal perimeter is more than an inch larger than the depth of this cup, so the cups could just be too small. Or, it could also be inner fullness of the breasts that are leading to the cups being pushed away from the chest in the center.
In your reply to wendy, you say that the bottom feels empty and you can't get it to go right under your imf. (I can see this in picture #3.) I've had and loved this bra near to death myself, but I find it to be shallow in the bottom of the cup. If the bottom of your breasts jut out immediately and then curve up, rather than gradually curve or angle up, the underwires of this bra will always be pushed down as there isn't enough space in the bottom of the cups for your breast shape.
Do you feel like there is empty space on the sides of the cups? It might just be the exterior decorative side bar is a looser material, but there's a defined vertical wrinkle up the side of the cup, almost like the edge of your breast root, and the underwire is sitting about a half-in behind it.
While this bra has a lot of depth at the very center of the bra, it's a somewhat conical cup shape overall, and kind of wide-ish as wendy says, so if you have a lot of fullness near the inner or lower part of the breast, and not a lot on the outer portion of your breast, unfortunately this won't be the correct shape. You could try sizing up, but if the wires are already too wide or fit perfectly right now, you'll find the wires definitely too wide in the next size up and I'm guessing that the underwires still would sit too low.
Hopefully that helped, and good luck with whatever you do!
Updated on January 8, 2018 Flag this
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Tx! It did help. I think L cup is slightly too small and prob wrong shape.
I already sent rhe bra back, but sure width felt fine- so probably would be too wide in size up.
I have a few more bras on the way so will see how they work!
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helpfulSo looking at your pics I think the reason the bra doesn't tack at the bottom is your concave sternum. It doesn't tack at the top because the gore is too closed/tall/wide (I'm not sure which of these because the padding obscures the fit a bit). I see your left boob bulging on the top a bit and it looks like the wire might be sitting on tissue?
Gore not tacking also causes major problems for me, and my gore often slides down. My boobs are pretty heavy though. Still, I can imagine it's not supportive and therefore pretty useless to wear a bra that's just sitting there. I hope you can return this one and find a better gore fit.
Updated on January 9, 2018 Flag this
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Thanks for your input! I think you're right. By gote being too closed, do you mean because of cups being too shallow?
Already returned it!
Any bra suggestions or suggestions of bloggers to follow?
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I mean the cups come in too much at the top of the gore. Not enough center room.
Maybe Musings of Renzilla and Dreams and Underthings? I'm not sure who is active right now in your size range. They are active on bratabase though as Prettyncharmeuse and lcl0706
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I was active as a blogger until night shift took over my life lol. I keep saying I’ll get back into it... that said I do have a lot of reviews posted on my blog. Mostly Polish bras
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Thanks Wendy! You're not a goober! Ha! I don't mean that its on breast tissue-- the wires are below it. I can't seem to get close enough to the imf w wires to get.anything on breast tissue. I guess it feels too low and most bras do, if that makes sense. Does that make sense? I'm new to this stuff and may be using the lingo wrong.