Bra fitting help » Thought I was FOT/projected(?), Cleo Marcie has a lot of fit problems though
Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) » 32F 32:7
Issue resolved
Returned both bras.
Original problem
After a lot of trying to figure out what my shape was, I thought I'd finally figured out that I was somewhat FOT (I get quad-boobing a lot), projected, and narrow roots. A lot of people suggested the Cleo Marcie as a "test" bra to see if you understood your shape well.
After remeasuring for narrow roots and puffy nipples, the calculator put me at a 30E/F. Since I'd heard that Cleo bras run tight, I thought I'd try a 32E and a 32F, despite knowing it would be a cup size larger than the calculator. The 32F fit a lot better than the 32E, so the 32F is what I'm asking for fit advice on.
Unfortunately, this fits wrong in a lot of ways. I get quad-boob if I scoop and swoop, and it gets a lot worse if I lean over. The band is actually too loose in the pictures, but even when I tighten to the last hooks all of the fit issues in this post are still present. The top edge of the side of the cup cuts into my arm when I move my arms forward, and the gore presses painfully against my sternum, even on the loosest hooks. When I removed the bra I saw that there were red marks on my breast tissue (included in the photos). The wires are very obviously too wide, with the wrinkling and the fact that they're two inches wider than where my root starts.
I also get wrinkling at the bottom of the cup. The wrinkling on the band is confounding me; I'm not sure what that means?
I'm not really sure what all these fit issues together mean. Did I misdiagnose my shape? I know the cups aren't too big; in the 32E I was quadding so much I could barely keep the bra on.
You must be logged in to leave suggestions
-
New user?
-
Have an account?
Suggestions (4)
-
3
helpfulForgive me, as I have not read the other comments yet, but first I would say that leaning over is not a way to diagnose the issues you bring up. Your breast tissue is going to shift with gravity. Your roots may appear differently due to the shifting tissue. If you have soft tissue, it will spill leaning over unless you have a super encased full cup bra. Bra fits are diagnosed standing up, not over. Secondly, if you have a 32 on and need a 28 or 30, the wires can be potentially narrower in the correct band size. They will be more proportional to the smaller ribcage. With a breast perimeter of 10” or so, I’d consider a 30FF/G if you try this one again. I would say that you look full on top.
Updated on July 30, 2020 Flag this
-
2
helpful
Just because a bra is generally well-known in the bra community for being narrow, projected, etc. does not mean that it is a. the narrowest, most projected, etc. bra out there b. narrow/projected/etc. enough for you. Also, any fit calculator is not 100% accurate because bodies are not completely uniform.
In this bra in particular, I think you'd find your best fit (though not necessarily a good fit) in a 30G. However, along with this bra being too small in the cups, I think you're also right that you could benefit from narrower wires, a narrower gore, and perhaps a flatter-bottomed cup, if you could find such a bra. I'm not going to act like I'm an encyclopedia on every bra in the universe ever, but I think you'd probably have more luck with Polish bras. Feasibly, you could try out a plunge to better suit your close-set breasts, but to my knowledge, many plunges tend to have rather wide wries and not have a lot of projection.
I'll @ Calluna who's close to your size and also very knowledgeable about Polish bras.
EDIT: re: the band wrinkling...I'm not sure either, but could we see a straight on picture of you wearing the bra facing away from the camera?
Updated on July 30, 2020 Flag this
-
I've been thinking Polish bras, too, though I figured I'd try the Marcie to see if I at least got my shape right before spending so much on shipping and possibly return shipping. Currently my best-fitting bra is a 28FF Freya Deco, though the cups are too shallow and the wires are too wide, which matches up with what you mentioned.
I tried to get a picture of the back of the bra, but unfortunately couldn't get a good shot of it. The band rode up on the loosest hooks, but fit fairly snug on the tightest, though the band wrinkling was still happening.
-
I don't know where you live, but I know there are several bra shops out there who 'middle man' Polish bras, if that makes sense. Most of them won't let you get customizations, but they do take out a significant portion of the headache of ordering Polish bras when you're not Polish.
-
I'm in the central USA, so that might be an option. I've been so desperate for anything available on Amazon (with free shipping/free returns) to work while I find a bra that fits, that it's intimidating to consider buying elsewhere, especially when I don't have much expendable income.
Thank you for the response and tips! I'll probably try to find one of those 'middle man' shops you mentioned.
-
The two that I know of are Breakout Bras (sells Comexim, located in South Carolina) and Levana Bratique (sells Ewa Michalak, located in Pennsylvania), though I'm sure there are others in the U.S. BoB generally has lower prices than Levana.
-
Thank you for the suggestions!
-
-
0
helpfulI have fit issues with my Marcie as well. I should be wearing a 28 G. I have on a 28 FF. In this band size the cups are projected enough for my breasts so I don't notice wrinkling. If the cup is too large for you (or band) or projected I suppose you would see wrinkles. I do have slight quadding. One side I feel more in my armpit than the other. It's difficult finding 'the one'. I am confused whether I have narrow/wide roots as well now lol. Wish I could help you!
Updated on December 26, 2020 Flag this
Thank you!
Largely the reason there are some leaning over photos are because I could never figure out where my breast root was when standing upright, and I'd read somewhere that leaning over could help determine if you had wide or narrow roots. Though if this is incorrect and there's some other way I should do it, I'd like to know! Holding up my breast and pressing it in to determine where my breast root is hasn't been very helpful for me.