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[Sorry, this stretched into a long post! If you want, you can jump straight to the “So here goes”-part]
A few months ago I stumbled upon Venusian Glow’s blog post on tissue migration and how to prevent it (scoop and swoop, with which probably everyone on Bratabase is familiar with). I was petrified to find out that tissue could actually migrate ... like that, and that finally put an end to my “urgh, I really should get myself new, proper bras”-procrastination.
It’s a pain in my home town to find proper bras. The basic clothing chains don’t offer anything over D or E in normal (non-granny) styles, as don’t department stores. Actual lingerie shops are ridiculously expensive and also they have a horrible range of bras for larger busts – you know, the basic unpadded granny style which gives pointy boobs and no support whatsoever. Why do they even make those?!
My semi-salvation had been Change, who offered larger variety of sizes and styles, and to an affordable price. I had gotten myself fitted and was wearing a basic half-cup in 70H (EU-size, UK 32FF) and basically just thought Change had a really weird size system. I surely couldn’t be an H, that’s ridiculously huge, in “real sizes” I was probably a D or E... And 70 must be somehow off, too, because that’s really petite and I’m 1.76 cm (5’9) and normally built, or robust if anything. Yea rite.
Well, as it turns out, 70H was probably quite true to size. Luckily, I wasn’t THAT horribly off with my size. I had known that a bra shouldn’t fast tighter than on the loosest hooks as new, you shouldn’t get any spillage when you bend over, and the gore should lay flat. So I wasn’t wearing a 36F when I should be wearing a 30GG (which probably isn't that far from my true size), even though I now realise the cups were too small. The style, however, was very right. It actually wasn’t too bad a fit as new, at all; the major problem was that it was old and stretched out, really nothing anyone should ever have to wear. And yes, I’m using singular on purpose...
So then I began my quest for proper bras. As nobody sells bras in my size in my home town, I just had to venture out on the Internet. I had found Ewa Michalak who seemed to have exactly what I wanted – half-cups which give a rounded shape, as the Change balconette/half-cup* I had liked but was not made in my “new” size. It has been a few months of somewhat miserable trial and error (and remigration, luckily no more than one cup size after getting bigger bras), but now I think I finally know what to look for and what to avoid. A big thanks goes to Bratabase and its lovely, helpful users!
So here goes:
– When measuring the underbust, I need to measure where the lower edge of the bra band sits (where you get a red mark after wearing a bra for a while) – not immediately under the breasts. The difference isn’t big (73 cm vs. 71 cm), but it makes all the difference. E.g. the EM size calculator suggests a 75 band for me with the 73 cm measurement, and a 70 band with the 71 cm. In reality, a 65 (30) is a good starting point for me (even with EM’s), so the 75 (34) is a whole two sizes off.
– So I’ve come to realise I actually need a small band, and the 70 I thought was some sort of a Change-joke was actually not that joke-y at all. This actually was a surprise to me, because as said, I’m not a tiny girl. In addition, I thought I had a fairly broad ribcage to my proportions, but I guess having a short and thus wide-looking back and long legs sort of distorts my overall image of myself. But now I know to begin by looking at 30 bands, some unusually tight 32 bands might fit (such as the EM CHP Mak or HM Gold) but in general they’re too big. Even some 28 bands could be okay But I’ve learned a good warning sign: if they stretch to over 80 cm (around 31” I think?), they’ll inevitably be too large.
– I think my breasts are: close to each other; sitting high up on my chest; full on top; round. Based solely on the images on the measurements page, I couldn’t really tell. My breasts are quite big and all natural, so of course they don’t float directly under my neck as a pair of balloons. I’ve made these conclusions based on what bras have fitted me and what don’t.
– Incidentally, I had been using the right style for me, namely a half-cup. Now I think my perfect match is the CHP in EM bras – it gives me a rounded shape and minimises the size a bit. I like the HM, too. The CH is okay but too projected to my liking, and it doesn’t feel that supportive. The Freya Rio was an awful fit, it had too big a cup separation, wrinkled at the bottom of the cup and dug into the top of my breasts, which confirmed the full on top and close set things. Then again I saw somewhere on Bratabase a recommendation for Curvy Kate’s Thrill Me or Tease Me that they fit breasts that are full on the bottom (but not on the top), and now I’m confused again... Based on the pictures I had thought that they could be a good fit.
[* This also brings me to the question of the difference between a balconette and a half-cup. I had thought they were more or less the same thing, but several bras that give me way too much coverage and pointy quad-boobs are labelled as balconettes?]
– That my breasts sit high up on my chest was also a revelation to me. That explains why I’ve always had to shorten straps on every friggin bra! (Unless they adjust all the way and most probably end with the adjusting thing on the collarbone. Very comfortable.) I hadn’t noticed this before, because as said, my boobs aren’t floating under my chin when I’m not wearing a bra – even if they aren’t sagging (yet), they can’t beat gravity completely
As for the root, I have no idea whether it’s broad or narrow. I can’t really tell for the other shape issues either.
– What my cup size is... I don’t know, really. In EM’s CHP it’s 65H, that much I know. It could be a bit too snug if it’s a very tight band, and I’d have to use an extender to begin with, but probably it’ll be just fine. As for other brands, no clue whatsoever. I’ve understood you can’t really determine what cup depth you’d need based on the EMs, as they distribute the tissue in a different way compared to most bras? So I should maybe look for a bra with a bigger cup depth than the EM ones that fit me? Are the cup sizes in general bigger or smaller compared to EM, who have a sizing system of their own? (I.e. if I’m happy with an EM 65H, should I rather start looking for similar bras in 30G or 30J?)
All in all, I’m grateful if you a) made it through this ridiculously long post, b) maybe had an “A-HA!“ experience of your own, c) happen to have some bra suggestions Especially the last part is optional, as I now HAVE properly fitting bras, but suggestions and hints are of course always warmly welcome!
Thanks for reading!
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Shared on Feb 25, 2013 Flag this
Balconette is ambigous, some companies call halfcups balconette, some companies call their 3/4-cups balconette. Essentially balconette/balcony is anything that is not full coverage.
Ah, well that explains! Thanks for clarifying :)