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One of the random facts at the bottom of the main page here is that the bra is the most highly engineered garment. We all know this as we try to deconstruct our bras and apply what we know to the fit.
So today I learned something that perhaps others know. I got a "new" (to me) Fantasie today from the ... site. It's a GG as opposed to my normal G. It is a smidge too large, but I thought, should I keep it and put it in the rotation vice my Chantelle and if so, why?
I put the cups together and saw the Chantelle is narrower (good). So I put it on and marked on my skin where the wire ends. Then I put on the Fantasie and...it's like 1/4" narrower. (scratching head). I put the wires flat on a surface and take the ends and slowly pull them away from each other to test flexibility. The Fantasie flexes, flexes, and starts to S bend. OK.
The Chantelle immediately starts to S bend. They FEEL equally stiff but clearly the Chantelle wires distort immediately. Is this good or bad for me?
I still can't answer that question because the Chantelle wires are a full 2 inches longer than the Fantasie*. Both fit me more like full cups than balcony but the Chantelle, with longer wires, digs into my underarms.
So I have a winner in which one to keep but still don't know if the more flexible S-bending wires are better (for me) than the stiffer wires.
Isn't science fun, kids (she asks while beating her head against the wall).
* Interesting side note: the channel for the Fantasie Savannah is 13" but the wire inside is only 12)
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Shared on Jul 18, 2013 Flag this
A bra that fits well should feel great right away. If the band is too tight it can cause the wires to become distorted. Try it with an extender and it that feels right, you're probably very close to finding your perfect bra. Some brands have bands that do stretch out a lot rather quickly, so it would be good to read some reviews. It may not hurt to do a fit request so you can get more info on the specific bra and help evaluating the fit.
I think I have to disagree. My bras usually do need to be broken in a little bit. A bra that feels comfortable when I first try it on its probably too big in the band, and doesn't fit very well after I wear it for a few hours, much less a few weeks. Maye it's because I have an oddly shaped ribcage (kind of wide side to side, very shallow and flat front to back), but until the wires bend to my shape the bra doesn't quite fit right. I've been through a lot of trial and error, but I've learned how a bra that will eventually fit me feels when I first try it on. If it digs in a little bit under my arm toward the back, and presses at the wire in the middle, once it breaks in it fits. I don't intentionally bend the wires by hand, but if I take a well fitting bra and fold it at the center gore, the wires are shaped like a teardrop or arrowhead. Obviously they don't sell underwires shaped like that.
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