May 23, 2013
Quite a miscalculation for me today. I've had so many recent successes I almost forgot how frustrating my boobs can be!
I have a Panache Porcelain in 28DD that I seem to have "outgrown", after loving it for a couple of months. It "cuts me in half" and gives me odd quadra-bumps. I've been wanting to try a Cleo for some time and I found an Alexa for a good price. The only available size was 28E, and I thought, if the 28DD is too tight, a Panache 28E may be workable. I do a lot of alterations on my bras, so I figured I could always take in the cups. The straps are REALLY far apart on this one. I always thought the distance between straps had to do with the band, but does it really have to do with cup size? The straps don't adjust short enough for me, either, and that hasn't ever happened to be with a 28 band so far.
Well, the band fits beautifully, and the bottom of my boobs are happy as can be. I love the wide wires. However, the center gore is cutting into my breasts, and the cups seem HUGE. As is typical, the bottom and sides are full, but the cups literally look half full. The whole top part of the cups are empty and gaping. It looks like when my 5 year old daughter tries on my bras and we laugh at how silly they look.
If I stand with my shoulders pushed back as far as possible (not just standing straight but turning inside out), I just look flattened. I'm no stranger to wrinkles and extra material at the tops and tips of cups. Now, I've decided I'll never complain about my Freya or Fantasie cups again! (I'm the only one who can really see the wrinkles in those cups). I won't be able to wear the Alexa at all until I more-or-less reform and reshape the cups, and sew seams into them.
So - does this mean I should stick with 28DDs although some of them are tight? I can wear some 30Ds, and even some 32Cs & Ds, but even push-ups pads aren't going to help much if I don't alter these E cups.
I'm sure I have all the characteristics of "wide root, shallow" breasts, but perhaps the way my tissue distributes itself (splayed) makes Cleo styles NOT a good match for me?
I love the bra, otherwise. It's beautiful, and a couple of tucks should do the trick.
Thanks for letting me vent here
Filed under Bras ups and downs
9 comments
"I always thought the distance between straps had to do with the band, but does it really have to do with cup size?"
Sadly, this is exactly the problem with most bras out there. It's one of the most important reasons why sister sizing does not work: cup volume may remain the same, but bodily proportions change and so should the shape of the cups, especially in relation to the shape and position of the 'armhole' of the bra. Unfortunately, I know of no bra company that actually really takes that into consideration.
I'm pretty sure that a lot of the excess volume you experience is actually caused by the armhole issue: the arms push cups forwards and away from the body, which causes them to look much larger than they are. What you can do to see if this indeed is the case is fold the point where the straps connect to the cups down upon itself and pin in place to temporarily lower and widen the armhole. This gives you a better indication of the actual volume of the cups in relation to your breasts.
A really, really easy way to check whether the cups are the right volume or not and if it's just the straps which are too wide-set is by holding your arms out straight at the level of your shoulders and moving the straps out so that they sit up straight.
I do this with all my bras now because strap placement in my size range is plain ridiculous. Things which look stupidly huge when I put them on can end up too small.
Just shortening the band and increasing the cup size does not make functioning bras. :( Fit testing is a beautiful thing which should happen more often.
This thread has 9 comments. Log in to read them