Bra suggestions for my friend (34H, narrow, close-set)
(Cross-posted on /r/abrathatfits)
One of my friends asked me recently if I would help her with bra fitting.
She measures close to 36 loose but has an average amount of squish (2") and was already wearing a 34 which she was comfortable in and which seemed to fit in the band.
She said that the balanced shape described her best. Her average measurements put her in a 36FF/34G so I demonstrated swoop and scoop and asked her to try my Panache Jasmine in 36G. I'm FoB so of all my bras it seemed the most likely to fit her. From this we learned that her leaning measurement was closer to accurate, and that she needed narrower wires.
The best fit I found among my bras was an Ewa Michalak S Porcelanka 80G which fits like a tight 36GG. She liked it on the middle hook, so my best guess for her size is 34H. The wires from the Porcelanka were the right width, and seeing her in the bra I agreed that she had a balanced shape. However, the bra was not without its problems. The gore did not completely tack and there was empty space in the top of the cups; when the gore was pushed flat with a finger the cups were filled perfectly. It is a similar problem to what I see in Freya, where the wires just cannot stand up to the force. Based on this, and the fact that the gore did not tack in any of the bras she tried, I think her breasts must be very close-set (I haven't seen her braless). The only EM PL I have is a cup size smaller so I didn't know if the gore would have tacked if it had been the right size, but I suspect not.
I suggested that she wear the S Porcelanka for a few hours so we could see how accurate the fit was. She reported that it was digging in a bit on her ribs, and we saw that it was no longer flush against the breast root. It looked like she needed a bit more projection in the bottom of the cup. The wires really did look spot on to me, so I do not think it's orange-in-a-glass. I did suggest that she might wear it a little looser (as a 36GG rather than as a 34H), but it didn't look as if the cups were being significantly flattened so I have doubts that this would help.
She tried on a few of my other bras in addition to the S Porcelanka and the Jasmine. Some were too small so it was hard to see how they would have fit (EM PL Karmelki, Dalia Olimpia, and Bravissimo Satine). The only other bra that provided any insight was a Comexim Juliette in 80HH (which has an effective size of similar to the Porcelanka). It also didn't completely tack and the shape seemed off, with a bit of a bulge in the fabric in the center near the apex. I get the same thing in this bra, and it is similar to what I see in a Deco. As this is the only Comexim I own I don't know if this is characteristic for Comexim or if it is just the bra I have, but it seems like more center fullness is expected. My friend appears quite similar to me, with breasts which are close-set enough to push gores away, but falling straight rather than toward the center.
So here's what I think I know: 34H, close-set, needs narrow wires (EM is good), needs more immediate projection and a lower or narrower gore than the S. Based on this, I recommended EM PL as the style most likely to fit her, but noted that she might still need to alter the gore.
However, I'm wondering if anyone has a better suggestion. I'm not convinced that the PL gives more depth than the S, and I'm at a loss to think of any bra which will give more projection in the bottom of the cup.
Filed under Bra sizing and fit
6 comments
I am narrow, close-set and 34H in most bras. I wear a 34GG in Jasmine.
I suggest: Panache Andorra, Panache Jasmine, and also Cleo balconet bras. Andorra has a higher gore than Jasmine and gives unparallelled lift. Cleo balconets are sometimes narrow, but they tend to be of cheap materials, and they only have two hooks in the back, so I stopped buying them. Masquerade has some narrow models.
Freya and Fantasie have some weak wires that just can't anchor my boobs anymore, so I pretty much stick to Panache these days.
rockthecurves - Always nice to hear from someone with the same shape. I didn't know that Masquerade had some narrow models. I have the Rhea, which I didn't suggest she try because (a) it would have been too small for her, and (b) the gore doesn't completely tack on me. But maybe some other Masquerade bras would work.
I would also steer clear of Freya because of the softer wires. They don't tack on me, so there is no way they'd tack on her, as she seems to have more severe force at the gore than I do.
She has tried the Jasmine in a too small size (36G), but already the wires were too wide for her. The Andorra is not quite as deep as the Jasmine (at least in my experience, because I got wrinkles from it) and I think that would cause her problems because she is extremely projected.
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