This is soft, very basic, cute. Extremely thin straps that can be latched together in the back with a J-hook. I have short wide-set roots, with a frustrating combination of deflation and some lower projection, which makes bra fitting a nightmare. I had serious quad boob with this bra and think it's fair to say that the cups run small. The underwire was way too short on the sides, for me. This definitely did not work for my shape.
Yay! I'm the first one on Bratabase to do a review of this bra! This bra might actually be even better than the B.tempt'd By Wacoal B.wow'd Push Up Bra (958187) . It gives slightly more cleavage, it's just as comfortable and the cups are slightly closer together. This is a great bra for shallow, broad rooted, tall rooted. I like everything except the lace on the straps.
This bra is for: shallow, broad rooted, medium or far apart spaced breasts. If you are very FOT or very tall rooted this might not be for you. This is about as broad wired as I can stand for bras. If the wires were any more broad (Freya Deco Strapless, Natori Feathers) I would not want it. I don't like the colour and I will be exchanging it for another colour.
I bought this bra in 32A on clearance when I needed a nude bra and didn't know my true size yet. I really need something more along the lines of a 28D/30C, so this isn't a good fit for me. Because the style is a full coverage bra and I'm bottom heavy, the upper portion of the cup isn't filled out.
This band seems to fit like most 32s in Aerie and VS. I imagine it would be fairly comfortable if I had it in a 30C instead. I'm not a huge fan of the look of it and the bows on the strap and lace design can show through tighter tops.
Aerie makes some really good bras in 30C, depending on what your shape is. The Katie is actually the hardest to fit, since very few people have the kind of shape it fits. If you have tall roots, try the Sunnie in 30C. If you have short roots, try the Blakely or the Bridget in 30C. If you are one of the few lucky people who can wear the Katie, rock it in 30C.
I agree with Saskia_C the Katie has very narrow and deep cups, I'm a 34B and the 34A cup on the Katie is still too deep. The Sunnie is great and does work well for a tall root. The Bridget will also work well on a variety of shapes.
thelittleone it's not that it has narrow and deep cups. I find it just as shallow as all the other Aerie bras. The problem is that the top edge of the cups cuts into everybody's flesh, just like the Cleo Jude does.
Saskia_C Sorry, you are correct, I had the Sophie on my brain when you mentioned the Katie.
Ok so as much as I've always resented the fact that I often have to shop at stores geared towards juniors to find bras that fit me, I have to say that I had a really great experience at Aerie yesterday. Had ordered the Hannah in a 30B and a 30C to see what fit. The 30C was a better fit but not a good style for me. I went to the store to return them and just thought I'd double check to make sure that they didn't have any 30 bands in other styles that I could try in the store. The sales ...girl got her manager, who was really nice and helpful. I told her why the Hannah didn't work for me and she said she'd check the stockroom and brought back a Blakely and a Sunnie. I liked the Sunnie better, but the one she brought me was baby pink (not really my color...). She checked the stockroom again and found 2 in black in my size. Best of all, she gave me the buy one get one half off deal from the website even though it wasn't going on in the store. Overall a very good experience!!!
While not 100% ideal, the Sunnie is definitely the best-fitting bra that I own at the moment. The Hannah and the Blakely both felt bigger in the band. Though the Sunnie only measures about .5 in shorter stretched (by my measurement), it feels much tighter (in a good way). I think this is because of the fabric, which has a lot of stretch to it but is doubled on the band. Strangely, I can wear it on the tightest or loosest hook with equal comfort. And it's seriously comfy. The fabric is wonderfully soft. I do think that aerie cups run a tiny bit small, but not by a whole cup size, maybe by half a cup. The great part about this for me is that I'm a bit uneven (left breast seems to be a 30C and right a 30B), so it's only the teensiest bit too small on my left and big on my right and gives me a much more even look than most bras. The top inner side of the cup just barely cuts into my left (larger) breast after swooping and scooping, but within 5 mins I've settled into it well. And the part that cuts in is very much on the inside, so you can't tell under a shirt since that's where the fabric is suspended between my boobs anyway.
I think that the reason that this one works (and the hannah didn't) is because it's higher cut and the cups are slightly closer together. My ideal bra would have a slightly wider spacing, but since the higher cut edge begins pretty shallow and has a much more gradual/less abrupt curve than the Hannah it does seem to work despite the fact that I don't have much tissue there. Wish it were a little less boring looking, but overall I think it's a good everyday bra and am happy to finally have something that fits nicely and is so comfortable. Read more 441 more words
So I got this bra in a 30B and C to see which fit better. The 30C definitely fits better in the cup (gore tacks, doesn't in 30B), but the style is still problematic for my shallow shape. The cup is nice and wide and the spacing is great for me. Even though it's fairly low cut, the cup curves in at the top creating minor quadboob on my larger side and a bizarrely abrupt curved-to-straight silhouette on my smaller side. I do actually fill both cups out completely (no empty space under the sharp curve at the top), probably because they are lined, ...low cut and may run small.
The top being so curved/closed is definitely the issue. I confirmed this by trying it with the crossback option. Having the straps pull in diagonally opens up the top of the cup more and gives me a much more natural silhouette on the smaller and larger side (see pics). For reference, my underbust measures about 27.5-28 and this fits best on the tightest hook. Left perimeter is .5 larger than right, meaning a whole cup size difference between them https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />. I'm including this note and pics of both sides to illustrate the difference between them since I think Aerie cups may run a bit small (from this experience and from reading user reviews on this site and theirs). I think that in most companies my left side is a 30C and my right is a 30B. Though the 30C fits pretty well, I think that in Aerie I might actually be a 30D/30C, which would confirm the previous statement. The upside to all this is that I'm kinda like two reviewers in one haha
Not sure that I'll be keeping it since I wear a lot of tank tops, most of which are not racerbacks. And honestly I find putting on/taking off crossback straps to be pretty annoying. But I do like some things about it (please see 30B review for notes on comfort etc) so we'll see. Read more 252 more words
Thank you for this helpful review! I'll keep the small cup issue in mind. At least at Aerie you can try on bras though I'm not sure how small a band size they carry in store. I think I have the same issue as you do - my right breast is also about .5" larger than the left which is so confusing. Do you tend to buy to fit your smaller or larger breast? I guess since I'm also shallow I can get away with buying a smaller cup. I don't tend to quadraboob as easily and I'd rather it be fuller on one side then have gapping be visible under my clothes.
Glad it was helpful! Aerie only carries 32s and up in the store, but if you order online you can return them in store for free (which is what I ended up doing). When I went, they actually had a couple of 30s in the stockroom from other online returns so I did get to try a couple other styles on in the store and got the "Sunnie". Their cups seem to run a little small, but the bands run a little big.
To answer your question: I used to buy bras to fit my smaller breast without realizing it. I'd constantly be readjusting but thought that this was because my breasts were just too small for any bra that was wide enough for my frame. When I realized that the band size was way off (34 haha), I tried cinching the bands on all of my old bras and suddenly discovered that most were too small on one side and that the bras would actually start to pull in that direction! Meaning more annoying readjusting :(
So basically, I wouldn't recommend getting bras to fit your smaller side in a comfortably snug band size (and I'm shallow as well). I totally understand your fear of visible gapping though. Please forgive me if this is creepy, but I looked at your profile and reviews and we seem to have very similar upper body types, so basically I feel like I can commiserate here for a minute...I've found that being thin, uneven, wide, shallow, and small unfortunately means that options will always be on the limited side. The best solution that I've found so far is finding brands (like aerie) that run a tad small in the cup but have wider wires and also picking styles that are generally wider set. I find that balconette bras (demis, not 3/4s) often work well for me.
Have you tried any Natori bras? They're expensive but 100% worth it in terms of style, comfort and fit. Also, you can find them on ebay for pretty cheap! They run a bit small in the cup depth compared to other brands but have wide wires, so they're comfortable and kind of even me out a bit. I too measure at 28DD according to my measurements, but have found that 30Cs generally fit better and are more comfortable.
Wow that was long! Like a lifetime of bra advice that I've never been able to give anyone since I've never had any friends with similar boob problems hah
Ahh thank you so much for the great info! Haha and I'm glad you went through some of my reviews it makes things so helpful. It's good to find people of similar size it makes shopping so much easier. I have not heard or tried Natori bras. I've heard good things about Mimi Holiday but I guess I have two brands to save up for. Thanks for the Ebay tip! I have been browsing through it but it can be such a time suck haha.
Currently I've been sticking to the balconette style when purchasing bras. I just got a 30C today and the cups and band fit much better. A few of the 28DDs I got the wires started to hurt my ribs after a while. The cups also gapped so much that it would show through shirts which is very unappealing. It gets confusing because when you scoop and tuck it might fill a 28DD cup but it definitely doesn't stay that way when you're upright. Happy to make a new bosom buddy! :P
Haha oh my god amazing pun (bosom buddy) :) Glad to hear that 30Cs are working out for you. I have one 28D (cleo Maddy) which fits me alright, though I'd rather it were a little wider. After the first day of wear I felt like I'd been punched in the ribs, so I made an extender and wore it that way a couple of times. Now I can wear it comfortably without the extender, though it's still not my favorite. But if you have any bras lying around that work in the cup but have overly tight bands, that might be a good solution.
When I thought about it, I realized that a band that stretches to ~30 in makes more sense in a way. My rib cage is 27.5 very snug and 28 comfortably snug, but I was following the directions and exhaling. When I take a crazy deep breath, it expands to about 29.5. It makes sense to me that an article of clothing that prevents deep breathing would be uncomfortable haha.
The other potential explanation is that the point of a tight band is to provide support by distributing the weight of your breasts around your body. So I think that for women who have breasts so large that they get back pain etc, a super tight band provides relief. I don't know about you, but I don't get back pain from my bust size (just from bad posture haha). Basically what I'm saying is, when there's less weight to be leveraged by the band, the more the band is just ehhhh tight? Does that make sense? Haha I suck at all math/science-related things, but I read a similar explanation on a lingerie blog and it made a lot of sense to me considering my own experiences.
As far as Mimi Holliday goes, I hope that they work for you but sadly they don't really seem to for me. Keep in mind (if you haven't noticed this already) that they changed the sizing after AW 12 I think (http://oflambsandlace.blogspot.com/2014/08/an-announcement-about-mimi-holliday.html) so measurements from bras before that season won't be relevant. Which sucks because I think that some of their bras from before the change might've worked for me! And they're soooo pretty. I think one of their balcony styles might still work for me, but they don't seem to have many at the moment unfortunately. The other downside for me was that their panties seem to run weirdly large. Like I usually wear an XS or S in underwear, and the XS in two different styles was too big! I have 34.5 in hips if that helps.
Natori unfortunately doesn't make that many options in 30C, but I've been kinda lazy and bought a couple 32Bs on ebay (totally a time suck haha) for $20 and I'm so happy with the way that the cups fit that I honestly don't care that I have to wear them on the middle or smallest hook. Would definitely not pay full price for that, but for $20 I won't hate myself if they don't last as long. Definitely try the "feathers" though--it's gorgeous and comfortable and the stretch mesh at the top makes things really even! I actually think that their 30Cs run a bit smaller in the cup than their 32bs, so I'm considering trying a 30D. It'd be great if that worked out since there are a few more styles available in that size I think.
Aaah another epic response! Sorry, I tend to get a bit carried away haha. Hope some of it is helpful anyhow :)
Oh man we have basically the same measurements haha nice nice. The band explanation makes sense to me as well. I never got back pain from my boobs either which is why I got away with wearing the wrong band size for so long.
After I heard about Mimi holiday's sizing change I'm probably less likely to get anything from them. It really is a shame because a lot of their products are very cute!
And yes to ebay being an amazing and time sucking place to find cheap bras. It's currently my go-to along with the clearance section of figleaves haha.
This one works pretty well for me. The band fits nicely, just as expected. The cups do not gape on my shallow breasts except minorly, when in certain positions. It's pretty comfy and gives a nice little boost without being too much. Plus it comes in lots of pretty designs.
For reference, My ideal measurement is somewhere between a 28C/D with 27.5" underbust and 31.5" bust. This is probably one of the better fitting bras that I have ordered and that fits so far.
My biggest complaint about the bra is that the band and the straps are very stretchy and therefore fits closer to my previous 32As. I'm currently wearing this on the tightest hook and the band fits fine, but has a very very slight tendency to gap away from the bottom if I lift my arms up above my head and stretch.
A cool feature this bra has is a little hook that can convert ...the straps into an X back, as I have done for the photos. This has definitely helped to shorten the straps a little because I have the straps on the shortest setting, so the bra tends to fit much better with the X back.
The gore sits right against the sternum...and maybe a little too well. Just a slight dig-in to the ribs but other than that, extremely comfortable.
If this came in a 28C I would be all over it. Probably going to get it altered to shorten band & straps. Very cute bright pink color and nice satiny texture, will be a great t-shirt bra.
***Update 10/14/13 cups too small now!****
It appears I have have had slight tissue migration over the past 3 weeks and also altered the band of the bra so it is about an inch tighter. Now after the scoop & swoop unfortunately I'm quadboobing on my larger breast on one cup and the cups, although the right shape, are now just too small to fit me perfectly https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> ******************* Read more 180 more words
I saw on Bratabase that this Hannah bra also had very similar fit to the Aerie Blake bra, so I decided to try it out. Well, the fit is similar, but the main difference is that...
...the top seam of the cup digs in much more than the Blake! This bra is definitely meant for the shallower of the 30B/28C with a little more on bottom and a little flatter projection in the middle. Whereas the cups on the blake were just a hair roomier on top, the cups on these were a little shallower and shorter, and dug into my breast tissue and caused some minor quadboob.
As ...with other Aerie bras, the band is extremely stretchy and could definitely serve a 32. I'm on the last hook and also on the shortest strap setting. Luckily this bra has an X back option which does help a little, but makes the cups feel even smaller https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
Bra quality is very cute, but just a hair too small and shallow in cups even for shallow me. For reference, my ideal size is around a 28C/D with a 27.5" underbust and a 31.5" bust. Read more 90 more words
Because this is meant to be a strapless/multi-way bra, it has a very firm band compared to other Aerie bras in this size. It definitely fits more like a 32DD than a 34D, which is good for me. This is the only bra I own that curves in significantly at the top of the cup, and it's because that curve just so happens to match my shape. I'm not sure if other ladies with shallow and/or full-on-top breasts would be as lucky. It gives a more pointy look than many molded cups, but not quite in a bullet bra way. Despite the snakeskin lace, it doesn't show through ...anything, making it my current go-to bra for thin/light shirts. I'm not sure how long it will hold up, though, as I'm starting to see some fraying of the underwire channels after only a few wears.
Edit: I bumped quality and comfort down to 'poor' because not long after I initially wrote this review, one of the loops that holds the straps broke (and I don't put much tension on the straps). The gel that gives the band extra grip started leaving welts on my skin and the band stretched significantly. It's a shame, because this bra worked well for me fit-wise. Also, I have not found other Aerie bras to be this poorly made and none of my other bras (regardless of brand) are showing much wear at all. Read more 129 more words
My opinion has been changed! I tried both the Harper (padded) and the Hailey (foam lined) in 32AA when they first came out, and hated them. Turns out both aerie memory foam styles run very small/narrow in the cup. With the original styles (bold colors and ultra smooth fabric), I would absolutely recommend sizing up in the cup unless you have a very narrow root. The new lacy models feel like they have a looser back band, but I think the cups still do run narrow.
The Harper has the perfect amount of padding for me. It's got a little bump at the bottom, but is not extreme or fake looking. Similar to the Bridget or the pushup Paige. The gore is slightly narrower than on my Bridgets, which is great for me. Now, if only they came in 30s!
be careful, all paiges are not created equal. i have one paige that i love; this paige for some reason fits a little looser and gaps, and i was not at all impressed with the cotton ones.
overall, this older season of paige has the perfect amount of padding: enough to create a flattering shape, but nothing fake. similar to the current bridget; a little more push than the current paige.
I did what you are often told not to do -- I bought bras from Aerie even though their band size starts at 32 and I have a 26" ribcage. However, I don't have a large chest, so the bras are still comfortable. Both models I tried (this and three Paiges) run a full size small in the cups. The band is also quite loose -- even compared to my 32B Victoria's Secret bras.
My daily go-to bra was the DKNY 453200 Fusion TShirt bra in 32DD, which has been discontinued [ boooo >https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> ]; this bra is a solidly decent replacement in both fit and comfort. I went into the Aerie store on a lark (aka went to the mall for the A/C) and was unable to find my usual size of 32DD in any style, so I tried the 32DDD, in nude as that was the only color in that size and who doesn't need another nude bra... The cups fit very similarly to the DKNY 32DD, though the wires ...at the outer top of the cup hit about 1/2" further back into my armpits. Because of this I don't think I fully fill the top of the cup most of the time, but only by a negligible amount, and at no loss of comfort other than it's different than what I've been wearing for the last 3 years. The gore tacks comfortably, the straps aren't too far apart, and adjust short enough for me. The material is very comfortable and it has quite a wide band which sits perfectly. Just based on the way it fits now, I'm sure I would get quadboobing from a 32DD. Since I *just* bought this, I'll adjust the review after I've taken it around the block a few times, but so far feels like a pretty good fit. They have a lot of color options for this bra, presumably online and not in-store, but I love that you're not relegated to black or nude for a tshirt bra.
*EDIT* after a couple years - this one is still holding up, though I don't wear it too often. The fit above is still accurate and it's objectively comfortable, but I think I wear it a lot less due to the wideness of the wires under the arms. It's not at all a bust for the price, it just doesn't fit how I need it to to be a favorite, I have yet to try other sizes. Read more 245 more words
This has got to be a 34A masquerading as a 30C. The cups are gapping unless i adjust the straps then the band rides up. The band seems to be way bigger than my other 30 bands at 26inches and it stretches up to 34inches! not sure if all their 30 bands are like this or this was just made wrong but I'm returning it. I wish it fit because its very soft and comfy.
It’s a good spot between my different boobs: a biiit small for my big boob and a biit big for my small boob. I don’t want to only fit my big boob and have to worry about padding my small boob. Especially since I have a massive (~5cm) fibroadenoma in my big boob which I want to eventually vaporize and therefore my bigger boob will shrink. (I know from past experience.)
The biggest problem would be the wires don’t cup the full width of my wide roots. Also the straps are weirdly borderline short. If I don’t scoop and swoop the band feels really tight. After wearing this for a bit, my boobs un-scoop-n-swoop, especially my smaller one, causing gapping. I reckon the cups are too narrow for my wide roots so they fall out.
I love the really soft fabric. I’m not a fan of the long lace because it doesn’t sit flat on me and it adds two additional hooks in the back. I like how wide the wires are but ultimately I don’t think the cups are right for my conical shape.
I love the really soft fabric. I’m not a fan of the long lace because it doesn’t sit flat on me and it adds two additional hooks in the back. I like how wide the wires are but ultimately I don’t think the cups are right for my conical shape.
The fabric on this is SO SOFT. The band is tight for a 30, fits more like a 28. I like how wide the wire is, but overall the bra does not fit me well, likely due to the push up padding.
Aerie makes some really good bras in 30C, depending on what your shape is. The Katie is actually the hardest to fit, since very few people have the kind of shape it fits. If you have tall roots, try the Sunnie in 30C. If you have short roots, try the Blakely or the Bridget in 30C. If you are one of the few lucky people who can wear the Katie, rock it in 30C.