Bra fitting help » First bra review

• #1
• #2
• #3
• #4
• #5
• #6
• #7

Cleo » Mimi Padded Balconnet Bra (8091) » 36F 36:7

---

You must be logged in to leave suggestions

• New user?

  Get an account

• Have an account?

  Sign in

---

Suggestions (2)

• 1
  helpful

  Do you have an extender handy? If so you can use that and see if the looser band makes it more comfortable. Honestly though, the cups look a bit too narrow for your breasts, and it looks like you have some side breast spillage occurring. If that is the case, the cup is too small.

  Updated on November 2, 2018 Flag this

  
  

  • Thank you both. That is my mystery MamaPagan , how is this side tissue detected? I have swooped and scooped. I canmot seem to detect my breast root.

  • It looks like you have breast tissue above the cup on the side, between the strap and your arm. My internet is phone only so photos are small and sometimes misleading, so you can confirm this. If that is the case, then most likely the cups are too small, and possibly to narrow for your breasts. Often when wires are sitting on breast tissue, it will be more painful under the arms. Not always though, as each breast and one's sensitivity varies.

  • 1

    I agree that it looks like it might be sitting on breast tissue on the side.
    It was really hard for me to know where my breast ended under my arm when I first started getting better bras too! I think it's a combo of wearing bras that have the cups sitting on the breasts rather than behind/around, plus migrated tissue, that causes it to be unclear at first on the sides. It's definitely better to start with slightly wider wires, as it will be easier to reach around and pull all the tissue from the shoulder blade and forward into the cup and convince it to stay there while it re-migrates. :)
    Another concern, in the last photo, I can see quite a bit of empty space between the bottom of the breast and the underwire. Are you able to push them up all the way? If so, do they slide down after a bit of wear?
    Overall, bras with vertical seams only are a bit more shallow, especially at the underwire. Either the cups could be too small, or it just doesn't have the projection you need. Theoretically could have the correct volume, but it's not in the right place, so it sits too low.
    With the max stretch being smaller than your comfortable, I would agree too that you should try an extender.
    Hopefully that helps!! And welcome :)

  • 1

    Yay! That was exactly why I added the last pic. That space cannot be right. I will try an extender, but please if you or anyone can suggest bras with more projection.

  • 1

    Buttercupsss For a good rule of thumb of bras to avoid: All of the Cleo half cup (vertical seam only) bras are quite shallow at the bottom, same with Freya half cups, so you might just want to stay away from those all. Also, molded bras. I know they're everywhere here in the U.S. haha but they just ultimately have to be more of a shallow cone shape to be produced and in order to not collapse at the bottom, so they don't work for immediate projection either.

    Cleo has some bras that have good projection at the bottom of the cup near the wire. You should try the Lily and the Marcie. They've been known to be similar, but the Marcie is a bit more "open" on top while the Lily is more "closed" along the top edge. From your side picture, I'd say the Marcie might work for your breast shape better, but of course it's all trial and error to figure it out! :P

    Also Cleo seems to run very tight in the band. In all the Cleos I've had, they barely stretched out over their long lifetime, so you might want to try a 38 as well as 36 to feel the difference.

    Curvy Kate is pretty good with projection on their balcony style bras.

    Ultimately, the brand Ewa Michalak has the best bras for projection, but hard to get if you don't live in Poland. If you can get any in the Listings section on this website, try them out too! :)

  • 1

    Although this spot Mimi and the floral print tends to be more projected than the animal print ones...I've seen some people say/note that the spot and floral Mimi tend to fit close to the Polish brands being narrow wires and more projection at the wire than most half cup bras.

  • Boy, I miss alot of activity by going to bed, haha! Thank you Slava-Zone and Calluna for taking over and added such helpful points.

    One additional thing I forgot to mention is when the cups are too small they can make the band feel too tight . That is where trying an extender can help to distinguish where the issues lie, in cup only, band only, or a combination of both.

    Looking at your underbust measurements and the stretched band, I do think this band may be a bit small, but it's possible it will stretch out quickly (don't have experience with Cleo to say for sure) so they make it small on purpose. Hopefully someone else can confirm or correct this assumption for me.

    Also, some bands tend to "bite" as in they feel tighter than they really are due to their material. Often it is suggested to try the bra on backwards and upside down (so that the softer material is against your skin instead of the elastic and the cups are hanging down instead if on your breasts) and see how the band feels. If it still feels too tight that way, then it is, while if it feels fine that way, you know the issue is within the cups &/or the materials of the band's elastic.

    And I am an avid Ewa Michalak fan, but the brand does have narrow wires so it may be an issue. There is an online store in the US that sells them which would be a better starting point for easier returns.

    Levana Bratique
    11530 Perry Hwy, Suite 106
    Wexford, PA 15090
    United States of America
    https://levanabratique.com
    P: +1-724-934-8795
    E: info@levanabratique.com

    Ewa also lists this one, but I found their online site a bit cumbersome.

    Aphrodite’s Closet
    6060 Montgomery Drive, Suite 116
    Windcrest, TX 78239
    United States of America

    And in Canada there's Bra Obsessed which ships to the US quickly.

    https://bra-obsessed.myshopify.com

    I would suggest checking the measurements here for Ewa in your range, and compare them to this bra.

    Here's the bras:
    https://www.bratabase.com/browse/ewa-michalak/size-range/80F/

    And here's the measurements tab:
    https://www.bratabase.com/browse/ewa-michalak/size-range/80F/measurements/

    This will get you more familiar with how the different styles run, as they will vary by style.
    

  • Thank you all so much for your helpful insights! The bra actually feels quite comfy this morning. One question Slava-Zone if Cleo is shallow..are my breasts not shallow too? I have a couple more bras that I will add today. I absolutely love the Ewa bras MamaPagan I am trying to get a good handle on my needs before I purchase one. She is a dominatrix is she not? Ewa? I think that is very cool and only mention because we are all anonymous here :)

  • 2

    Buttercupsss Ewa is quirky and controlling, but I hadn't heard of her being a dominatrix before. I could see it being possible though, haha! Now I will have to shake the image of Ewa in a skin tight leather jumpsuit with whip and handcuffs in hand from my brain..... ;-)

  • 3

    Buttercupsss I would disagree that Cleo is shallow. Some of their styles are, yes. Most of the molded ones are, with this spot Mimi and the floral one as exceptions. Many of the cut and sew bras are not shallow either.

  • Buttercupsss I'd say the upper half of your breasts is a little bit shallower than average perhaps, but I wouldn't say you have a markedly shallow or projected shape--you're within the average range I think. It's true this bra is a LITTLE on the shallow side compared to other Cleos only in a relative sense--some of the others are less so. But In your size range I would say the main problem is that you would benefit from sizing up in cup volume--but then the straps will be even wider-set on your petite shoulders, and these straps in the F cup are already in your armpits!! You might try some different Cleos, like Marcie which is a popular design that seems to work for a wide range of people. It runs largeish, so check measurements before ordering. I personally had an awful time with almost all Cleo straps until I shrank down to about a 32E, so I don't know if this one is particularly extreme or not, but be prepared to try another brand if you've given Cleo a try with several different styles and the straps are consistently too far apart.
    The strap issue honestly might be a slight concern with Ewa Michalak, although you aren't in the size range where she is most notorious for making them miles apart. If it's a lttle intimidating to order from Poland and you would like to figure out more about your size and fit preferences, if you like a more daring/risque style, I suggest looking at Elomi's strappy styles or at some Curvy Kate Scantilly.

    The way Ewa scolds and puts down some of her customers I'm not surprised you thought she was a dominatrix--it fits the popular stereotype... But in real life I'm pretty sure dominatrices only do that to consenting partners, so it seems unfair to them to compare them to Ewa ;-)

  • I meant she may be a dom to consenting types of course! Not her customers xD I am not judging! Admiring! You have been so vey helpful wendybien shoulder straps have always been an issue for me...I have always worn convertible type bras and cross the straps in the back for this reason.

  • You are welcome Buttercupsss ! I think you are headed in the right direction with this bra even though clearly it's not QUITE perfect yet.
    Since I know from your other post that you're in the USA, in addition to the brands I mentioned above, I would suggest that you check out Wacoal and Natori in sizes close-ish to this (don't be afraid to go up or down in the cup a little depending on whether an individual style seems to run large or small) just because those are available in sooo many department stores, including some Macy's. If you are near a Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack you will have even more choices of brands. Obviously you can get almost anything online but it's just really nice to be able to try on several in a single session and compare the fit, size up or down to see what happens etc.

  • Buttercupsss Yeah, I wouldn't think she'd be abusing her customers in that way at least without their consent, she typically reserves that type of abuse to verbal insults, haha! She does love those removable strappy designs though, so she could have had other ideas in mind when designing them ....... ;-)

    Seriously though, Ewa is a strong and independent woman, sucessful in her ventures, and that is something to admire.

  Entry closed

  
  
• 0
  helpful

  This table was super helpful for me!

  https://i.imgur.com/pRZJELn.jpg

  Updated on November 2, 2018 Flag this

  
  

  add a comment

  Use @ to mention users, brands, models and more

  You need to sign in to comment