Bra fitting help » Daily bra, not sure if its the right size.
Natori » Understated Contour Underwire Bra (132025) » 32D 32:4
Issue resolved
Going to look for a new bra based off of the sizing advice I was given.
Original problem
So, I got this bra when I first determined I was not a 34B. It fits ok - the straps cut into my armpits a bit, and the biggest problem is the single hook pulling out.
My biggest issue right now is that every bra I try has straps cutting into my armpits painfully. I'm not sure if I'm sizing things wrong or what to even look for, but I haven't been able to find a single bra that doesn't cut into my armpits. Because of that, I'm not sure if I'm even wearing the right size. I don't have any photos of all the ill-fitting bras I've tried on because I don't take any of them home.
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Suggestions (7)
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helpful
OK it looks like you have a shallow shape--your breast root is quite wide and tall, meaning you have quite a fair amount of breast tissue, but it is more spread out and doesn't "stick out" very far, which is probably why you perceived yourself as a B cup before.
The first suggestion I would make for the sake of comfort is AVOID all bras with little spaghetti straps or thin, 1 hook back bands. If that is the design, forget it, it's never going to be comfortable for an active job, and it is not going to be very supportive either.
The second suggestion is that I think you would benefit from a wider and taller cup. Parfait, Heidi Klum (formerly Elle MacPherson, which is how you'll see most bras of that brand listed here) and Curvy Kate are known for having wider wires. Certain contoured Cleo bras fit quite shallow--Maddie and Neve for example.
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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I don't mean cups that look wider at the top. I mean cups with wider wires. This does not affect strap placement. Plunges and balconnets typically have wide-set straps to allow low necklines, but you can find full cup bras with very narrow-set straps and very wide wires. For example right now I am wearing a Fantasie Jacqueline that has both these features (I actually have narrow roots but the wires being too wide on this one doesn't bother me).
I would not put you in a 30 band since all your underbust stats are over 30" and you don't have tons of squishability. 32 will be good in almost all brands, but Cleo runs pretty tight and you may need 34.
As for cup sizes, almost nobody is the same cup size in 100% of bras. You will want to look at the stats on here to see what cup depths are associated with each size, and make a choice based on that.
Do you have other constraints? Budget, lack of good stores in your area?
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ETA there are also a lot of brands putting out contoured, nonwired bras right now. These are typically a comfortable alternative for people who have difficulties due to wire placement and cup width. On a bra without a wire, the cup adjusts (within reason) to match whatever your breast shape may be, whether it's a wide shallow shape or a narrow projected shape.
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I appreciate your help again. I've seen those contoured nonwired bras, I wasn't sure how supportive they were but I will have to try some on I guess.
For constraints, I can't spend $100/bra but $60-70/bra sounds reasonable enough for me. I live in Boston and I don't drive, so I'm limited to what I can get to by public transportation.
I am visiting family in New Jersey in August, and I will have a car and will probably go into New York City at one point. I was hoping to look for bras there if my old ones can hold on until then!
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The ones I've looked at are VERY supportive, bordering on compressive in some cases. They are a poor fit for people with more projected boobs (like me) so I haven't actually bought any but have tried a few. Natori actually has some. They ran super tight in the band, so you may find you need to size up, but were shallow all over--I think you might like them.
I don't drive either so I feel your pain, but Boston seems like a civilized enough place to have some accessible Nordstroms, maybe Nordstrom Rack?
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Example:
http://www.natori.com/Bras/Sport/Natori-Natori-Yogi-Wireless-Bra
I tried this one on at a Nordstrom Rack a while ago. It's nominally a sports bra, but does not look or fit like one. It would work very much like a T-shirt bra and is distinctly wide and shallow.
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We actually don't have a Nordstrom that's accessible! We do have a Nordstrom Rack that I probably visit once a week. Our Lord & Taylor has a relatively huge selection of bras, but they treated me incredibly poorly last time I was in there. When I go down to NJ in August we definitely have a Nordstrom there. Or I can rent a car I guess and drive to a Nordstrom, it's just an additional cost I don't really want to spend right now.
I have tried the Natori Yogi bra several times to use a sports bra and the straps are actually *really* painful in my armpits. Like, moreso than normal bras. But, I have been seeing the wireless ones and I'll give them a try.
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In that case I would really recommend using the free returns and exchanges on amazon. You will have access to an exponentially increased selection.
Also I apologize, I just realized the Yogi can't be the one I tried as it doesn't go beyond a D and I would never have tried on a D--I can't fit in that small a cup. I must have been trying a prior season design.
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Yeah, my boyfriend has Amazon Prime, also. My plan was to try that out.
I was looking at the Cleo Neve and you are right, the band is too small as a 32, but they don't come in 34C :( Do you know of a similar cut bra for someone my shape? Some people were mentioning the Freya Deco bra.
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Deco is tall, but probably deeper than you need. The wireless deco could be worth a gander though.
My dear lady, you would not be able to squeeze into a 32D/34C in the Neve anyway--take a look at the cup depths, those would be tiny on you. 34DD is my guess, although 34D could possibly work. It may cut uncomfortably across your pecs but it would not hurt to try,
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helpfulI'm glad we didnt scare you off! I can see what you mean by cutting in your armpits, but I cant figure out what the cause is! My size/shape is very different from yours tho. Hopefully someone with a similar shape will come say "try this, it worked for me!" also wendybien knows an awful lot . . . .
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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I'm desperate at this point! This is actually the "best" bra I've tried on so far, but it's not the best by any means. When I was wearing my incorrect size I never had this problem with the straps, but the cup was 2 sizes smaller also.
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I still feel like panache sports bras might be worth a try, idk. assuming you arent wearing a low neckline at work. they are probably hard to find in person tho? except at boutique stores. i wonder if sporting goods stores carry sports bras?
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I wear scrubs - I'm a veterinary technician. I would prefer not to wear a sports bra, and plunge bras are fine. I don't lift more than 70-80lbs regularly.
I tried on a panache sports bra and LOVED it, but I need a regular t-shirt bra at this point more than a sports bra.
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Well, I wouldnt know - they dont make t-shirt bras in my size lol
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helpfulWhen you say your straps are cutting into your armpit, do you mean the side of the cup, like it's too high? Or do you mean the wire, or the band?
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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The side of the cup and the straps themselves cut into my arms when I reach forward or move.
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I think you can see it in the front-facing pic
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but boba-boba you might want to try to take a pic with your arms forward to make that clearer
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I will try when I get home. I'm at work right now.
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I took some pictures - One of me wearing the bra in question, another wearing a bra that I bought, feels it looks great on me, but after 5 minutes it hurts my armpits.
bra in question - http://i.imgur.com/YUp3rsY.png?1
other uncomfortable bra - http://i.imgur.com/WHnaMUC.png?1 -
I clearly see what you mean in these pictures, and now I'm noticing that my Cleo Minnie Balconnet Bra (7431) does this pretty badly so avoid that bra too. It doesn't bother me that much, probably only because I don't have to do a lot of lifting or push-ups all day long. Hooray desk job? But yes, I can see how this would become intolerable pretty quickly.
I mentioned the Gossard Glossies Moulded Bra (6271) which is not quite what you are looking for but see how the straps are moved more to the centers of the cups? That is what you should look for. Maybe the Gossard Glossies Padded Bra (6275) would be worth a look if its shape is similar.
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Also the Masquerade Antoinette Bandeau Bra (7151) is popular with people with our shape. It has a straight-across neck line and it would be easy to cut the straps off the cups and re-sew them center enough to get them out of the armpit area.
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helpfulSomething with a narrower gore - less space between the cups. Have you tried pinching that fabric together in the middle and see how it feels? Your straps look a bit tight in the pictures, how do they feel?
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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I've done that with a lot of bras and it helps a lot. I haven't been able to find a bra with a gore narrow enough, though.
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helpfullooks like you have a big breast muscle. The better option is bra with stretchy sides, so they will not cut in. I have a very comfortable Esprit bra that is very lightly padded and gives the same shape as your bra, but it stretches on the sides and is very soft and comfortable. you can also try bras with taller cup that contain the muscle, or shorter cups. it can also may be too tight straps, try to loosen them.
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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I will look into it! I was a weightlifter for a while and I still lift relatively heavy so it would make sense.
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helpfulI am a similar shape to you (I think, based on these pics you have posted) and if I think about it, I can feel nearly all of my bras in my armpits. Especially if I reach my arms forward. The exception would be the Gossard Glossies Moulded Bra (6271) which I cannot feel but it is very sheer and not the type of bra you are looking for.
The feeling is never bothersome or painful to me though so I think you should investigate this further.
I don't see anything awry in the photos, this looks like a great bra for you. However, I'm thrown off by your horizontal perimeter being 10" and the bra cup being only 8". A 2" difference is a lot. Does this bra act like it minimizes or flattens you a little? Did you scoop and swoop? Do you pop out of this bra on top if you scoop and swoop?
It can be tricky to measure the perimeter of a boob. The edges are not really clear. If a boob is 10" around and a bra is 8", there is some squishing happening somewhere. There is more to it than that, for example I am finding that I need a shallower cup (about a half inch or so) if the cup is also narrow, but not by a whole lot.
I'm not sure whether or not this difference I'm obsessing over is related to the armpit irritation you are experiencing. It could be that you have breast tissue that is being cut into on the sides by the bra and that is why it's so sensitive. Sometimes what we think of as "armpit" is actually a bit of breast tissue.
These listings are closer to the measurements you posted (hope this link works): http://www.bratabase.com/listings/?filter=Search+listings&wire_length_max=0.0&gore_height_min=0.0&cup_depth_max=9.8&stretched_band_length_min=31&wing_height_min=0.0&stretched_band_length_max=33&wire_length_min=0.0&budget=0.0&band_length_min=0.0&gore_height_max=0.0&band_length_max=0.0&strap_width_min=0.0&ordering=-created_at&cup_width_min=0.0&units=1&cup_depth_min=8.8&cup_width_max=0.0&strap_width_max=0.0&page=1
Of particular interest:
http://bra.pe/GCv6/ (check out the option to make it a racerback!)
http://bra.pe/GCuQ/ (strapless, so no armpit irritation!)
http://bra.pe/GCdu/ (I have a Wacoal bra, and it is soooo soft and non-irritating, but it doesn't fit me)Good luck!
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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I notice all the ones you posted are plunge bras tho - she's wearing this to a physically demanding job so some of us thought something with more coverage might be a better idea?
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Oh yeah. I thought the sports bra suggestion was good too. ::smacks head::
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Plunge bras have misleading depth measurements, because they are cut low in the middle and thus you can't measure their depth along the same horizontal line that defines the fullest projection of the person's boob. So you can usually get a 10" boob into a plunge cup that measures well under 10".
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Oh wow wendybien , that is a great explanation, thank you! I am a little too obsessed with numbers and I want it to be that simple.
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I actually did find a bra I bought that was uncomfortable, should I post a new fit check post or post it here? It's a Betsy Johnson bra.
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helpfulI actually did find a bra I bought that was uncomfortable, should I post a new fit check post or post it here? It's a Betsy Johnson bra.
Updated on July 13, 2015 Flag this
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it cant hurt, might give ppl more ideas, idk
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Thank you for the help.
I know that wider cups, like balconette bras, fit better on me than others, but the straps are always too far apart and cut into my armpits or fall off, like on the very expensive Simone Perele bra I bought a while ago :( . I need a bra with a wider cup but straps that are closer together. The Cleo Maddie Moulded T-shirt Bra (7201) looks like the straps are going to be too far apart for me, and I'm apprehensive with the Neve, also.
Would it be best to find a bra in the 32D size I measured at or go at the size that Bratabase is giving me - a 30E? Which is technically a 32D I guess...