Bra fitting help » Wrong band? Wire shape? Why does the wire slide down like that?
Wacoal » My Obsession Underwire Bra (855245) » 34DD 34:5
Issue resolved
Will try on other brands
Original problem
Wire slides down after a short time wearing it (side and front shots show the wire marks--side shot shows band in place because my arm is raised but wire marks are visible). I am moving to a smaller cup size since my breasts are shrinking. Also a larger band size as a tacking gore is painful against my sternum. Band size feels slightly tight but ok, but the bottom of the gore pushed hard against my sternum. The top of the gore does not touch because I try to match the smaller breast which is 3x smaller than the larger.
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Suggestions (4)
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4
helpfulThe cups are too small on both sides by several cup volumes. That's why the wires are sliding down. The wire looks too narrow in the side angle photo, which is another indication that you need larger cups. I don't know how to translate Bratabase's breast perimeter measurements into a size recommendation, but I would recommend checking out this calculator: https://www.abrathatfits.org/calculator.php
Updated on October 5, 2019 Flag this
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Agreed that it is too small. The gore is not tacking. And as mentioned, the cup depth is 9” and your perimeter is 12”. The small cups will also make the band feel artificially tighter.
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But I don't want the gore to tack as that is painful now. This bra seems to act like a fulcrum and the top of the gore goes out and the bottom goes in, digging deeper.
If I fit the larger size, then the strap on the smaller one slips. Plus I travel a lot and augmenting the smaller one will result in TSA searches every time. Even using an extender gets me pulled out of line. :(
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If you don’t want the gore to tack, I would suggest getting a non-wired bra. Otherwise you’re in the wrong size if your bras not tacking. If it’s painful, there may be other reasons such as the band being too tight, the gore being too tall or too short, or the wires being too firm.
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RG So you do have bras that tack properly? What sizes are they?
The gore is tilting like that because the cups are too small. The wires sliding down may also be contributing to the bottom of the gore digging in.
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A Fantasie 32G but the right breast is lost in that. It's a plunge too, which I bought by mistake and spill out in the center. But not toooo badly. But even so, I am at the point of needing to go up a band size, and the straps are barely on my shoulders as is. So I have all kinds of new requirements.
Supportive,
forward projection,
straps closer together
Doesn't tack (or tacks softly) -
UK 32G sister-sizes to UK 34FF, so if you want to get a size in-between your two cup sizes rather than fitting to the larger breast, maybe try UK 34F? But if you want wireless I'd stay with 34FF since it won't tack without underwire and wireless bras are often shallow and therefore can run small on people like you who have projected breasts.
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hurrrrrmione Sorry for the delayed response but I am on the road. Yes, going to 34 is going to be best but now I need close-set straps, which is a rare feature. Hit a couple of stores on our trip but they had nothing new I haven't seen at home.
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What about a wireless sports bra like the Panache wire free one, or another compression style sports bra? Maybe that could work and not give you any extra TSA checks and would still feel supportive ?
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helpfulI am not sure about the wire width but the cups are definitely too small for you by quite a bit. The reason why the bottom of the gore is digging in is because it needs to sit flush with your sternum in order to work properly. With no flat surface to rest on, it is being dragged down by the weight of your breasts. Each breast should fit into each cup all the way with the gore seperating them. You may also find once you get the correct size that you need a narrower gore in order for this to happen. I’m thinking you should be trying around the 32/34 F/FF range, UK sizing.
Updated on October 5, 2019 Flag this
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For comparison, my Fantasie http://bra.pe/X14g/
which does seem to be the right cup size for the smaller one, but the band is too tight. I need something like this but with very close set straps because the straps are falling off on this one too, and going up a cup size or band size means straps barely sit on my shoulders to start with. Maybe wire free is the right answer, but they are seldom supportive. -
I understand the straps falling off for sure. This one also looks like it’s too small and also not the right shape for you. You aren’t filling the sides but you are overflowing on top and at the center. Typically it’s best to fit to your larger side and either pad or ignore gapping in your smaller side- that is what I do. Sometimes I split the difference with stretch lace cups.
Have you looked at more full cups with centered straps, possibly with stretch lace cups? I was looking but I’m not super knowledgeable about bras in your size range.
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I've been looking, and Wacoal was recommended but the three I bought--that seems great in the store--have straps that fall off, wires that slide down, gap on the sides (and thus poking wires). So frustrating. When I found this site ages ago, it took some doing to find Fantasie which has been great until recently. I do need a 34 band in UK size, but even that is variable between brands. 32 is just too tight and the tacking gore was starting to hurt in the sizes that fit the larger breast. So now I start from scratch.
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helpfulYou have gotten lots of great advice here. You'll have to let us know how you make out with other bras with larger cups, inserts, narrower gore, wider cup width, closer set bra straps.... and probably more! It can be rather daunting starting fresh with new bras. Good luck!
Updated on October 5, 2019 Flag this
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1
helpfulThe problem with having a gore not tacking is that the whole point of the wire is to anchor the cup in place so that the weight of the bust can be distributed evenly on the band (I mean evenly between the top of the band, where the wire under the arm ends, and the bottom). If the gore floats, that puts all the weight / pressure just on the bottom part of the band, so basically where the bottom of the wire goes under the breast. This is also part of the reason why a bra is sliding down in front, and it can be very uncomfortable.
In which way was a tacking gore uncomfortable on you? Was it pressing too hard on the sternum, or were the wires digging into breast tissue?
If you find that wires are uncomfortable because they press down on the sternum, you might search for bras with softer wires (like Elomi, Comexim or Maison Lejaby) instead of harder wires (like Panache or Ewa Michalak). If the gore is too wide, a narrower one might help.
I'm in a different size range, but for the two requirements (allows for inner fullness and soft wires), I've had great success with Maison Lejaby Elixir bras and with Gorsenia soft cups.Updated on October 6, 2019 Flag this
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JulieCS Sternum. Elomi tend to start too large. I'll check out the others. Fantasie has a very narrow gore which is a reason I always liked them--but I need straps that don't slide off. I don't want to use a lot of extra stuff like cutlets for the smaller side and a strap connector etc--it starts to feel like I am trapped in all that. Plus I live in a hot area and cutlets or stuffing (which others have suggested) will be far too hot/create sweat. So the kicked-in straps are important too. Beginning to sound like I'm going back to where I started--non-wired, with all the lack of support I remember from before I found good bras. :(
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It's generally a better idea to try to fit your bra to your larger breast and use inserts to fill out the smaller side. (Edit to clarify: I'm not disagreeing with you at all, just making an addition!)