Bra fitting help » Wires sliding down
Ewa Michalak » Sf Nibynic (1133) » 75H 34:11
Issue resolved
Not enough immediate projection, wires too tall. A perfect fit is probably not available on the ready make market, will try sewing my own custom size.
Original problem
Back for fitting help part 3 - I'm almost there, y'all! This bra is technically wearable, I'm not falling out. Unfortunately it's just really uncomfortable.
About me: center full, pendulous, projected, short waisted and petite with large cup size
My issues are: 1, painful pressure on my lower ribs from the wires. 2, if I pull the bra up into my IMF (it doesn't like to stay there), the underwire comes high into my armpit to stab and rub. 3, less important: the straps are too wide, and there's strap gap.
I think I actually need a 70 band, because after wearing it for a few minutes the bra warms up and I can wear it on the smallest hooks (at that point the band feels quite snug, as shown in the photo).
However, I don't think sister sizing down to a 70HH will fix the wires sliding down. You can see in my photos that the bottom of the cup is folded under my breast tissue. Sizing up or down doesn't stop the wires sliding down; it was worse in a 75GG (http://bra.pe/X3O8/), and it also happened in a 75J (http://bra.pe/X3KM/).
Two theories: A, it's because the gore doesn't tack, rotating the front of the bra away from me and down. Or B, I need more immediate projection at the wire.
My question: Where to go from here? Should I try something else with Ewa Michalak? I've had Kris Line and Gorsenia recommended, does anyone know particular cuts that might work?
I'm also concerned that after so many years wearing wireless bras, I'm unprepared to handle the inherent pain of wires. Am I right about the issues I mentioned, or does this fit look normal to y'all?
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Suggestions (3)
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helpfulI think it’s likely this style may not have as much immediate projection as you need if it happens in a bigger cup size. Have you tried a BM style? I couldn’t find a good fit in the SF or PL but love the BM. I thought both SF and PL were shallower at the wire if I remember correctly.
Gorsenia is cheaper but you can tell in that in the quality. They have a similar half foam lined style. I don’t know about Kris Line. You could also look at Comexim plunges and half cups maybe?
Updated on October 1, 2020 Flag this
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All good points bustyand ! I’m still learning too. I’m about 5’5” and the straps in mine are all the way out, BUT I’m in the 80E/80DD size range depending on weight so very different size range.
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Thank you both for your insight! confused I would love to be able to wear the Comexim plunges and half cups, but unfortunately the ones I tried didn't have enough room for my center fullness! It was some fun quad-boob, but only in the middle by the gore. Good to know about Gorsenia's comparative quality!
It's really helpful to know that the Bm is more immediately projected than the Sf; I've gotten so mired in the details of all the bras I tried and how the different sizes act on my body that I wasn't able to figure that out on my own, but now that you say it I can totally see it.
I used this bra for the fit check because it's a light color, and I felt like it was hard to see what's going on in my photos from the dark bras I tried in this order: 75GG - Ewa Michalak » Sf Moonlight Lace , 75H - Ewa Michalak » Sf Moonlight Lace (Levana Bratique says the Moonlight Lace runs smaller in the cup than the other Sf styles, which is why I tried it in the same size as the Nibynic.) The 75GG - Ewa Michalak » Bm Bibi Beżowa Perła (533) slid down even more and had more pressure from the wires than this one, I think because the cups are more drastically too small.
I'm just shy of 5'1", so we're pretty close in height, bustyand ! Because the straps are so wide-set, I was leaving the straps long in an attempt to prevent the strap attachment from cutting into my armpit chub as much. But I think you're right, the fit is more secure when I tighten them up, which also reduces the strap gap, and may be worth the underarm discomfort.
I stopped wearing underwires back in the day because I didn't know enough to find ones that fit, and due to a limited budget. Wireless has served me pretty well for the last several years, although it means I'm limited in what types of tops or dresses I can wear; my bust point is always lower than the designs are made for. But in the last year or two I've been getting really painful chafing and irritation, especially in the summer. There's no real way to keep your breasts from touching each other or your chest wall without an underwire, so here I am!
Thank you for the tip about a bra band liner! I have a couple to help with the chafing, it hadn't occurred to me that they could help soften the pressure of underwires too.
To end this very long comment: I learned a lot, and I think 70HH in the BM is my best bet! If the tall wings and underwire keep bothering me, maybe I can try altering that area to lower it a little bit.
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Oh, I'm glad to help MsMarbles . Hopefully 4th time's the charm!
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helpfulAs someone that has worn a too-big band size for the first decade of my bra career I can definitely see the standard issues from this represented here. *if the wire is in your armpit = the band is too big. This is an absolute rule in my experience. Also, this looks like one of the bra styles that I simply cannot wear bc it is too wide, like, broad... and I to will plop out the center of this style. I’m too unfamiliar with all the brands discussed here and I’m newish to the site so I’m going to leave it at this- this looks more like a balconette kinda style and those are just hell for me, there is weird intense pressure/pain in my ribs after a while. I’m currently only wearing soma bras atm but I’m trying to look into some other brands as well, but I keep going back to my 3 stand by’s at soma bc I can’t seem to find anything elsewhere that isn’t some crazy material and I am ridiculously sensitive to nylon and polyester materials. IN CONCLUSION- I think you should go with the 70, you should always be starting a bra on the loosest hook, bc the tightest one starting out only means that thing will gradually shimmy itself up your back and into your pits over time.
Good luck, hope this isn’t a garbage comment!Updated on November 13, 2020 Flag this
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awedang666 thank you for your insight! Definitely not a garbage comment. :) I got my paws on a bra similar to this in a 75 band because it was discounted. I'm going to take it in a couple inches at the back and see if that helps 🤷🏻♀️Should be a quick alteration with a sewing machine
Also seriously considering an overbust corset as an alternative option... No straps! :0 but also no separation. For me, that's ok for winter though. (Less chafing in cold weather)
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helpful
Last thing MsMarbles, be my twin lol our measurements are identical boob wise. 1. Yes you need a 32 at least and can fit in a stretchy 30. Yes this bra doesn't have enough immediate projection but when you find the right band shoot for a bra with 13.5in depth bc if it does ever get that immediate projection the depth is going to be a problem if it's incorrect. Your boob is still going to punch the bra down trying to get to the more spacious top of the cup with immediate projection. I strongly recommend Comexim the alterations are unmatched and keep me from buying EM. You likely need straps moved in, gore lowered, narrowed and overlapping, and 1cm of depth added at the wire. I wish you the best 💙
Updated on December 20, 2020 Flag this
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Thank you MissAponii ! Hi boob twin! :D I think you're absolutely right, that makes total sense. Right now I'm actually sewing mockups of my own underwire bra because I got so fed up with shipping bras back! I figured that since I seem to require custom/alterations, I might as well try my hand at it.
I highly recommend LilypaDesigns Labellum Bra Pattern, which is what I'm using. There's a LilypaDesigns Patterns facebook group you can join for sewing and fitting help. The pattern comes with instructions for how to narrow the gore and cut the underarms lower, and it guides you to choose your size based on your underwire shape first (you do a breast crease/inframammary trace to estimate the underwire size needed). Then you make the bra cradle size which matches the underwire. You can extend or shorten the wings to make it fit your band size if necessary.
Finally, you choose your cup size based on your bottom cup depth (distance from underwire to apex) and breast width (like laying perimeter).
My cup size in the labellum pattern is 5 sizes bigger than my underwire size! No wonder I can't find anything ready made. I guess they call that breast shape "omega."
Long story short, although the Ewa Michalak 75H underwire is the right shape, it is too tall. And despite the fact that my breast tissue is contained in the cups, the cup size is actually too small/shallow, like you said, which is causing a pointy shape and more importantly, the constant sliding down that hurts my ribs.
At least I know why, now!
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MsMarbles, that Lilypadesigns sounds really interesting. I just also came to the realization that I think omega/pear/teardrop shapes still have the same issue as deeply projected boobs. Although i have a lot of projection, I don't feel that my breasts are any wider than the base, i have a narrow root but it is even in relation to the rest of the projected tissue and if the wires are too wide I still get fit issues with the shallow depth but I don't have the look that this page shows
https://www.braandcorsetsupplies.com/2016/04/24/alpha-to-omega/
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I'm going to sooorrrtttt of echo confused 's points but also ask a few questions. Why have you decided to show us this bra in particular? Your bra history shows that you've been trying on many EMs recently, and to me, the ones that look like they come closest to fitting you are the 70J Ewa Michalak Bm Bibi Beżowa Perła (533) and the 70JJ Ewa Michalak Bm Antonina (1314) . Just from an eye's glance, I think a 70HH or 70J in either style might fit you best.
However! You say that you're "petite," but your straps don't look like they've been adjusted at all, or if they have only slightly. I don't know what "petite" means to you, but I'm 5'1" and short-torsoed and you can see how far I have to adjust my straps on an EM SF here: https://www.bratabase.com/bra/dn6ni/ (they're about 2 inches from the top of my shoulders). Do the straps on this bra feel secure on you? I'm wondering if they're too loose and 1. not helping keep your band in place 2. maybe making some of your bras look too big when they're not. The 70J Perla, for instance, looks like it might not have gaping if the straps were adjusted more (again, assuming they're not adjusted enough as is).
But, in general, similar to confused, I'd be curious to hear about your other BMs fit on you. The 75GG you show is a BM rather than an SF, so the fact that this bra might not have enough projection for you at the wire doesn't really mean much in terms of how that BM would fit as, say, a 70HH.
Finally, if you feel like wired bras are too much trouble, don't wear them. I will say though that none of the wires on my fitting bras hurt me (sometimes they might be a little uncomfortable). I do wear a bra band liner with almost all of my bras, though, and it seems like you might enjoy having one yourself. I get mine from Pambra's.