Let me start with one of the basic principles of bra fitting (you can see my other blogs on this by clicking here).  When your bra fits properly, the underwire should contour all of your breast tissue (from under your arms to where your cleavage resides) and lay flat against [Continue Reading...]]]> So many bras these days are constructed with underwire, that women are becoming increasingly convinced that all bras should have an underwire.  But then, why would most companies still offer several non-underwire options to their customers?  I’m going to help solve the mystery of what an underwire actually does for you.

Let me start with one of the basic principles of bra fitting (you can see my other blogs on this by clicking here).  When your bra fits properly, the underwire should contour all of your breast tissue (from under your arms to where your cleavage resides) and lay flat against your breastbone in the front, without constraining your breasts or rubbing against your skin.

Dahlia bra and panty set by Valisère (Triumph). Size range: 34-40, D-DD cups. Available at Now That's Lingerie.com.

The purpose of an underwire is to contour the natural shape of your breast by encompassing the entirety of your breast tissue and giving it lift and a round shape.  When encased in those cups, your breasts will only be supported to the extent that the fabric of your cup covers your breasts.  For example, let me compare two distinct types of underwire bras.  If you’re wearing a padded push-up bra (most of which offer only minimal support), you are getting less support than if you were wearing a full cup minimizer (intended to deliver the utmost support).  But both bras have underwire.  So what determines this difference in support levels?

For any bra, the straps, elasticated back band, fabric, stitching, underwire and coverage all work together to play a crucial role in perfecting your comfort.  The majority of the support of a properly fitted bra lies in the elasticity (or firmness) of the fabric of your cups, plus the stitching (if any) on or along the cups.  (The reason I emphasize properly fitted is because, if your bra doesn’t fit, it doesn’t matter what style you’re wearing– you will not be get the support that the physics of your bra intended!  Click for more of my blogs on bra fitting.)  So, if your bra cups only cover half of your boobs (like in a demi-cup or demi-bust bra), then chances are, your bra won’t give you as much support as a full-coverage bra– regardless of whether there is or isn’t an underwire.  This also means that a bra with a stretchier fabric on the cups will support your breasts less than a bra made with a sturdier, less extensible fabric.

So that’s part of understanding what underwire can do for you.  Before I continue, I want to make something clear.  Just because you may prefer to wear non-underwire bras does NOT mean you are getting less support than a woman who wears underwire.  Many non-underwire bras are equipped with a supportive elasticated band around the torso and have seams that are stitched internally in such a way as to provide shape and support.  Full support bras DO exist without underwire and their support can be comparable to that of an underwire bra.  The major difference is that the shape of your breasts will sometimes be different in either type of bra.  You see, underwire works to envelop the entirety of your breast tissue, from beneath your arms and below your breast, bringing their weight closer to the front and slightly lifted upwards.  Some non-underwire bras may constrain the breast tissue nearer to your body, but this may make your breasts seem smaller, especially since your breasts will seem less separated from each other than if there was an underwire contouring each breast.

The Vintage Touch wire-free bra by Warner's offers a naturally rounded fit and unparallelled comfort. Available at Now That's Lingerie.com

So what have you learned?  Properly fitted, underwire bras help give you a more precise fit while supporting your breasts, but what more fully determines the support level are the fabric (and stitching) of your bra cups (more on this in a subsequent blog!).  All these aspects (and more, like the strap’s width) work together to provide support.  For women who do not like underwire bras and find them uncomfortable, don’t fret– there is still a wide range of non-underwired bras available for your comfort and convenience.

For all your bra fitting questions… contact me at celinethebradoctor@nowthatslingerie.com!  I hear from dozens of women every week with a wide range of bra fitting issues, and I respond to them personally.  So don’t hesitate or wait to feel comfortable in your bras.

See you next time!
Your Bra Doctor
bradoctor@nowthatslingerie.com

Welcome back!  Today I’d like to cover one of the most common questions asked by women I’ve personally fitted for bras: what do you do when your breasts are not the same size?

Well, believe it or not, most women have at least a slight size difference.  I have rarely seen women with two breasts that are exactly the same size.  As if bra fitting weren’t complicated enough, right?  Different women may have asymmetrical breast sizes for different reasons.  Unfortunately, most women don’t know what to do for this manageable issue, so end [Continue Reading...]]]> Even out your asymmetrical breasts with some quick tricks…

Welcome back!  Today I’d like to cover one of the most common questions asked by women I’ve personally fitted for bras: what do you do when your breasts are not the same size?

Well, believe it or not, most women have at least a slight size difference.  I have rarely seen women with two breasts that are exactly the same size.  As if bra fitting weren’t complicated enough, right?  Different women may have asymmetrical breast sizes for different reasons.  Unfortunately, most women don’t know what to do for this manageable issue, so end up wearing bras that are not the right size and are uncomfortable for them.  Here are some tips to help you achieve your most comfortable fit so you can look and feel great in your bras!

Bra cups are too small, & should NEVER constrain your breasts.

Over the course of her lifetime, a woman’s bra size can change more than five times.  For many developing women, this is also the time when one’s breasts may not grow at the exact same rate, sometimes leaving one side noticeably bigger than the other.  Factor in body changes resulting from pregnancy, breast feeding, weight gain or loss, medication, surgery and just age, and it’s easy to see how the shape of your breasts changes over time.  You should always make sure your bras fit you and are comfortable, because if they aren’t, then you definitely are not wearing the right size or style bra for your unique body shape.

This brings me to one of the most important rules of bra fitting: if your breasts are different sizes, your bra should fit comfortably over the larger (not smaller) breast.  The cup on the larger side should fit the entirety of your breast tissue without cutting into you.  Sure, there may be a gap or a pleat in the cup where the smaller breast resides, but you can fill the space with a bra pad.  This way, the underwire will not constrain your larger breast.  NEVER, EVER buy a bra that fits only the smaller side comfortably, while the larger breast spills over the fabric of the cup or is constrained in any way by underwire or elastics.

Bra cups too big. Fabric should lie flat against the breast tissue.

So what are some available solutions to making your breasts look naturally even?  For starters, wearing a bra that at least has a lined cup will go a long way in making both sides look more similar.  It won’t help to just wear a bra that is very padded (keep in mind this will also make both sides seem larger, but the size difference will remain the same).  You can try wearing a bra that has removable pads or removable cookies; by taking them out of the larger side and inserting them into the bra pockets in the smaller cup, you help even out the difference.  This is usually a perfect little trick if your breasts are just slightly uneven in size, but if there is still a noticeable discrepancy, you might want to try to use other pads in addition to the removable cookies.

Silicone or foam pads, when added to the smaller side of your bra, can fill out the remaining gaps or spaces in your bra cup.  But if this is your plan, it would be best to use them in a lined bra or padded bra (which exist both with or without underwire), so any slight demarcations of the pad inside your bra will be minimized.  If you have a more noticeable difference in the symmetry of your breasts (close to a cup size, for example), Add-A-Size bra pads are definitely worth a try, either in silicone (see Glam silicone pads) or fabric with foam (see Add-A-Size pads).  And if you’ve had a mastectomy, Add-A-Size pads will help fill out the difference as well.

Fashion Essentials Glam silicone enhancers, available at Now That's Lingerie.com

Wire-free lined bra by Triumph, available at Now That's Lingerie.com

A few more tips before you go!  If you decide to use silicone instead of foam, don’t use more than one silicone pad inside the cup on the smaller size, because it could look and feel heavier and bulkier than the other side (if you want to walk lopsided all day, be my guest!).  Also, after inserting your bra pads, don’t forget to re-adjust your bra straps and back closure to ensure both sides look equal and you feel comfy.

Lastly– if you want more bra fitting help, contact me.  I’ve fitted women of all sorts of shapes and sizes, and I can help you find out what best suits your personal needs.  DO let me know if you have any comments or suggestions.  I’d love to hear from all of you!

Sincerely, as always,

your Bra Doctor

Last time, I wrote about one of the most common bra fitting problems, the bra cup size. Today I will discuss the back band of your bra, and how to know if it’s properly adjusted or just not right for you. Always keep in mind that the back of your bra, the cups and the straps all work together to provide comfort and support. When one of these aspects isn’t fitting right, then the others probably won’t either. The majority of us [Continue Reading...]]]> Welcome back, everyone. Thanks for tuning in for another one of my advice blogs!

Last time, I wrote about one of the most common bra fitting problems, the bra cup size. Today I will discuss the back band of your bra, and how to know if it’s properly adjusted or just not right for you. Always keep in mind that the back of your bra, the cups and the straps all work together to provide comfort and support. When one of these aspects isn’t fitting right, then the others probably won’t either. The majority of us take more than just one size or shape, depending on the bra company, the style of the bra (e.g. demi-bust, full coverage, etc.), the fabric they use, and so on. For instance, some 34B bras can fit more like a 36B, while others will fit more like a 34C, even within the same company! It’s not rocket science, but often it can seem just as complicated. Here’s some advice that I hope will guide you in your quest for your perfect fit.

When you first buy a bra, it is always best to adjust your bra either to the loosest hook in the back, or to the middle notch. NEVER buy a bra if you have to attach it to the tightest hook to feel adequately supported. Your bra band will stretch naturally with wash and wear, so you want to reserve the tighter hooks for later on. When you start off at the tightest hook from the get-go, you will be left with no room to make it fit more snugly when your bra’s elastic stretches out.

So, while you’re hooked at your middle or loosest notch in the back, the band should be aligned straight around your rib cage when your shoulder straps are comfortably adjusted. If too much flesh is spilling out around the sides, and you feel asphyxiated, then you need to increase the back band by a size. If your bra rides up in the back, or even in the front, then you need to decrease the band size accordingly. As a general rule of thumb, your bra should move with your body and not let you pop out of it as you go about your day!

I am constantly seeing women who are wearing a bra whose band size is too large, just because it was the only way for them to attain the right cup size. Let’s say you usually take a 38D but your back is too loose, while the cups fit just fine. To find your optimum size, you would need to increase the cup size while decreasing the band size. In this case, you should try a 36DD instead of a 38D, which will fit more snugly around your back while offering a large enough cup to encase all of your breast tissue.

Let’s try another example using the previous 36DD bra, but in this case, the back band is just a tiny bit too small, while the cups fit properly. Although you may be tempted to try a 38DD, you will find that the cup size of a 38DD will be bigger than the 36DD and your back band will be much too loose. Instead, you can try using a bra back extender, which is a small accessory that attaches directly to the back of your bra without needing to be sewn. This ingenious little device will give you more hooks to use with the back band so that you can adjust your bra (looser or tighter), according to your daily comfort. By attaching this extender to your 36DD bra, you are maintaining the correct cup size, while giving yourself some more wiggle room in the back.

Check back next time for the next installment of bra fitting advice when I’ll be discussing how to properly adjust your bra straps and why some types of straps are better than others. In the meantime, please contact me with any other fitting questions at: bradoctor@nowthatslingerie.com.

See you soon!

Celine

www.nowthatslingerie.com