I Wish I Could Stop These 3 Bra Worries

There are 3 big bra fit worries that cause women to make bad bra fit choices. I wish I could stop the worry because a lot of the time it stems from how we think other people see us which shouldn't be the reason we make choices. Hopefully one day most women won't worry about the size, shape or sheer presence of their breasts. Until then I want to share why trying to 'cover up' your breast worries with these 3 bad fit choices doesn't help you at all.

1) Wearing a loose bra band because you're worried about back fat and think a loose band makes it less noticeable.

I'm afraid the loose band only rides up your back and takes any excess skin and fat with it.

In a well-fitting bra the excess fat bulges around the back of your armpit where you can see it. In a loose band the fat either gets pulled up between your shoulder blades or pushed down towards the middle of your back where you can't necessarily see it. The big difference is that now the bra is also putting a huge strain on the nerves and muscles in your neck which can cause trapped nerves, headaches and pain.

Related Article: Bra Fit and Back Fat

Your health and comfort are so much better in a well-fitting bra. I know I'm not going to convince everyone that the fat you can see just doesn't matter (it doesn't!) so if it really bothers you you can smooth it out with deep band or shapewear.

The fat is there no matter what band you wear but not wearing a supportive bra because you're worried about back fat is ultimately a disservice to your physical and mental well-being.

2) Wearing cups and/or a band that's too big so that your boobs don't look as big.

Boobs size is all relative. Your breasts may seem huge to you but are average size, even small, to someone else. Your breasts may seem huge to you because of the stereotypes someone else's ignorance has drummed into you. Your breasts may be huge... AND THAT'S OK!

One thing is for sure, when you wear a bra that's too big in the band and/or cups then your breasts will look larger than they are. This is because the breast tissue spreads wide across your body so appear to take up more surface area. By getting your breasts into a smaller, narrower wire your breasts won't look as big so it's worth getting your size checked with a free bra size consultation.

Image has been airbrushed around the nipple at the model's request

3) Wearing smooth cup bras because you worry that someone will see the seams of your bra through your clothing.

This is something I've written about a lot because seam fear, especially in North America, is keeping women from the support they need. Smooth bras don't work for everyone because some breast shapes and weights need the support and shaping of seams to get the healthiest and most comfortable fit.

If you worry about seams then I urge you to read these two articles and give a seamed bra another chance!

Sorry to Break it to You but People Know You're Wearing a Bra
Smooth Cup Bras: Fit, Health and Body Shame

I'd love everyone to have a happy and comfortable relationship with their bras. Working through your bra worries is an important part of better, happier bra fit xx

Bra Fit Tips for Soft Breasts

The density of your breast tissue can make a big difference to your bra fit. Today we're focusing on soft breast tissue. You might think all breasts are soft but there is an easy way to distinguish between firm and soft breast tissue.

Firm breasts have a defined shape and need a bra that is as close to their shape as possible to get good fit (the most common problem is finding a cup size that fits but the style cuts into your boobs making it look like you're spilling out). Soft breasts are very fluid and tend to pour into a cup. They can flow sideways, vertically down, over your center gore and they can struggle to fill the top part of a bra. Soft breast tissue also jiggles a lot more and can slide around inside your cup if the fit isn't spot on. You can also find that soft breast tissue wrinkles as there isn't as much fatty tissue in the upper layers of skin.

There are lots of reasons why breast are, or become, soft. Genetics is a big player here, breastfeeding, weight gain or loss and simply getting older are some of the major factors. Soft breasts have less firm fat and collagen in them than firmer breasts. If you think about breast fat and collagen as internal scaffolding then it makes sense that dense, firm breasts can retain a lot of lift and shape even without a bra. Soft breasts, on the other hand, need more support because they can't lift themselves up. Here are some bra fit tips for soft breasts:

The medium height gore and cup shape of Eva have been a huge success for heavy, soft breasts in bands 34+

Fit Tip #1
Look for bras with a medium to tall gore that will keep your breasts separate from one another.

Dessous has been a popular choice for our clients with soft breasts as the seams are soft and the sides are tall

Fit Tip #2
Bras with tall sides (the piece of fabric coming down from the strap) are good for side heavy soft breasts. However, avoid bras with an inside side sling because they can cause a ridge in your breast tissue. If you love the bra you can always cut out the inner sling which is bisecting your boob.

A structure lower cup and stretchy upper cup like Envy by Panache can work really well

Fit Tip #3
Stretchy fabrics can be your friend (especially in an upper cup where you might struggle to fill) but you also want a bra with some structure to minimize the bounce. 3 or 4 part cups with a firm lower cup and stretchy upper cup can work really well.

A molded cup like Wacoal's Basic Beauty can be useful for breasts that dent easily

Fit Tip #4
Some women find that any seams create ridges in their breasts and so need molded cups. Be aware that you might get some hollow space at the top of the cups (especially near the strap) but this isn't terrible for fit.

While there is very little you can do to change your breast tissue density (outside of surgery), remember that breast tissue skin is like any other part of your skin, it benefits from good moisturizing and sun protection. So get the girls lathered up with some SPF and lotion!

As with all things boob, no one solution fits all so if you have questions about soft breast tissue fit then ask them in the comments below and we'll answer as best we can xx

Why Some Bras Will Never Fit You

Lots of women will say they know their bra size but can never find a bra that fits. Two things are usually going on here; either they really don't know their size (most commonly their band is too big and causing the bra to move around) or they keep trying on the same style of bra. The shape of your bust and the density of your breast tissue means that some bra styles simply will never fit you. Don't despair though, knowing which styles work for your breasts and give you the look you're after the easier it will be to find the right bras.

Related Article: How age affects your bra fit.

Lots of women have only ever tried on bras at big lingerie retailers like La Senza and Victoria's Secret. They try their correct size (rare for the full bust women in these places but not impossible) and find that the bras don't fit them. The problem here is that the majority of bras in these stores are molded styles and despite all the colours and trims, they are all based on just a few design patterns. If this pattern of molded cup doesn't fit your shape then it doesn't matter which size you try on, it will never feel quite right.

Molded Bras Aren't Your Only Option
It's important to break out of a one style trap and try several different styles of bra in your size so you can figure out which ones feels the best and gives you the shape you're after. I know that molded cups are so popular because they offer a smooth look under t-shirts and disguise your nipples but you can get these benefits from other styles too.

Delphi is a seamed bra with the discretion of a molded cup

Most seamed bras have flat, discreet seams that aren't noticeable under clothing. Some seamed bras are made of light foam material that disguises your nipples like a molded cup but aren't as rigid so fit to your shape better (Delphi and Medina are great examples of this style).

Related Video: How Seams Affect Your Bra Shape

Which Bra Styles are Available for Full Busts?
It's a good idea to try out bras in lots of different styles (make sure you know your size range first). Here are the most common full bust styles:

Full Cup Bras have full coverage so they come up higher on your breasts and tend not to emphasize your cleavage. This style gives a lot of stability and many women choose to wear this style during the day when they are busiest as the support is comfortable and reliable.

Serenade is a full cup bra because it encases the whole breast

Molded Bras have either a rigid or soft cup (they both seamless, the rigid cups are usually a little thicker). Molded bras can be very supportive and give a lovely shape. Just be aware that rigid cups can't bend to your shape, your breasts have to form to the shape of the cups rather than vice versa.

Profile Perfect is a soft molded cup so the cup can form to your body more easily

Vertical Seamed Bras combine the best of both worlds; the flexibility of the softer cups with the support and shape of seams. Vertical seamed bras can give lots of lift and accentuate cleavage.

A vertically seamed bra like Medina gives you lift and accentuated cleavage

Balconnete bras have a wider neckline and are lower at the front than a full cup bra. They are often seamed with three or four sections to give your breasts shape and support. An ideal solution for lots of women who want support without too much material or bulk.

A balconette bra like Lucy gives you the support of seams with a less full cup and wider neckline

Before you decide that bras simply don't fit you make sure you have explored all the options that are out there for you. Besides the ones listed above there are plunge, strapless, multi-way, wirefree, sports bras, nursing, mastectomy and vintage styles like cone bras. The style of bra can make a huge difference to your comfort, for example, if you're short, look for bras with straps that are fully adjustable (like Lucy from Cleo) or if you have sloping shoulders look for styles with the straps closer together (like Dessous Neon from Claudette). Your bra should be working with you, not against you.

If you have a particular question about which styles are right for your body you can email your details to support@butterflycollection.ca or use our Free Size Consultation. xx

Video - How Bra Seams Change Your Breast Shape

The next installment of my video-blog (vlog) is live and this week I'm talking about how bra seams work to change your breast shape. I know that seamed bras are a bit daunting for some women so I hope this post will help you understand them a little better so you can consider trying one next time you're bra shopping.

Something I didn't get to mention in the video is that seams give your bra stability and keep your breasts in place. Some molded cups will cause your breasts to slide around inside them whereas a well-fitting seamed bra will keep your breasts in place. xx

Sorry to break this to you, but people know you're wearing a bra

This t-shirt was a Dorothy Perkins hit

Living in Canada there are lots of occasions where I feel conspicuously English; every time I say lift and not elevator, bin and not garbage, cooker and not stove. In the world of bras the time I feel most English is when my clients say they don't like "bra seams you can see under clothes." Bra seams being visible under clothing was never something I was aware of when I lived in the UK. No one passed comment on it, to me at least. Here in North American it's evident that visible seams are a big concern as though women feel it would be an embarrassment if other people knew they were wearing a bra?

Are You Hiding More than Just Seams?
Almost every lingerie rep I've spoken to in Canada and the US has told me that North American women like seamless, neutral colour bras. There has to be something deeper at the root of this 'seam-phobia'. I think it has something to do with the sheer lack of bra size choice North American women have experienced that has bred a continent-wide disillusionment with bras. Canada and the US have a disproportionate lack of readily available bra sizes in comparison to the UK and Europe. Add to this the giant influence of the t-shirt bra from huge manufacturers like Victoria's Secret and women have been trained away from the benefits of other shapes of bra.

It's no wonder that generations of women forced into bra sizes that were available rather than ones that fit have learned to hate bras. There is a distinct lack of Big Bra Celebration in North American compared to the UK and I think the knock-on effect is this desire to blend into the background and hide your breasts, hence the epidemic of seamless bras.

I love that the seams are part of the design on this bra from Freya (Lyla 2011)

Are Seams Really That Big a Deal?
I always think of these two things when someone says they don't want their bra to be visible:

1. Everyone knows you're wearing a bra, especially when you're busty
2. No one who matters is looking directly at your bra seams and judging you

People are definitely going to notice that you look better in the right bra but people aren't looking directly at your boobs or even more specifically, your bra seams. What makes no sense to me is choosing to wear an ill-fitting seamless bra that causes sagging and spillage rather than wear a seamed bra for fear of it being embarrassing. For women with heavy breasts you need seamed bras because the seams are what give you shape and support. The seams 'direct' the breast tissue up and away from your waist to give you definition and lift. Don't get me wrong, seamless bras are great, but they're not for everyone and they're not the only option.

My Outfits and Seamed Bras
I mostly wear seamed bras because my boobs are side heavy so they need some forward propulsion and I never feel that my outfits look compromised by my seamed bras. Here are some fabrics, styles and designs that I think are completely compatible with seamed bras:

1. Patterned Clothing - patterns distract from any seam underneath
2. Dark Fabrics - black, navy, charcoal and brown sweaters (or jumpers in my world) hide seams perfectly
3. Ruched Tops - Lots of busty friendly clothing has ruching at the neckline which detracts from underlying bra seams

I'm wearing a seam-free bra in only one of these outfits - can you tell which one?

I own seam-free bras which I wear with some stretch jersey fabrics, but that's about it. I find that seamless bras tend to spread out my bust more than a seamed bra. I prefer a narrower look from my bras so I mostly wear seamed bras.

Feeling happy and confident in your bra depends a lot on bra style and it has to feel right for you. Being trapped in one style of bra because of some mental barriers about your body image is quite a different thing. Are you someone who used to be seam-phobic but got past it? I'd love to hear your story xx

7 Tips to Check if Your Bra Fits

Once you know your bra size range you can start to focus on which style of bra you like. This is often determined by which shape you want your bras to give you and which kind of bras you need for you own personal style (rocking a 50s v-neck dress - you might want a good plunge bra). No matter which style you choose it's important to know how to check if your bra fits you. Here is my checklist of things to tick off when wearing a bra:

1.    ALL of your breast tissue must be inside the cup. This means the wires mustn't press against your breast tissue and your boobs shouldn't spilling out over the top of your cup.

2.    Your bra band should lie flat against your skin with room for 2 fingers to run smoothly beneath it. It’s a fallacy to think you’ll never feel your bra (it’s holding up several pounds of weight) your band should be firmly supportive without cutting into you.

3.    The band of your bra should be at the same height at the back as it is at the front – both parallel with the floor. You shouldn’t be able to pull the band very far from your body at the back. If you can pull it away more than 1-2 inches then your bra band is too big.

4.    The front centre part of your bra (the gore) should lie flat against your body between your breasts. If it is gaping and pulling away from your body then you’re in too small a cup size or too large a band.

5.    New bras should fit you on the farthest hook so you can tighten it overtime as the fabric begins to give.

6.    Adjust your bra straps so that your boobs are level. Your nipples should be at equal height and lie half way between your elbow and your shoulder.  Your straps are there for evening out; they’re not there to take a huge amount of weight. If you have your straps on their tightest position then you’re in the wrong bra (probably too big a band size and too small a cup but it could also be that you need a bra with a fully adjustable strap).

7. When you lift your arms straight up in the air your bra band shouldn't move. The cups should still encase your boobs completely.

If you can tick all these off your fitting list then you’re in the right bra, If even one of these things isn't right with your bra then you need to remeasure yourself and get your girls into a bra they will love. Our bra size calculator is a great place to start. It’s a Bra Fact that when you’re in a properly fitting bra you feel much better both physically and emotionally. xx