Bras Good for Short Torsos

Bra wires are a crucial part of keeping heavy breasts close to your body so that they don't bounce. The length of a bra's wire makes a big difference to a woman's comfort. If you have tall breasts then you might find that your breast tissue hangs over a short wire which is uncomfortable. Alternatively, if you don't have a lot of breast tissue near the armpit then a long wire can poke uncomfortably into your armpit.

It's a fine line for bra manufacturers to create wire lengths and shapes that are long enough to give coverage and support, but short enough to accommodate different torso lengths. In reality, not every bra will fit you and if you have a short torso (or high set breasts) it's important to find out which bras have shorter wires and side wings so that they don't poke you. Here are some of our top picks for short torso friendly bras:

1. Claudette Dessous
This modern-day classic has a semi-teardrop shaped cup and shallow wing that makes it ideal for women with short torsos. I have always adored the deep V neckline and of course the apologetically bold colour-ways.

2. Elomi Eva
This is a new addition to our store which we chose because of its short torso friendliness. The wires are deliberately shorter than other Elomi styles so that they don't come up too high into the armpit. I love that the cups are smooth like a molded cup but have the side wing and seaming of a 4 part bra to give more lift and shape. The straps are closer together too which is a feature lots of petite women need.

3. Freya Gem
Whether you're short or tall, heavy busted or not you can have a short torso. This is why Gem is such a great option. Ranging from 28-38 bands up to a K cup this style gives lots of women a balconette option with a shorter wing.

4. Panache Envy
This latest basic from Panache is in response to a request for shorter wires. I love the shape and support of 4-part cups, especially for heavy busts. This bra gives a good balance between support for weight and volume and a shorter wing for comfort.

 

If you have your size right (the band is firm and the cups aren't gaping or spilling) but still find that your bra is poking you in the armpit then I highly recommend trying styles that are shorter in the wing xx

How Cup Edges Affect Fit

Continuing our series on how aspects of your bra affect your fit today we're looking at cup edges. If you have full on top breasts this feature of a bra will matter more to you than someone who is shallow on top. A hard or soft cup edge can be the difference between pillowing over the cup or a smooth look so knowing which edges work for you can improve your fit.

There are four bra edges: tapered, elasticated, molded and fixed. 

(L) Jasmine uses stretch lace to create a tapered edge (R) Loretta uses nylon and embroidery to taper the cup

Tapered edge bras are the most universally friendly because they're designed to come to a fine, delicate edge that doesn't create any pressure on your upper bust. Most commonly lace, embroidery and nylon are used to create a fine edge.

(L) Idina and (R) Profile Perfect use an elasticated edge to add more support to the upper breast

Elasticated edges are designed to stay close to your body. If you have full on top breasts the elastic can indent the soft upper tissue on your breast and make it look like you're spilling. Elasticated edges are great for women looking to minimize bounce through the upper tissue.

Molded bras like Maxine have a rigid molded edge so you need to be careful to choose the right shape for your breast

Molded edges can also cause a spilling look for full on top breasts if the shape or size isn't right. A molded edge may appear as a ridge under clothing if the cup is thick. You may find that you have some upper-tissue bounce in a molded cup as the edge of the cup doesn't hold down the breast. Non-rigid molded cups (seamless soft cup bras) can have an elasticated edge.

(L) Tango II and (R) Lottie have fixed edges

Fixed edge cups simply mean there is no elastic in the edge and no tapering. This works for lots of women as the edge lies flat against the breast without creating any indent. Again, however, women with full on top breasts may find that fixed edge cups cause a spilling look if the cup shape is wrong for them.

I hope this short guide to bra edges helps you choose the right bra edge for your shape and support preferences. xx

Back Fat and Bra Fit

This isn't a term I love but there's no getting around it, lots of women ask me about back fat. I'm going to start by saying that in the big scheme of things back fat is not something you need to worry about. No one who matters is looking at your back and judging you so you don't need to scrutinize yourself either. Having said that I know that it bothers lots of women so I want to help you understand how your bra size and shape can affect how your body looks under clothing. There are two main causes of avoidable back fat 1) bands that are too loose and 2) wings that are too shallow.

How a Loose Band Gives You Back Fat
When your band is too big for you it rides up your back creating an arch shape which cuts across the widest part of your back and pushes the flesh downwards which creates rolls on your back. The weight of your unsupported bust at the front pulls the tissue near your armpit to be pushed up which creates overhang too.

The red line shows where the bra band should lie so that the flesh is not pushed up or down

Lots of women think that a snug bra will give them back fat but it will do quite the opposite. A snug band will fit you at the narrowest part of your torso. The will stop the flesh above and below being forced up or down into rolls. A loose band doesn't just cause rolls it also lowers your bust at the front and causes your straps to dig in.

How the Depth of Your Wings Affect Back Fat
Bras with deeper wings will smooth out your back. Just as long panels of shapewear smooth you out under clothing so too a deeper wing will smooth out your back.

Left, Lucy by Cleo. Right, Profile Perfect by FayreForm

In the image above you can see that the wings on Lucy are shallower than the wings on Profile Perfect. The deeper wings spread out the pressure of the band over a greater area and so the back appears smoother than the shallower wing

Fit is more important than Fat
If you carry a lot of weight around your back then you are always going to get some dips where your bra fits but having a bra that fits you correctly is more important than something even you can't see without twisting in a mirror. If it really bothers you then you can wear shapewear over your bra that will add another smoothing layer to your undergarments but in general choosing a bra that is the best shape and band size for you will make a huge difference to the smoothness of your look xx

3 Easy Bra Alterations That Can Improve Your Bra Fit

You can find a great fitting bra by understanding your size and knowing which styles of bra suit you. However, our bodies are so unique and different that many women find that they need to alter a new bra to get a great-fitting bra. Here are 3 of the most common bra alterations many women need to make to their bras and how you can do these alterations.

Marcie on the left has a narrower gore than Porcelain Viva on the right.

1) Narrowing The Gore
If your breasts are very close together it can be difficult to find a bra with a gore that is narrow enough to fit between your breasts. A gore that is too wide for you can sit on your breast tissue or cause the breast tissue to pillow over the gore. If a bra fits you in the cups and band but the gore is too wide then narrowing the gore can transform your fit. The gore tends to be a rigid piece of material (occasionally it's elasticated, but not often) that can be narrowed easily.

How To Fix Put on your bra then slide your fingers in behind the gore and pinch together the excess gore material. If you can't undo your bra by yourself you'll have to ask someone else to unhook you (so that you don't let go of the pinched material) then put a pin or two in place where the material pinches together.

Sew along the pinned seam. You will probably find that you don't need to remove the excess material, however, if you'd prefer to remove it then you can. Be aware that narrowing your gore can make your band feel tighter.

The wires on Lucy (left) are shorter than the wires on Tango (right) in the same cup size

2) Stopping The Wires Poking Your Armpit
Lots of women find that their bras poke them in the armpit. This can be a particularly prevalent issue for women with short torsos (or high breasts). Some bra styles and brands have longer wires than other bras and so you may find that you prefer brands and styles with shorter wires. However, if you have a very large bust (and especially if you have a short torso) you can find that the wires poke you no matter which style you try because the wires have to be long to support your bust volume.

How To Fix It sounds rather basic but you can bend your bra wires and by bending the wire under your armpit away from the body it can make a big difference to your comfort. Bra wires are very sturdy so you might have to spend a little time bending the wires. I tend to do this to my new bras whilst watching a movie - it's strangely therapeutic!

Some women always need to shorten their band so that a new bra fits them on the loosest set of hooks

3) Shortening The Band
Lots of women need shorter bands than the ones available on the market. A style that suits you in the cups may only begin as a 30 band and you need to shorten it to a 28. For other women they may want to get more life out of a bra by shortening the band. You can do this alteration by hand, however, it's easier with a sewing machine.

How To Fix This demonstration by Dressing Curves is far better than anything I can describe so I'm deferring to her wonderful post here.

There are lots of other alterations you can attempt or have a seamstress do for you. Here is a list of some other posts about bra alterations:

Dressing Curves - Moving the Strap Position
By Baby's Rules - How to lower and narrow the gore
Bratabase - List of Bra Alteration Posts
Boosaurus - Tightening a Stretchy Band
Fix a Bra - Wires poking through the material
This post from Braless in Brasil gives you 10 great guidelines for altering bras

I believe that a lot of women who currently experience problems with their bras will find they get a near-perfect fit in the correct bra size and style for them. However, I think it's important to remember that the imperfections in bra fit are more apparent than the fit imperfections in clothing and we have to bear that in mind when trying on bras. When you know the fit imperfections that are easily fixed and the ones that simply mean the size or style is totally wrong for you it can make a big difference to perfecting your fit and widening your options xx

How Many Bras Should You Own?

This is a question I get asked a lot and you may be surprised to know that there is a little science to the answer. We wear our bras anywhere between 8 and 18 hours every day and in that time the elastic in our bra heats up to our body temperature; especially around the band where it is in greatest contact with our skin. Heat causes elastic to expand and stretch farther. When you take off your bra the elastic begins to cool down and the fibers in the elastic start to contract back into a shorter state. It takes about 36 hours for elastic to cool down completely so ideally you want to give your bras 2 days rest between wears.

Considering how crucial your bra's elastic is to your fit and longevity it's worth looking after by washing and drying your bras correctly and by allowing them rest between wears. Here's a general breakdown of how many bras you need to maximize their longevity:

From Left to Right: Profile Perfect, Lucy Black and Leopard Dessous

Everyday Bras
There is no hard-and-fast rule about what an everyday bra is. It's any bra that keeps you supported during your daily activities and that works with your wardrobe. For lots of women their everyday bra collection is one light coloured bra, one dark coloured bra and a bra with a lower neckline that can be worn with lower necklines. Three is the minimum number of bras you should have for everyday wear to give your bras the best chance at lasting as long as they can. If you have more and rotate them on a 4 or 5 day basis then they'll last proportionally longer. If you wear the same bra every day then it will probably only last about 4 months, if that.

Sports Bras
The number of sports bras you need depends on how often you exercise, what you do and for how long. If you work out three times a week doing more or less the same level of activity for about an hour then you only need one sports bra. If you do a high-impact sport one day and a low level yoga class another day you may need two different bras; one designed for impact and one designed for flexibility. If you work out every day and sweat a great deal or exercise for more than an hour then you're going to need two or even three sports bras. Be sure to wash your sports bras every week as the salt from your sweat can break down elastic quickly.

From Left to Right: Evie Strapless, Tango Cherry Plunge, Enell Classic Black

Solution Bras
If your wardrobe requires you to have a strapless bra then you can probably just invest in one unless you need a specific colour. In the summer you may find that you want a couple of strapless bras that you can add to your everyday rotation. Plunge bras or wide balconette styles (think heaving bossom!) may not be something you wear every week but are useful to have for a favourite dress or event. These bras aren't essential but can add more freedom to your wardrobe choices.

Colourful Bras
I don't think that colourful bras should be an option, they should be a standard in your bra drawer. If you love colour then your everyday bras may all be colourful ones. However, if you have a basic everyday bra wardrobe then I highly recommend treating yourself to a colourful bra that you wear at weekends because it can lift your spirits to wear something that is fun and different. It can help you see you and your breasts differently.

I hope this helps you work out whether your bra wardrobe and habits are helping you get the most out of your bra budget. xx

Which Sports Bra Should Full Bust Women Wear?

Sports bras are so much more than just well engineered bras that absorb impact, they are the mental and physical freedom to have a choice whether you want to participate in sports and activities that can lead to friendships, careers, improved health and well-being. A saddening number of girls stop playing sports or being generally active because they don't have adequate breast support. It's simply wrong that millions of girls and women miss out on the physical and emotional benefits of being active for the sake of a well-fitting sports bra. Things have changed a great deal in the last decade and we can ensure that fewer girls feel forced out of sports simply over the size of their chests and that grown women can take back control over their physical activities in a supportive sports bra.

Dove's billboard makes you wonder how many girls we could keep in sports with the right physical & emotional support

Why Do We Need Sports Bras?
We need sports bras because breasts don't have any muscle in them; they are held in place by two things, ligaments and skin. The ligaments (technical name Coopers Ligaments) stretch and contract to accommodate your movements. Your skin also stretches to allow for the force and impact of your movements. Unlike muscles, there is little you can do to alter your ligament and skin elasticity and strength, so the only thing you can do is add another layer of shock absorption that can take the impact strain your ligaments and skin alone couldn't handle.

Left, Simona Halep is categorically in the wrong sports bra and ultimately she resorted to a breast reduction. Serena Williams' bra shows the coverage and support a well-fitting sports bra can give.

When you work out your boobs are moving more often and greater distances than when you're doing everyday activities. During this time you need to protect your ligaments and skin from getting over-stretched as this can be very painful. To minimize the stretch factor you need to wear a sports bra that is designed to absorb the impact of your activity.

The Two Types of Sports Bra
There are two types of sports bras; Encapsultation and Compression. There is no right or wrong for which one you should wear, however, you should know how they differ to understand which one is right for you and the activity you're doing.

Panache Sports Bra is an encapsultation bra as it has distinct cups and comes in regular bra sizes

Encapsultation Bras have two distinct cups just like a regular bra so that each breast is housed in its own cup. Unlike regular bras the cups are likely to be thicker, longer (cup higher up your body) and have another layer of fabric wrapped around the outside of the cups that disperses impact away from the breast and around the whole upper body instead. These kind of bras keep the breasts as still as possible inside the cups without putting excess pressure on the breast itself. This kind of sports bra is also ideal for very busy days as it can be worn for long periods of time. Some of our customers use this bra for cycling, jogging, rowing, working out at the gym and playing soccer. Our clients who participate in triathlons and ironman competitions tend to use the compression style as some of the activities are maximum impact and they need virtually zero movement in their chest.

Enell Compression bras use sturdy fabric with shock absorbent elastic weave in the back to disperse the impact of movement across your whole upper torso

Compression Bras don't have distinct cups and instead reduce the bounce not with thickness of cup but by keeping the breasts very close to the body (this also means that the breasts are often touching). They do this by dispersing the volume of your bust across your whole upper body (this can be known as the monoboob look). Compression bras for large breasts tend to come very high on your chest as the breast tissue is being flattened over a larger surface area than an encapsulation bra. This kind of support significantly reduces the impact of being active as the vertical movement of your breasts (caused when jumping up and down) is greatly reduced. I use a compression sports bra for running because it makes my 32GG bust have almost zero movement. The downside to a compression bra is that you shouldn't wear it for prolonged periods of time ( a couple of hours wear is ideal) because the fatty cells inside your breasts are under pressure and excessive pressure for long periods can aggravate your breasts (rashes, infection, bruising). Plus sweat gets trapped between your breasts which can cause chafing for some women over long periods of time.

The Lite from Enell is designed to be more flexible, more lightweight and can be worn for longer periods

Enell also created a Lite version of their compression sports bra which is less supportive for high impact, however, it can be worn for longer periods of time and is also excellent for activities that require more flexibility. I wear the Lite for Yoga because it has no clasp on the back so I can roll on my spine without poking myself. 

Sports Bra Sizes
Encapsulation sports bras are sized like regular bras and manufacturers like Panache have 28 back sports bras up to a UK H cup (the same as a US J cup). At the moment there still aren't enough Sports Bra options for women over an H cup. Some manufacturers (like Royce) have some wirefree styles but I hope very much that we'll see an increase in the availability of sports bras in HH, J, JJ and K cups.

Compression sports bras don't have regular bra sizes (like 32FF, or 38H) because they don't have cups. Instead they are sized either as small, medium, large, or in the case of Enell (one of the biggest compression sports bra manufacturers) they use 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 etc to denote their sizes. Again, there aren't compression bras on the market for every woman (if you're a 28J it's incredibly difficult to find a sports bra). The most common solution I know some of our customers use it to purchase a cup size that works and have the band altered to fit them. I hope we see sports bras available for every woman very soon.

If you are a busty woman working out in a regular bra then it's akin to going to running in your highest heels. You wouldn't do that because you'd wreck your feet and you shouldn't do it to your breasts because you'll cause yourself pain, chafing and general injury. If you are the parent of a busty teen I urge you to seriously consider investing in a supportive and well fitting sports bra for your daughter so that she has the physical confidence to continue participating in activities that can keep her healthy and happy her whole life. xx

Why Do Victoria's Secret Measure OVER your breasts?

Every week Lucy and I do online bra size consultations for women across North America. The majority of women who request a consultation have been fitted at Victoria's Secret and these are the women who invariably have the most bra complaints. These women are without fail wearing a band that is four to EIGHT inches bigger than their body as well as experiencing issues like straps that dig into their shoulders, cups that spill and straps that slip. The reason these complaints are so common with women who have been fitted at Victoria's Secret is because they measure for band size over the top of your breasts under your armpits. By measuring this way Victoria's Secret recommends that your band should be at least four inches bigger than your body, a fitting technique that is disastrous for full-busted women.

VS Fit Errors: Left: Band riding up, Center: Gore not against body, Right: Band not flush with the body

Victoria's Secret comes in for a lot of grief because good bra fit is not their main focus. Their models are often in the wrong bras in product shoots and runway shows and their over-zealous Photoshopping (to make models look skinnier or bras fit better) is legendary. In reality Victoria's Secret doesn't position itself as an expert in bra fit, they very rarely allude to bra fit at all. They are in the business of making a few bra styles and a few bra sizes in alluring colours and affordable prices that make you aspire to looking 'as sexy as an Angel'. The bra sizes and styles that Victoria's Secret do make are mostly suited to women with smaller breast volumes with closer-set breasts who need more band than cup ratio because their breasts are in a different position to full busted women.

Related Articles: The women who need to add inches to their band size

Victoria's Secret only makes 36 bra sizes and in practice there are over 175 bra sizes regularly available on the market (Butterfly Collection carries over 60 sizes) and over 148 other sizes available through specialty manufacturers. So you can see that the number of women for whom Victoria's Secret really can offer great bra fit is very narrow. The +4 measuring technique is appropriate for some of the women who can wear the limited size and style range from VS so that's how they can justify using the +4 technique. The problem is, Victoria's Secret will never tell you if their bras and bra fitting technique is not right for you (and let's face it, that's most of us). They'll never concede that your band size is smaller than those they carry or that your breast volume requires a cup size they don't have. Nope, they'll just use the same fitting technique on a full-busted woman and send her away in a bra that will causes a myriad of fit issues.

This is my greatest grievance with Victoria's Secret. Their lack of honesty about their fitting method's effectiveness leaves women feeling that their bodies are wrong, which doesn't make you feel 'as sexy as an Angel'. With their brand position in the market Victoria's Secret could be a hugely empowering influence on improving bra education and diminishing breast stigma in North America, but unfortunately they are part of the machine that perpetuates the idea that bra sizes outside of the 32-38 A-D paradigm is alien and that bra fit is secondary to looking sexy. 

No matter how dominant a brand is it's up to us as consumers to decide whether a product is right for us. Your breast health is too important to blindly put your faith in a gigantic marketing machine that tells you bras are just about push-ups and pouting. We need to be savvy shoppers who understand what good bra fit looks like and then decide whether Victoria's Secret bras offer us that fit (for many women the answer will be yes, but for the vast majority of us the answer is no).

How I Recommend Finding Your Band Size
I maintain that getting your band size right is the most important part of finding great bra fit because your cup size is determined IN RELATION to your band so without knowing your band size you can't begin to find the right fit.

Related Articles: Not all D cups are the Same and What Sister Size Bras Look Like

I recommend a good starting point for working out your band size is to wrap a tape measure around your ribcage directly under your breasts, against your skin where your band should lie. There's no need to breathe out or pull tightly, simply put the tape measure flat against your skin so that it is parallel with the floor all around your body. This measurement (in inches) is the best starting point for finding your band size (if you're an odd number then simply round up one to the next even number as your starting band size).

Related Tool: Bra Size Calculator

This is a starting point from which you might add or subtract inches depending on your physique. The reason that +0 is an impartial starting point is that as many women will need to add inches as need to subtract them so starting at zero means there's no weighting in either direction. As a very general rule of thumb, if you have a muscular, toned or just firm ribcage then you might have to add inches to your band size to allow for flexibility. If you have a fleshy torso or a springy ribcage then you might find that you need to subtract inches to find your band size because your band can't anchor to fat which moves up and down your body as you move so you need a firmer fit that account for the wobble of our middle bits (I wear one band size smaller than my ribcage measurement as my torso is squidgy).

I hope this helps you figure out whether your body and breasts fit one of the 36 sizes available at Victoria's Secret. If you are then you'll probably find that their over the breasts measuring method works for you, and if you're not then you've got another 300+ bra sizes to choose from! xx

What Sister Size Bras Look Like

From top to bottom these bras have the same cup volume: 38E, 36F, 34FF, 32G, 30GG, 28H

The relationship between band sizes and cup sizes is something I explain most frequently. The common misconception is that all cup letters are the same size of boob on different band lengths. So, for example, people assume that all women with F cup boobs have the same size boobs regardless of whether they're a 30F or a 40F and this simply isn't true. A lady with 40F boobs is actually five cup volumes bigger than the 30F lady and that's because when the band size gets bigger it increases the volume of the cups.  

Sister Sizes is a phrase that refers to bras that all share the same cup volume but have different band lengths. For example, a 34E and a 32F are sister sizes because when you go one band size down from a 34 to a 32 you have to balance the size by going up one cup from an E to an F cup to keep the cup volume the same. 

Click Here to read why all D cups aren't the same and Click Here to read why cup volumes increase as the band increases.

These bras all have the same cup volume spread out over different length bands. From top down: 28H, 30GG, 32G, 34FF, 36F, 38E

Because a picture speaks a thousand words I wanted to show you what sister sizes look like and how the proportions change. In the picture above the six bras shown are the following sizes from top to bottom: 28H, 30GG, 32G, 34FF, 36F, 38E.  All of these bras have the same cup volume, however, their band lengths and proportions are different.

You can see that the band on the 38E at the bottom is the longest band so the woman who wears this bra needs her band to go around more torso than the woman who would wear the 28H bra at the top which has the shortest band. Proportionally the 38E lady will look like she has a smaller bust because her bust volume is spread out over a wider torso. The 28H lady will look like she has a larger bust because her breast volume projects further forward on a narrower torso. In reality they have the same volume of boob but it is spread out over different areas of chest/torso.

From top to bottom these bras have the same cup volume: 38E, 36F, 34FF, 32G, 30GG, 28H

The Proportions 
While the picture above is helpful to show that the cup volume on these sister sizes is the same what it can't show very well is how the proportions differ. You can see that the bands on the 30GG and 28H (bottom two bras) are deeper and have more hooks than the other sizes. This is because the volume of a 30GG and 28H bust projects farther forward than the volume of a 38E bust (which is spread out over a wider area so doesn't project as far forward) so the band has to be stronger to counteract the projection at the front.

Besides the deeper band and more hooks you may also be able to see that the wings are darker on the 28 and 30 bands than the 38-32 bands and this is because it's double layered to give more support. The wing has to be reinforced as there is less length to disperse the weight of the breasts over. The longer the band the greater the area the weight of the breasts can be dispersed over. This is the reason longer bands don't need to be as deep or firm as the shorter bands.

The proportions of the bras differ in the following ways (you'll notice that the gore width decreases as the band length shortens and this is because the breast volume is gradually narrowing in width and increasing in projection).

	Band Length	Wing with Hooks Length	Wing with Eyes Length	Wing Depth	Gore Width
38E	29”	6.25”	8.25”	4.5”	1”
36F	28”	6”	8”	4.5”	1”
34FF	26.5”	5”	7”	4.5”	3/4”
32G	24.5”	4”	6.25”	4.75”	3/4”
30GG	23.75”	4”	6”	4.75”	5/8”
28H	22.5”	3.5”	5.25”	5.25”	5/8”

  
Bra Science Vs Bra Reality
I wanted to explain this bit of bra science to further help you understand why cup sizes mean nothing without knowing the band size. In reality good bra fit is affected by things like brand, body shape, age, height and bra style. It's great to know the principles of bra science but remember that when a bra fits you well and you are comfortable that's the most important thing. Leave a comment if you need something explaining more xx

N.B: The bra used in these diagrams is Tango Beige from Panache Superbra