Finding Your Bra Fit in Your 50s

Today we have a guest post from one of our customers (not featured in the picture above) who has had a bra revolution and awakening in her 50s. This is something we encounter every week as women who have never had access to bras over a DD cup start to discover they have options that can make a huge difference to their life.

"I am 58 years old and have worn a bra every day for the last 47 years so you would think that I know what I am doing when it comes to buying a bra. Not so! My Mom chose my first bras because I developed so young so I just went along with the beige contraptions she gave me. In my teens I got a weekend job and bought bras I thought looked nice but didn't really fit. By the time I got into young adulthood I felt like my boobs were out of my control.

In my twenties I had my children and my boobs ballooned which meant I had zero choices for a correctly fitting bra (I probably needed something like a 32HH, which I'm sure didn't exist at the time, but I sure wasn't in that size, more like a 42DDD). We had very little money during those early years and raising a young family meant I wasn't thinking about finding better bra fit so I just struggled on in badly fitting, beige bras. This went on for so long that I just believed all bras were uncomfortable and ugly.

Spending years in the wrong bra size has resulted in both my shoulders having deep grooves which will be a permanent reminder of my lack of care and knowledge when it came to choosing bras. Before I knew it, menopause arrived and I had another shift in the size and shape of my boobs which left me loathing my boobs all over again. Thank goodness at this point one of my friends stepped in and said that she had done a Skype Fitting with Butterfly Collection and felt good in her bras for the first time in her life. I was really nervous about talking about my bra fit with a stranger but Claire's advice was friendly, easy to understand and life changing! I found out I was a 36J or 36JJ depending on the style. It took a little while to get my head around these new sizes - I'd never heard of a 36JJ before. Once I tried on a 36JJ Elomi Eva (4 band sizes smaller than the 44G I had been wearing) it was a HUGE REVELATION! 

In my 50's, I have discovered that I still have a decent set of boobs that look good in the right bra and make me look more put together. I have always been 'top heavy' but now they look more in proportion to the rest of my body because my new bras actually make me look a bit smaller - maybe that's because they're higher on my body and more contained. All of that is great and beneficial to my breast health but on top of that I get to wear bras in gorgeous colours and fabrics for the first time in my life.

"It takes a very long time to believe that you deserve great lingerie even though you are not in the first flush of youth."

I have been told that I have good strong thick hair. I like to look after it and have it cut and styled regularly to keep it that way. Only in my 50's did I realize that I could apply the same criteria to my boobs. It takes a very long time to come to beleive that you deserve great lingerie even though you are not in the first flush of youth. It also takes a time to allow yourself a bra treat just because you like the colour or the style and not because you have just thrown out something you have worn for far too long. So now I have bras for work and bras for different clothing rather than a 'one size fits all' type of bra. I love what I wear beneath my clothes now and it makes me feel 50s fabulous!"

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

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