Do you think you have a short waist or high set breasts?
Short Waist
I love this post from Imogen Lamport’s Inside Out Style Blog about how to determine if your waist is short, balanced or long.
Good hints you are short waisted? Bra wires and bands jam into your armpits and gores may feel too tall. Your bra band may also roll up when you sit down or bend, or simply from wear. Shorter longline bras (like the popular Freya Patsy or Totally Tartan series) may fit more like corsets.
High Set Breasts
Do wires and cups jam into your armpits? Can you fill the bottoms of your cups? These are symptoms of high placement that most of bra fitters I’ve asked look for. Claire from Butterfly Collection says average boob roots sit about 5-7″ below the armpit. Your breasts may sag into and downward into your cups. High set breasts are notorious for leaping out of v or scoop neck clothing. Some women can tell just by looking at their breast placement they are high, for others, it takes a bit more trial and error.
A Combination of the Two
Well, this can be problematic (which is how this blog came about). Erica from A Sophisticated Pair told me that many times short waists and high placement go together…and short waists are found frequently in hourglass type figures. When the two are combined, bra fitting can get frustrating.
What types of bras work?
Technically, any type of bra can work: plunge, balcony, balconette, full coverage, half cup, etc. Your best fit is probably more determined by co-factors: if you are close-set, full on top, wide, etc.
I have better luck fitting well into a bra that is less bra – lower side seams (which means a lower wire), and lower gores. I call these bras “not alot of bra”. These bras get more difficult to find as you size up in band length and cup size. A list of bras I have tried and think are more suited for short waists or high set breasts are listed on my blog under Bras for Short Waists / High Set Breasts.
If you are a C cup or smaller, you may have luck shopping in the petite bra size selections. They are generally “not alot of bra”.