Many women (and men) fall in love with the shape and look that demi and balconette bras can create. Their objective is to expose your upper breast tissue for sexy full cleavage and give a mounding effect to your upper chest that is a sign of youth.  Unfortunately, this bra style, that comes with wide-set straps, is not right for every woman to wear. Oh, and demi bras and balconette bras are one and the same.

Demi bras look best on women with average to small bust sizes and whose upper breasts are rather full. If full coverage bras leave your cups half empty or cause a wrinkled look, then demi styles might also be an answer because the small cup shape is more forgiving of a woman with less breast tissue.

If you love the demi look but want more coverage, go for a semi-demi cup bra. This is a great solution for women with large areolas that might peek out in traditional demi cups.

If you’re hunting for a great demi bra, I recommend Le Mystere Francesca, Chantelle Icone 3855, Cosabella SN1171 and La Perla 901634.

For full-busted women, demi bras can actually give you an overflowing look or cause an unflattering indentation at the upper breast so I recommend avoiding this style altogether. Keep in mind that Fantasie, Elomi and Freya brands call their bra styles with a low front or sweetheart neckline a balcony bra, but these are not true demi styles. These brands specialize in bras for full-busted women for the very best fit and support.

Finally, if you have issues with your straps falling off your shoulders, a demi or balconette bra is simply going to exacerbate this – this bra style always comes with wide-set straps.

If you are not a candidate for this type of bra, take heart.  You can still look sexy in other styles such as plunge bras, pretty lacy styles, and the ever-popular sheer bras.  There’s more than one way to do sexy.

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Not all breasts are separated the same.  And, I don’t think most women know this.  Did you know that some women have touching or "kissing" breasts where there is no space between the breasts?  There are other women with rather wide separation – more than 3 finger widths in fact.   So, why does this even matter?  Because breast separation can have a huge impact on how a bra fits.

I think one of the most overlooked feature of any bra is the center panel or center gore. There are wide design variations.  And, how this piece is shaped, sized and attached to the cups effects how a bra will fit.

Let’s say you have touching breasts. You are one of those lucky ladies who always gets a center cleavage line.  However, a traditional center panel will probably not touch or "tack" on your sternum.  It can’t because there is no room between your breasts for its resting spot.  Consequently, your bra will look like it doesn’t fit – the center panel and wires could bend out forward, or your center panel could be resting away from your sternum.

The solution here is to find a bras where the center panel is low, or where the bra does not even have a center panel. Also look for bras where the underwires are short in the center and do not come up very high.  Plunge bras and some demi bras have these shorter underwires. A halter bra is also a good style because such a bra tends to be designed to push breasts together anyway.

At the other extreme are wide-set breasts.  These are breast where there is more than 3 fingers width of breast separation between breasts.  Because of this, touching cleavage is pretty much impossible.  And, underwires can be uncomfortable because they are spaced too close to the center and will pinch the breast tissue under the arms.

In the case of wide-set breasts, the center panel again needs to be scrutinized. If your breasts are wide-set, chances are you have never been able to create cleavage, and you have sometimes put on a bra that doesn’t catch your whole breast under the arms. The wider your center panel, the better fit you will achieve.  Wire-free bras will be comfortable.  Push-up bras where the pads are both at the bottom and side of the cups will give wide-set breasts the best breast fullness.  And triangle style bras and bathing suit tops will probably look the best.

My point in this post is to let you know that there is more to fitting a bra than just knowing your size.  Based on your breast separation, you will have more success with some styles if you know how far apart your breasts are.

Find bra styles to fit your shape at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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 Winning Entry: Help a Mother Out! Life and 3 Phases of a Lingerie Drawer.
Before: lots of cute sets (34B). The first year: those not so cute nursing bras (34D). Now: a darling boy and two boring bras(34A). I could use some help!

Find the bras that fit at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Personally, I think finding the right band size is really tough.  A bra’s cup size either fits or it doesn’t, but finding the right fit in a band size can be a little subjective.  And it’s because of this that mistakes can be made.

Simply put, women – and bra fitters for that matter – have their own opinions on how tight a band should fit.  I know that I prefer a bra band on the slightly loose side.  I’ve seen bra fitters put women in band sizes that I thought were way too tight.  The final decision should ultimately rest with the wearer of the bra.  So, how do you decide your personal band size?

First, women with cup sizes C or smaller can decide what is the most comfortable for them.  Their breast size does not dictate the necessity for a firm band size.  But, D cups and larger really need to consider a few more variables.  Ninety percent of breast support comes from the bra band.  Therefore, the band should be firm enough around the chest to support the breasts.  A quick trick to see if this is the case is to put on a bra, then take the straps off your shoulder.  If the bra falls down to your waist, or slips down your torso, your band needs to be tighter.  Another test is to put on a bra and then twist your shoulders side-to-side.  If your bra band is moving on you while you do this, your band is too loose.

The difference between band sizes is 2".  Almost every bra comes with 3 hook closure options along the back.  The difference between the loosest and tightest position is between 1" to 1 1/2".  So, when you put a bra on for the first time, try it on its tightest position first.  If it feels comfortable, I would go down a band size. The reason is that you have nowhere to go once the bra begins to stretch with wear, and the next band size down will accomodate that stretch.  Say you are trying on a 38 band size on its tightest fastening and it feels comfortable.  I think you should go down a band size to a 36. Note: when you go down a band size, you need to go up a cup size if you want to maintain the same cup volume.

Alternatively, when you put on a bra for the first time, you should fit to the loosest adjustment.  Put on a bra and attach the hooks to the closest eyes on the bra’s other end.  Does it feel snug?  If it does, that’s your band size.  Now, as you wear that bra, you have the ability to adjust it tighter as the bra stretches out over time.  And, all bras stretch over time.

So, where do you start to find the right band size for you?  Begin with a tape measure.  Making sure it’s parallel to the floor, wrap the tape measure around yourself along your bust crease – the place where your breast skin turns into tummy skin.  Do this while not wearing any bra, and exhale to make this measurement as small as possible.  Now, to that measurement, add 3" or 4" to get you to an even number.  This should be your starting band size.  But, it doesn’t have to mean it’s your final band size.  You decide whether that band size feels comfortable to you and you like the support it provides.  Go up or down a band size till you feel comfortable.  But remember two things.  1. Each band increase/decrease means a 2" difference in the circumference.  So, if one size is a little tight, and the other is a little loose, fine tune your decision by moving the bra closure in the back to the second position.  2.  Cup sizes change in fit when you go up or down a band size.  So, say you like the fit of a 38C bra in the cups, but the band is too tight, you should move to a 40B.  If the 38C band is too loose, you should move to a 36D.

Again, let me emphasize that you should be the final arbiter on what band size you wear.  Don’t let someone else tell you what it should be.  There are a lot of women who own bra mistakes because they didn’t speak up or challenge the band size choice when they were fitted.

Find bras in all sizes at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Since the beginning of HerRoom, every bra on our site has included a front shot on a mannequin with a kind of grid overlay on top of it.  I’ve come to learn that some women find it invaluable, but others blow by it or totally ignore it because they don’t understand what it’s telling them.  Well, it tells you a whole bunch.  Let me explain.

Here are two examples of some measured shots on our site.  The one on the left is the Wacoal 65191.  On the right is the Bali 3413.  The horizontal line shows the breast apex line. This means this line goes through the points of the breasts.  Most bra’s center panel comes up to this line as it almost does on the Wacoal.  But, if you look at the Bali, you can see that the center panel is below this line. This tells you that a lower cut top can be worn with this bra.  The vertical center line tells you the center panel of the Bali bra is about 3/4" lower.  So, now you know how much lower on your chest the center panel will sit. This vertical line also allows you to measure the height of the center panel. 

Let’s talk about the two vertical lines running through the apex point on each breast.  These two lines tell you a lot as well.  First, the straps on the Bali bra are very close to these lines. This tells you the straps are a center pull strap.  If you have problems with straps falling off your shoulders, a center pull strap (meaning the straps are attached to the cup more in the center than to the sides) will stay up on on your shoulders.  The Wacoal bra has wide set straps.  This strap placement is great for  necklines where a large percentage of your chest will be exposed.

Here’s what else these two vertical lines tell you – the cup coverage.  The Bali bra is going to have more breast coverage.  The cups come up 2 1/2" above the breast apex.  The Wacoal bra has just 2" of coverage above the apex of the breast.  Clearly, the Bali is going to give you good breast coverage while allowing you to wear a low v-neck blouse.

These two vertical lines also extend down to the breast crease line where the underwire rests at the base of your breast.  On the Wacoal bra, there is a nice lace edge added just below the wire.  However, on he Bali bra, you can see that they have built a lower band under the wire for additional support.  This was probably done to strengthen the support of the bra since they lowered the center panel.   For petite women, bras with a built-on lower band may be too much bra for them.  This could be true for  short-waisted women as well.

The next time you shop for a bra at HerRoom, I hope you will take a second to view our measured image.  It goes a long way towards telling you how a bra will fit and look on you before you even try it on. No other site on the Internet gives you this information… yes, I’m tooting my own horn here.  Okay, I’m stepping off my soap box.

Find these measured bra images at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Large breasted women (D cup and larger) have written reviews over the years complaining about their breasts pointing east/west rather than front and center in their bras.  And they don’t like it for good reason – this causes breast tissue to move under the arms, which gets in the way and is not an attractive silhouette.  Well, take heart if you are a fellow sufferer.  This condition can be easily corrected by paying attention to the way your bra is made.

I am a big fan of "Bra Wizard" Beverly Johnson.  I consider her our ‘Joan of Arc’ in leading the charge for better fitting bras.  Beverly runs a bra-making school where she actually teaches a woman to make her own bras, www.bramakerssupply.com , and has written a book explaining in very technical detail how to fix fit problems.  Beverly has several comments on how to get your girls back into the ‘headlight’ position.

The key is to understand nipple placement as breasts get larger.  All of us pretty much have the same proportioned skeleton  So, regardless of weight and breast size, the location of say a 5′ 4" woman’s nipples is the same as for other women her size.  The skeleton does not grow as we add weight or grow bigger breasts.  The nipple distance between your two breasts (once you pull them up and put them where you want them)  is pretty much a constant – between 7" and 8".  So, grab a ruler and measure this distance on you.  As I write this wearing my 36C bra, mine are 7 1/2" apart.

Are yours a lot farther apart while wearing a bra?  If yes, you are not in the right style of bra to maximize your figure.  Getting your breasts together will make you look slimmer and more youthful.   So, what do you need to look for?

You should be able to look at a bra and tell before trying it on where your nipples are going to end up.  Breast tissue is very malleable.  Therefore, it can be moved into the proper position with a great structured bra.  Hands down, the ‘cut-and-sew’ or bras (like the upper photo) with seams in the cups will give you the best look.  This is because the more seams a bra-maker uses in the cups, the more control there is over the shape of your breast tissue.You can tell by looking down on the seamed cup bra that your nipples are going to be front and center when you get it on.

Contour bras also have a pretty good record for putting the nipples in the right location on your chest.  The thin layer of foam lining in the cups helps to stabilize the molded cups and keep breasts front and center. Seamless bras (like the lower photo) don’t offer enough structure to help with placement.

Great bras that make you look great come at a price.  Spend the money!  There is no other piece of apparel that you wear more.  You deserve the best.

Find seamed and contour bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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That little triangle-shaped patch of fabric sitting between the cups of your bra is no afterthought.  There’s a lot of engineering taking place between your breasts.

That center panel, also called a gore, helps to determine the shape and placement of your breasts.  Traditionally, the top of this panel should be horizontal with the apex of your breasts (read nipples) for the best breast support.  This is the primary reason I show the "measured" image on every bra we sell.  The graph overlay shows you many things, but it specifically shows you where that center panel is going to land on you.

Over the last couple of years, decollete tops have sent women looking for bras with what is called a ‘plunging’ center design.  In this case, the center panel is cut lower.  Now, these bras fit fairly well for women in cup sizes up to a D. But, the larger cup sizes must be fit very precisely, or the woman falls out when she leans forward.

Officially, the center panel should rest directly on your sternum.  If it does not, this usually means your cup size is too small and you need to size up.  However, there are three exceptions to this rule.  The first is a minimizer bra.  Because their design objective it to reduce breast projection, minimizer bras create a kind of compression of the breasts. The center panel in some is therefore missing altogether, but if it is there, the proper fit does not mean the center panel must touch the sternum.  The second exception is soft-cup or wire free bras.  Without an underwire, it is almost impossible for the center panel to successfully rest on the sternum.  The final exception would be larger breasts.  With so much breast tissue, there is sometimes simply not enough room for the center panel to get to the sternum.

Finally, no conversation about the center panel can end without a discussion of front-closure bras.  These are bras that have a clasp in the center front.  It is extremely difficult to design a good front closure bra.  The center panel is now a clasp which reduces the bra’s stability in the center.  Not to mention that the bra now has no adjustability, so it must be an extremely accurate fit.  Women in between band sizes will find the fit unacceptable.  Front-closure bras have some of the highest return rates on the market.  So, if you are a lover of them, this is why you don’t see very many – the manufacturers and retailers shy away from them for this very reason.

The next time you are shopping for a bra, give some thought to its center panel.  The more that’s there, the better the support.

Find bras in all styles at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Every once in a while, you read an article, and you just can’t get it out of your mind.That happened for me last month with the New York Times article, Plus-Size Wars.

It was a rather lengthy article about the on-going debate over skinny models and body image.  But, several data points in the article resonated with me as it relates to the challenge we have at HerRoom helping and satisfying our customers who buy the larger bra and panty sizes.

Here are the current statistics.  The average clothing size for women in America is a size 14.  The average American woman weighs 164.7 lbs.  64% of American women are overweight, with more than 1/3 being in the obese category.  And, here is the real kicker: plus-size clothing only represents 18% of total revenue in women’s clothing – and it’s been fairly constant over the past 20 years.  So, more than half of all American women fall into this plus-size category, and are buying less than 20% of all clothing.  And this statistic was down to 10% in the years 2008 and 2009.

The article then went into a very interesting explanation of the complicated challenges clothing makers have in trying to clothe the plus-size market.  We all know that body proportions change as we gain weight.  Manufacturers, over the years, have been able to very predictably guage where those changes are from sizes 2 to 12 and how much of a measurement increase there is between sizes.  A pattern maker can take a base pattern and make subtle measurement changes in certain spots on a pattern to come up with the other sizes for a particular garment.  This is called pattern grading.  This technique is so predictable that many of the grading changes date back to the 16th century.  But, here is the big but… after a size 14, there is no predictability or certainty where and how the dimensions change.  We women simply get fat differently when we get up into these sizes.

So, here are the plus-size challenges for clothing manufacturers:

1. They can’t grade up patterns to create the larger sizes.

2. They are forced to choose if the plus-size body they are going to design for is trunk, breast, or hip-heavy.

3. It’s difficult to find the right fit model for each size they are trying to make clothing for.

The lion’s share of poor reviews on HerRoom go to bras that come in plus sizes.  My team and I work so hard to provide our customers with the best fitting information possible on each bra that we offer for sale.  We read customer reviews, talk to the manufacturers and go to retail stores to get as much fit information on our bras as we can. We then post our fit findings on our product pages and I personally include them in my ‘Tomima Tips.’  So, when we see a comment from a plus-size woman that our fitting information didn’t work for her, we all get very frustrated.

But now we have new understanding.  Take women that wear a 48F bra, for example.  They are not all alike – one can have particularly large arms, another can have a narrow ribcage, another may hold a lot of her weight in her back.  It’s really impossible to find a universal bra that will fit everyone. 

Let me close this post by saying that my team and I will continue to root out and communicate to you all the bra fitting comments we learn.  We are now just going to be smarter about asking better questions to give better fit advice to the plus size bra wearers out there.

Find Plus Size lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Plus-Size Lingerie

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I’m the first to raise my hand and say that bra sizing is confusing and convoluted.  It’s one of the reasons women find themselves in the wrong size bra.  In an effort to sort this all out and reduce the number of bra sizes on the market, Hanesbrands has stepped up and created a new sizing technology that they claim will replace multiple current sizes with one size.

The goal, according to Hanes, is to make it easier for shoppers to buy bras while also providing superior comfort and a better fit.  They feel their goal has been met with a new ‘breakthrough’ fit technology.

Their proprietary bra technology called "Smart Sizes" will be rolling out this fall under their Hanes and Barely There brands.  It is a series of floating and flexible bra frames that lets the bra mold to the shape of the wearer.  And it does this with just 5 bra sizes rather than the traditional 16 cup/band sizes.

“Smart Sizes is a very big concept that revolutionizes how women fit and buy their bras,” according to Sandy Waitz, vice president of intimate apparel design and development for Hanesbrands. “With the flexible fit properties of Smart Sizes, women can find a bra that literally molds to their individual shapes, including unique fit challenges such as between sizes and unevenly sized breasts.”

Okay, here is where my enthusiasm wanes.  The five Smart sizes are extra small, small, medium, large and extra large.  And these five sizes will replace the traditional size range of 30A through 42C. 

Though I wish it weren’t so, I’m afraid this new breakthrough could be a bust.  Sure, less sizing means less choices when trying to figure out your size.  Retailers will like only having to stock 5 sizes instead of 16.  But I need to see and try on this product to really get on board with this new sizing technology. 

Hanesbrand claims they don’t need that many sizes because the bra somehow will mold and custom fit to your individual shape.  Hearing this, my mind races to a picture of me being ‘shrink-wrapped.’  We all know that when we find our correct bra size, we look terrific.  I can’t help but wonder if these blended sizes will still give that crisp supported look, or more of a shelf-bra or bathing suit look where if you’re falling out or the fabric gaps a little, you’re supposed to assume that’s as good as it gets.

Find Hanes and Barely There lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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I came across a curious online survey recently  A UK based retailer, Wickedelic Lingerie, found that 24% of the 500 respondents felt allowing larger women to model lingerie was promoting an unhealthy lifestyle.

Whether you agree or not, my website from time to time gets input from large-sized customers saying they wish we would display our products on models more their size.  So, several years ago, we ran a test on one of our more popular bras where we tracked sales with two different images – half the time we displayed the image of the bra on an average-framed woman, and the other half on a full-figure woman.  The results were signficant–  the average model image generated more sales.

If you think about this, it really makes sense.  I will buy an item I see displayed on a model that is smaller than me.  But, I can honestly say I have never purchased an item when it has been shown on a model that is larger than I am.  Take a look at these two photos of the same dress.  Would you buy this dress if you only saw the model wearing it?  Or would you buy the dress based on the display on the mannequin?   I think most would agree they find the mannequin shot more appealing – unless they are the same size or larger than the model.

I don’t think this is discrimination.  I think this is simple marketing.  However, having said that, I have tried very hard to answer the need for women who wear larger bra sizes to see a model wearing a garment more to their size.

You may not know this, but the HerRoom site has alternate shots on a larger model (usually a 36DD) for bras that come in larger sizes.  For example, look at our page for the Chantelle Fete Bra style 1960. You will see that we also show another image of a 36DD model wearing the same bra.

It is true that some bras have subtle design changes in the larger sizes.  We make every effort to show the larger size on a fuller model, or at least mention the design change in our descriptions. 

No one is here to judge.  Yes, marketing is important, but we also want to satisfy all our customer needs.  If anyone has a suggestion to improve what we are doing, I’m all ears!

Find bras that come in larger sizes at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Plus-Size Lingerie

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