brautonomy

[brautonomy]

Story Time Pt. 2

There was a content creator I was really into watching as I learned more about proper bra sizing. This channel would educate on all the accurate ways to fit yourself for a bra and related content. The owner of the cannel liked to say she catered to DD+ women as was one herself and referred to herself as full busted. The thing is her size was average… (32F-32FF). That’s the average woman’s bra size to a T. If a woman uses the underbust/bustline method of sizing that is the average. 32F is the most common bra size. Most of these women that are 32F are under the impression that they are 34C-34D. I was so disappointed that she stopped posting content because she lost weight and became a 32DD/E. Which is the sister size to 30F which is what I imagine is more accurate to her new weight loss. Generally, our cup size stays almost the same as a letter but gets smaller when you also go down in a band size. She may may measure as 30F but prefers the fit of 32DD/E because she may have lost cushion that makes tighter bands feel comfortable. Which is fine! 30DD is her size. Either way, my issue is she suddenly stopped posting bra content because she wasn’t as big and “full figure” as she used to be and doesn’t need support as much as she did before, she believes that bras are no longer worth talking about. In my opinion nothing is further from the truth! What about all the other women that can relate to her body!? What about all the women that are still stuck wearing the wrong size, bands too big and cups too small!? She completely stopped posting and it was heartbreaking because she inspired me so much! 💔

Not enough people speak up for girls that are thinner and smaller but still have higher cup sizes than what they are told or what society thinks they are. I am so tired of women telling other women they are lying and “just want to be bigger” when all we are seeking is a bra that fits properly. It’s not just girls that seem flat that need bigger cups than society says, it’s average sized women in 34C that need to wear 32F!!! it’s women who are wearing 38B but need 34D-DD or 36D. It’s for the 80% of women wearing the wrong size right now! We all need/deserve bra sizes that were made for our proportions. We need all women to understand what bra sizing should be and demand it!

[brautonomy]

What’s the difference between a partial band and a full band? The structure of the frame.

Partial band or frameless Bra

This bra has cups that aren’t reinforced by a band beneath the underwire. This bra band only has wings and the gore basically. This bra doesn’t actually have a frame at all only the cradle/wings and gore/bridge.

Full band bra or frame bra.

This bra has a band that wraps around the entire bra including just under the cups where the wires sit. This added structure increases support and keeps the bra steadily in place.

Some partial band bras have wings close to the gore and a low gore to the point they align and aren’t very far apart and it almost behaves like it has a frame even though it doesn’t it just provides additional structure. And some full band bras have very thin subtle frames while others have larger frames.

[brautonomy]

Here are examples of 4,3,2 panel bras most unlined bras are made this way and many of them have side support.

4 panel bras

These have a stretchy top two inner cup panels and a side support panel.

3 panel bras

Most panel bras have thin stretchy tops. These 3 panel bras have a bottom half and side pieces. The top has a wide side panel and the bottom one has side support paneling.

2 panel bras

These are very simple having just two panels that are sewn together! They are usually sewn with more structured fabric that isn’t very stretchy. They can be vertical seamed or horizontal seamed. Note vertical seamed 2 panel bras have an element of side support that horizontal 2 panel bras do not.

[brautonomy]

Spacer bras. They are similar to minimizers but the goals are slightly different. A spacer bra is meant to help especially larger breasts from being pressed together and creating cleavage and having a flattened look in the middle to help you avoid the uniboob effect that some sport bras or tight bras can give you. They keep the breasts separate and apart so they look shapely. A minimizer is meant to envelop breast tissue and press it against the body and smooth it out so it doesn’t appear as large.

Spacer bras tend to be extra full coverage and the wires go very high in order to keep the girls apart. They are very smoothing and tend to do the opposite of a push up bra.

Minimizer bras are similar but they tend to cover all cleavage as much as possible. They have more compression in the cups and try to squeeze everything in like shapewear but for your bust. It smooths everything out and makes you appear smaller and slimmer.

[brautonomy]

Molded cups are foam padding that is formed and shaped in a special process. These molded cups keep shape even when your breasts aren’t in them as opposed to unlined bras. It can be padded push-up or regular lined but it has form to it. Molded padding is found in some bralettes and swimsuits but is usually removeable.

This is a molded cup is holds shape when no one is wearing it.

This is not a molded cup. It is unlined. The fabric is very fluid and quite thin.

[brautonomy]

Examples of side boning. Side boning is used to provide structure and support especially in strapless bras and side support bras as well as some wireless bras and some bras with partial bands like balconette and demi bras. You can put boning on almost any bra to give it more structure and it’s often used on lacy bras to give the thin fabric more structure.

These bras all have side boning to enhance the structure of these bras. The boning is usually plastic sewn into a channel on the side but in some cases it is just fabric channeling.

[brautonomy]

Side Support is a specific panel sewn on the outsides of the cup reinforced by the straps.

You can see how it’s a strip sewn into the bra cup up the side that meets the strap at the apex called a power bar. This feature is very helpful for outer fullness so great for east west or side set shapes because it helps support the breasts by bringing them inward and making the breasts look rounder and more shapely. There are some padded bras that have side support built into the cups but the ones with panels have a little more supportive integrity.

[brautonomy]

Fully adjustable straps have sliders that aren’t stopped by a ring or fabric straps. Some bras are non adjustable but these are examples of bras that are fully or partially adjustable.

This is a fully adjustable strap ⬆️ meaning you can tightened the slider all the way to the apex. The rings are located at the band.

This is a strap that is obstructed by a ring ⬆️ in the upper part of the strap in the back and it is not fully adjustable.

This is a strap ⬆️ that is obstructed by fabric in the front and it is not fully adjustable.

[brautonomy]

What’s the difference between partial and full bands?

A partial band is just two wings attached at the side of the cups and it doesn’t attach all the way across under the gore and cups. It has a lot of flexibility.

This band is technically a full band but it’s extremely thin. It offers more structure than a partial band, but it’s still not a very structured frame.

This is a full band it wraps around all the way across the bottom edge of your bra below your underwire. It offers maximum support and structure. Only longline bras have more band coverage.

[brautonomy]

These bras are the difference between unlined, lightly lined and lined bras.

Unlined bras ⬆️ have no structure to the cups. Only a thin fabric cup that stretches out when you wear it.

Lightly lined bras ⬆️ have molded cups that tend to be thin padding and can be pretty flexible.

Lined/Padded bras ⬆️ are lined with thick firm padding and maybe have extra foam like a push up bra.

[brautonomy]

Story time! Pt 1

When I was around 15, I was a little frustrated with being sized inconsistently and with bra fitters looking at me and guessing. I would try on the bras they said would work and I was a cup size bigger and/or a band size smaller.

I wondered for a long time if I was just lying to myself. I decided to learn how to fit myself for a bra cause I felt the laddies at Victoria’s Secret didn’t know shit. So I went on YouTube when I was 15/16 and I came across a video by Caty called Bra fitting 101. That video was posted 10 years ago from now 2023. And I must’ve seen it in 2016 or 2017 and it now has about 4million views.

🧘🏻‍♀️It was such a relief to know I wasn’t crazy. And to have confirmation that my suspicions were correct. Only I was told and I generally still agree I am small and was shocked to find I was a DD. It actually is small yet the meaning of D+ is made to seem huge cause few people know how bra sizing works. But eventually I got used to it and I haven’t really looked back. Knowing the truth about bra sizes really made me feel less powerless. It turns out my sister size was among the sizes that fit me best. And the bra fitters didn’t always even get my sister size correct. I realized all the places I had been shopping for bras don’t carry my size. Not a single one.

Since I lived in a large city, I looked up places that carried my size. There was only one bra boutique and a Nordstrom rack (which were both about 30 miles away) that carried my bra size. I was so intrigued I begged my mom to take me. We got there and I was shocked at how expensive the bras were. The lady promptly asked me if I’d like a fitting and explained it costs 50 dollars but if I purchased a bra, the 50 dollars would be knocked off the price of the bra. I asked if I could not be sized and simply try on bras and she said sure we just don’t do free fittings.

I reluctantly searched for my size. It felt so foreign. I tried on the starlight idol bra in a dark blue color. I put it on the loosest clasp. To my surprise, I had never experienced a bra that felt so much as if it were made for me. Very truly that was the first time I had ever worn a bra that was actually made for me! Can you imagine!? A bra made for my specific measurements! What a radical idea! Perhaps bras aren’t all made for a community to fit into. Perhaps they are supposed to be a closer fit. What a world! My life was changed.

I still never buy my correct size because my sister size works, I cannot find my real size in stores, and I have a hard time justifying 50+ for a single bra. It is possible to get good sales but I’ve already found bras that work for now, until I’m rich or find an amazing deal. My goal isn’t really to make all people buy their size but to at least know it and know there is better out there. Maybe one day if all of us demand it and buy our correct size they will become more available, affordable and attainable. I genuinely hope so!

[brautonomy]

What’s the deal with Sister Sizes?

Buckle up, this post is lengthy! As you may know, sister sizing is one of the reasons everyone is in the wrong size bra, but the truth is sister sizes are actually supposed to be a super helpful tool to help us find the best fitting bra.

In my experience, not that many women fit into their true size in every single brand and style there is. This is because of vanity sizing, but it could be the material of the bra and it’s often also cause women have different shapes and fullness and will fill out different bra styles and cuts completely differently as a result. If anyone seems to always fit into the same size it’s likely they have round and even breasts which is most commonly achieved with augmentation, but some laddies do have very round breasts naturally it’s just less common.

Now that I mentioned that, I have my own theory about bra sizing. I’ve actually been fitted this way at Victoria’s Secret (VS rarely impresses me). The woman suggested me 2 or 3 sizes to try on that were neighboring sister sizes. Sometimes the size you come up with is more of a starting point rather than a one stop shop.

My theory is that you may have two or three possible sizes that are consistently well fitted for you, usually including the size you measure. Take a 30C for example this person measures 29, 33. So her sizes could be 28D, 30C, 32B.

See the chart and begin looking at your size, you can find your sister size beside it diagonally to the left or right. If you decrease the band size, you increase the cup and vice versa, if you increase the band size, then decrease the cup. Cups are relative to the band. The boxes are color coded so you can distinguish your possible sister size with ease.

Generally speaking, it’s unlikely you would fit more than one band size up or down assuming your first size is accurate (unless you use an extender which only allows you to decrease your band and increase your cup). I don’t recommend using extenders (it distorts the fit) unless it’s a very temporary fix and you eventually obtain your correct size.

Now, here’s an example of an exception to that rule. Let’s take someone who is also 30C but has the measurements 30, 33. They might seem to rarely fit into 28D but sometimes fit 32B more often. And in some cases fits 34A. How could that be if you usually don’t fit more than one size over? Well, her size is sort of on the cusp in a way. And 30C might feel too tight. She’s veering on 31 inches and that’s when it’s time to round up to 32. So her possible sizes are set practically one size up. At the end of the day, it’s all about what feels comfortable and supportive for you. Always try to get the most accurate measurements and the rest is trial and error.

One more exception example. I’ve noticed this from personal experience. Let’s go back to the first example of a 30C. Her measurements were 29, 33. If you are in a position where you have to add an inch to the band, the likelihood of fitting into one cup size higher is greater. Why? Well your bustline is making up for one inch of volume that your band size isn’t and that inch is distributed among both breasts. In theory this makes your bustline .5 inches larger. And that means you’re between cup sizes and they increase in increments of 1 inch. Because band sizes are every two inches, there is always someone who is in between sizes. And this manifests mostly in the cup if you have to increase your underbust to match up to a band size.

Don’t make your bra size a box you feel the need to stay in because the truth is your bra size fluctuates a lot with weight, age, and hormonal changes.

[brautonomy]

Do you know how to Scoop and Swoop? Sometimes it makes all the difference!

Slip your hand into your cup capture breast tissue that gathers at the sides and pull it into the cup, sliding your hand back out of your bra cup and keeping the wire in place with the opposite hand as you do so.

#fashion #bras #undergarments #clothing #fashion tips

[brautonomy]

S Band: 70cm

L Band: 63cm

C (width) 13cm

C (height) 15cm (14cm)

C (depth) 19cm (20cm)

C (separation) 3.5cm (2cm)

W (length) 25cm

Gore height 4.5cm (4-5cm)

Wing height 9cm

Hooks 2

Strap width

[brautonomy]

Bra Education Resources

~ theirishbralady {Instagram}

~ Bratabase {site}

~ nicolacrook {YouTube channel}

~ Victoria skye {YouTube channel}

~ thebraaddict {YouTube channel}

~ Ultimate bra guide {YT Playlist}

~ Brafittingsbycourt {Instagram}

Bra Buying Resources

Go to-

~ Bra stop

Very discounted & good size range

~ Barenecessities 

Wide selection/amazing size range & frequent sales 

~ Nordstrom

High quality, good selection, great size range

~ VS (only online for 30+bands)

note worthy sizes, but not vast, decent quality & good sales

~ Poshmark/Mercari

Second hand, good size range and quality, & good deals

Don’t go to

~ savagexfenty

It’s not quality and sizing is usually limited

~ pepper

They are not well informed on how bra sizing actually works

~ skims

Limited cup sizes (30+ band but cup stops at D for 30 bands)

~Dpt stores

Limited cup and band sizes

[brautonomy]

• The Correct Sizing Method

• How Bra Sizes Work

• Anatomy of a Bra

• Bra Styles and Features

• Aspects of Breast Shape

• Breast Shape Types

• The Life of the Bra

#fashion #bras #style #lingerie

[brautonomy]

Food for thought

People don’t think about the fact that each inch difference measured from the bustline is distributed between two breasts. If you’re an A, one boob adds half an inch volume to your measurement in diameter. If you are an F which is pretty average or most common, each breast gives 3.5 inches extra to your diameter and that’s honestly not huge at all. 6-8 inch difference is a pretty average difference meaning medium sized breasts, add 3-4 inches per breast. If your difference is less you may be considered on the small side if you’re more you may be considered bigger. But it’s not about oh a D is big and DDD/F is huge. Let’s not forget it’s all relative to your rib cage and it’s a matter of proportions. If you’re thin or thick your breasts will almost automatically be smaller or larger since they are typically in proportion to your weight. That’s not to say if you’re thin you have small boobs or if you are thick you have larger ones. It just might be more common for your breasts to reflect your weight.