bra dry

I've realised that while there are titbits (pun intended) of information about how rib Cages can affect bra fit floating around, it's never been collated into one easy to access article. So I've tried to do that: most of the information in this post is credited to other hardworking bloggers, please check out the credits at the end to support their work! Also big thanks to my sister for the lovely diagrams. 1. Rib Cage Shapes (horizontally) There are two basic types of rib cross-sections to consider in relation to bra fitting, disregarding the sternum (we'll get onto the breastbone later): Flat vs Barrel Shaped Ribs   Flat ribs (left) - the most common rib cage shape   Barrel shaped ribs (right) - more rounded than the average rib cage shape Most bras are designed to fit best on flat ribs. If you have barrel shaped ribs , the cups of a bra may tilt outwards, meaning that you need more depth in the centre than fullness tests suggest. Wires may dig in at any point (the g...

A quick lowdown of three places to buy bras in Melbourne - if you're one of the two thirds of people who don't fit in the sizes most bra shops sell, or you just want somewhere to give you a good fitting, this is the post to read. Apologies for the lack of photos of the fittings, my phone was broken.   The Good - Brava   Brava's exterior Shop: When I walked into Brava, it had a chill atmosphere - clean white walls with lots of bras on. The shop was smaller than the others I visited but they used the space wisely to show an extensive range, generally grouped by brand. The fitting room was large, tidy and well-lit, with a large, clean mirror. Something that stood out to me was that the wall in the fitting room had a sign on it that said something along the lines of "take your bras home and wear them for a few hours - you can return them if they're uncomfortable", which I found very reassuring and shows how understanding the business is. Brava's interior Range...

Welcome to part two of my series on how band lengths are not always equal between cup sizes. Last time we had Cleo by Panache , now we're testing Freya's band lengths. I collected Bratabase data on the stretched and unstretched band lengths in a couple of band sizes of Freya bras - the ones with the most data. The results are as follows: This chart, as you have probably guessed, shows Freya's stretched band lengths. In 28 and 30 bands, from D to G cups, the bands are fairly consistent. However in 32 and 34 bands, the data is more varied - this is probably due to the smaller sample sizes of these band sizes. (I also want to note that the 34s are comparatively larger than the 32s, 30s and 28s). When we analysed Cleo's data, we saw a clear increase in stretched band lengths from G to GG cups. Here, there isn't anything quite as visible though there does appear to be a band length increase of about 0.5 to 1cm. H cups are reasonably consistent with GGs, aside from in ...

Note: This blog post has images with text on them, so I've uploaded a text-only version here that should be compatible with text to speech readers. Angles   Make sure you're taking these pictures with neutral posture, as that's how fit is judged! If there is a difference in fit on each breast, be sure to take photos of each side. 1. The Diagonal Shot This is my new CHP Koktajl in case you were wondering The diagonal picture is absolutely the most valuable when evaluating fit, as you can see most areas of the bra and it has a certain amount of perspective to it - if you're just going to take one bra photo, make it a diagonal one . Try to frame it so that the gore is visible as well as the wire on one side. As well as all of the bra fit aspects visible at this angle, you can also see up to 75% of the cup fabric. 2. The Front-On Shot The front-on shot still has its uses, though as you can see you can't tell as much about the general fit of the bra. In addition to what...

Since people loved my 11 Signs You're Wearing a Boob Hat  post, I have decided to write one about the opposite syndrome: The Parachute Bra. Parachute bras are worn by people who have realised that the "plus 4" method of measuring people is a terrible system, but they go too far the other way - wearing too small bands and too large cups to compensate. I call them parachute bras because the cups billow in the wind, and the band is tight around you like a harness. Some people call this "reverse letterphobia" but I've chosen a different name because I feel that reverse letterphobia is a little bit.. judgey (and my name is catchier ngl). Why do people do this? They may be very afraid of the too loose bands they were wearing in the past, they may want to be a smaller band and larger cup than they are because of a lack of body confidence, or they may just not quite know how a bra should fit. They may also have a projected shape and size up to get the depth they nee...

Just when  you thought bra fitting couldn't get any more complicated, it turns out that a 30 often isn't the same as a 30. It's commonly known that people with larger cup sizes tend to choose smaller bands over those with smaller cup sizes. But is this an organic decision or influenced by changing band lengths with cup sizes? I collected Bratabase data on the stretched and unstretched band lengths in a couple of band sizes of Cleo bras - the ones with the most data. The results were pretty interesting! The title is self-explanatory - this chart details Cleo's stretched band lengths. As you can see, from D-G the bands are fairly consistent. The 28s stretch to just a little over 28", the 30s stretch to a little over 30", and the 32s hover around a little over 32". All seems to be pretty normal. But then we reach the GG. The G to GG jump is known to be a place where lots of brands change scaling, cup construction and other aspects of a bra. The stretched ban...