Thread: Halter security - tips

OK, so, I am in the process of making my first bra with non-stretch sides (stiffened lingerie cups plus buckram from an old Egyptian bra I remade) and so far, so good, except that the cups look pretty precarious sans straps. Against all conventional wisdom for women with boobs my size, I want to make this a halter, and I've tried creating a halter with a single piece of the base fabric I'll use for this (matching petersham, which I will cover). And it looks good. SOOO good. It feels moderately secure, but I'm still a bit worried about the capacity for something going pop.

Right now, I have a single halter strap that goes around the back of the neck, and could easily fasten it permanently to the top "point" of one cup and create a strong hook closure inside the other cup "point" (the base bra is an adjustable style which came with straps with which to do just this for a halter). Although this does put pressure on the back of my neck, it's not bad as the strap is thick, and it seems to create good tension to really draw the cups inwards and create nice cleavage.

I'm thinking of buying some clear straps to go over the shoulders for extra safety as well. Also double sided tape, just in case.

What do you think is the best and most foolproof approach?

1) Single strap plus extra clear straps and pinning
2) Two straps hooking at the back of the neck plus extra clear straps and pinning
3) Just the single strap with extra safety elastic strap underneath
4) Just the single strap goddammit.

I love halter style straps on me...I'm a DD and have never had any concerns regarding the strap. I have always used 2 (long)straps fastening at the neck with a trouser hook and a super industrial snap for re-inforcement. I leave a bit of overlap on the straps to sew the snaps incase the trouser hook comes un-hooked but with the snaps added there is no "movement" and the hook is more secure. I have also on occasion sewn the straps together and just slipped the strap over my head when putting on the costume.

But....I would hate to be the one to say "4) Just the single strap goddammit." and be responsible for your "exposure"!

If you want the appearance of one strap you could have a second strap beneath the one mentioned above. I would have totally separate hooks and everything. A few layers of grosgrain ribbon stitched together would be sufficient.

Two halter straps and sew them shut behind your neck! And just slip it over your head to put it on. This is how I secure all my halters and I have never had an accident. Granted, I am not large breasted, but I feel very secure with them sewn shut!

Halters I buy always have two straps that hook at the back of the neck. I usually sew that closed, though, for security, and put on the bra by hanging it around my neck then fastening the back. So far, that's been very secure -- although my neck gets sore from the pressure even though I'm not all that busty.

My favorite arrangement is the way the Noussa halters are made. Nice thick straps that fasten round the neck (with a bit of stretch to them if I remember correctly) but then narrow straps that attach the halter to the backband to help relieve the pressure on the neck and just hold everything in place. This doesn't directly address your security issue, but it does add stability to the design and helps take some of the workload off the neck. Here's a pic from the swapmeet thread (lots of other Noussas there to check out if you're interested)

I would go with 2 straps that join at the back of neck...for added security, ensure that straps overlap quite a lot, and use 2 sets of hooks that pull in opposite directions. What I mean is: on the 'top' strap (the one that lies on top when hooks are closed) have a hook at the end of the strap and corresponding eye on the bottom strap. On the botton strap have a hook on the end of the strap, facing the opposite direction to the top strap hook, that fastens onto a corresponding eye on the bottom strap. I have found this works for me (D or DD cup, depending) and I feel quite safe.

I am a D or DD and I use 1 strap attached to both sides that I just slip over my head. I've never had problems with slippage. But I like to be pretty covered, too. So my girls sit down in the cups without a lot of cleavage. It may be different if you're going for more cleavage. I would suggest trying a big hip circle a few times to make sure you stay in it.

Thanks guys! I am definitely planning the heaviest of hooks and multiple directions.

One of the nicest things about this is being able to show my un-traversed upper back and my shoulders, which are both actually quite nice. And it is a slimming look too as it seems to draw the eye in.

I am limited in the amount of petersham I actually have, and working to a tight time-frame, so a two-strap deal may not be do-able, but a secret stretch strap underneath should help.

This is a costume that was to be quite ornamented, but I'm tending towards leaving it fairly plain after all. It'll be danced in at bare minimum finishing, but then it just looks like one of the hot designer numbers with minimal embellishment. It's a sort of blue-purple-lilac soft lycra and I've thus far ornamented it solely with a turquoise scarab between the boobs, which looks really nice (at least in the darkish light of my house). I wish I had a second one of those scarabs for the skirt closure!

These types of clasps lock closed, so might be useful for attaching your halter strap to the bra cup - you could sew them inside the cup rather than on the edge, so the clasp is hidden. MacCulloch and Wallis - Product - Bikini Clasps.

I also like the strap arrangement in the photo that Lauren showed - I have a similar one and know from experience that if the halter hook pops open the other straps will keep the bra up on my shoulders long enough to fix the problem. Mind you, I need two hooks on the halter strap, because I think this arrangement means that you can unclasp one hook by shrugging.

These flat trouser hooks are also less likely to come undone: MacCulloch and Wallis - Product - Silver Trouser & Skirt Hooks & Bars

Originally Posted by damiena

Two halter straps and sew them shut behind your neck! And just slip it over your head to put it on. This is how I secure all my halters and I have never had an accident. Granted, I am not large breasted, but I feel very secure with them sewn shut!

I'm with this as well. I don't mess with any hooks on any halter design.

I like the goddamnit option (with no hooks). Width of strap itself, as well as width between the cups will help distribute weight.