Thread: on a quest: the right cup size

my problem in a nutshell (or boob shell, tee hee)

my breasts seem to have a larger circumference than depth ratio compared to most bra cups. i wanted to try making my own bras using sugar petal cups, so i bought 2 different sizes. one size is too small around to encompass my whole boob. the other encompasses perfectly but i don't fill it out. this is what i observed just pressing my the cup to my chest, so ill-fitting straps aren't part of the problem... yet!

am i an anatomical freak? .w.:
do other ladies smoosh their boobs into too narrow cups? ..c::
do i just need to pad the crap out of bigger cups? ..g.:

Cup shape can vary from brand to brand, and even from bra to bra within a brand. If you want to find a bra that fits you really well in terms of cup shape, I recommend talking to the folks at Intimacy, if there's a location near you. They are super-awesome at fitting for shape as well as for size. If you don't have an Intimacy near you, try the lingerie department at Nordstrom's. They're supposed to be really good as well.

As the owner of a pair of wide ones myself, I'd vote for "pad the crap out of bigger cups." Depending on how, erm, malleable the girls are and how big the cups are relative to their contents, you might try a round "bump pad" at center bottom of each cup. This will lift and fill in without smooshing all the goodies into the cleavage zone. (Unless of course that's what you want!)

Originally Posted by Anahit_Karyan

Cup shape can vary from brand to brand, and even from bra to bra within a brand. If you want to find a bra that fits you really well in terms of cup shape, I recommend talking to the folks at Intimacy, if there's a location near you. They are super-awesome at fitting for shape as well as for size. If you don't have an Intimacy near you, try the lingerie department at Nordstrom's. They're supposed to be really good as well.

this is an awesome suggestion, except that i hate the thought of spending a lot of money on a nice bra only to chop it up. it might be worth while to find out what my 'real' bra size is now, i haven't been professionally fitted since high school

I definitely feel your pain. I'm not sure if we're anatomical freaks or if 9 out of 10 BD bras are not designed to contain the average human breast

'Til we find out the answer to that pressing question, I have to add that overpadding a bra that's already too big is not always the best solution. IMO, padding is something you do to enhance a bra that already fits you pretty well. If your cups are so wide that they spill into your armpits, or if they are too large for your frame, no amount of padding will correct that. This holds especially true for those of us with narrow ribcages and petite frames.

ETA: Next time I place an order with Bella, I plan to provide her specific cup measurements and mail her a lingerie bra to use as a reference. I'll let you know if I have any luck!

Originally Posted by Zana

As the owner of a pair of wide ones myself, I'd vote for "pad the crap out of bigger cups." Depending on how, erm, malleable the girls are and how big the cups are relative to their contents, you might try a round "bump pad" at center bottom of each cup. This will lift and fill in without smooshing all the goodies into the cleavage zone. (Unless of course that's what you want!)

the girls are pretty malleable, and they do well with padded bras. i like the bump pad idea, and i thought about trying thtx's boob hammock too. i don't mind cleavage. but i hate hate hate bra cups digging into the outside of my flesh. ouch!

Originally Posted by emtink

i thought about trying thtx's boob hammock too.

What is a boob hammock? This sounds intriguing.....g.:

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

I definitely feel your pain. I'm not sure if we're anatomical freaks or if 9 out of 10 BD bras are not designed to contain the average human breast

thank you! freak boobs unite!

costume cups and regular cups are 2 different things. I know your size so I would get a shallow C cup and pad it up so they set into the cup like resting on a big pillow instead of squished.
Also I gotta say sugar petals bra bases are not good. At least I have never had anything good come from using them. They are football shaped.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

What is a boob hammock? This sounds intriguing.....g.:

i will try to find the thread...

http://www.bhuz.com/forum/belly-danc...tml#post536166

post #254

I hate side escaping boobs more!

Originally Posted by emtink

thank you! freak boobs unite!

It's about damned time us freak boobs got some love! ..l;,

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

a shallow C cup

eshta, is 'shallow' the industry term i should be using? it makes sense.

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

It's about damned time us freak boobs got some love! ..l;,

see above, i found the boob hammock post ..g.:

Originally Posted by emtink

see above, i found the boob hammock post ..g.:

Yeah, that sounds awesome. Very promising!

Too bad the pics aren't showing up. But I think I've got the overall gist.

Originally Posted by eshtabellydance

Also I gotta say sugar petals bra bases are not good. At least I have never had anything good come from using them. They are football shaped.

I agree. I have a bra built from them and I really need to redo it. The cups just weren't tall enough.

To the OP, just how much too big are the larger ones? Covering and embellishing will take in some of the extra room.

Good luck on your quest. I usually find good bras to cut up at Walmart or Target.

I have the same problem--I can fill out the underwire width of the cup but the top edge always has extra room. For my dance bras I always end up playing with the placement and position of the shoulder straps--more lift and narrower placement helps me. I also tilt the cups in so they're more like a C than a U. I also add padding to the outer edges--more like a wonderbra cup tilt and padding than a demi or balconette bra shape and padding.
This works for me since part of my problem is having a very small ribcage and shoulder frame.

Originally Posted by SandraDances

I agree. I have a bra built from them and I really need to redo it. The cups just weren't tall enough.

To the OP, just how much too big are the larger ones? Covering and embellishing will take in some of the extra room.

Good luck on your quest. I usually find good bras to cut up at Walmart or Target.

i'm going to give the larger sugar petals cups a go and see what happens. i've also found a bra at target that i like.

i guess my question was more theoretical (sp?) than anything else. it sounds like everyone has to make imperfect cups work for them. it also sounds like most people have to do some kind of padding, as opposed to squishing. but maybe the squishers just aren't posting. perhaps the perfect cup is my holy grail.

what is your name: emtink
what is your quest: i seek the holy perfect bra cup
what is your favourite color: purple!

Originally Posted by nayastrance

I I also add padding to the outer edges--more like a wonderbra cup tilt and padding than a demi or balconette bra shape and padding.

this has worked for me too. thanks for the 'c' suggestion!

Originally Posted by emtink

perhaps the perfect cup is my holy grail.

Mine, too. If I could find one that was small enough not to swallow up an AA-cup and not shaped like a football, a dinner plate, a torpedo or the pope's hat (a la Dina bras), I would be a VERY happy camper.

satin, i think you and i should start a custom bra cup boob molding business. get a facial/massage while we mold your boobs, and an hour later voila! the perfect bra!

LOOOOOOL, it's SO gonna happen! My friend and I were just joking the other day about how we're going to send plaster casts of our breasts next time we order costumes.

And think of the mainstream applications of a boob-molding service. We could make molds so women can give chocolate replicas of their bosoms to their sweethearts for V-Day!

Actually....my boyfriend's not a boob guy whatsoever, so I'd make him a replica of my bum instead. In alabaster white chocolate .w.:

Now you've got me all excited!

I have to say, this thread makes me feel like less of a freak of nature ..g.:

Originally Posted by SatinWorship19

LOOOOOOL, it's SO gonna happen! My friend and I were just joking the other day about how we're going to send plaster casts of our breasts next time we order costumes.

And think of the mainstream applications of a boob-molding service. We could make molds so women can give chocolate replicas of their bosoms to their sweethearts for V-Day!

Actually....my boyfriend's not a boob guy whatsoever, so I'd make him a replica of my bum instead. In alabaster white chocolate .w.:

Now you've got me all excited!

ok, this could dirty real fast so i'll just say... the possibilities are endless!

Originally Posted by emtink

ok, this could dirty real fast so i'll just say... the possibilities are endless!

Here we go, back to the vagazzling/vagina art thread!

Freak of nature, right here!

I have shallow boobs on a very wide rib cage. (Think 40B.) The bra I have that actually fits properly belonged to someone who was at a D or DD. I padded it and it fits snuggly without too much cleavage. It's much easier to just fill in peak of the cup with padding than figure out how to expand it sideways.

I also put a stitch between the cups to tilt them in a bit. It gave me a bit more coverage.

I also recommend finding a bra that the straps come from nearly under the armpits instead those that attach closer to the center of the chest. I've tried a couple of the latter and they look like pasties on a broad chest.

There was one lone costume on bellydancestore.com with the description "wide, shallow cups". I considered buying it just because of that description.

Originally Posted by roguepen

Freak of nature, right here!

I have shallow boobs on a very wide rib cage. (Think 40B.) The bra I have that actually fits properly belonged to someone who was at a D or DD. I padded it and it fits snuggly without too much cleavage. It's much easier to just fill in peak of the cup with padding than figure out how to expand it sideways.

I also put a stitch between the cups to tilt them in a bit. It gave me a bit more coverage.

I also recommend finding a bra that the straps come from nearly under the armpits instead those that attach closer to the center of the chest. I've tried a couple of the latter and they look like pasties on a broad chest.

There was one lone costume on bellydancestore.com with the description "wide, shallow cups". I considered buying it just because of that description.

yup, I'm right there with you ... except my properly fitting bra would be more like a 40A in the front to make it wide enough set and flat enough ... but then you'd have to cinch the back straps back in to make the total circumference back down to more like a 32 or 34 (don't ask me how my body manages to do THAT - it's like they got set so darn wide they're practically under my arms ... thank GOD they're flat ..l;, ) I DEFINITELY agree with the straps close to the armpits rec. if they are wideset ... mostly, I've practically given up on the darned things altogether aside from dance .w.:

So glad I read through this. : )

I have found that, regarding bras in general, not costumes in general, that as far as cup size I'm too big for a 34B and too small for a 34C. My solution has been to buy 36B and take in the underbust slightly as the cup size is slightly larger and differently shaped that the 34B but not as big as 34C. You could try experimenting with that.

That's why you have to measure the cups for a proper costume fit. top to bottom side to side and diagonal and add a tad more cause they shrink once decorated. But once you find the cup that matches the measurements then the band size is unimportant cause you can make it whatever you want.