Thread: Bra band question

When making the band tight enough on bedlahs, how do you make it tight enough to not slide around but also not so tight it rides up in the back?

Or is riding up a strap issue?

too short of straps will cause ride up.

Darn, that's what I thought...

I have a hard cup bedlah that was originally a D cup and I'm a C. The cups fall forward a bit so I shortened the straps (they were way too long anyway).

So I have to let the straps out a bit and pad more to keep the band down, the boobs in, and the cups against the chest?

Sometimes you also have to reposition the cups also. But longer straps should help.

Sometimes the top of the rib band is too slack compared to the tension at the bottom of the band and this can cause the cups to fall forward. If this is the case a small pleat will need to be made at the pit area to bring the cup closer to the top of the chest wall. Does that make sense?

Tightening the band around the ribcage should help. Is this a hard-band type bra, or a stretchy fabric? If it's the hard-band variety, and you feel like you can't tighten it anymore without stopping breathing, perhaps you can insert a hidden band of elastic inside the bra band. Use a wide, heavy-duty elastic, and sew pieces inside the bra band about halfway along each strap. It should have it's own closure (hook-and-eye, or whatever). Just make sure that the hook-and-eye on the original bra band don't then fly open too easily, because their tension may now be a little slack. Those flat trouser hook-and-eyes are good, because they're designed not to pop open.

If your bra band is stretchy fabric, perhaps making it wider will help keep it from slipping up. I know with lingerie bras, I find a 3-hook-width bra strap is far less likely to slip up on me than a 2-hook-width strap.

Hard cups and fabric, and I've already brought the cups in because there was too much space between boobs.

Hmm, that might also have changed the band angle just a tad.

I'm not sure I can pleat the top of the band, but if I put some elastic there, at an angle - would that also help?

I'll try the band elastic too, how close to the bra hooks should it be (I'm thinking if the elastic stays put but the band still rises...)?

Thanks all, I think I can do this.

Originally Posted by yaalini

I'm not sure I can pleat the top of the band, but if I put some elastic there, at an angle - would that also help?

I think that would help. A friend did this with her too-big-bra and it seemed to help.

Originally Posted by yaalini

I'll try the band elastic too, how close to the bra hooks should it be (I'm thinking if the elastic stays put but the band still rises...)?

I think it may bunch up and not work well if the elastic is too close to the closure. I've elasticised a bra strap like this before, and starting the elastic about half-way along the straps worked OK. Perhaps the best idea is to experiment - sew closures on the ends of two pieces of elastic and then safety-pin them in to the bra strap at different points, to see what works best.

Have you tried making your straps into a halter or-crisscross style (that always pulls cups in for me)?

Is this a Turkish bra, and did the bra band ride up on the previous owner?

Many Turkish bras are made so the bra band sits very high up on the back, it feels (and looks, IMHO) like it is riding up. But that is actually where it's designed to go. Why they do this; I do not know. Perhaps so there's no danger of the rear band peeking out beneath a vest?

The easy option is to adjust the bra straps so the cups fit comfortably against your chest, and adjust the band so it fits comfortably around your ribs, and live with the band in the spot where it ends up.

The hard option may not be possible if the band is already a tight fit. You'll need to readjust the way the band is attached to the cups. The right way is to remove the bands and reattach them at the correct angle. The good enough way is to take a dart at the bottom of the band, at the point where it attaches to the cup. Wide part of the dart at the bottom of the band.

Either method shortens the length of the band a bit, so if you have just a couple inches of overlap before realignment, the band might be too short after realignment.

Originally Posted by yaalini

Hard cups and fabric, and I've already brought the cups in because there was too much space between boobs.

Hmm, that might also have changed the band angle just a tad.

Yep, tipping the cups changes the angle of the band.

Tip the cups in towards each other, the band angles up.

Tip the cups out and away from each other, the band angles down.

Originally Posted by anala

Sometimes the top of the rib band is too slack compared to the tension at the bottom of the band and this can cause the cups to fall forward. If this is the case a small pleat will need to be made at the pit area to bring the cup closer to the top of the chest wall. Does that make sense?

Yes, when the top of the rib band is too slack the top of the cups will fall away from the body, or the top of the band will sag away from the body in the back, but that won't cause the band to ride up in the back.

If, in this situation, you fasten the bra band so the front of the bra fits comfortably and the top of the band fits comfortably at the back, then smoothly fit the lower part of the band against the body so it fits comfortably also, the band will angle downwards - exactly the opposite of riding up.