help bras always gaping at the top?!

[rosyrose79]

I have a lot of cleo bras minnie, bella, marcie, lily...but while they fit well on the bottom of the cups the top of the bra always gapes..I have tried going a cup size down but that makes the bra too small at the bottom. Any advice???

[StatisticallyChallenged]

It sounds like you might have quite bottom heavy boobs? If so, you probably need something where the top of the cup is more open - like the Juna, bravissimo half cups, Freya Patsy etc.

[Gintonic]

Try balconette style bras which don't come up so high?

[rosyrose79]

Thanks Gintonic, that sounds like a good idea. Are there any you can recommend?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

The ones I mentioned are balconette/half cups

[rosyrose79]

Thanks StatisticallyChallenged. I will have a look on bravissimo for the half cup styles.

[rosyrose79]

Would panache jasmine work as well?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

The lace at the top of the jasmine is stretchier than the Lily and co so it might work, but it might still gape. Basically if you are very bottom heavy then the styles which work best are those which don't really have a top to the cup.

[rosyrose79]

that makes sense, I will leave the jasmine and try the ones you suggested, thanks for the help

[rosyrose79]

Is it the Freya Padded Half Cup Patsy I should be looking at? They have another unpadded one too. Any specific ones from bravissimo too?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Bravissimo branded half cups might work - like the mademoiselle. I think it runs a bit small in the cup.

The Patsy half cup is the one I was thinking of.

You'll sometimes see the shape called half cup and other times balconette but it's the relatively low, wide shape at the top you are looking for. The Curvy Kate tease me and Ritzy are similar, as are a few Masquerades like the Rhea, Angie etc.

[rosyrose79]

Thanks StatisticallyChallenged that's really helpful!! Don't know what we would do wihout you bra experts :)

[rosyrose79]

bringmejoy2015 the band fits perfectly and I have adjusted the straps too but the lace/fabric at the top always pulls away from my body. I have ordered a few of the half cups from Bravissimo and the masquerade rhea and also the freya patsy half cup which have been recommended on here..really hoping one of these will give me a better fit

[rosyrose79]

Thanks :)

[rosyrose79]

the Masquerade Rhea arrives today and while it fit better in the cup, the straps were way too wide for me. Hoping that I have better luck with freya and bravissimo versions.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

That's always a bit of a trade off, as half cup/proper balconettes often have slightly wider set straps but some are better than others. I've moved them in on previous bras but it tends to shift the shape of the cups, making them more plunging so not ideal.

[bonzo77]

Balconette has more coverage than a half cup. You might still get gaping with a balconette. OP I have a similar problem and really recommend the bravissimo own brand half cups and their Alana balconette.

[StatisticallyChallenged]

The problem is there is no universally agreed description of a balconette - it straddles everything from shapes which are very close to a half cup, to bras which are really quite full coverage and probably more of a balcony really.

[sergeantmajor]

Maidenform Comfort Devotion is good

[rosyrose79]

I don't think half cups will work for me. My bravissimo order arrived today and the half cups give me a squashed shape from the front but fit well elsewhere...maybe not deep enough? I think I may need to look for balconettes with stretchy lace at the top.

[rosyrose79]

If I measure 30 underbust which band in the freya balcony would fit 28 or 30?

[StatisticallyChallenged]

Normally I'd start with a 30, but Freya can run a bit looser. However, I think the Patsy is going to be too shallow for you.

It sounds like you need more depth than these styles offer, I'm trying to think of deeper half cups. Ewa Michalak are relatively deep - their CH/CHP style might work. It could be worth trying the Panache Jasmine.

It's not the half cup itself that's the problem, it's that a lot of half cups seem have been designed with wider, shallower boobs in mind IYSWIM?

[rosyrose79]

Thanks StatisticallyChallenged that makes sense, the half cups look amazing on the models so I wasn't sure why they didn't work for me. I have ordered the jasmine, hopefully it has the depth I need :)

[StatisticallyChallenged]

It is tricky, the one I normally suggest for this (apart from Ewa) are the Cleos, but you already have those! It might be worth having a look at Kris Line - they're another polish brand and tend to be on the deeper and narrower side, but they're stocked on Brastop which makes things easier.

They run SMALL in both band and cup as a rule!