26" bras?

[Spindelina]

I've just found a few threads form a few years back saying that it's pretty much impossible to buy 26" backs off the shelf. Is that still the case?

I've just lost a load of weight, and I need new bras. My measurements put me around around 26DD as a starting point (though I'm 27" back, so going up to 28D wouldn't be disastrous, especially if I can find brands that come up small in the back).

Ah, thank you SirVixofVixHall We launched just 3 months ago and are gradually launching new styles every few months, with our Classique in teal arriving next month followed by our Louise cage bra and Sophia. So if our current collection isn't quite what you're looking for please do check back again when our range will have expanded. We have lots of exciting plans ahead that will gradually come to fruition over the next few months.

If you would like any assistance with establishing the best style or size for you or want to know how they fit, please don't hesitate to contact us :)

Hi SorrelForbes Oh yes sorry. Due to financial constraints of being a start-up company we initially didn't stock all of our sizes.

We will however be offering more sizes with all future stock from 26D to 34K by the end of this year :)

Hi SorrelForbes We have an ivory Classique waiting to be launched that is perfect for wearing under pale/white tops and the lining offers a lovely smooth appearance :) We have an image of it in our lookbook actually on our website (I'm not sure that we're allowed to link to it on here though) I want one myself to wear under white tops!

Unfortunately, the financial constraints of being a new independent brand means that we can't yet afford to manufacture the stock in our wide size range :( But we will offer it as soon as we can :)

I am browsing the Bosom Galore website, the bras do look beautiful. I love the Amelia, such a beautiful colour too. I may splash out! I have problems with bra fit though, I can't wear Freya or Panache etc any more, as although I could wear Freya when I was smaller, now in my cup size the wires come up much higher at the sides, whereas I just needed more volume in the cup, so they dig in horribly under the arms. I live in Ewa Michalak as they don't do that to me, and they give a very upfront shape, which is good when you have a narrow back. So many bras seem to just scale down the bra band but not adapt the cups at all, so the cups come up far too high and too wide for a smaller frame, the straps cut into the armpit, and fall off the edge of shoulders, and breasts get pulled out sideways, which adds half a stone in an instant. I have tried a Panache bra that "fitted" but didn't allow me to move my arms forward!! Ewa Michalak are skimpier in the cup yet give fabulous support, better support than Freya with far less fabric.

Hi SirVixofVixHall Thank you for the lovely feedback regarding our designs :)

Depending on your bra size, if you are looking for forward projection may I suggest opting for either our Classique or waiting for our new version of the Amelia? The larger sizes of our current Amelia have proven to be better suited to wider breasts (the smaller sizes however seem to work well for all breasts shapes). We're therefore currently creating a new version of the Amelia that provides more forward projection and is better suited to closer set breasts. For your interest, here are a few reviews of the current design:

www.scienceandsilicone.com/scienceandsilicone/2015/5/27/review-bosom-galore-amelia
www.allsfairinloveandlingerie.com/?p=2138
2cakesonaplate.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/my-first-bosom-galore-review-amelia-in-30h/

There may be a common reason as to why the wires in some full bust bras are too wide and it comes down to grading (developing the full size range). Smaller size breasts e.g. from A to C tend to increase in both width and depth and so underwires are designed accordingly; getting slightly wider and higher as the sizes get larger.

However, on small band women breasts reach a point where they no longer get much wider (otherwise they'd go round our backs!), they instead get more full, high and long etc. The grading of the wires therefore needs to be carried out differently; accounting for this change in bodyshape. Essentially, the wires only really need to increase in height whilst the actual bra cup accounts for the increased volume.

Underwires that are 'off the shelf' i.e. pre designed by the supplier, can often be designed with the assumption that breasts get wider and wider. (which as discussed above, isn't the case for small band and full busts) Therefore, if you want to create bras where the wires don't get wider, you need to design and make your own (a far more expensive option). This is in fact what we are doing now. From October onwards, all of our underwires will be bespoke to Bosom Galore...graded specifically for small band and full cups.

Although our current designs do use 'off the self' wires, we have fit tested them and have received great feedback. Our decision to create our own wires is to ensure that they are suitable for our new larger sizes up to 34K this October.

I hope I've explained this ok? It can be quite a complex topic to explain :)

Out of interest, is it useful knowing these details regarding bra development e.g. why certain fit issues arise etc?

Thanks for that. I do understand the wires issue (I worked in fashion and have a good grasp of clothing shapes etc), but you have explained it perfectly there for others. I think the reason the EM bras fit me when others don't is that they grade their wires differently, according to band size, so that they don't end up with bras like the one I bought last year, which had SIX INCHES of band, and massively wide cups. It was impossible to lay the bra flat when done up, as though breasts came round to ones shoulder blades. I have called manufacturers and ranted about this for many years, trying to explain that I need a cup with more front volume but not any more width or height, which must be true of most women who measure the same as me. Instead we are given bras that are for a 38DD cup or similar, with a tiny band stuck on, and it doesn't work at all. And that includes strap positioning, which doesn't change either, and yet if you have a 25-27 inch ribcage, then your shoulders are not going to be the width of someone ten inches wider. Honestly it drives me bonkers. Until I was introduced to EM bras a year or so ago, I hadn't found a bra to fit since getting pregnant, and my eldest is 10. And even prior to that, although I was slimmer and so smaller, I was still 25" ribs and 35" bust so i had major problems with bras.

I would also argue that wires don't really need to increase much in height, really only fractionally, and that the increase should be mainly at the front of the bra, in terms of fullness, or the wires get too high and poke up into the armpit, which is horrible.

I usually have the opposite problem - wires come too high up in the central gore. I could accommodate more wire length under my arms, though. I'm a 30FF usually now, or 28G in some styles. I don't know if it's because I'm short at 5ft2 or because my boobs are wide set.

I sincerely apologise for explaining what you evidently know in fantastic detail. Hopefully someone else will find it helpful though :)

It sounds like you've had an incredibly frustrating bra shopping experience for quite a long time! I imagine a lot of small band women out there are having a similar experience.

Hopefully, as we expand and evolve we can ease some of these dilemmas :) It's feedback like yours that will ensure we take a direction that people want. If only we could offer what everyone wants now!...but unfortunately it takes time to develop and test new designs before they can become available. I do hope our upcoming styles prove to be something that you like, especially when we introduce our new bespoke wires :)

stripytees I too require a lower centre gore than some other people. I'm 5ft 3" which I think means I have a shorter torso and bust.

I agree with the central gore too, I have to have a style with a low or lowish centre, I can't tolerate high central gores for longer than a few hours as there isn't really much of a gap between my breasts. I sometimes fantasise about a dream 50s style bra, with lots of support but no maddening wires. I did used to wear my mother's old bras from the 50's before I got too chubby!

Oh and Katy, don't apologise, it was a really clear explaination, I hope I didn't sound rude!

Ooo, how were the bras from the 50's from your mum? Were they comfortable? I do quite like the very full coverage that bras used to have but I'm not too keen on a conical shape and I need elasticity.

I would like to wear non-wired bras but at the moment, I can't find any that provide the shape I want. It is our mission to develop something great for next year.

Oh you didn't sound rude at all :) I just felt a little embarrassed for explaining something that you evidently know very well.

They were really nice, not too conical at all, even with circle stitching. I miss full coverage bras! I can't get one to fit, and they seem to be so rarely made. The balconnette is the default shape now. The full cup ones I have tried all do that East West thing on me whereas I want my knockers to point forwards, where they feel comfortable!!!
My mother had some great long line ones, and strapless basques with no underwire but with boning running the length of the body along the cup. And some strapless slips with broderie anglais skirts, they were lovely under strappy dresses. I have loads of vintage underwear, vintage is my thing, and there isn't much I don't know. (I have started giving lectures). So if you want to chat about anything vintagey then PM me. I do miss a two part cup simple full cup 1970s style bra, like the old Warners and Charnos bras, they were really comfortable for everyday wear. Gossard used to make some great lace full cup bras with very forward facing cups. Sadly no longer. No strap issues with a full cup as the strap is more central. And according to Cadolle that is where the strap should be to give maximum support. (they also say that straps should, as in the 50s, have almost no stretch). Full cups can be glam, they don't have to be frumpy.
They key thing with non wired bras is that they really need vertical boning in the band, and sometimes one central bone too, or they collapse, put too much weight on the shoulders, and you risk frump shape. Not such an issue with smaller cup sizes though. Modern full cups are cut too flat, in an attempt to give support by gripping the breast against the body. This always fails, doesn't look great, and I imagine isn't very healthy for glandular breast tissue either.

SirVix you might have already tried them but Fantasie side support bras do much of what you describe - forward projection and quite a lot of coverage. I'm now a 30F in them and they're really comfortable too.

stripey I have tried them and sadly they still do that East West thing on me, also they are too big around the back . Shame as they look pretty.

I am hopeful about Bosom Galore's forthcoming bespoke wires. (Now there's a sentence and a half).

SirVixofVixHall I love vintage underwear ... basques, high waists, longline, night dresses....I think this will subtly influence next years nightwear collection :)

I own two lovely corsets tucked away that I used to wear a lot and felt amazing in. I don't wear them any more but I still dig them out every now and then.

Do you have a Linked In profile at all? I think it would great to connect with your wonderful interest and knowledge of vintage lingerie.

If you like lace full cups with forward projection then our new Sophia does sound ideal! That's exactly what we working towards and it will include our new wires: bosomgalore.com/sophia-non-padded-plunge/
(Please excuse the URL, it was originally going to be a plunge but we changed it). I'm eager to share images but this won't be possible until our wires are approved.

Yes I'm not a fan of overly stretchy straps...they tend to act like a bungee rope which isn't great when holding a heavy weight.

I'm delighted to read your thoughts on non-wired bras as it correlates with my own thinking. I'm looking forward to getting started on development; I'm anticipating quite a lengthy process but the end result should be well worth it :)

I agree about stretchy straps they are a nightmare

& my daughter has to shorten them SO much it's like being small is not considered if you are big in the cup.....26E (ish) although we got a 32 C that fitted really well from Debenhams which blew my mind a bit!!

For me my glands under my arms are often swollen and a bra which the wires come up too high really really hurt - my boobs are all in the front not halfway to my back!

I've been musing a bit more about what I can't find in my size, and come to the conclusion: skimpy.

I can get Tshirt bras and boring stuff like that, giving a good shape with my clothes on. But with clothes off, the fuller cup / embellished styles that would enhance a curvy figure look a bit daft on my non-curvy upper body (not talking about my legs here!). What I need to look great in just my underwear is something that's less full on, both in terms of coverage/support - which it doesn't need to be because I don't need the support - and design. My breasts need subtle decoration more than support!

I'm a physicist with not an artistic bone in my body (or gland in my breasts??), so I hope my design ramblings make some sort of sense!

I like the sound of the Sophia, I'll eagerly await the pics!!

Spindelina I think you're absolutely making sense :) I think a lot of people love skimpy and delicate items of lingerie. I know I do!

If it is of any interest, most of our designs will be different for our smaller sizes than our larger sizes, for example, our new teal blaconette will be a 2 piece cup for smaller sizes e.g. 26D to 30F etc. and a 3 piece cup for larger sizes to offer increased coverage and support.

I've found strap length to be interesting...the length that people need seems to vary quite a lot, regardless of size, torso length etc. which can be difficult to cater for unless the whole strap is adjustable by being one length of elastic, in which case, the elastic ideally needs to not have too much give.

I wish there were more bras available in a 26 back. Katy, yours are lovely, but obviously higher up the luxury scale than, say, Debenhams. Which is great, they look gorgeous, but it's frustrating that's all that's out there. Is it really so rare to be a 26 back? You'd think there'd be loads of people, especially teenagers, that size?

Hi LucyTheValiant I think that the demand for 26 band sizes is increasing as more women gain a better understanding of good bra fit. Up to 90% of the women that we fit are wearing a band that is much too big...and so the demand for smaller bands only increases when women discover the benefits of a more snug band.

Hopefully, over time, more companies will cater for a 26 band size. There once was a time when a 28 band was impossible to find and thankfully these are becoming more available, so hopefully the 26 band follow. And if not, then our mid-range sister company will hopefully provide something within your price range (although I'm afraid that this won't be for at least another year :( )

Although the whole issue is partly one of labelling. My Mum's bras, for instance, are all 32 or 34, and yet she was tiny, 25 ribs. Sometimes she had to alter bras, but all her longline bras fit like a modern 28 or smaller. It just that the "old" system assumed that someone with a 32 bust for instance, had a rib size 4-6" smaller. The system worked for a long time, although 32s were almost always too big for me twenty years ago, when 30's first came in they were fine, I had 25" ribs then, so a 30 was the correct size under that system, my problem was then finding a big enough cup size as 30s only went up to a DD for ages. So I still had to buy 32s or 34s and then take the back in. Bras have got slightly bigger around the back, but not all brands, which causes problems. So I really do now need a 28 in freya, even though I am now almost a 27" rib, so bigger than I used to be. And I have old bras that are 30s and are much smaller than a modern 30. The system need overhalling so that there is one standard way of measuring, whether it is the old way of adding inches or the new way of measuring ribs. 28 rib bras have always been made, its just that they were called something else, they were called 32.