How Should a Bra Fit Properly 

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Fit may be one of the things that got you interested in making bras in the first place. We all know what a great fitting bra feels like; the best ones are like an extension of your body, almost weightless, and unnoticeable. We all want that! 

Before going to fitting of bra we should know about bra details. A bra or brassiere is a form-fitting undergarment designed to support a woman's breasts and help them define its shape. It is one of the sex appealing clothing for girls and women. We have also published an article on anatomy of bra. You can read this. 

Fig-1: Bra fitting

But how a bra should fit properly? 
It is actually a combination of things. At its simplest, the best fitting bra completely encapsulates the breast tissue, bringing it out from under the arm and off the rib cage so the breasts are lifted to a front facing position. It does all of this while lying flat against the body with no wrinkles or ripples - in the bra or on the body.

Of course, for a bra to achieve perfect fit as a whole each part of the bra must do its job so let’s take a look at each part of the bra and how it should fit. 

Fig-2: Basic parts of bra

Cups 
The cups fully enclose the breast tissue and provide the desired contours. While there are varying degrees of coverage possibilities on the top of the breast, the bottom portion of the cup must contain the breast entirely. 

If the cups are too large, the breasts are not fully supported and will sag into the open spaces and the bra will look baggy. While this may be comfortable, the constant pull of gravity on the tissue surrounding the breasts can lead to an unattractive future, not to mention what this does to the body’s current profile. And there’s more bad news: ill fitting cups can also allow the apex of the breast to point outward rather than straight ahead. Since this creates an illusion of width, this is also unattractive. 

If the cups are too small, in addition to discomfort, the bra will not lie flat on the body – it will be rippled and the wearer’s body may be too as it squeezes out from underneath the bra. 

Bridge 
The bridge spans just the space between the breasts, lying flat against the body and putting the cups and underwires in precise position to hold and support the breasts. If the bridge is too wide, the cups are too far apart and the bra will stand away from the body creating a sort of uni-cup that does not hold or support the breasts effectively. On the other hand, if the bridge is too small, the breasts are pinched together. 

Band 
From reading the section on Basic Bra Anatomy, you now know that the band of a bra is key to supporting the breasts. If the band is not wide enough to handle the pressure from supporting the breasts there are two ill effects. The first effect is that the support job will be transferred to the straps, which can cause shoulder pain as well as dig little strap trenches in the skin. The second effect is that the torso will bulge out over the top of the band (the infamous “back fat”), which no one wants. 

The bra band should not be too tight or too loose but it should be snug. If the band is too loose, the bra can move around which usually means the breasts pull the back of the band up as they sag down in front. A band that is too tight will be uncomfortable and will pull the entire bra too tightly against the body causing the body to protrude around the bra. Not the look we are going for. 

Fig-3: Two fingers should fit under the back of the band

How tight is tight enough? Here is used a “two finger” rule. That is, only two fingers should fit under the back of the band when the bra is done up at its loosest or middle row of hooks. 

Underwires 
The underwires sit directly under the breasts, against the body and match the diameter of the breasts. This fit allows the wires to do their job of spreading the stress of breast support into the band. If wires are too small in diameter, they will dig into the breast tissue. If they are too large or too long, they will dig into the body. If the wires don’t fit correctly, they can also shift and twist. As you can imagine, or perhaps you know from personal experience, ill-fitting wires make for a long uncomfortable day. 

Straps 
Ideally bra straps should extend in a line from just outside the apex of the breast toward the mid point of the shoulder, however, many women prefer to wear their straps further out on the shoulder. So long as the back band is parallel to the floor and the bra cups are at the correct height for the wearer, this is not a problem. 

As mentioned in the prior section, straps don’t support the breast – they just maintain the position of the band and cups on the body. Straps should not slide, move around or dig in to the shoulder or anywhere else. You should barely notice they are there.

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