Cup size. Cup style. Cup fit. Cup support. Yes, that is what we are dishing about this Friday. Everything you ever wanted to know about bra cups.
Let’s start with cup fit. First, the breast should fit in the cup without any popping out at the top. The dreaded “quad boob” as some like to call it. If that happens, it’s time to get fit asap. If the breast pops out from underneath the bra, below the underwire, it’s time for a fitting. Another cup fit quandary is when one breast is larger than the other. 85% of women do not have perfectly symmetrical breasts, and in this case, we suggest always fitting for the larger breast. (And yes, 85% of us have asymmetrical breasts. Don’t think you are alone or “weird” or misshapen, or abnormal).
Cup size….. Cup size is an interesting thing. A size 34E is much different than a 38E. Its proportionate to the band. So, the cup on a 34E is smaller than the cup on a 38E. We often talk about “sister size” in the intimates industry. If you have had a professional bra fitting, you may have heard that term as well. For instance, the cup on a 38E, is the same as the cup on a 34G. Where as the cup on a 34E is equal to the cup of a 38C. However, a woman who is a 34E should never wear a 38C because they band would be extremely loose and thus not fit or give proper support.
Support, support, support. Gotta have support or you might as well not wear a bra. Cups, with the big help of the band, assist in lifting and supporting the breasts. This is achieved by the shape and design of the cup, and often depends upon the size of the cup. For full busted and full figured makes of bras, there is often more engineering required to give proper support and lift. For instance, a simple demi that would support a small cup, could never properly hold & support a very large cup. And likewise, a small cup would never need the amount of engineering and design that a full cup needs. Speaking of design, let’s step into the world of cup type and style.
Soft cup vs. padded cup. Padded cups are what we mostly associated with the standard smooth “t-shirt bra”. The bra that covers everything and disguises the nipple. Besides the smooth, padded cups can also come with a lace or silk overlay. The main reason customers choose the padded is either for more volume or nipple coverage. Soft cup bras have no padding but instead have shaping with seams and/or stretch. These bras are perfect for those who do not want extra volume but also want lift and shape.
Finally, we are going to talk about 3 cup types. These are the top 3 general shapes. Of course there are sub-types like minimizers, post surgery, and quarter cups.
Demi: What Is a Demi Bra? A demi bra is all about the cup. You can generally identify a classic demi bra by the partial cups that cover between 50-75% of the breast in order to emphasize your natural cleavage.
Balconnet: What are balconette bras? … The cups on a Balconette Bra offer a little less coverage than a classic demi for an added emphasis on your natural cleavage–not on a push-up bra level, but it gives you some room to show off your curves. Balconette is often a cut & sewn type that allows to perfect sculpting of the breast. Balconettes are perfect for a full bust that wants less coverage than full but cannot get support from a demi.
Full: A full coverage bra is a bra with a high neckline that is designed to cover almost all of your breast tissue. Full coverage bras are available in a few different cup styles, including molded cups, stretch fabric cups and seamed fabric cups. … Just because a bra has full coverage doesn’t mean that it can’t be sexy!
So, there you have it folks. A little information about bra cups.