Fitting Room Diaries: Entry #014, Size 38G, Narrow Roots/Full on Top
Customer: Lara, Size 38G
Lara is one of our regular fitting models. She has consistently worn 38G, and wants her breasts to be lifted and centered with a bra on. She has found Empreinte to be a good fit in the past.
Her measurements: 39’’ underband, 46’’ standing bust, 47’’ leaning bust
She likes a very firm and lifting fit. She is between 38G and 38H, but finds 38H not supportive enough.
Her roots are narrower than average. Her fullness is mostly on top and in the center, causing nipples pointing slightly outward. She is fairly projected for her size range. Her priorities are a good lift and a round shape.
Bra #1: Simone in 38G
Because Lara’s roots are narrow, we started with Simone. The underwire ends at a comfortable spot on her side. She said Simone definitely delivers on shape – lifted, centered, and round. But the bra cups don’t have enough depth (center gore is far from touching), and the shoulder straps are a bit too far apart for her narrower-set shoulders.
Bra #2: Ivy in 38G
Ivy is another good underwire/roots match. Compared to Simone, the shoulder straps are closer together, but Ivy had the same fit issues – not enough depth in the cups, pushing the center gore far out. In terms of shape, it’s lifted and centered, but not as round as Lara likes.
Bra #3: Harper in 38G
Harper is the third narrow-underwire bra Lara tried. The wire fits, the shape is lifted and round, and there is some forward projection (pushing breasts to the center, out of arms’ way). Same issue as the previous two bras – not enough projection in the cups. Despite the fit issue, Lara has this bra and loves it for the design.
Bra #4: Petal in 38G
Petal’s cups are too tall on Lara. She found the shape too pointy.
Bra #5: Zoe in 38G
Zoe fits similar to Simone. It has a narrow underwire and a lower center gore. Zoe runs a bit small in G cups, so throughout the day this bra would create over-the-cup spillage on Lara.
Bra #6: Shea in 38G
Shea has a wider underwire that goes past Lara’s arm. It’s similarly shallow to Bras #1 to 5, causing a flared out center gore.
Bra #7: Quinn in 38G
Like Shea, Quinn has a wider underwire that doesn’t suit Lara’s shape. It’s on the more projected side for current Understance bras. Because the center gore is very tall, it’s far from touching her sternum. Lara’s breasts are very center-full and naturally touch in the middle when unsupported. She said that when the center gore touches, her breasts usually point outward too much. The ideal solution here would be a low center gore that tacks without pushing her breasts to the sides, allowing the underwire to sit on her IMF, and not on her breast tissue.
Bra #8: Salma in 38G
Salma’s underwire and pattern are the same as Quinn’s. It’s too wide for Lara. Because it’s made with a softer material, it offers a more relaxed fit. Lara said Salma looks less round than Quinn, and her breasts look more “splayed.”
Bra #9: Sierra in 38G
Sierra is similarly too wide for Lara. It also doesn’t give her enough coverage. She said it felt dangerous to lean forward.
Lara didn’t have the most successful fitting with Understance. The bras she tried on were too shallow across the board. We are working on a pair of very projected bras (30-48, DD-K) that will launch some time in Fall 2023 – they will be a much closer fit. We hope to get her back in our fitting room for a post update then!
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