If you could design the perfect bra for you - YouLookFab Forum

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If you could design the perfect bra for you

Indigoprint

Veteran

I am inspired by Runcarla's recents posts regarding bra fitting. I am specifically looking for input regarding preference of front/vs back closure. To be transparent I prefer front close however am interested in any and all input especially regarding why one could be better than the other.

Dressing

26 replies

Latest reply was from Indigoprint

Echo

Veteran

I prefer no closure/pull-on bras. As I mentioned in a previous post, I made a lifestyle change during Covid and my body changed significantly. Unable to get fitted for a new bra, I tried Ture & Co. and other pull-on bras. I found, much to my surprise, that not only were they comfortable, but they are also supportive enough and looked nicer under clothing than anything I'd previously worn. They are smoother, with no closure to show through clothing.

Prior to that, I preferred back closures because they were adjustable. I find that even with the most careful hand washing and air drying, bras would eventually stretch a bit, and the back clasp allowed me to tighten them when necessary. But front closures were nice in that the clasp never showed through clothing and they were simply easier to operate.

rachylou

Veteran

I haven’t seen a front closure bra in ages. They’re so much easier to put on, but now I’m wondering if a front closure means less support. My one personal thing is I have metal allergies and sometimes a front closure would give me metal burns.

Runcarla

Veteran

I don’t care for foam or padding at all, and haven’t had a front closing bra in years. The ones I tried rubbed a raw spot on my breastbone. (I put bras on upside down and backwards, and spin them around my torso after hooking them up, bend over from the waist and slip on the shoulder straps after settling breasts into the cups.)

These days I go for unimaginative ‘nude for me’ and black bras, but appreciate a ‘pretty’ bra. I aim for a bra wardrobe of different silhouettes, since some clothes look better with some ‘projection’ while other garments look better with a flatter bust-line.

If I was having a bra designed just for me, I would ask for a fairly conventional soft bra with a comfortable underwire, stretchy round profiled cup, but with wide sides and back like the most supportive bras for bigger busts or sports bras or bralettes. I don’t know why smaller sizes have narrow bands with two hook closures when it’s the bands that do the support work!?

Zaeobi

(website)

Veteran

I prefer front closure or pholon (for comfort) but subtly padded (just enough to avoid the 'headlights' look, iykwim lol)!

So my ideal bra would be:
~ front closing,
~ non-wired,
~ *actually* olive skin toned,
~ slightly padded (good quality removable but also machine washable cups, none of that flaky foam please!),
~ made out of breathable fabric (e.g. cotton),
~ convertible (with a clip for racerback styles)
~ slightly longline band (for support),
~ slightly wider straps for comfort (not too wide that they'd show under sleeveless tops).

Now I'm wondering whether such a HEWI even exists, lol?

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Front closures are a no-go on me — I’ve never found one that works well for a large cup size. I spill out the middle, LOL.

My perfect bra is an impossibility. It would be slightly minimizing but without just smushing the breast into the chest, like sports bras tend to do. It would have a racer back cut to accommodate sleeveless top and dress styles with more open armholes. It would not cut into my shoulders. It would have no padding and no seams, but enough support to hold the girls up. It would come in pretty colors — not just “nude” and black. How about burgundy, periwinkle, teal? It would be breathable and magically eliminate under boob sweat. It would never chafe or rub. The band would be wide enough to support but not so wide as to feel like I’m wearing a suit of armor. It would magically eliminate all evidence of back fat and underarm fat.

Like I said, an impossible dream.

kkards

Veteran

Well, can i just say that i am actively waiting for the day that they figure out how to make bras on a 3D printer so that we can get them custom made at a reasonable price.

anyway, i want a wireless bra with built in cups that have just enough padding to cover the nipples but not enough to add size/inches. It would have zero lace, and would not show under my clothing. It would have a back closure because i found the front ones break to easily. This magical bra would be made to accommodate boobs that are slightly different sizes.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Front close, underwire, no padding/foam (WHY won’t they show us pix of models in sports bras without padding if pads are removable????), “real” fabric, lots of silk, lots of colors/finishes, affordable.

But also something to wear while working out—light support, could see light of day, not super-compression.

I like some tops with shelf bra. Others are awful.

Indigoprint

Veteran

Thanks for your thoughts. A 3-D printer would be FAB !!!
I like a front close as I have a hard time rotating my shoulders to fasten it and that will only get worse as I get older.
I feel your pain Janet, but I still wonder why a well-fitting bra is so elusive.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

IP, I have some well-fitting bras that do the job and are in the acceptable comfort range, but if I find something attractive and effective, it’s often less than comfortable, or if it’s comfortable it’s lacking in support and/or style. It’s like the old design adage — “Good, fast, cheap: pick any two.” LOL

I guess it’s because bodies come in such an incredible range of shapes and sizes, and there are so many variations and factors that go into fitting this part of a body. I also maintain that the larger the boobs, the harder it is to find truly good options that tick most of the boxes. Let’s face it, larger cups mean more weight mean more support and structure needed. All I know is, when I get home at night, it’s always a relief to take the damn bra off!

Roberta

Veteran

Once every year or two, I realize I hate all my bras, and go looking for a better, more comfortable solution. The Wacoal underwires (with no metal on the side) were the best bras I could find. I'm a 38g, so I prefer the support be on the band rather than on my shoulders.

This summer, in retirement, the underwire felt like a torture chamber in Chicago heat, so I went looking for wire-free bras. Mostly, they felt like sports bras, a lot of elastic and thick fabric. My next trial - and total conversion - was of the seamless bras like the Calvin Klein Invisibles line. They are definitely not as supportive as underwire, but since I'm not going to work everyday, I find I don't care. They are so much easier on my shoulders and my back than regular bras, both in terms of putting them on and wearing comfort. I now own four or five in different colors, and I put them on after a swim and feel glorious. I don't have prominent nipples, so I take out the foam cups.

Chantelle now has a line of bonded bras in a million pretty colors and I am going to try one of those next.

Joy

Veteran

I would like a bra that was snug under the arms and pulled and held breast tissue forward.
Echo do you get fitted for a pull on bra? How do you put them on?

Anonymous

I like sports bras and bralettes. I find though that my size changes season to season. Thanks for the reminder to replenish. Mine are getting roomy again

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I believe most women are not perfectly symmetrical, I would love to have a bra designed that has cups to mold both the right and left breast and accounts for the size difference. I would also like to have cups that finish at the right point to offer adequate side support and to not squish the breast tissue into the underarm area.

LJP

Veteran

This will sound bizarre and sad , but I would give my eye teeth for a bra that pulled the entire breast up - and not in a vavoom push-up bra way . When I pull my bra up where the cup meets the strap and hike everything WAY up I look 20 lbs thinner / lighter whatever word is less offensive . Obviously bras don’t work that way but I sure wish they did .

LJP

Veteran

This will sound bizarre and sad , but I would give my eye teeth for a bra that pulled the entire breast up - and not in a vavoom push-up bra way . When I pull my bra up where the cup meets the strap and hike everything WAY up I look 20 lbs thinner / lighter whatever word is less offensive . Obviously bras don’t work that way but I sure wish they did .

RoseandJoan

Veteran

I think I know what you mean LJP, if you place your fingers on the skin above your breasts and lift the skin by around a centimetre the difference is quite startling.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

R&J, yes! I suppose there is surgery that does that, but I’d rather not.

cat2

Veteran

My favorite bra was just discontinued, so this is a timely post for me. I am rather wide set, so my favorite bra would include the ability to specify the distance between the cups. And be front close, because then it’s so much smoother in back.

Anonymous

The bra unicorn is: actually nude to me, modest (no headlights), convertible, wire free, minimizing. I don't have strong feelings about closure styles, cause I wear pull ons quite a bit.

Gail

Veteran

What LJP said plus it needs to be comfortable and not feel like a straight jacket!

Indigoprint

Veteran

Based on some comments I took the Wacoal bra fitting steps and much to my surprise they do make a recommended bra that is front close! It is out of stock in my size right now, but I have hope.
LJP I also understand your comment. Sometimes my posture is the culprit but a proper lift without the vavoom would be great.
Maybe I should assign the 'boost" to your comment LOL!

RobinF

Veteran

OK, confession time. I had breast reduction surgery this past May. I feel so much better - they are up and in like I was always trying to accomplish with the right bra. But to my surprise, it hasn't really been much easier to find a bra that fits well! There is definitely an advantage in not needing the support that I needed before surgery, but I did a major try on session and found only one bra that I liked the fit of. The underwires, which I always relied on before, pushed out oddly in the front, and the soft cup bras didn't fit snugly against between my breasts and some of them roll on the sides - I hate that. I know, never happy That being said, I did find one - wireless, no padding, no show under clothes. It is a little bit pointy but I can live with that. And the best part is I am now quite comfortable without a bra! Around the house only

April

Veteran

I have vivid recall of front-closure bras un-closing when I brought my arms together in front -- all of a sudden, that moment of NO MORE SUPPORT -- and that is a wardrobe malfunction I am not willing to repeat.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

April, you just brought back memories—a flashback? Lol—of my riding instructor when we were kids. She’d pause in the middle of a sentence with the weirdest look on her face, then re-hook her front-fastening bra. I have two of them, one with metal closure, one plastic. I can’t recall a single time either of them has done that.

Staysfit

Veteran

Let’s talk bras: My mother had polio as a child and has spent her life with use of only one arm. Fast forward to her late sixties and she developed rotator cuff issues in her usable arm so she cannot reach up, back and behind which would be handy when fastening a back closure bra. She either does what Runcarla does…the twist, or she finds front closure bras. An over the head style is hard since it requires more overhead reach than one that pulls on like a button shirt. She manages to find comfortable front closure bras without underwires or padding…which she hates. My point being, her preference of a front closure is due to her handicap, not her shape. I bet others with arthritis and other physical conditions also need adaptations in their bras in order to make them work.

I have different preferences. My biggest problem is highlights and bra strap slippage. Any bra that fits and helps those issues will do regardless of whether it has an underwire or not, and regardless of where it fastens or if it pulls over my head. My running bras and sports bras are definitely fit for the purpose of the intended sport. I originally purchased them from a specialty running store and learned the steps of how to check fit, including imitating the movements, etc. Most of my bras are from companies that cater to those with petite sizes. Prior to menopause, Wacoal bras were too large for me, now they seem to fit well. My all time favorite bra is made by Marie Jo. I have yet to find a well fitting strapless bra that stays up, is comfortable to wear, and looks good under clothing. That is on my list of hard to find elusive items.

Indigoprint

Veteran

Yes Staysfit physical issues regarding bras. I do not have physical issues other than it was hard for me to manipulate a bra ever since I was a teen so always looked for front close. I guess I am lucky that I have not experienced any mishaps.
I recently had a friend who had breast cancer and her Dr. reccommended a front close and she had a hard time finding suitable ones. I also felt the need when I was care taking for my mother as her Alzheimer's symptoms affected her ability to dress herself. A bra was the hardest garment to get on physically and it also took a toll mentally for her to feel so helpless.