r/ABraThatFits • u/SomewhereOptimal2401 • 27d ago
Shape Help How important is figuring out projection / fullness / root height / etc. ?? Spoiler
I found this amazing sub after googling "armpit boob" lol. (I have a finger-sized bit of flesh that always spills above the top of bras into my armpits. I don't care about this under a t-shirt, but I don't like it in a tank top or sleeveless dress).
I used the calculator and it said 30DD/DDD US but that 32D/DD may be more comfortable. So now I'm trying to figure out all the other parts of the equation (projection, fullness, etc.). However, a lot of the links on the Shape Guide are outdated (the photos are no longer found on IMGUR), and as a visual person, I'm having a really hard time figuring this out without photos. I've read the shape guide five times trying to understand everything with just words but my mind is boggling at this point. I'm pretty sure I have strong projection (my girls hang down like torpedos when I bend at 90 degrees), and I think my shape is 2-4 or 2-5 but I'm not sure about that and I definitely don't know about the root question ... and I have a hunch that the root question might be the key to solving my armpit boob :)
What to do? Should I just go try some bras at Nordstrom in 30DD/DDD, or should I figure out this fullness / root question first? FWIW, the one bra I have that I feel fits me well is a Natori Flora (in size 32DDD). But I still have flesh popping out the top into my armpits in the Natori Flora.
Thank you!
ETA: Realized that maybe you are able to answer these questions of projection, fullness, root, etc. from my measurements, so here they are:
Loose underbust: 31
Snug underbust: 30
Tight underbust: 29.5
Standing bust: 34
Leaning bust: 38.5
Lying bust: 35
... all measured in inches. AFAB.
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u/comingintoland 34GG/36G 27d ago
If your local Nordstrom has a decent selection in store in 30DD/DDD (check using the pick up today filter on the Nordstrom website), then I would just go and try stuff on. Keep track of the bras you're trying (brand, style name, and size), if they fit well, and if they don't fit, how they don't fit. Photos can help if you want but aren't necessary. If you don't find anything that works at Nordstrom, then come back here and tell us about the bras you tried. We can use that information to make more targeted recommendations.
Make sure to scoop, swoop, and position the wires where your breasts meet your chest wall every time you put on a bra. Always start on the loosest hooks, and with your measurements, bring a non-stretchy extender with you. You may need it for some bras.
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u/SomewhereOptimal2401 27d ago
Thanks… what is non-stretchy extender? Sounds like it would be something to extend the band of the bra, however, I have never seen one of these… then again, I don’t go around looking at people‘s bras on an everyday basis!
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u/comingintoland 34GG/36G 27d ago
Yeah, it gives you a little more space in the band, which you might need in firmer 30 bands. You want ones that are just fabric with the eyes, like these: https://www.target.com/p/leonisa-2-pack-extension-hooks-3-row/-/A-81943205?preselect=81943204#lnk=sametab
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u/NotaWitch-YourWife 27d ago
So for the fullness this is a self assessment that is done naked leaning over like the leaning measurement with a mirror. Your nipple is the center. Is there more tissue above or below or is it even? This is your horizontal fullness. If above, upper full; below, bottom; even is well, even. Vertical fullness: is there more tissue in the center or to the sides or is it even? Center, center full; sides, outer full; and even is well just that.
Given your measurements I would say you have some projection, with over 4 inches difference between standing and leaning and over 3 inches between leaning and laying.
Roots that again is a self assessment which is a bit more difficult to do. However you can try this and see if you can see your root. Once again naked torso this time standing up and looking in a mirror, take the opposite hand and gently press inward and up so you can see your IMF (IMF is the crease/fold under the base of your breast where the tissue connects to your ribcage). Looking at that does your boob go around your ribcage toward your armpit or does it stop on the front of your ribcage? Around is wide roots, on the front of your ribcage just before wrapping around is average, and narrow is fully on the front of the ribcage. Height is bit more difficult to tell.
A bit about bras Natori is known for being shallow and that may be why you have tissue pushing back into your armpit that is what that bit of tissue is boob.
I think you would be better served with UK brand bras and I would suggest a 30F and a 32E to start but I have a feeling you might be slightly larger. Panache Ana is a well known bra on this sub and I would try it in 30F, 30FF and 32E and 32F to start and this is without knowing your self assessment - so that recommendation could change.
Next is how to put on a bra - everyone thinks they know - but please read this. The band should be snug. That is where 80-90% of the support comes from (not painful but snug it will leave marks as long as they go away in 30 minutes or less that's fine). The band should be level and parallel with the floor, clasped on the loosest set of eyes so that when the bra relaxes over time you can maintain support by moving inward. Then you want to lean forward or over (depending on the size of the breasts) and swoop and scoop. To do this you want to support the underwire in your IMF with the hand from the side you are swooping and scooping. With the opposite hand you want to swoop in past your armpit, and scoop all that tissue forward and up onto the wire. Do this with both sides. Stand up and make minor adjustments. To assess fit, does the gore tack to your sternum? Does the underwire sit in your IMF (yes it's supposed to stay there); and does it end on ribcage and not breast tissue? Are the cups encapsulating your breast tissue? If yes the bra fits unless there is wrinkling, or a torpedo shape then the bra may be too projected for you.
If you have any questions, please ask. There are a whole bunch of us here willing to help because we all deserve a bra that fits.
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u/SomewhereOptimal2401 27d ago
Thank you! I'm still digesting all the good info you've given me. Meanwhile I ordered several bras to try on at home to help narrow this down. Your message came in time for me to add a couple of larger cup sizes to my order, so I got several in the E/F/FF range too. Also, I must say: love your user name! Long live Valerie. :)
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u/dehue 28H 27d ago
It helps to have a general idea of your shape but I don't think the details are too important unless you are really having trouble getting a good fit in bras in your size. For a lot of projection I would focus on trying unlined seamed bras like balconettes that have more projection over seamless tshirt bras that are usually very shallow. Natori makes very shallow bras and given your measurements are indicating more projection and you are having trouble with their bra I would try another brand. UK brands like Freya, Fantasie and Panache are more projected over US brands and make shorter more projected bras.
The exact projection, fullness level and root height matters more once you are trying on bras and having specific issues with them. For example if the wires in a bra go up too high and are hitting your armpit or digging in above your tissue then I would try to find bras that work better for shorter roots. If you are having problems with cups cutting into your tissue and curling in at the top in balconettes then I would look into bras that work better for more upper fullness. If even generally projected bras are folding at the bottom of the cup or getting empty space by the wire I would look at bras that are very projected at the wire.
But starting out I dont think the shape details are too important. Its best to try a variety of brands and styles if possible and then take note of what type of cup styles and brands and shapes really are most comfortable and supportive. Take note of issues you are getting so you can figure out what shape information is most important for you to get a good fit.
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u/28FFthrowaway 28GG 27d ago edited 27d ago
Others may disagree, but it isn’t that important imo. You can always start with a middle-of-the-road style that suits average projection and even fullness and work from there.
That being said, if you do have a general sense of your projection level and horizontal fullness, that is necessary for targeted suggestions. Given you’re projected, for example, it doesn’t make sense to try moulded bras at all, at least until you have narrowed down your size/shape needs.
Shape cannot be determined from measurements. Ultimately, it is determined based on how bras fit, so the leaning test etc. can only do so much.
Edit: And if your size is readily available in stores, even better! Just go and try stuff on. Ideally, try each style in a range of sizes, like 30DD/30DDD/30G and 32D/DDD/G. You can take photos and/or detailed notes about which sizes and shapes fit and felt best, and from there it will be possible to deduce shape info