Why have custom bras?
It is next to impossible for the average consumer to find ready-to-wear bras that fit and know that what we are buying is correct. Ready-to-wear companies are trying to create a product for the masses and they take a gamble that the average cup will match the average wire and the average band size and hope that those averages will fit a majority of consumers. Then when you don't seem to fit in one of those averages, clerks at stores don't really know enough about how a bra size is determined to help figure out which part of the bra isn't measuring as "average." What often happens at a certain popular bra store, is they have you try a larger band when their cups are too small for your anatomy and the end result is massive amounts of cleavage and you feel like you're stuffed in like the instagram post pictured below.
Cleavage is usually an indicator of an ill fitting bra:
Cleavage is usually an indicator of an ill fitting bra:
The Wire:
I never thought about sizes of underwires before I began sewing bras, and I'm betting I'm not the only one to never give it a second thought. How do bra companies decide which wire goes in which size bra? Well, by averages, of course. These wires, pictured below fit two people who wear the same size clothing and have about the same size full bust measurement. As you can see, they are inches different in size.
This Wikipedia diagram shows the anatomical breast and the area just in front of the armpit area known as the tail of spence. If you look at the underwires above and the diagram below, you can imagine how one breast with the same full bust measurement is going to have much more volume in the cup area than the other bra which has a much narrower wire and the same amount of projection from the ribcage.
Tail of Spence
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The tail of Spence ( Spence's tail, axillary process, axillary tail) is an extension of the tissue of the breast that extends into the axilla. It is actually an extension of the upper lateral quadrant of the breast.
The Torso Shape:
We have all seen the shapes that indicate body type like this image from SizeCharter.
For the bramaker, these shapes fall into a spectrum of torso shape. The Pear, Rectangle, and Round shapes from this image are what we call more cylindrical, meaning the high chest/overbust measurement and the rib cage/underbust measurement are fairly cylindrical in the bra pattern. Whereas, the Inverted Triangle and the Hourglass have a torso that is shaped more like a "V." If there is 0 difference between these measurements, as in the cylindrical body shapes, then the Torso Shape is "V0." In contrast, if there is a significant difference between the overbust and underbust measurements, a six inch difference, for example, would be known as a "V6" torso shape. Forgive my drawings as they are not precise, but here are some sketches of what the difference in the band pattern might look like.
The Cups:
We're working on an illustration for differences in breast size and how that affects pattern shapes of the horizontal cup bra that is made in the drafting process. Checkout these amazing illustrations from r/ABraThatFits.
Some people's anatomy is wide and don't have very much projection. Some people have narrow roots and breasts that billow out from there. Beverly Johnson, well known to the bra making community, describes these shapes as "Low Contour" and "Omega." In this blog post, it shows a line drawing as if you could look down at the body from overhead and see the difference in projection from average versus low contour.
Then, just as torso shape affects the band, it also affects the neckline of the cups. This image is from the Eve pattern, showing how a wedge or dart may be needed in the upper cup to change the torso shape of the cup.
All of these factors are also why custom makers are leaning towards leaving behind the traditional cup sizing methods. They are completely inadequate for all of these factors listed above.
In Conclusion:
Remember this photo? Notice the flat spot in the larger wires?
This flat spot is very important. Some people cannot medically tolerate the wires that are in commercial bras. One particular client of mine, with this breast shape, has never been able to wear an underwired bra because of the pressure that is placed on the nerves in the rib cage area. Because traditional wires have hung down below her breast root, the pressure on those nerves cause muscle spasms in the diaphragm, making it difficult to breathe. The averages that come in ready-to-wear bras do fit some people, but for those who don't fit in those averages, the consequences can be pretty severe.
