Tuesday, 24 February 2009
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Bra strap lenght, width, placement and styles
Bra straps provide only 10% of support, but contribute a lot to the comfot and beauty of a bra. Here is a closer look at bra straps, with a lot of useful tips for you !
BRA STRAP LENGTH
Different women have breasts placed higher or lower on the chest (this has nothing to do with the firmness / sagging of the breasts). Because of this some girls find the bra straps always too long, others find them too short. Also, different bra brands and models have different strap lengths.
- In case you are high-busted and the straps are always too long for you, you can cut the straps shorter and hand-sew them back on easily.
- In case your bust is placed low, try too look for bras with longer straps. Alternatively, buy long bra straps separately, rip off the original and attach and the new ones onto your bras.
BRA STRAP WIDTH
It is a big myth that you need to wear broader straps for support if you have a bigger breast size ! Straps provide only 10% of the support, so they can be lacey and fine without harming your support (If the rest of your bra is properly fitted, that is). Ok, maybe if your breasts are really very very very big, than that 10% of support is quite a load, and then you might want to forget thin straps.
Proof ? Panache and Fantasie produce strapless bras up to G cup, and Flirtelle till H !
So go ahead and choose straps that look and feel good !
BRA STRAP PLACEMENT
In half-cups the bra straps are placed quite wide apart. This might be a bit of a problem for very narrow-shouldered ladies.
Fullcups have the straps positioned rather close together, sometimes too close for broad-shouldered females.
The straps on balconettes and plunges are usually positioned comfortably midway.
BRA STRAP BEAUTY PAGEANT
Some bra straps are just gorgeous, while others disfigure otherwise beautiful bras. I can't think why lingerie manufacturers don't pay more attention to this feature !
I like La Senza for their attention to this detail: all their straps are lightweight, some bra models have really gorgeous ones, and many demure straps have a little touch that makes them pop !
Straps on fullcup bras, especially in bigger sizes, seem to be the worst culprits when it comes to ugliness. In a lot of stores all they have to offer are beige coloured tents, with the cups going up to the neck, and ugly thick straps.
Girls, it does not have to be so ! Check out the straps on Fauve, or Calais or Gabrielle from the brand Fantasie.
Straps like these give lightness even to the most built-up cups in large sizes.
Some people have found that bra straps with embellishments stretch out less with use than simple elastic ones.
Some bra fanatics routinely strip their well-fitting and beautiful bras of their not-too-satisfactory straps, and sew in ones to their liking. Many take this opportunity to make the straps removable, so that they can match their straps to the top they are wearing !
Want more ? Check out my post on bra straps: truths and myths !
Photo: Ciepła słodycz by zetpe
You might also want to read:* Buying bras online: a short guide
* the Bra Matrix
* My before and after pics: C cup to D cup without surgery !
* Bra Bands: all you need to know about them
* Does this bra fit ? How can I tell ?
* Your bra straps: truths and myths
* Bra Matrix Central *
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Comments (4)
As a now faithful reader of "The Bra Matrix" series, I have noticed that some links are no longer "live" or "active". This link is no longer accessible through the main "Bra Matrix" page. I had to go through another avenue.
Just thought you might like to know.
What a coincident, I found the same out out like half an hour ago, and I fixed it... and then I read this !
A big thanks for letting me know though !
@eternalvoyageur - This article is great! I now know why I have always preferred full cups. Not because of coverage but because of the bra strap positioning. I'm a 28 band but the straps on 28's don't seem to be any closer together than a 32. I'm forever pulling balcony straps back to the midway point on my shoulder. Where they sit on their own is nearly off the edge of my shoulder. I wouldn't have considered myself narrow shouldered as they are exactly the same circumference as my hips but I guess in terms of bras they are?
I'm on the hunt for either a balcony (I am shallow on the top so it's a better shape for me) with more centrally positioned straps OR a full cup that is not as deep as most. In full cup styles, if I go down a cup size I have spillage on the side and the right cup size wrinkles around the top. The search continues........
@ina60eorf - Maybe it's also the shape of the shoulders that counts: some people have more rounded and sloping ones. I have the square one, perfect for balconette straps (which is great, since I also have "tear drop" breasts ie. not full on the top). The straps of most fullcups feel pretty uncomfortable.