Your Bra Making and Lingerie Questions Answered

Early this month, I hosted a small pop up shop at Expect Lace, my new favorite lingerie store in Philadelphia (read my review of the store here). During the event, the owner, Shaw and I, asked our followers to ask us any and all bra making and lingerie questions on our Insta Stories. Since stories only last for 24 hours, I decided to make a blog post of the top 3 questioned asked. Have any others you’d like to ask Shaw and/or I? Post in the comments below, email me or stop into the shop.

Are busty ladies with small ribs doomed to be without cute bralettes?
Absolutely not! There are many components that go into a bra – the fabric, the lining, the thickness and the firmness of elastic, the silhouette – that to say big busts/small rib cage women can’t wear bralettes is false. There was a young woman who attended the event that wore size 30H. She tried on the Nina bralette in a medium and was pleasantly surprised at the comfort and support it provided. The Nina is lined with a soft yet supportive nude stretch mesh that helps keep the girls in place. It also prevents nipple show-through, which is why it can double as a crop top. The Nina also has a soft, picot plush elastic at the underbust seam and the bottom band. If you check out the comments on the Nina bralette, you’ll see that many women who wear it are big bust/small rib cage.

Also, Cosabella has a bralette, which Expect Lace carries, called “Never Say Never Extended Sweetie” that offers even more styles if the high neck/racerback of the Nina isn’t your jam.

Psssttt… what to see a video of the woman trying on the Nina at the event? Check out my Insta Story highlight “lingerie”

Do you have tips for fitting a bra if one of the breasts is larger than the other?
Yes! Fit/measure the fuller breast first and choose a bra that isn’t padded or push up. The fuller breast will fill out the one side, and for the other side, you can adjust your straps so that it accommodates the extra space. If the bra is padded, adjusting the straps for the one side won’t do anything to fill that gap between the bra and the breast. A style that is a great option for women with one larger breast is Natori Feathers Underwire Contour Bra. It does have molded cups, but it’s ‘lightly lined’ and not padded. The lace overlay helps so that you won’t see the difference as much.

I’ve been told as a 32DDD/G bust I have to have underwire. Ugh! Is this true?
Not true! Going back to the answer to the first question. An underwire isn’t the ONLY component of a bra that provides support. If you sew bras, or if you’ve taken a bra apart, did you ever think about how lightweight and thin an underwire actually is? Nowadays, underwires are pretty flexible too. Not like the steel or whale bones women wore way back when. It’s like a study that concludes people who don’t drink diet soda live longer. Is it really the diet soda, or is it the fact that people who don’t drink it generally live a healthier lifestyle? Same with underwired bras. Usually, these types of bras are are made with fabrics and trims that are firmer, and the silhouette lends itself to being supportive (ex: the straight stitches used on the wire and vertical seam on a bra like the Madalynne X Simplicity 8229 provide support since straight stitches don’t stretch like zigzag stitches). So, a bra can certainly be supportive for large chests without an undewire.