I think with underwires a big part of it is getting one where the whole bra suits your shape, not just the size of it. I mean, leaving sagging out of the equation entirely, different people's breasts just naturally sit in different places on the chest wall, and so ANY bra, even if it ostensibly fits, where the wire/cup placement is set up for a different boob-chest arrangement, is likely to be uncomfortable because it'll be trying to push your breasts in or out or up or down or whatever.
I personally have had fantastic luck with Fantasie bras. Their 'every day' bra is kind of freaking ugly, but it's so comfortable and supportive I'm pretty sure I could wear it horseback riding. (Which is more than I can say for some sports bras I've tried.)
That said, I do also hand-wash my bras (or at least use a machine with a 'hand wash' cycle) because the bras that fit me best tend to cost upwards of 25ukp and I just can't afford to replace them. Machine washing makes the elastic wear faster, and also makes the underwires more prone to popping out and escaping.
So yes. Short version: Underwires seem to complicate the bra-fitting process, but some people find the support they offer more comfortable, once they've found a bra which actually fits them just so.
I forgot to mention that I have a "lopsided" ribcage. Enough so that I was sent to the chest hospital for X-rays at a relatively young age. Somehow it still took until I was 17 before anyone noticed the scoliosis in my spine, although it's obvious on an X-ray if you know what shape things are supposed to be.
So the two sides of my chest are not parallel, and if I can get one cup of an underwired bra to sit right, almost certainly the other cup will be out of alignment. Then a wire will start to poke in the piece of my breast that goes under my armpit (see below), and it gets very painful very quickly.
That probably explains why you haven't found any comfortable underwire bras, then. :)
I'd imagine that if you went to an experienced corsetier/seamstress, they'd be able to make something custom fit for you, but if you're getting decent support from non-underwired bras then there's not much point.
Part of what's frustrating about the whole thing is that so many women put up with bras that fit badly or actually hurt, because they think that all bras just DO, and so there's little incentive for bra makers to rethink sizing considerations (perhaps something more complex than just cup and band size) and styles and so on.
I personally have had fantastic luck with Fantasie bras. Their 'every day' bra is kind of freaking ugly, but it's so comfortable and supportive I'm pretty sure I could wear it horseback riding. (Which is more than I can say for some sports bras I've tried.)
That said, I do also hand-wash my bras (or at least use a machine with a 'hand wash' cycle) because the bras that fit me best tend to cost upwards of 25ukp and I just can't afford to replace them. Machine washing makes the elastic wear faster, and also makes the underwires more prone to popping out and escaping.
So yes. Short version: Underwires seem to complicate the bra-fitting process, but some people find the support they offer more comfortable, once they've found a bra which actually fits them just so.
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So the two sides of my chest are not parallel, and if I can get one cup of an underwired bra to sit right, almost certainly the other cup will be out of alignment. Then a wire will start to poke in the piece of my breast that goes under my armpit (see below), and it gets very painful very quickly.
TOO MUCH INFORMATION!
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I'd imagine that if you went to an experienced corsetier/seamstress, they'd be able to make something custom fit for you, but if you're getting decent support from non-underwired bras then there's not much point.
Part of what's frustrating about the whole thing is that so many women put up with bras that fit badly or actually hurt, because they think that all bras just DO, and so there's little incentive for bra makers to rethink sizing considerations (perhaps something more complex than just cup and band size) and styles and so on.
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