Here’s the thing: everyone, unless they’ve undergone breast augmentation or reconstructive surgery, has differently sized breasts. Usually, the left breast is larger than the right. Differences between the two breasts can range from very slight and barely noticeable to a cup size or more. If there is a significant size difference between your breasts, you want to fit your bra to the larger breast and use a cookie, or insert, to fill out the cup for the smaller breast. And while consistent breast-size differences are normal, if you notice a sudden, abrupt change in size or shape, please see a doctor.
While there are as many breast shapes and types as there are people, the following five breast shapes will have the most impact on your bra-fitting experience.
Full on Bottom
Full-on-bottom breasts mean most of your breast mass or weight is located on the lower half of the breast, beneath the nipple line. Plunge styles are especially good for full-on-bottom shapes, as are demi cups.
Full on Top
Full-on-top breasts mean most of your breast volume is located within the upper half of the breast, usually above the nipple line. Balcony bras and other styles that are open at the top of the cup are perfect for full-on-top shapes. Full-coverage bras with a stretchy lace upper panel are also a good fit.
Full All Around
Full-all-around breasts have evenly distributed fullness around the top and bottom halves of the breast (that is, you have roughly equal amounts of breast tissue above and below the nipple). Full-all-around breasts often appear round or spherical, and this is often the shape of the breast after augmentation surgery (though, obviously, not all full-all-around breasts are augmented). Most bra styles work well for full-all-around shapes, including balconette, full-coverage, and plunge styles.
Pendulous
Pendulous breasts are softer breasts where most of the breast tissue hangs below the breast root (where your breast attaches to your body). Your breast shape can be full on bottom or full on top in addition to pendulous, because those first two definitions hinge primarily on nipple placement; however, pendulous breasts usually lack volume. Pendulous breasts are common in all ages; wearing or not wearing a bra has nothing to do with having a pendulous shape. That said, sometimes breasts can become more pendulous after pregnancy or with age. Full-coverage bras and bras with cut-and-sew cups will help shape the breast, giving it lift and projection.
Tuberous
Tuberous (also known as tubular) breasts have very little breast tissue and are characterized by an elongated, narrow, and cylindrical shape—like a tube. Other characteristics of tuberous breasts include large, puffy areolas, wide spacing between them, and a narrow breast root. Molded or padded push-up or plunge styles (such as T-shirt bras) help give tuberous breasts a more even and projected shape.
In addition to knowing your breast shape, it’s useful to be able to identify if your breasts are widely or narrowly spaced.
Narrowly Spaced
Narrowly spaced or close-set breasts mean your breasts are very close together and may even touch at the top of your chest. If you find that the center panel of your bra rarely rests flat against your sternum but is instead sitting on top of breast tissue, you may have closely set breasts. Bras with low, short, and narrow center panels (as in many demi and plunge styles), work well and are most comfortable for narrowly spaced breasts.
Widely Spaced
Widely spaced breasts are farther apart on the chest, usually wider than two or three finger widths apart. Interestingly, plunge bras can also work well for this breast placement! Widely spaced breasts often cannot achieve that pushed-together cleavage look, but Marie Antoinette–style cleavage (of the “heaving bosoms” variety) is still an option with widely spaced breasts. Front-closure styles and balconette bras are also good for this breast placement.
Shallow/Projected
Finally, it’s good to know if your breasts are shallow or projected. It’s best to think of shallowness and projection on a spectrum (as opposed to two entirely separate and distinct characteristics) describing how much space on your chest your breasts occupy.
Shallower breasts tend to have a broad base and occupy much of the width of the chest laterally, but they don’t project very far away from the chest wall. Projected breasts cover less of the chest wall (that is, they have a narrower root or point of attachment to the chest) but stick out farther from the body. To use an analogy, the concept of shallow versus projected is a bit like putting liquid into a plate versus a bowl. Even if you pour the same amount of liquid, it will take up a wider amount of space in the plate but a higher amount of space in the bowl. Shallow breasts are usually full on bottom as well (and may even appear “pointy,” especially from the side), while projected breasts may be full on bottom, full on top, or full all around.
Demi, balconette, and plunge styles, especially those with open tops and wide wires, are perfect for shallower shapes as there’s not usually enough projected breast tissue to fill out a full-coverage cup. Deep bra cups with narrow wires are ideally suited to projected shapes and may be found in plunge, balconette, or full-coverage styles.
As always, these are just general guidelines and suggestions. Nothing—not me, not this book, not anyone—can replace trying on bras for yourself and discovering what you love best.
Types of Bras
Now that you know your size and your breast shape, it’s time to talk bra styles. Following are twenty-four of the most popular types of bras. Keep in mind that a single bra can cross two or even three categories on this list (for example: a strapless, cut-and-sew longline or a plunge, wireless, maternity bra). In addition, as with everything else in the lingerie industry, not all brands are in agreement on which terms should be used for which bras. Think of these groups as broad, general categories to help you use the right language when bra shopping.
Adhesive
Adhesive bras are usually strapless and backless, and they stay on the body with medical-grade adhesive or sticky tape, sometimes in combination with silicone for traction and “grip” (hence their other name, stick-on bra). Adhesive bras are the ultimate wardrobe solution, offering coverage and shape for even the most revealing garments, such as backless, strapless, and deep-plunge styles. Their biggest downside? They’re not supportive and give very little lift, a potential deal breaker for heavier busts.
Balconette
A balconette (or balcony) bra is a type of half-cup bra and is essentially a lower-cut or less-coverage demi style with prominent vertical seams. Balconette bras have wide necklines, and, in their most dramatic variation, the top of each cup is cut straight across, giving a profile reminiscent of a balcony—hence the name. In addition to wide necklines, balconette bras tend to have widely spaced straps, making them a potentially difficult fit for people with narrow shoulders (the straps can slide off too easily). Balconette bras give high, rounded cleavage and are a go-to style for those with broad shoulders and full-on-bottom breasts. For everyday wear, balconette styles are ideally suited for low-cut tops. As a sidenote, some readers, especially those who wear DD cup sizes or higher, may find that balconettes in their size range more closely resemble demi cups, and vice
