Fitting Room Diaries: Entry #009, 36DD, Wide and Short Roots/Even Fullness

Customer: Jenna, Size 36DD

Jenna found us on Instagram and came to our Robson store to get fitted. She usually wears sports bras or wireless unlined bralettes. Despite being a common size, she’s struggled to find a bra that fits well and makes her feel good. 

Her measurements: 35’’ underband, 42’’ standing bust, 43.5’’ leaning bust. Distance between bust points: 9’’. Shoulder to bust point: 14’’. Height: 5’7.  

Her roots are wider and shorter than average, with even-ish vertical and horizontal fullness. Her breasts are projected, point outward slightly, and are relatively self-supporting. 

She gained some weight recently, and is getting used to her body. She prefers minimizing bras that don’t draw attention to her breasts, and especially dislikes cleavage. 

Bra #1: Hugger Smooth Lace in 36DD

She found Hugger more supportive than the average wireless bra. Because her breasts are self-supporting, she didn’t need much lift. Hugger provides gentle coverage throughout, with strong support on the sides, which works well for Jenna. The mesh portion at the top of the cups has a visually minimizing effect. The shape is round, not pointy or cone-like.

Bra #2: Cleo in 36DD

Jenna LOVED Cleo. She loves the minimizing effect the bandeau neckline gives her, and loves that the bra is very secure, sexy, and understated at the same time. Cleo’s wires are wider, which works well for her wider than average roots. Cleo doesn’t have a center gore (the wire is a uni-wire that’s connected in the middle). Because her breasts don’t touch when supported and she doesn’t need the separation, Cleo’s wire shape is comfortable for her (a higher center gore might poke her sternum). 

Bra #3: Harper in 36DD

There’s a bit of gapping under the mesh portion of Harper, and the center floats a little – these are signs that Harper’s underwire is not wide enough for her shape. There’s some gapping under the mesh part of the bra as well.  

Bra #4: Simone in 36DD

Simone is a very good fit for Jenna! The center gore lightly touches her sternum without poking. She likes the shape Simone gives her – the seamed cups make breasts look more round, but not balloon-like/up to the chin, or pointy.

Bra #5: Petal in 36DD

Petal is more of a forward projection bra (pushes your breasts toward the middle), which creates a sharper, more pointy shape from the side. There is some gapping under the mesh section of the bra as well. This bra is not for Jenna. 

Bra #6: Ivy in 36DD

Ivy technically fits Jenna, but it’s not her favorite. Ivy, Petal, and Harper belong in the same family of bras – they share similar underwire shapes, with different levels of forward projection and front coverage. Ivy is the most supportive out of the three. Jenna isn’t looking for a dramatic lift, so Ivy is not the match for her. 

Bra #7: Zoe in 36DD

Surprise! Zoe, Understance’s superstar, fits Jenna well. The underwire outlines her roots almost exactly, virtually no gapping, the band feels secure and comfortable, no pinching or poking anywhere. The rounder shape is minimizing enough for her preferences. 

Bra #8: Day to Night in 36DD

Day to Night fits narrow, and doesn’t work for Jenna’s wider than average roots. The center gore floats, and there’s gapping at the bottom of the cups. The cups don’t contain all her breast tissue on the sides, instead the underwire is sitting on top of it. (For narrower shapes, Day to Night does a decent job at minimizing visual breast volume.) 

Bra #9: Midsummer in 36DD

Midsummer also fits narrow, and doesn’t work for wider than average roots. The underwire is sitting on her breast tissue on the sides. It’s also not a minimizer bra. For Jenna, this bra draws too much attention to her breasts. 

Bra #10: Naomi in 36DD

Naomi’s balconette shape works well for Jenna. Her roots are shorter, and there isn’t a lot of breast tissue on top, so she tends to struggle with gapping when her bra has more front coverage. Naomi is a true balconette with “less bra” on the top section, so there is nothing there to create gapping. The mesh and embroidery cups have almost no stretch, which is good for minimizing. 

Final thoughts

At the end of the fitting session, Jenna chose Cleo. For her, the minimizing effect is priority. She can’t wait to wear this bra under a sheer blouse! 

2 thoughts on “Fitting Room Diaries: Entry #009, 36DD, Wide and Short Roots/Even Fullness”

  1. I love that you do these tutorials, and just wish I lived closer to come for a fitting. I did purchase 2 of your bras, still not really sure if they fit properly. I have been deemed a difficult fit by a specialty store which could not fit me .

    1. Hi B, you could schedule a virtual fitting with us if you are not able to get fitted in person. Email social@understance.com to set up a time 🙂 Our virtual fitting specialists (sometimes our product team members) take those calls and will ask you to try on the bras to diagnose fit issues.

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