What is up with all fo the different styles of bras? When was underwire and soft cup not good enough? Balconettes, the breasticles are large, do they need to be on a balcony too? Plunge, yeah how do you NOT fall out of the center? (I actually bought this style of bra, but because i do more than sit in a chair without moving, my boobs spend their time excaping....in fact i cannot even cross the room without foiling a boob escape.)

Also what's with the heavy padding on almost every bra i pick up?! They look like they are made for some sphereoid breast (and it probably is). Sorry, mine are real (big) and have an overabundance of movement. its May and its going to start getting hot outside. I'm down to a 38DD and at my smallest a 36DD, and my boobs get hot. But good luck finding something that lets the breeze through (not wanting a sports bra that still traps too much heat). I have a devil of a time trying to find an unlined bra, and every store i go to i have to hear some false belief that the excessive padding offers support. if that was true, i wouldn't spill out of these infernal bras.

Maybe european bra makers offer different, more practical designs. Maybe 'm living in a fantasy world.

Boobs come in lots of different shapes, so styles that work not at all for you may well work for someone else.

For hard-to-fit boobs, I've heard of basically two solutions:

One: buy a REALLY expensive bra at a specialty shop. You do this not to get the bra (though it will be fabulous) but to get the ultra-professional fitting by a little old lady who has handled more tits than Ron Jeremy and who will be able to not only find the right size and style for you, but explain it to you in a way you understand. Then, you know what sort of mid-range bras to look for.

Two: dedicate a couple months of your life to trying on every bra of every size in your area, taking careful notes, until you find the right style and shape.

Totally agree!!! I was just out bra shopping today and can not, for the life of me, figure out why anyone thought that my 36DD boobs need more padding! At some point, pushup really isn't necessary

I second the professional bra fitting. I went to Nordstrom's and my fitter wasn't even an old lady -- but very well trained. It turns out that the formula every book and catalog has about bra size didn't work at all for me. I went in wearing a 42B and came out wearing a 36DD! And she was convinced I'd prefer a contour cup (I bought one of each, cuz I wasn't so sure), but, indeed, I do. It seems like the thing is too padded and shaped but it does a great job hiding what I want hidden -- even on cold days, if you know what I mean.

its not the fit that i have problems with, its the construction. my boobs have a breast shape; i don't want to look lke im smuggling canteloupes inside my shirt because some schmuck thinks that my boobs should be spheres. the new styles in my mind are just as crappy as the bullet bras of the fifties. because i am now (as i always had been) an active mover, I want a variety of styles that will look good, but won't spill out of. it makes no difference what the fit is, the styles just don't work. i know some of you will say, just get a full coverage bra, but that doesn't work for all occasions. I just want natural shaped bras, is that so wrong?

Definitely sounds like you need to speak to a bra-fitting store with a lot of experience, so they can point you in the right direction. And for whatever it's worth, 36-DD here, and I LOVE the extra padding in my bras because they keep me warmer in the winter ... Have you seen the commercials for the "cooler" bras? I don't remember who makes them, but I distinctly remember a woman shoving her chest in her freezer to cool down - if I see it again, I'll post it!

I have been saying most of my adult life, "Who needs padding?!?!?"

I saw that commercial!

The commercial is for playtex bras. I am plenty curvy and have always liked the pushup bras because they keep me from sagging out the bottoms of my pants. Also..I vote for some kind of padding, even if it's just a little. I used to be a floral designer and it is no fun to have men smirking every time ya come out of the cooler. What I would really wish for is a pretty bra that actually kept all the extra inches on the sides tucked in and not shoved front and center or falling over the edge!

Barb

go to lane bryant, seriously. the straps are like 3 inches wide, and the straps are super thick to keep you lock and loaded. I don't like the clothes there, but the bras are amazing.

It sounds like you're falling out of your bras because of fit, not because of the style. I used to think it was the style's fault too, then I got fitted and found out I'd been wearing the wrong size for years. A good bra fitting will not only get you the right size, but the right style. The lady that did mine had me do jumping jacks to make sure nothing would fall out.

Virtually everyone who goes for a professional bra fitting comes out with a smaller band and bigger cups. I also came out with better posture and a nicely visible waist giving me a long-forgotten hourglass!!

The key to support is in the fit of the band - how/where it lies on your back and whether it stays flush against your chest in the front/middle.

I hate bra shopping. I've been sticking to "fruit of the Loom" sport bras, the straps are thin and can be easily concealable and they're comfy. I figure I'll stick with these till I lose all the weight then I'll take some Tylenol before doing the dreaded bra shopping trip.

I have to agree that the styles available are infuriating. Any store I go to, I can only ever find ONE bra style that's not padded, cut ridiculously. I can't believe mine are actually DDD now. Its seem impossible, but it is. Even the C cups are predominantly ones with padded cups. I huff under my breath "Why do they think everyone has small breasts and need uber padding?" I don't consider a C small, but I notice that the A and B cup bras are the ones with the cute pattern and/or colors.

While looking online for a DDD bra for myself (I used to be a C, then a D, then a DD and so forth)...I was very disappointed that once you get past a C, there aren't many styles that don't remind me of the old Cross Your Heart bras I remember my mother buying when I was a kid. None are very appealing to me, but at least you can find some without the darn PADDING. Note: SOME. There are still plenty with padding, even at DDD and larger!

A lot of bras these day are cut funny so that your breasts are always falling out in the middle. I told my sister this and she said that its deliberate, that some women want their breasts falling out like that. I said, "No, I mean literally escaping. Like, if I bend over, out I flop". It is very frustrating.

Another reason that I don't like bras with cups, besides being unneccessary: They don't fit well in a dresser drawer. They take up more space. The dresser I have has a smaller drawer for socks and a small drawer for underwear. I'm not about to move all my jeans and hang them up or set them on the floor to make room for bras when I shouldn't have to.

I could understand a very thin padding (for the cold reasons), but the padding in these things are thick and are set in a particular shape that may not be YOUR shape. They don't conform to YOUR body.

Now I believe Denis Leary when he said that in the 70s, you HAD to wear bell bottoms because that's all the stores had. You are practically forced to wear a bra with padding if you go to a store, because that's all they have. I'm glad there for the Internet because I was able to find a a bra in my size without the pads. I don't like the style and its hard to find anything without lace, but I never "fall out" and have to be subtle about "putting them back in place" anymore.

Sorry for the long rant. But I totally "get" this one and it is a frustration of mine as well.

It's simple. If you fall out of your bra... it doesn't fit. See the post about going for a proper bra fitting. That is all