The Language of Lingerie Series: Cup Coverage Level

The Language of Lingerie Series: Level of Cup Coverage

Our series continues!  Now you know how to identify the parts of the bra.  This week we'll focus on one of those many parts: the cup.  Specifically, the level of coverage the cup gives you.  First, let's debunk a few myths about the cup:

Myth #1: The more coverage a cup has, the more support it has.

In Reality: The level of support a cup provides is determined by the fabric that the cup is made of     in conjunction with the design of the cup.  A fabric with more stretch will ultimately yield less support.  Don't forget that all of this talk about the cup is assuming the band fits snugly! 

Myth #2: The straps of a bra are there to pull the cups up for better lift.

In Reality: Ouch!  If you rely on the straps to pull the cups of your bra up, and ultimately the weight of your breast tissue, you're going to need to hire a full time masseuse to ease the awful neck and shoulder tension you're going to experience!  The straps are there to adjust the hem/edge of the cup to sit flush against your body.  The band should be doing the heavy lifting- your torso can support the weight of your breast tissue much better than your shoulders.  

Myth #3: If your have cup gap (along the top hem/edge) your cup is too big. 

In Reality: How counter intuitive is this explanation?  Most of the times we see cup gap, it's due to the cup being too small!  If there is too much breast tissue for the cup to accommodate, the breast tissue pushes the cup away from the body.  Often times, women experience cup gap and cup spillage at the same time due to wearing too small a cup.  

Surprised about the realities of some of those myths?  Don't worry, you're not alone.  Many women have been lacking the information and explanations needed to shop for well fitting bras.  That's what B.R.A. is here for! 

Now, let's take a look at some examples of styles we carry to explain the levels of cup coverage:

Demi: The least amount of cup coverage.  Demi cups typically have a top hem that runs across the fullest part of the bust, leaving the top portion of the breast tissue exposed.  

Ciao Bella by B.Tempted

Balcony:  Also referred to as a 3/4 cup, this style offers a bit more coverage than the demi cup.  The balcony is characterized by a cup hem that attaches higher at the straps and dips slightly deeper towards the center gore (where the underwires meet between the cups).  

Illusion by Conturelle

Plunge: This style is characterized by a cup hem that attaches high at the strap and has a sharp angle descending towards a center gore of shorter proportion, creating a bit of cleavage for outfits with a lower neckline.  

Bijou by Elomi

Full Coverage: Offering the most amount of breast tissue coverage, this style has a cup hem that connects high at the strap and also a higher center gore.  

Cassiopee By Empreinte

Having a variety of bras with different levels of cup coverage is essential for giving you the most options for your wardrobe.  Schedule an appointment with one of B.R.A.'s professional fitters to see which types of cups work best for your body and your wardrobe!  

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras & forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!

The Language of Lingerie Series: Parts of a Bra

The Language of Lingerie Series: Parts of a Bra

Ladies, we have to continue talking about how we talk about our bras!  What better place to start than with the parts of the bra? 

So many parts go into making a bra that it can be hard to describe what you are looking for when bra shopping if you can't verbalize exactly what it is that you want or what you don't like about your current bras.  As fitters, we want to make sure you are as comfortable as possible in your bras.  We can let you know if a bra fit is correct, but what we can't tell you is your comfort level in that specific bra- that important info has to come from you.  If an underwire is poking you, or a side seam feels rough, or the under band hem is bothering you, we rely on you to let us know.  We're going to give you all of the bra lingo you need to do so!

The diagram above is a great depiction of this.  Not every bra will look exactly like this, this one happens to be a cut and sew (or seamed cup) bra as oppose to a T-shirt bra (which includes contour cups and molded cups). Every bra will have most, but not necessarily all, of these components.

As you can see from the diagram, what we commonly refer to as the "band" (the part that straps around your torso) is actually made up of several parts- the wings, the hook & eye tapes, a side seam (if there is one present) and so forth.  The cradle is the base that the cups sit upon, and the bridge brings the two cups together.  The height and angle of the "cup neck hem" determines the neckline of a bra, or the amount of cup coverage you will get.

Now that you've got an idea of the basic components of a bra, in the next part of the series we'll focus on the language used to define levels of cup coverage.  


Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras & forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!

The Language of Lingerie Series: Intro

Let's talk about how we talk about our lingerie.

One of the things that we aim to do at Best Rack Around is to provide you with the best bra fittings in Northern Virginia.  We don't want to keep any secrets from you about your bras, or why the ones we fit you in are right for you.  We're going full transparency here- we're going to give you all of the information you need to talk about your bras correctly. Armed with these terms, you can go and spread the word to your family and friends about the benefits of properly fitted bras and how the right styles for different body and breast types can make a world of difference in feel and support!

Stay tuned to our Language of Lingerie Series to get all of the info you'll need to be a savvy, educated consumer.

Being Properly Fitted for Bras: It's a Matter of Health

Image Courtesy of Getty Images

We don't preach often, but when we do, it's health related!  So listen up...

If you're like most women, you don't think about your bras a whole lot, unless they start to fall apart or are extremely uncomfortable. Many women accept defeat & surrender to bra discomfort. But you probably didn't realize that poorly fitted bras can have an impact on more serious aspects of your health including posture, the condition of your skin, and strain on various parts of your body- mainly your, neck, shoulders, & back.

Why do Chiropractors send their patients to Best Rack Around?

If your bras are fitted correctly, they do a big job of taking strain off of your body.  Sadly, many women don't have the proper support they need because there are few places to get a professional bra fitting.  Many of the Chiropractors in Leesburg and surrounding Loudoun County know that our bra fitters can provide the education & quality of product needed to help women get bras that do the job!

Breast tissue is heavy & needs to be supported properly- with your torso bearing most of the weight, as oppose to your shoulders.  The cup size also affects support.  If the cups of your bra are too small, they aren't designed to support the weight of your breast tissue.  This weight then gets transferred to your shoulders which can lead to back, shoulder, and neck issues.  Permanent shoulder dents from too much tension on bra straps are common & can lead to nerve damage.  The earlier in life a woman is educated about how a bra should support & fit, the less damage done to the body over time.

Why do Dermatologists send their patients to Best Rack Around?

The results of "boob sweat" are no joke! Properly fitted bras reduce skin-on-skin contact which can lead to rashes such as Intertrigo (a.k.a. diaper rash), which occurs with excessive moisture, heat, lack of air circulation, & friction between skin folds.  Often times, this can lead to painful yeast, fungal, or bacterial infections of the skin.

Skin tags can be both caused and exasperated by poorly fitting bras.  Skin tags in the underarm area are often caused by underwires that sit too far back, causing continual friction in the underarm. Skin tags on the torso can form from a bra band that is too loose and continually moves around on the body instead of staying stationary, as it would on a properly fitted bra.

Treat your body with respect!  It works hard for you. We recommend coming in for a fitting once every six to eight months & times when your body is going through changes as a result of weight loss or gain, pregnancy, hormonal changes, new medications, or transitional growth & development (for tweens & teens).

Best Rack Around is a lingerie & bra fitting boutique located in Market Station in Leesburg, Virginia in beautiful Loudoun County.  We proudly serve women of all ages, body types, and stages of life.  In addition to the selection of every day bras and special occasion bras, we also have nursing bras, sports bras, mastectomy bras & forms and post-surgical bras.  Call us at (571) 918-4738 to schedule a fitting or visit our website to book an appointment online!