Celebrating the beauty of bra engineering and design.

“Bridges are generally thought of as static structures. The truth is that they actually act more like dynamic, living beings. They constantly change, responding to different loads, weather patterns, and other types of stress in order to function. Compression (a force that pushes or squeezes inward) is carefully balanced with tension (a force that stretches and pulls outward).“ -Bridge Masters

How are bras like well engineered bridges? All the parts have to work together perfectly or the whole thing fails.

If you have only purchased bras that are formed and padded it can be hard to equate those styles with design and engineering. They’re just bras, right? If you think about how many styles are made by say Warner’s or Vanity Fair and then do the math on stocking thousands of stores across the country you can imagine the mass production that goes into these brands, why they stock such a limited number of sizes and why they can be sold for anywhere from $15-40. When compared to a brand like Empreinte (pictured below - Cassiopee in Ivory) on the opposite end of the spectrum that, for example, engineered a way to use heat to shape embroidered tulle into a surprisingly sturdy yet comfortable smooth cup bra that gives great side support seamlessly then you begin to understand where the design and engineering become important to lift, shape and support the breast and as a bonus, make it beautiful to look at!

If women want to have great support, shape AND comfort they should try to be open to the idea that it’s ok for bras to cost more than they’re used to. Most women can’t fathom the idea of spending $50 to as much as $200 on a bra until they’ve been professionally fit in one. Once you have been, you’re literally hooked. It’s hard to say no when you can see AND feel the difference. As I’ve said in other blogs, breasts are heavy and your back will thank you if you take care of your front. 😉

The first part of great engineering and design is the band. One way to illustrate the way a well fitting band size works is to think about the waist support on a backpack. When you have a pretty heavy pack and you use the waist support it redistributes the weight across your torso and takes some of the weight off your shoulders.

Another thing to think about it is how we’re taught how to pick up heavy things. We always learn the importance of holding the box or item close to the body to put less pressure on the back. A well designed and well fit bra should do that for your breasts. This is why fitting guides will tell you that 80% of the support comes from the band when it fits well. We’d all love the band to be soft and comfortable but if the fabric is not well made and designed, it will stretch too much and stretch out too quickly and won’t give you good support over the longer term and will often end up costing you more in the long run. (Watch for a future blog post about why your bras should never see the inside of a dryer!) Bands get wider (and straps get thicker) on bras as the cup size increases and not just to smooth things out. This design detail is also critical for good support. If the band is skimpy the whole bra will lack good support and over time it will fold and dig in to your sides and sometimes painfully.

The second part of the engineering and design is of course the cup. No matter how well designed, a cup formed from a solid piece of material will stretch, some more quickly than others. An exception to this is the aforementioned Empreinte brand with the heat moulded lace. One of the reasons they are so amazing is that they fit great without any stretch in the cup. The other type of cup is called a “cut and sewn” or seamed bra. They get their support from a side panel that is placed in such a way that it doesn’t stretch (you can see a close up of this in the picture of the white Panache Envy style pictured below) and a bottom panel or sometimes two that provide support to the bottom of the breast. Most styles then have a decorative top panel that may or may not have some stretch to it. Often they will also have an inner sling that further directs breast tissue forward for extra support. The engineering and design is in the way these basic pieces are assembled. Different brands of course have their own methods for assembly such that for example my 32G daughter really loves a Fantasie (green floral style pictured) but I’m not sure I could pay her to wear a Panache.

I should stress that both are great brands but they have very different fits and “direct traffic” differently. The Panache has wires in the center that come up fairly high which some love because it provides stability but for others is just a little bit uncomfortable. The Fantasie is a little softer which for some might not feel like enough support for them..

This brings me the last main piece of design and engineering...the wire. The wire of a bra should sit flush on the chest wall and should cradle the breast shape. This is why some brands or styles work better for some women than others. Many brands use the same size wire for different sizes and in some cases, different styles. This can be why the wire seems to poke you under the arm in some brands but not as much in others. It may also have something to do with the issue of wires popping through the fabric channel it’s in as a cushion against your skin. Sometimes there is a lot of play between the top of the wire and the end of the bra. You can kind of see how much more play there is in the peach style pictured compared to the peacock colored style shown here.

The constant folding weakens the fabric channel until the wire breaks through. The best brands use more sizes of wire and more cushioning around the metal to make it both stronger and more comfortable.

All of these design elements and details add cost to the bra and the best brands produce in much smaller quantities for more accurate sizing. That can make a big difference for everyone but especially if you have for example a 30” rib cage and a J cup size, Once you try one of these relatively more expensive styles in the proper size, you could be surprised how much you might be willing to pay for a quality fit. I know learning more about production changed my perspective.

For more specific information about these topics or for advice on what might be your particular best brand and fit connect with me! Feel free to message me and let me know of specific topics you might like to see covered in more detail! 🧑🏻‍💼

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For those who’ve been following me for a little while now here’s an update. It looks like my cancer treatment is going to be a little rough but then what cancer treatment isn’t a little rough?! I’ll be looking at two chemotherapy treatments in conjunction with daily radiation treatments for about 5-6 weeks. Because of this news I wasn’t doing daily posts this past week while I figuratively caught my breath and mentally prepared. I’m hoping to be able to continue blogging weekly and posting daily on topics of interest. I’m an optimist! Thanks for reading and welcome to my new subscribers this week! 🌼🌼