One of the most important pieces of knowledge i've gained as a small bust blogger, who previously knew sod all about bras, is that not all bras are compatible with all breast shapes. And breasts come in a lot of varying shapes.
As someone with a very small bust, and a sense of depleted confidence to match, it never occurred to me that there were issues associated with breast shape because i was so pre-occupied with the issue of size. Any problems i encountered with bra fit were put down to size, I believed that my bust was just too small to sit properly in certain bras.
I have small, bottom heavy, wide set breasts. This is a statement of buzz words intended to give an idea of the distribution of breast tissue about my chest; the geometry of my bust. I may be smart in a numerical logical sense but upon first introduction to these kinds of words i had no inclination to why they held such importance to other lingerie and bra fit bloggers. Of course, in true physicist fashion, this verbal mapping of my breasts gained some kind of significance through real life applications. Now i've gained more of a clue about the kind of body i own i can put these words into practice. Those little Topshop bralettes that just don't quite contain my breasts, despite being the right size, are not made for someone with a wide set chest. Balcony style bras, the never ending struggle with gaping at the top of the cups, are often not shallow enough for a bottom heavy chest. The shape and distribution of breast tissue really does dictate the kinds of bras that will fit comfortably. I'm of the opinion that to accept your body for how it is you first have to understand it in an objective sense. So by understanding the shape of my breasts relative to how and where they sit on my chest, as well as their size, i can now apply this knowledge into accepting the way they are (and that also means having some sense when it comes to clothing them).
Something always worth considering when faced with a new bra that does not fit is if and how you can make it work for you. Simple alterations that require basic sewing skills and no more than a pin, needle and appropriately coloured thread can make all the difference. The bra pictured is a recent purchase of mine and a whole cup size smaller than my usual size. I wrongly assumed that by purchasing a smaller size i could ensure a comfortable fit. When trying on this bra it was obvious i'd always suffer from severe gaping at the top of the cups, particularly on my smaller breast. The cups were far too close set and i just didn't have the breast tissue in the right places to fill it out. By considering the shape of my breasts vs the shape of the bra and sewing a little dart into the cups, where they meet the centre gore, i was able to flatten the rising curve of the cups and alter the fit. This bra now fits and sits flush against my chest. A few other examples of alterations would be shortening or lengthening the band size, adding darts to decrease the depth of cups or darts to make the cups suitable for close set breasts.