Diagnosing Shape Issues with Silicone Inserts
I have long toyed with the idea of picking up some kind of inserts to go into my bra cups to help correct my asymmetry. Foam cookies unfortunately never do quite enough for me since I have just under one cup asymmetry between the two sides. Silicone inserts are quite expensive and I never felt like I would wear them on a regular basis, since I hate bras with any kind of padding thicker than a standard foam cup. I just can’t stand the feeling of push up bras, so while I had done some research into both cupcake and cutlet type silicone inserts, I never thought they would be for me.
Many of us have the instinct to try the next size down if the cup shows any gaps or wrinkles, but it's pretty simple to figure out if sizing down will fix the problem. This is especially helpful if the bras have to be custom made (hello, Polish bras!) or if you have limited funds. The beauty of cutlet-type silicone inserts is that they are truly flexible in where you place them in the cup.
Depending on where you place them, they show you what the bra would look like if you were fuller in that area, allowing you to truly see if the rest of the bra fits (SHAPE problem, since the proportions of the cup will still be the same in a smaller size), or if the overall cup is too big (SIZE problem).
Since sizing down can potentially result in the rest of the cup being too small, you can also use the inserts to imagine how the cup would fit in a smaller size.
For example, if you have a FOB shape and you can't fill out the top of a cup, stick one of these at the top of the cup, and see how it fits. If it now fits, the bra is designed for a more even or FOT shape. If you add the insert to the bottom of the cup and there is no room, you will have an idea that the next size down may be too small in that area.
This is a great tool to help you figure out why bra cups don't fit, as baggy, wrinkly cups can be due to a myriad of fit issues:
Note that this tip is specifically for cutlet-shaped silicone inserts like the Commando Takeouts. I have also purchased and tried this with the "cupcake" kind, which is advertised as being designed for creating a push up effect from below the breasts, but I found that this didn't work very well because the shape isn't flexible enough to add natural fullness to multiple areas in the cup.
If you do not have the means to purchase silicone inserts, you can still try some of these diagnostic tips using removable foam padding like the foam cookies that come with Ewa bras as long as you have multiple ones, as they are much thinner than a silicone insert. Using other thin, lightweight fabrics such as silk scarves or cotton handkerchiefs as padding in your bras can also work in a similar way.
I am thrilled to have discovered so many uses for my new Commando Takeouts, and while I don't see myself wearing them outside the house quite yet, they have quickly become an indispensable tool in my bra fitting kit!
However, curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I decided to purchase the Commando Takeouts just to try, as I was frustrated by the asymmetry problem. These look like rather thin silicone inserts (cutlet shaped) that could go anywhere in the cup. They are advertised as adding one full cup size, which we of course know is baloney because the volume of a full cup size is very different between a 28D and a 38D. On me, they add close to 1.5 cup sizes, as I checked my leaning measurements wearing these and I measure a full 28F from an average 28E. Needless to say, increasing the smaller side by 1.5 cup sizes just made that side a whole cup size larger than the larger side. I was all set to return these when I discovered that they may just be the best bra fitting diagnostic tool ever.
Many of us have the instinct to try the next size down if the cup shows any gaps or wrinkles, but it's pretty simple to figure out if sizing down will fix the problem. This is especially helpful if the bras have to be custom made (hello, Polish bras!) or if you have limited funds. The beauty of cutlet-type silicone inserts is that they are truly flexible in where you place them in the cup.
Depending on where you place them, they show you what the bra would look like if you were fuller in that area, allowing you to truly see if the rest of the bra fits (SHAPE problem, since the proportions of the cup will still be the same in a smaller size), or if the overall cup is too big (SIZE problem).
Since sizing down can potentially result in the rest of the cup being too small, you can also use the inserts to imagine how the cup would fit in a smaller size.
For example, if you have a FOB shape and you can't fill out the top of a cup, stick one of these at the top of the cup, and see how it fits. If it now fits, the bra is designed for a more even or FOT shape. If you add the insert to the bottom of the cup and there is no room, you will have an idea that the next size down may be too small in that area.
This is a great tool to help you figure out why bra cups don't fit, as baggy, wrinkly cups can be due to a myriad of fit issues:
- Too much projection in the cup: If most of the cup fits, but the center of the cup is too baggy, adding insert to the center of the cup should result in an even profile
- Not enough projection in the cup: If the cup gives you a flat shape and adding insert to the center of the cup makes your profile even more minimized, the cup shape is too shallow
- Not enough projection at the wire: If adding insert to the bottom of the cup does not give a more rounded shape, there is not enough projection at the wire because there is no room for additional tissue to go
- Cut for FOB shapes: Adding insert to the bottom of the cup should resolve wrinkling at the bottom of the cup near the wire, assuming the rest of the cup fits
- Cut for FOT shapes: Adding insert to the top of the cup should resolve wrinkling at the upper cup, assuming the rest of the cup fits
- Cut for even shapes: Similar to too much projection in the cup, adding insert to the center of the cup will eliminate wrinkles and create an even shape
- Not enough outer fullness: Often an issue with side support styles or similar vertical sling type stitching, the tension from the seam can cut into tissue and create a vertical wrinkle if you are not full or firm enough in that area to push the seam out as intended. Adding inserts to the side of the cup that resolves the wrinkle means the bra is designed for more fullness or firmer tissue in that area.
- Designed for center fullness: Adding inserts to the inner cup resolves wrinkles near the gore
- Cups are too wide: If adding inserts to the outer cup fills out the cup beyond where you naturally have breast tissue, the cup is too wide
- Wrinkly seams caused by uneven sewing: Adding inserts underneath wrinkly seams will increase the tension on the seam and smooth them out. If the seams are still uneven or puckered, the issue is caused by poor sewing; if they are smoothed out, the cup is not properly filled out
Note that this tip is specifically for cutlet-shaped silicone inserts like the Commando Takeouts. I have also purchased and tried this with the "cupcake" kind, which is advertised as being designed for creating a push up effect from below the breasts, but I found that this didn't work very well because the shape isn't flexible enough to add natural fullness to multiple areas in the cup.
If you do not have the means to purchase silicone inserts, you can still try some of these diagnostic tips using removable foam padding like the foam cookies that come with Ewa bras as long as you have multiple ones, as they are much thinner than a silicone insert. Using other thin, lightweight fabrics such as silk scarves or cotton handkerchiefs as padding in your bras can also work in a similar way.
I am thrilled to have discovered so many uses for my new Commando Takeouts, and while I don't see myself wearing them outside the house quite yet, they have quickly become an indispensable tool in my bra fitting kit!
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