Why does my bra go up in the front?

It’s an occupational hazard: I fit bras for a living, so when I am standing behind someone in line, I can’t help notice how their bra is fitting. For instance, say I’m standing behind someone whose bra band is practically riding up to their neck. What if I reached out and pulled the back of her bra down horizontal to the floor (like it was calling out to be)?

Would she turn around and say, “Oh my gosh, thank you! That feels so much better!”? And would her friend have said, “Wow! You look so much younger!”? Probably not. More likely after she quit screaming, the police would escort me out of the building.

So, why do bras ride up in back like that? There are three main reasons:

1. The cups are too small

Think of a coffee cup. When you pour coffee, you only pour enough to fill the cup. You don’t keep pouring until it flows over the sides. Now think of your bra cup. It is meant to contain your breast. If your breast is spilling out over the top or the sides, it’s going to be pulling forward and down on the straps. The straps then pull the back band up. When you get resized, you may realize you need a larger cup to really fit your breasts.

If you don’t have a local lingerie store like Bosom Buddies around to size you, try a new bra in a lower band size. Just remember this helpful trick: when you decrease your band size you need to increase your cup size. So if you are currently wearing a 38D cup that is too loose, try going down to a 36DD/E. If you are wearing a 36B cup that is too small with a loose band, try going down to a 34C. Decrease the band, increase the cup. Just keep repeating that until it makes sense.

2. The bra band is not adjusted properly

The back of your bra band is part of the frame of the bra. It’s the part that is supposed to anchor everything in place and keep it there. Most people don’t realize that this is where the majority of support comes from. If your band isn’t tight enough then a bra can’t give any lift or support to the breasts. Simple as that.

If your bra is riding up, first try tightening which hook you are using. Most bras come with 3-4 sets of hooks in the back for adjustable band sizing. If you’ve tightened the band as far as it can go and it’s still riding up, then you’ve got another problem…

3. The bra is worn out

Every fabric relaxes over time. As the fabric of your bra gives, you can make the band more snug by using tighter hooks. When you run out of hooks to make it tighter, it’s time for a new bra. The bra elastic’s memory is gone and it is time to put it out to pasture (aka the trash can). Next get re-sized and get a new bra!

Here are the lessons:

1. If your band rides up like this, tighten the band by using different hooks.
2. If it still rides up, get a new bra, probably one with a smaller band size and/or a larger cup size.

And remember, it never hurts to call in the experts. Professional bra fitters at a majority of lingerie boutiques can help guide you into a better fitting bra.

Does your bra irritate you? Is it constantly moving around, slipping or just feel like its not supporting you very well? Grab yourself a cup of tea and have a little read to find out what the 5 most common indicators of a badly fitting bra....
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This is probably the most common sign I come across when checking over someones bra. Did you know when it comes to support and uplift, the band (the number part of your bra size e.g. 32, 34, 36 and so on) is actually the most important part of the bra? Your band should be giving you 80% of the support, so this is a pretty important aspect! The band needs to be nice and firm on your body to ensure it can do its thing and help to lift the weight of the breasts all day long. You should be able to get about two fingers underneath the band - not a whole hand!

When your band is sitting too loose on your body, it will start to rise up your back, meaning that naturally your breasts will then start to fall forwards or perhaps even start to droop. The firmer your band is, the more lifted your breasts will be. It's a common misconception that your bra straps need to do all of the lifting - but this isn't the case! 

When the bra rides up at the back, the breasts will fall forwards

This band is riding up at the back and not running parallel - this is the easiest way to spot that your bra is too loose in the back

This is quite an easy one to spot! The dreaded "double boob" is another common problem with an ill fitting bra. If this happens to you when you are wearing your bra, this means that the cup size is too small and the volume of the cup isn't big enough for your breast tissue - hence the overspill!You also need to make sure that the underwire isn't digging into your breast tissue. This is very important, as this is the main culprit of discomfort and soreness. When the wire is poking in to breast tissue, ladies often mistake this for the band being too tight - and then go looser in the back! However, 99% of the time it is infact the cup size that needs to be increased (and the band made firmer!)

Alternatively, if there is space in your cup, this could mean that you may need to go down a cup size. Please note that sometimes the style of the bra may be playing a part! Moulded cups (like a pre-formed T Shirt bra) has a fixed, rigid cup shape. If your breast tissue is quite soft or has lost its fullness, this style of bra may always stand away or leave a gap, no matter the size. The answer to this is to wear a bra with a soft stretched lace in the cup. This sort of fabric is really soft and supple and will then mould to your shape rather than keeping its own shape!

You can see here that breast tissue is spilling over the cups

The underwire is digging into breast tissue

The breasts are not filling the cups here, so the cup size may need to be reduced

There's nothing more annoying that constantly having to pull your bra straps up all day right?! Your bra straps falling down can actually mean a few different things!

Firstly - they might just need tightening up! The adjusters will natually start to loosen over time when you are wearing and washing your bra. Your straps will get looser quicker if you wash them in the washing machine (ladies, please try not to this and read here!) so you'll have to make extra sure that these are nice and firm. 

Secondly - Your underband may be too loose! Yes - everything's connected! If the underband is already too loose on your body, the bra straps will then automatically be set too wide or far apart on your shoulders. Try going down in the band and then the straps will sit more snug on your shoulders!

Thirdly - some ladies do natually have sloping shoulders and no matter what bra they try, the straps seem to slip down their shoulders. Here, it may then be the style of bra that you need to tweak. Some bras are designed with the straps centered from the back (this means the designers have purposly ensured the straps are attached nearer in towards the hook & eye than normal) This will mean the straps will sit closer. Or, you can look for a bra that has something called a J-hook. This is a niftly little clip that brings your bra staps in together from the back meaning that they won't slip off your shoulders PLUS it means you can wear a racer style top and your bra straps will be hidden, and lastly, drawing in your straps together at the back can give you even more lift & support. 

The J-hook clip brings your bra straps together

These bra straps are centered from the back, which helps to stop them slipping

If your bra stands away from you, or your breasts slip out the bottom of the cups when you lift your arms above your head, this is another clear sign that you are not wearing the correct size bra. If this happens, it means that the underband is too loose against your ribcage. If the underband is too loose then the cradle will not be able to lift and support you properly! The frame of the bra (the cradle) should be snug and sit flat on your body.

Here you can see that the bra sits away from the body - meaning that it's too big in the band

The middle part of your bra is called the gore. This is where part that sits inbetween your breasts - and it should sit flat against your breastbone. If you are able to pull this out quite easily and there's a lot of room - this is another indicator that the bra isn't quite right. The middle part of the bra should sit flush and flat. When it sits flat, it means that the bra can then fully support, lift and separate the breasts. When you lift your arms above your head, this centre part of the bra shouldn't move and shouldn't stand away from you. 

Keep your eyes peeled for the next blog which will go through and show you what to look for in a good fitting bra!I hope this blog has helped and if you want any advice or have any questions about your own bra - please get in touch and I'm more than happy to help you!

​Joanna xx