Wonder Bra?
Developing Support For Full Chested Women Gianna Esposito Fall 2013
Supporting A Large Female Chest Gianna Esposito Fall 2013 Professor Jason Lempieri University Of The Arts
Table of Contents Thesis Statement Introduction • Why this product interests me • Redefining the bra Stakeholders/Professionals Interviews • Interviewed stakeholders • Interview questions • Most interesting insight • Professionals Problems • Most common problems • Health Risks The Bra’s History And Engineering • Anatomy of the bra • History of the bra • Sizing Systems • Modern bra types • Materials already used • Strap join • Closure Systems • Most important part of the bra Literature Reviews • Bare Essentials Bra • Readers Digest Guide To Sewing • Vintage Lingerie Precedents • Jockey Fit Kit • Soma Seamless 3 Zone Support • A deeper look at the sports bra • Backpacks, Baby Carriers, And Harnesses Conclusion Bibliography
I wanted to research how women with breast size D and up can be supported and lifted with comfort and stability.
The bra industry mostly caters to women with smaller breasts, this makes it hard for women who are larger to find sizes that fit and hold them in. This industry is slowly trying to adjust to these larger sizes, but still doesn’t hit the mark. There are over 29 bra types, most of these bras are developed to accommodate a problem that women have while wearing a bra or are designed to fit under a certain form of clothing. By researching materials, styles, fabrication, and the history of undergarments, I would like to get a better understanding on what can support a woman’s chest.
Why This Product Interests Me Bras are an issue I deal with in my everyday life, being a larger chested woman. It is a constant struggle to find a bra that fits properly, supports, and looks nice. My main problems are back pain, straps that loosen, and band that rises over shoulders, which all cause discomfort. So I set out in Philadelphia and South Jersey to see what other women had to say.
Straps and band dig into shoulders and back from weight of the chest
Layering to hold myself in. Constricted and cannot breathe
S.S- “My bra is always come out of my shirt. It doesn’t matter how hard I try to hide it, it always happen in more then one spot.”
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K.B- “I’m allergic to the underwire, that’s why I don’t wear one.”
en K v e .A ’t n i o nto - “I d I ” - “ nd it. the get G . at B a t t s o p o hing ’t n a c f m ca
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D.E- “I never understand the sizing, its always different.”
y b lled N. oo m de E- “B S.B- “The front of the bra is b a uffi go vices ras a never tight enough.” nd n b ing , y r ma oo hu ou a e like ke b. T rt yo lread tor si tur ui t lo hat’s y n s kn e G.E- “I ok wh om ow j u s t w e w its lik ere ant chop m ea ay.” y boob to s, I wa m the
nt them
P.L –“My boobs fall out of the bottom of the cup after my back band stretches out, it’s a son of a bitch!”
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ra b e
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ro h t s k .” a e e r r e b befo r i rw leed A.W- “I have to take my bra off as soon as I e d b n u e get home.” he de m t ” ! p en s ma K.S-“The hard underwire a tra e h k i l s i w It s wire i e h t T n. presses against my ribcage i s J.P- “ r k s o e w to my which causes me to h T - “ bs in bruise, sometimes it feels P . A sta like I have cracked ribs.” and
Redefining the Word Bra: An undergarment that cups the breast to hold them in place comfortably and offer supports in everyday activity.
Questions For Women About Bras 1.
What brand of bra are you wearing?
2.
Does it give you any problems?
3.
What would be the most annoying thing about wearing a bra?
Interviewed Stakeholders First Group 10 women on the train and around the city
Second Group 30 young women attending Moore College of Arts
4. Do you think a certain aspect of the bra can be changed to make it more comfortable?
Third Group
5.
Do you ever get any pain from wearing a bra?
genetics
6.
Is it easy for you to find a bra?
6 Family members with the same
7. Do you ever find you wont buy certain clothing because you know you won’t be able to find a bra for it? 8.
How do you feel about under wire?
9.
Anything else you want to add?
The Most Interesting Insights first name: Anne Marie location: South Philly age:21 bra size: 38 F brand: Special Handmade Main pain: I have constant back pain. Especially in the shoulder and upper back. My straps wont stay tight and I don’t feel like tightening them every 5 minutes.
first name: Sammi location: Train age: 16 bra size: 32 D brand worn:Victoria’s Secret Main pain: Bra straps start in armpit which is very uncomfortable, also causes underarm fat and puckering of the cups. She is very athletic and has to use several sports bras which only compress the boobs down which doesn’t make it easier to work out or breathe. It gives a uniboob.
first name: Amanda location: South Jersey age:26 bra size: 34 G brand: Mystic Main pain: The hard underwire presses against my ribcage which causes me major pain. Also the band will rise over my shoulder blades causing pain.
first name: Jennifer location: Moore age: 20 bra size: 32 DD brand:Victoria’s Secret Main pain: She always gets gaps in the cups because she wears a band size that is too large for her. She does that because she feels that 32 is way too tight so she gets 34 instead and where is it on the loosest hook because she’d rather have comfort. “A tight bra is a uncomfortable bra”.
first name: Abbie location: Train age: 37 bra size: 38 DDD brand: N/A Main pain: I constantly feel constricted. The worst is when the underwire breaks through the bra and stabs into my skin. Its made me bleed before.
first name: Leanna location: Moore age:22 bra size: 38 DD brand: Soma Main pain: I always has a problem finding bras that her nipples don’t pop out of there just is not enough coverage. Her straps also dig into the top of the shoulders and her shoulder blades.
first name: Kristen location: Sidewalk age:32 bra size: 36 G brand: Fredrick’s of Hollywood Main pain: I get a thing called muffin boob. That’s where the cup cuts into the top of my boob and makes it look like a muffin top.
first name: Lisa location: south Jersey age: 53 bra size: 42 E brand: Mystic Main pain: My bra stretches out so fast. It makes me so mad that I will pay 80 to over 100 dollars on a bra and it doesn’t last so long. It never holds me in for the support I need.
first name: Dana location: south Philly age:45 bra size: 42 F brand: Playtex Main pain: I get extreme back pains. My shoulders literally have an indent where my straps touch the skin. My breasts also fall out of the bottom of the cup after my back band stretches out.
first name: Sis location: South Philly age: 72 bra size: 32 D brand: Lane Bryant Main pain: My bra is always come out of my shirt. It doesn’t matter how hard I try to hide it, it always happen in more then one spot.
Professionals Fashion Designer: -Nicole Wilson #1-609-680-6029 Went to Philadelphia University. Works with high fashion and childrens clothing. Understands how to construct forms around the human body to hold and support. Sewing expert. Dr. Tara Cuda #215-755-2800 General Practitioner Associated with Methodist and Jefferson Hospital Explaining the limits of the human body. Why the back hurts from holding so much weight.
Most common Problems Women Brought Up -Straps dig into shoulders
-Back band rests on shoulder blades
-Straps do not stay tight
-Underwire breaking through fabric and stabs skin
-Cups pucker in the front -Breast fall out of bottom of the cups -Back band creating back fat
Visited the store to get more information on corsets.Showed me how to size someone. Explained the making of a corset.
-Bra stretches out over a short amount of time
-Makes an armpit bulge -Leaves user feeling constricted -Back band wont stay in place -Costs are high for larger sizes
Corset Makers and Employees: Sid Delicious Amy Delicious #215-413-0395
-Underwire hardness digs into ribcage
-Breasts fall out of the neckline and sides -Clasps are annoying to open and close
Health Risk Areas
How can something that is so heavily used have so many problems unanswered?
When we do not hold weight properly we rip tissues, get back spasms, bruise our ribcage, and even go as far as moving disks out of place. Our bra straps and band break down the muscle tissues in our shoulders and shoulder blades causing worse problems for our bones.
The anatomy of the Bra
Apex- The apex is the part of the cup which connects to the strap.
Strap Ring Closure
Slider
Apex
Straps- Should be
rigid for support but also stretch to move with the woman’s body. The wider the strap, the greater the support. Placement matters: Fuller figures need a strap closer to the neck for maximum control and lift.
Gore- inner panel
between the cups that pulls breast together making the whole bra work in unison.
Band
Cups- semi firm material that cradles the breasts.
Cup Gore
Closure- The most Underwire
popular option is a hook and eye closure on the middle center of the bra’s back.
Band/Wing- The band
that wraps around the body, hooking in the back and connecting the cups. Holds most of the weight that the bra supports.
Wire- The wire holds a bra up. Most wires are made from flexible galvanized steel, which doesn’t rust or a hard resin. Ring- The ring is the metal
or plastic join that connects the straps to the band.
Slider- The sliders are
the clips located directly on the straps. A strap can be shortened or lengthened as required by moving the slider.
History of the Bra First prototype bra with inflatable pads were a built in feature along with perspiration pads.
Women athletes were seen using some form of a brassiere to cover and restrain their breasts.
In ancient Egypt women were bare breasted.
7th cent BC
Middle Ages
1368–1644
16th cent
19th cent
1859
1866
The 20 th century also heralded the woman’s bra as a fashion statement rather than a functional undergarment
1917 Women were asked by the US War Industries Board to stop buying corsets so as to make use of the metal used in making them to build two battleships.
1920s
1930 Large scale commercial production of a woman’s bra came into existence.
1940s
1948
1950
1964
1907
Great Britain saw its first bra made of silk and wire.
1977
2007
The first Push up bra was designed by Frederick Mellinger and called the Rising Star. Over the years it was only about getting the desirable shape that we wanted or what the fashion industry said. Some of these styles focus on support and durability more than others. Not until the 70’s did we focus on comfort.
Bra Sizing Systems Sizing Conventions Between UK(Inch System) And Continetal EU(2cm system)
There are 6 different systems still in use all over the world. -UK -USA -EU/ JAPAN -AUS/ NZ -BELGIUM/ SPAIN/ FRANCE -ITALY/CZECH REP
Sizing Conventions By Cup Size
Cup size labeling for each system falls into one of two different methods: -Increasing cup size every inch method (US and UK), -Increasing cup size for every two centimeters (all other systems). Since one inch does not equal two centimeters, but 2.54 centimeters, there is great discrepancy between the systems, which becomes more exaggerated as cup sizes increase.
Sizing Conventions By Band Size
Modern Bra Types
Adhesive Bra
Sticks on skin with no straps or band
Front Closure Bra closure is in the front of bra
Mastectomy Bra bra has lining for prosthesis
Demi Bra The cup is only ½ to ¾ coverage, the most common bra worn
Bandeau Bra
fabric that hugs the chest to cover breast
Full Support Bra
Belly Dance Bra Flash bra that lifts
Maternity Bra
Built-in Bra
Peephole Bra
Padded Bra
Push-up Bra
Built in elastic bra in a tank
Has holes so nipples can peep out
Novelty Bra
extra padding given to make small chest look larger
Gives chest a push up and illusion of larger chest
Bridal Bra/Corset
Shelf Bra
Sports Bra
T-shirt Bra
Racerback Bra
Lift and compresses torros
made to be light & unnoticable under a tee
made to wear under tank top
Vintage Bra
Plunge Bra
hold the chest in with with full cup
Padded bra to help avoid milk spillage
Male Bra
Softcup Bra
Minimizer Bra
bra made to hold in male chest
Gives a seamless look
bra compresses boobs down to give a smaller look
Convertible Bra Changeable straps for convenience
Strapless Bra bra with no straps, hold boobs in but with appearance of no bra
Natural look of not wearing a bra. Just cloth
Nursing Bra cup unclips so mother can feed baby
gives boobs a old fashioned pointed look
Trainer Bra
Starter bra for teenager when they start to form a chest.
Cup plunge down for shirts that are low cut
No cups. band is a shelf to push boobs out
Underwire Bra
Holds chest of with hard material shaped like “w”
Supports by Compressing with elastic
Water Bra
water or silicone sac to give extra padding that feels real
Even though there are over 29 modern bra types each of them is made to support an issue. The issues usually have to do with the garment going over top on the bra, functionality, or the way we want our breasts to look.
Material Already Used For Bras Microfiber/Fiber Fill: a synthetic fabric, commonly made from a cotton polyester blend. A microfiber bra provides a smooth, sleek feel against the skin and is nearly invisible under clothing. Contour: thick fabric that present a soft rounded appearance under clothes. Give a seamless look. Embroidery: intricate design work on flower usually in lace to show a timeless eyelet design. Guipure: A thick, continuous pattern of piping or lace that often creates a chord or piped appearance. Lace: Intricate, timeless and beautiful, lace is a preferred detailing for many lingerie designers. Lace garments are woven from cotton, silk or sometimes synthetic thread into an open-weave pattern. Mesh: a partially sheer, tightly woven knit fabric. Mesh is a light, airy fabric, meant to feel cool and dry on the body.
Satin: a soft but taut fabric with a glossy sheen. This fabric selection has little stretch, so its fit is snug and secure on the body. Sheer: Sexy, yet functional, sheer fabrics show off a little skin. Spacer: Spacer technology uses simplex fabric to wick moisture from your body. Body temperate makes the fabric form to your body. Tulle: commonly referred to as netting, is a soft, tightly spun fabric, usually made from fine silk, cotton or nylon. It provides a light, airy feel and is usually only part of a garment’s overall construction. Memory Wire: made from nickel and titanium. A shifting metal that can change shape thousands of time and never degenerate. Remembers the shape you but it in and doesn’t change unless you make it.
The Strap Join
Closure systems
The strap join is where the straps attach to the cup in the front and the bra band in the back. The strap join in the back is the most important.
Getting a better look at the hardware that’s used to close and hold the bra together.
There are two types of back strap join: -Camisole -Leotard or ballet
Hook and Eye Alloy Hooks Rings Sliders
The camisole strap- is simply a strap connected to a ring connected to a band at a right angle. This produces a more square shape in the back. The leotard strap- is a strap connected to a ring connected to the band at a more oblique angle, producing a more curved shape in the back. The leotard strap is used in more supportive bras because it calls for more material, which gets sewn into the band. The weight gets distributed more evenly throughout the band, and takes weight out of the straps and shoulders.
The band is the most important parts of the bra. Most of the breast’s weight is distributed throughout the band. It holds 90% of the weight. When a thermo graphic reading was done to a normal bra, It showed us with the red where most of the weight is carried in the bras anatomy.
Bare Essentials: Bras: Construction and Pattern Drafting for Lingerie Design (Volume 2)
This amazing book gives you patterns of bras and the mechanics/engineering on how the bra is supposed to work. It starts you off basic then levels up to intermediate and advanced. In these levels they start to add objects like underwire, boning, and closure systems. These objects are all the things necessary to make a bra even more supportive. In the back of the book they give you life size panels so you can construct a bra from the examples.
By reading and understanding the patterns in the book, it explains that the bras that are made with more paneling in the cup and band give more support. In order to help lift and hold supportively, I will test the multi-patterned bra on larger breasted women and see its effect.
Multi-patterned cup from Bare Essentials
Reader’s Digest Complete Guide To Sewing
Vintage Lingerie: 30 Patterns Based on Period Garments, Plus Finishing Techniques By Jill Salen This book gives history of undergarments and how they work. It gives us a better understanding why undergarments are worn under clothing and not on the top. The history also gives you the vintage patterns so you can see how these iconic pieces were produced and so you can make them yourself.
This book starts you off basic with how to use a sewing machine. Then it starts to give you the information about patterning, cutting, and the different types of fabrics with how they are made and what to use them for. Next starts to get in depth about how to construct basic forms and keeping them together. The book will go as far as telling you how to put together a whole outfit. To finish off the outfits they provide the different closure methods that are necessary for different styles. At the very end it gives you projects to test your skills and help you master the basic of sewing.
I learned the basic sewing skills from threading a machine to the different functions of what the machine can do. In order to make something that can be worn on the body I really dug into how making a 2D pattern can be formed into a 3D object. To have a better understand on what is sturdy, I read How double woven fibers have less stretch and give verses knits which stretches and forms more easily.
Why do we wear underwear? Basic reason for wearing underwear is that society demands it. It surely would be the “case that not to be wearing underclothes in the 21st century would identify you as poor or naughty.” Underwear also acts as foundation wear, such as brassiere, helping us achieve a shape that we feel is desirable or fashion “dictates. Over the last hundred years women’s breasts have been squashed flat, falsely enhanced, exposed, pointy, supported, and unsupported.”
The patterns that are given are genuinely beautiful, but they got me thinking, if we looked at the past models for supporting the breast how can we incorporate these vintage ideas that actually support the body back into the modern day bra? I don’t agree that having a garment under verses over will make a difference in how we achieve the desirable shape that we want.
Jockey Fit Kit
New kit made by Jockey that uses volumetric fit cups to measure the breast volume. Also has a colored measuring tape that makes it easy to read the band size reading.You just have to find the cup that best fits your breast. If the cup does not cover your whole breast it is too small, if the cup covers the entire breast and more its too big. After you find your right measurement and cup size you can go a Jockey store or online to find the perfect match.
Soma’s Seamless 3 Zone Support
Deeper Look At The Sports Bra
The purpose of the sports bra is to hold down or compress the breast to stay in place during physical activity and also helps with discomfort. This reduces damage to chest ligaments. Sports bras are made from a few different materials.
I went to the Soma store, where I got sized and was told that I was not a DD but a G in cup size. The girl brought me over 6 different styles of bras to try on. The bra I ended up with was the Seamless 3 zone support. I liked the way the bra made my chest look. The straps seemed to be a little bit loose for my liking, but when the slider was pulled to the tightest it seemed to be fine. I left feeling confident about the purchase.
Within the first week of adapting to the new bra the underwire was so hard pressed against my ribcage that it sent shooting pains down my sides. The next thing I noticed was that the cup had a big gap in the top after wearing for a few hours, it was due to the slider of the bra loosening up after a certain amount of time. After three weeks the band of the bra had completely stretched out and so did the straps. I now have to wear the bra band to the tightest hook and slide the sliders up every 10 to 20 minutes. The cups are completely too large now after the rest of the bra support has gone.
-Polyester/Cotton/Lycra Spandex - This 3-fiber blend offers polyester and cotton for softness and moisture management while Lycra provides optimal fit and support. -Polyester/Cotton - Classic blend provides gentle softness and powerful moisture management for all your workouts.
When wearing a sports bra, just wearing one does not hold you in when you have a large chest. While interviewing my stakeholders, 75% of them said they need to wear a normal bra plus 1 to 3 sport bras over top. Their chest will still bounce and they are so compressed its hard for them to workout and breathe at the same time.
-Supplex Nylon/Lycra Spandex - Offers soft, comfortable feel and incredible fit, support and shape retention. -Cotton/Lycra Spandex Soft, moisture managing cotton combines with shape retaining Lycra to create a very comfortable fabric with just the right amount of stretch and support. -CoolMax Polyester/Lycra Spandex - This high-performance fabric blend delivers you all the moisture-wicking benefits of CoolMax plus the comfort, stretch and shape retention of Lycra.
Backpacks, Baby Slings, and Harnesses
Wide Strap
Wide Strap
Backpacks and baby slings are made with wide straps for the shoulders to distribute the weight of the load more evenly. Sometimes there are gels and pads to give extra cushioning. They also often have a hipbelt that allows you to secure 80 to 90 percent of the weight to rest on the hips.
Thick Band
Hipbelt
Hipbelt
Horizontal Straps
The same goes for work harnesses; the only difference is that they add extra horizontal straps on chest, back, and legs. The more straps the more support is given. Wide Strap
Hipbelt
By focusing on the body’s structure and its limits, I would like to further research and prototype based off important facts I found. By including new strap and lock systems, widening crucial parts of the bra, and finding materials that are sturdy and durable, I can create a support system that holds a larger chest in place.
Timeline 2013/2014
What width of strap and band is too small, what’s to wide? Test the measurements. Dec 20
Attend sewing workshops to strengthen my skills.
Figure out what materials can make a difference.
Draw up prototype ideas. Dec27
Jan 3
Find someone who can be a stitcher.
Go to New York City and have a meeting with Material Connexion.
Get feed back from stakeholders.
Jan Jan 13 End Create prototypes for stakeholders to wear.
End of capstopne
Make more iterrations Feb
March Get final models done
April
Bibliography
“Bra Fabric Guide.” Bra Fabric Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013. “Bras That Open in the Front.” GearAbility RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2013. “Hiking Backpacks.” Backpacks: Adjusting the Fit. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013. Lynne, Jennifer. Bare Essentials: Bras: Construction and Pattern Drafting for Lingerie Design.Vol. 2. N.p.: Matthews-Fairbanks, n.d. Print. “New JOCKEY® Bra, with Patented Volumetric Fit System, Gives Women a Near-Custom Fit.” New JOCKEY® Bra, with Patented Volumetric Fit System, Gives Women a Near-Custom Fit. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013. Reader’s Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1976. Print. Salen, Jill.Vintage Lingerie: 30 Patterns Based on Period Garments plus Finishing Techniques. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2011. Print. “Sports Bra Buyers Guide - Dick’s Sporting Goods.” Sports Bra Buyers Guide Dick’s Sporting Goods. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013. “Supportive Bras - How to Buy a Bra - Good Housekeeping.” Good Housekeeping. N.p., n.d. Web. Oct. 2013. “Value Your Body.” Value Your Body RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. Dec. 2013.