Bra Hack?

January 26, 2018 8:42 AM

So I've found my nearly perfect bra, with one hitch. The underwires poke through the fabric and into my armpit.

I've sewn moleskine over the tops of the underwire channels, but the underwires still manage to poke their way out of the channel, either under where I've added the reinforcement or eventually through the moleskine. Is there a stronger fabric I should add? Or perhaps I am wearing the wrong size bra? 48C, if that matters.

posted by sarajane to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

How do you wash them? If you're putting them in the washing machine and/or dryer, this will happen sooner than if you hand wash and dry.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:46 AM on January 26, 2018 [3 favorites]

Could def. be the wrong cup size. But also:

I was constantly having this problem with a succession of bras (same size/style/manufacturer) that I thought fit me very well (and that a professional fitter had chosen for me). And then one day I noticed that when I put the bra on, I was inadvertently letting the fabric just behind the edge of the underwire get folded under and stay that way while I was wearing it. So it was holding the bra's fabric really tight against that underwire edge...where it eventually wore through.

Now when I put on a bra I take an extra half second and make sure that little bit is sitting flat, and I haven't had the poke-through problem since.

Also, when I did have the problem I solved it by darning the hole with embroidery floss, creating a thick nub right there.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:47 AM on January 26, 2018

Have the underwrites already poked out? How are the ends of the wire finished? Sometimes they have little plastic nubs over the ends which helps and sometimes it’s plain metal which is more likely to rub through. You could try putting something over the ends to make them softer (sugru? Nail polish? Tape?)
posted by raccoon409 at 8:59 AM on January 26, 2018

Best answer: When this happened to me, I started pulling the underwires out of my bras and did not notice any difference aside from not being poked anymore. Now I never buy bras with underwires. YMMV of course.
posted by FencingGal at 9:02 AM on January 26, 2018 [8 favorites]

Best answer: Yep, if you've got a bra with the wires already poking out, try just removing them altogether and see if you still like the fit and support. It won't work for every bra, but I've found that some well-built bras are still great post-wire.

I also second hand-washing. I don't think I've lost a wire since I stopped putting my bras in the washing machine; even the crappy cheap bras have stayed intact.
posted by Metroid Baby at 9:13 AM on January 26, 2018

Best answer: You are almost definitely wearing the wrong size, and poking underwires are a symptom of that. Try this calculator: http://www.abrathatfits.org/brasizecalculator.php

Expect your bra size to be something bizarre-sounding (I'm a 34FF, frex.)
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:14 AM on January 26, 2018 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Just brainstorming here: I used to have bra underwires poke through more quickly than they should. Then I learned that I had a short torso and that bras shouldn't be sitting right in my armpit in the first place - this was forcing the underwire up to the edge of the fabric. I started wearing bras with a shorter cup height (like balconette style) and the undwire is several inches below my armpit with extra fabric. Now the underwire fails on the central gore first.
posted by muddgirl at 9:22 AM on January 26, 2018 [4 favorites]

Yeah, if the underwire is poking your armpit, you need a wider cup. The wire (all of it) should lie flat against your ribcage. You can try bending the wire to flatten out the U shape a bit and conform to your body better. The longer-term fix is probably a larger cup and a smaller band size + trying a bunch of different bra styles. Nordstrom Rack is my go-to for a bunch of different styles in quality brands at okay prices.
posted by momus_window at 9:35 AM on January 26, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Seconding pulling the suckers out! I’ve had a professional fitting and told her I find underwrites uncomfortable. She said it was because I wore the wrong size, but the size she sold me is just as uncomfortable. I stopped wearing underwires.
posted by soelo at 9:40 AM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I just pull them out (mine have plastic). I'm also large chested and never notice a difference in support (while I definitely would if I removed the underwire at the base).
posted by Aranquis at 9:42 AM on January 26, 2018

This happens to me, at varying rates, depending on the bra (I imagine because my weight and breasts fluctuate in size over time). I'm a hard-to-find size, and quality bras that fit me are almost always stupid expensive. The shop I go to will repair & reinforce when the wires poke out, and I believe they will do mail-order repairs if you don't have a resource local to you.
I also noticed that when I stopped machine washing my bras, the wires stayed in much longer.
posted by ApathyGirl at 10:53 AM on January 26, 2018 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Araldite. Not kidding. I have spent some productive time with a favourite bra moulding a nice splodge of araldite around the exposed wire and end of the fabric. The wire stays where it should be, and the end is rounded and comfortable. When I have not had araldite I have used superglue, but that doesn't give a rounded profile and requires sanding once dry. Both have proved to be stable over multiple washes (do not use wood glue. Wood glue is not wash stable).
posted by Vortisaur at 12:16 PM on January 26, 2018

Best answer: Seconding PhoBWanKenobi and the A Bra That Fits size calculator. I spent years with underwires poking through and out, bras being weirdly out of shape, etc. I thought I was a 42, maybe a 44, C. Turns out that it was more like a 36G. It felt like the most counterintuitive thing in the entire world, but I figured what the hell and bought a single bra in that size online, and it was, no joke, lifechanging. Strongly rec checking your bra size.
posted by mishafletch at 7:33 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I go to the same bra store as ApathyGirl and cannot say enough good things about them. Their repair service has meant that some of my bras have lasted for five years, with hand washing.
posted by culfinglin at 1:26 PM on January 30, 2018