Sensory friendly larger size bras that won't make me want to scream
April 17, 2021 3:47 PM Subscribe
Hi! I'm wanting to hear from women with larger busts (I wear a 46DDD) about their most loved bras that are both highly supportive AND sensory friendly for folks with tactile sensitivities. My current pick is the everyday cotton bralette from Savage x Fenty and while it's perhaps the closest I've found, I'd be delighted to find one that lifts a bit more. Thanks!
Best answer: I am somewhere around your size and I have some Paloma bras from Girlfriend Collective that I like a LOT - more supportive than a bralette but not as supportive as a sports bra, soft fabric with no underwire or scratchy lace. Comes in nice colors.
posted by Jeanne at 4:45 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Jeanne at 4:45 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
These are extremely sensory-friendly if one is wearing the right size/has breasts that work with that underwire shape. They’re a knockoff of a much more expensive Wacoal style but Wacoal doesn’t make theirs in a 46 band. The fabric is seamless and stretchy and the underwire is on the outside so it provides structure but doesn’t dig in/doesn’t have a seam you can feel. Syrokan is not a great brand so their sizing is not always consistent but they have free shipping/free returns.
Underwires can be really uncomfortable if they’re not the right shape for your body and/or if the bra is the wrong size (the size calculator here is good for that), but the right shape of underwire + seamless stretchy cups can be more comfortable than unstructured bralettes, in my experience.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:08 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
Underwires can be really uncomfortable if they’re not the right shape for your body and/or if the bra is the wrong size (the size calculator here is good for that), but the right shape of underwire + seamless stretchy cups can be more comfortable than unstructured bralettes, in my experience.
posted by needs more cowbell at 5:08 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
I've been living in these wire-free bras from Torrid all pandemic—very comfortable, soft inside and out, nothing really pushing on you, and they're more supportive than a bralette (though still less than an underwire bra). I just wore one out to a bar because I was like "I should probably put a real bra on but... fuck it" which as a busty person I would not have done with most non-wired bras. They have relatively narrow straps with some plastic hardware but I find they're supportive enough that there's not a ton of weight resting on the shoulder straps, so they don't dig in.
posted by babelfish at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by babelfish at 5:44 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
I kept wearing my nursing bras (and ordering new ones) long after finishing nursing because they're the most comfortable bras I've ever had. Smooth and supportive. Bravado seamless is my favorite.
posted by omnie at 5:50 PM on April 17, 2021
posted by omnie at 5:50 PM on April 17, 2021
These are extremely sensory-friendly if one is wearing the right size/has breasts that work with that underwire shape.
Oh, wow, I love the Wacoal that is based on but it is so expensive. Good to know a possible alternative, I’m totally gambling on one now. Agree on the possibilities- I use that Wacoal as my *only* bra now, I love it so much and have a ton of them, there are no seams or anything on the skin side- but it really would depend on the absolute perfect fit and I would understand if underwire is a hard no.
posted by charmedimsure at 6:50 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh, wow, I love the Wacoal that is based on but it is so expensive. Good to know a possible alternative, I’m totally gambling on one now. Agree on the possibilities- I use that Wacoal as my *only* bra now, I love it so much and have a ton of them, there are no seams or anything on the skin side- but it really would depend on the absolute perfect fit and I would understand if underwire is a hard no.
posted by charmedimsure at 6:50 PM on April 17, 2021 [1 favorite]
As an aside a 46DDD would be a 46” under bust and a 52” bust. Double check your size here as it can make sure to give you the best size range options. A good fit can help with lift and comfort.
I find Wacoal to be consistent and good. I’m small busted (30D ish) and I love this one in a 32. Good support and lift. But it goes up to 42.
posted by Crystalinne at 7:42 PM on April 17, 2021
I find Wacoal to be consistent and good. I’m small busted (30D ish) and I love this one in a 32. Good support and lift. But it goes up to 42.
posted by Crystalinne at 7:42 PM on April 17, 2021
If you don't find what you're looking for here, check out the subReddit A Bra That Fits.
posted by stormyteal at 10:22 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by stormyteal at 10:22 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]
As an addendum: I’d say that for the Syrokan knockoff I linked to, the band size should more or less match what your actual underbust measurement is (in inches, don’t do the hokey “add four inches” thing that some places still suggest), but the cups might be trial and error and I wouldn’t rule it out as an option if the A Bra That Fits calculator linked above gives you a cup size that Syrokan doesn’t make. In more precisely sized and shaped bras I’m an H in US cup sizes but the E in this style fits me fine and the F is too big.
The Wacoal it’s copying (model 855170) is made with higher-quality fabric that’s somewhat less stretchy/more supportive. I think its cups, too, can comfortably accommodate a larger cup size than it “should,” though, because they’re very full-coverage.
If nothing else works, Decent Exposures does made-to-order bras that are very customizable and sensory-friendly.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:05 AM on April 18, 2021
The Wacoal it’s copying (model 855170) is made with higher-quality fabric that’s somewhat less stretchy/more supportive. I think its cups, too, can comfortably accommodate a larger cup size than it “should,” though, because they’re very full-coverage.
If nothing else works, Decent Exposures does made-to-order bras that are very customizable and sensory-friendly.
posted by needs more cowbell at 4:05 AM on April 18, 2021
Decent Exposures bras are incredibly comfortable, and also can be custom made to refine the things that are irritating in the fabric or fit.
posted by Sublimity at 8:08 AM on April 18, 2021
posted by Sublimity at 8:08 AM on April 18, 2021
As a 40G, I have found the Wacoal Full Figure Basic Beauty ticks all the boxes for me. While it is an underwire, it doesn’t have a band, which on my body, would always fold/roll up. Agreed they’re pricy, but I wear it EVERY day, and my comfort is utmost. It doesn’t appear they come in a 46 band, but if you’ve not been professionally fitted, you may be surprised with a truly correct sizing. I was wearing a 44 DDD, and went to 40G. These bras also last forever with basic care (machine wash in a lingerie bag and hand to dry). Worth the investment to me.
posted by kittygrandma at 8:41 AM on April 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by kittygrandma at 8:41 AM on April 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I went with the Girlfriend Collective bras and I am happy to say...I LOVE THEM ALL!!!
posted by fairlynearlyready at 12:28 AM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by fairlynearlyready at 12:28 AM on July 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Having had big breasts for a long time (10G) and even bigger with pregnancy and feeding, I feel like I might keep wearing this style for a while. Anita(.com) is the brand.
posted by freethefeet at 4:32 PM on April 17, 2021 [2 favorites]