Bra Cup Spillage

Where it spills tells you what to change

• Over the top edge, both sides. The cup is too small. Go up one cup at the same band. If you go up two and it still spills, the style is too shallow.
• At the underarm. The wire is too narrow for the root of your breast, or the cup is too small. Try a wider wire style first.
• Between the cups, at the centre. The centre panel is not sitting flat, usually because the cup is too small. Fix the cup.
• Only in one style. Plunge and demi cuts hold less volume than a full cup at the same size. That is design, not fit failure.

The “double bubble”

When tissue rises over a rigid cup edge and creates a visible second curve, the cup is too small – but often only by one step. It shows up more in moulded and t-shirt bras because the edge is firm. In a soft or stretch-lace cup the same volume simply looks like a snug fit.

On the size of the letter

Cup letters are relative to the band. A D cup on an AU 10 band is a smaller volume than a D cup on an AU 18 band. Sizing up the cup does not describe your body differently; it describes the bra differently. Plenty of people wear cups well past D at perfectly ordinary band sizes, and it is unremarkable.

Check the band while you are at it

Spillage and a loose band travel together, because a loose band lets the cups sit forward and low. If the band rides up as well, go down a band and up a cup – two steps of the cup in total. See sister sizes for the combinations.

Next steps

Recalculate my size Run all seven fit checks