Bra Cup Gaping
A gaping cup usually means the cup is too big - go down one cup and keep the band. But if it only gapes at the top while the rest fits, the style is wrong for your shape rather than the size.
A gaping cup usually means the cup is too big – go down one cup and keep the band. But if it only gapes at the top while the rest fits, the style is wrong for your shape rather than the size.
First, scoop
Lean forward and sweep the tissue from your underarm and ribcage into each cup with the opposite hand. A large share of apparent gaping is tissue that never made it into the cup. Judge the fit only after doing this.
Which kind of gaping is it?
| What you see | Most likely cause | Try |
|---|---|---|
| Gap all round the cup edge | Cup is too large | Down one cup, same band |
| Gap only at the top, snug below | Style too full-coverage for your shape | Balconette, plunge, or stretch upper edge |
| Gap on one side only | Normal asymmetry | Fit the larger side; shorten the strap on the smaller |
| Gap in a moulded cup, fine in soft cups | Moulded shape does not match yours | Non-moulded or seamed cups |
Shape, not just size
Breast tissue is distributed differently from person to person: fuller at the bottom, fuller at the top, wider or narrower at the root, closer together or further apart. A moulded cup is one fixed shape. If your tissue is fuller below the nipple line, a rigid full-coverage cup will always have air at the top no matter how the size changes – the answer is a different cut, usually a balconette or a plunge, or a seamed cup that can flex.
Asymmetry is normal
Most people have two slightly different breasts, and a difference of up to a full cup is common and unremarkable. Fit the larger side, then take up the slack on the smaller side with a shorter strap or a removable insert. Never size down to fit the smaller side – you will get spillage on the other.