We’ve all heard the expression “front and center.” It means being in the most prominent position, or theater-wise, sitting in the most expensive seats. But when it comes to bra fit, many women have turned it into a bit of a battle cry. “Get my breasts front and center and out from under my arms!” And the reason many women want this is simple; it makes you look thinner and clears the way for forward arm movement.
The Driving Test
With your hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2, are the sides of your breasts getting in your way while driving? If your answer is yes, you would benefit from a bra that’s designed to position your breasts “front and center.”
Beneficiaries of Front & Center
Women with wide-set breasts – meaning you can place 2 or more fingers between your breasts – naturally splaying east/west breasts and women with large cup sizes tend to be the most challenged with the driving test. The good news is the driving test can be easily passed with the right bra design. But there is one exception. Women with implants. Whereas natural breast tissue is malleable so it can be moved and shaped by a bra, breast implants do not have this ability. They stay where they were placed during surgery. At this time, I’m not aware of any bra on the market that can successfully move breast implants closer together.
Problematic Bra Features
If you want your breasts front and center, you should avoid bras with these features:
Front Closures – The hardware needed for a front closure bra requires horizontal space between your cups. This requires the cups to be positioned further apart. A wide center panel between bra cups does not bring breasts closer together.
Seamless Cups – Molded and contour cup bra cups by themselves lack key structural elements to bring breast tissue front and center. They also tend to have a bit of stretch. A firm non-stretch cup is a must for getting breasts front and center.
Wireless Bras – Underwires are a structural powerhouse for containing and sustaining breast tissue. A bra without underwires simply has less control over breast tissue movement and migration.
Helpful Bra Features
The more features your bra has from this following list, the more successful you will be in keeping your breasts front and center.
Side Support Slings/Panels – Side panels either inside or incorporated into the cup design are the single MOST important feature to look for. It does the work of bringing the side breast tissue inward and upward.
Seamed Cups – Think of cup seams as the framework for a bra. A seamless cup will hold your breasts, but a seamed cup will frame your breasts and form them and hold them into an optimal and flattering shape.
Side Boning – Bras with side boning not only keep your bra’s sides from collapsing, but they also work with a side panel to manage side breast tissue and position it more forward.
Tall Sides – Along with boning, your sides should be 4” or taller. Otherwise, there could be underarm breast tissue spillage. We tell you the side height on all bras we sell in our fitter’s comments.
Center-Pull Straps – Rather than wide-set straps, center-pull straps are positioned above your breasts’ apex. This helps center and more comfortably support breast weight.
Underwires – To place your breasts front and center requires sturdy underwires. And, these underwires need to come up some under your arm to catch and contain any breast tissue that may be heading east/west. The Panache brand is particularly famous for its more “U” shaped and firm underwires which put you front and center. Their band range primarily is 28 to 40. However, women who are petite or have high-sitting breasts will struggle with a comfortable fit due to the height of their underwires.
Examples of Front and Center Bras
You may already know this, but HerRoom is the only website that provides a 360° spin view on all bras we offer for sale. We do this so our customers can better compare and confirm their preferred fit features. Using our 360° feature, I’ve grabbed the same angle of our most popular bras that do a great job of keeping your breast tissue contained and centered. I purposefully selected a similar color for all so you can better focus on the features and placement for each. And, I selected a variety of brands to show you that there are many available to meet your taste and price point.
A Final Thought…
Here’s a fun fact. 40% of our fishnet business happens during the month of October. Why? Halloween of course! And, our customers are savvy; opting for fishnet thigh-highs that go on with ease.
We also do a brisk business in anything animal print. You’d be surprised with our selection and the many unusual categories. Here are the links:
Fondly,
Tomima Founder & CEO