Breast shape

The image above represents an assortment of breast shapes.

A visual guide to help identify breast shape.

Breast shape is a contributor to bra fit which is not often considered.

Full

Full breasts are round and equally full everywhere. Those with full breasts struggle with "quad-boob", even when they have a bra that properly fits, because bras cause spill-over by cutting into the breast tissue.

Best bras for full breasts

• A demi-cup bra is low cut to avoid quad-boob effect.
• A balconette bra has a square neckline that falls mid-breast.
• A full-cup bra covers your full breast and will avoid cutting across the fullest part.
• A bra with an elastic top can make the shape appear more streamlined.

Worst bras for full breasts

• A bra that cuts across the fullest part of your breast will create quad-boob.
• A bra with stiff lace or a tight seam at the top can create quad-boob.

Full on the side

Breasts that have most of their tissue towards the sides of the breast have either inner fullness or outer fullness. These types of breasts can also be even, full on top, or full on bottom in addition to having side fullness.

Best bras for inner fullness breasts

• Plunges like the Freya Deco are more suited for breasts with inner fullness.
• Brands like Gorsenia and Krisline often have space for a lot of volume near the gore.

Worst bras for inner fullness breasts

Best bras for outer fullness breasts

Worst bras for outer fullness breasts

Full on bottom

Full on bottom (FOB) breasts have most of the breast tissue in the lower-half of the breast.

Best bras for full on bottom breasts

• A balconette bra with a tight upper-cup will contain the breasts and prevent gaping.

Worst bras for full on bottom breasts

• A full-cup bra will gape at the top of the cup.

Full on bottom and full on top breasts can be many shapes, but nipple placement is usually an easy tell.

Full on top

Full on top (FOT) breasts have most of the breast tissue in the top-half of the breast.

Best bras for full on top breasts

• A half-cup bra with an open upper-cup will contain the breasts without cutting into them, causing quad-boob.
• A balcony or full-cup bra with a stretchy top section will cover the breasts and give a natural shape.

Worst bras for full on top breasts

Pear

Your breasts are pear-shaped if they're fuller on the bottom half and your nipples are slightly pointing downwards.

Best bras for pear-shaped breasts

• A molded-cup bra will shape and lift the breast.
• A padded bra can enhance your breast size and reduce the appearance of sagging by making them look fuller.
• A padded T-shirt bra is soft and has full coverage, so that will make your breasts look more firm.

Worst bras for pear-shaped breasts

• A full-cup bra will not be filled our by your shape at the top, and it will gap.
• A balconette bra may not make your breasts look as perky and attractive as you would like, as they're not super firm.

Pendulous

Main article: Pendulous breasts

Pendulous breasts have most of the breast hang below the inframammary fold, and may not have much fullness at the top of the breast. The breast tissue is usually soft and malleable, and will conform to the shape of a bra.

Best bras for pendulous breasts

• Full-cup bras will encase all of the breast tissue inside of the cups and give a lifted, natural look.
• A 3-part cup balcony bra will also contain the breast tissue, and will give a rounded shape.
• Three-quarter-cup bras with somewhat of a closed upper-cup.

Worst bras for pendulous breasts

• Half-cup bras have too-open of a top, and can cause the breasts to fall out when leaning over.
• Plunge bras have a lower center gore and an open center, which the breasts can easily spill out of.

Pointed/Conical

Pointed, or conical, breasts have a sloping shape at the top, with pointy nipples, and they need extra help in order to retain a rounded shape if desired. When leaning forward, the breasts take on more of a triangular shape than ovoid.

Best bras for pointed/conical breasts

• A molded-cup T-shirt bra will reduce nipple show and round out the shape.
• A padded bra can encourage a rounder shape.
• A padded push-up bra pushes breasts up and together.
• If desired, vintage or "vintage-style" bras can help enhance a natural pointed/conical shape and give a 1950s look.

Worst bras for pointed/conical breasts

• A plunge bra will simply make your breasts fall forward, out of the bra.
• An unlined bra may exaggerate the pointy shape, which some people may not prefer.
• If not desired, vintage or "vintage-style" bras will enhance a natural pointed/conical shape and give a 1950s look.

Tubular

Tubular breasts have little breast tissue, and can be described as "long and thin" in shape (like a tube). This shape is mostly found in smaller cup sizes (DD and under) but is observed in larger cups as well.

Best bras for tubular breasts

• Bras with narrow wires and projected cups.

Worst bras for tubular breasts

Augmented

If you've had a breast augmentation, you can wear near any bra style without worrying about a compromised shape, but a good fitting supportive bra is still essential. Fitting issues for augmented breasts can include even fullness, projected and close set requirements in bras.

Best bras for augmented breasts

• A supportive well-fitting bra is essential for augmented breasts to maintain the desired shape; for the same reasons as natural breasts; to avoid tissue and prosthesis migration; to delay the effects of gravity and to avoid complications from unsupported much heavier breasts . It is a common misconception that augmented breasts do not require support.
• Not all surgeons recommend bras immediately post op so follow your surgeons advice on whether you will need to wear a firm wire free bra in the weeks immediately after surgery.
• It is especially important with augmented breasts to ensure a good fit where wires are in the correct spot. Your breasts will have changed in shape after augmentation so it is a good idea to refamiliarise yourself with and do a measurement check. ABraThatFits Beginner‘s Guide on Reddit provides a very good starting point with links to their highly accurate size calculator.
• Augmented breasts will most often have firmer tissue and be even in vertical and horizontal fullness. Bras that cater for even distribution of volume include the Panache Andorra, Panache/Cleo Hettie, Freya Deco Plunge, Elomi unlined plunges.
• Augmented breasts are likely to need bras that cater for greater than average overall projection and/or immediate projection (how far your breasts extend out from your chest overall and from the base of the breast). These include Panache/Cleo Marcie, Freya Fearne and Ewa Michalak balcony styles.
• Most of the common bra styles will be suitable as shape correction is likely unnecessary. However it is common for surgeons to create a breast shape that is quite close set (little to no space between the breasts) which is best accomodated by bras in plunge styles and with low or very narrow centre gores to avoid the wires digging in and/or sitting too far below your breast and reducing support.
• A sports bra is essential for exercise to reduce undesired shape changes and impact from greater movement of augmented breasts which are now larger and heavier.

Worst bras for augmented breasts

• Molded bras often are not able to accomodate projected breasts but you may still find some that cater to you as amount of projection is highly variable in augmented breasts . Brands such as Freya, Panache and Elomi carry molded bra models that cater to larger cup sizes.

Shallow

If your breast tissue is very spread out all over your chest without having a lot of projection you are shallow-shaped. This shape often occurs in smaller cupsizes from A-DD, but has also been observed in a lot larger cupsizes (28H UK, 32G UK, 36GG UK). With this shape, you might not feel the need of wearing a bra. Your options differ on whether you wish to simply avoid nipple chafing or want to appear larger.

Best bras for shallow breasts

A Bra That Fits has an ongoing project to determine what bras work, and don't work, for shallow shapes

• Shallow shaped breasts need bras that are very open on top
• Many padded and some unpadded halfcups work well for a shallow shape
• A padded bra can enhance your size and look natural.
• A bandeau has simple coverage to avoid nipple chafing.
• A shaped camisole works well to avoid constriction and nipple chafing.

Worst bras for shallow breasts

• A push-up bra will make your breasts look enhanced unnaturally.
• Plunges often have a very closed rim that will cut in on many women with this shape
• unpadded 3/4 cups with narrow wires and deep cups

An example of the projected-shallow breasts spectrum. Full version here.

Wide-set

Wide-set breasts have natural middle gap with a the space narrower at top than at the bottom.

Best bras for wide-set breasts

• A balconette bra will lift and round-out your shape.
• A plunge bra will naturally help your breasts fall toward the middle, and they sometimes have padding to better assist with his goal.
• A padded molded-cup bra will fit your breasts into a specific shape.
• A push-up bra will pushes breasts up and together.
• A padded push-up will give your breasts an ideal shape, as well as push them up and together.

Worst bras for wide-set breasts

• A bra that simply pushes your breasts together might look forced.

Close-set

If your breasts are close-set, you have issues with gores being too wide and not sitting flat against your sternum.

Best bras for close-set breasts

• A bra with a very narrow or very low center gore will work well, or you can try to narrow a center gore yourself.

Worst bras for close-set breasts

• Full-cup bras typically have wider center gores.
• Balconettes tend to have tall gores and can end up laying on top of breast tissue.
• Any bras with a wide center gore, regardless of cut, will not tack.

Narrow root

A few examples of root widths on different shapes.

See also: Bra sizing by company, Breast root

Breasts with narrow roots have most-to-all of the breast tissue on the front of the torso, with the root typically ending right at, or just under, the armpits. If you have narrow roots, you may have the problem of bras with too-wide underwires wrapping around to your back and compromising fit.

Wide root

See also: Bra sizing by company, Breast root

Breasts with wide roots have the root extend to or past the armpits. Those with wide roots have the issue of bras with too-narrow wires laying on top of breast tissue. This particular issue is called the orange-in-a-glass effect.

External links

• Bratabase: "Breast Shapes"
• Normal Breast Gallery
• Bras for Right Shape

See also

• Bra troubleshooting
• Bra style
• Breast Shapes Gallery
• Pectus excavatum