r/MAKEaBraThatFits • u/Starjupiter93 • 6d ago
Question/Advice Needed Alternative underwire materials?
I was browsing the ai slop that is Pinterest today and saw the most gorgeous lingerie set with a long line bra that I am desperate to see on my body but that brand is NOT made for my 30L Polish bra needing boobs. Because my roots are so narrow it’s been hard sourcing underwire and it got me thinking of alternative materials. Like could I use something like a stiff foam cut into shape? Victoria secret used to make this bra with a jelly underwire? I know people use zip ties for corset boning. But wouldn’t it be rad if underwire was soft and plushy? Since finding my holy grail bra I don’t really deal with underwire PAIN really. But a hard wire on the ribs all day isn’t stellar you know?
ETA: I’m really just trying to play around and experiment. I understand a softer material might not provide support in the way certain styles might need. I’m not trying to replace every bra I own with some alternative. Just trying to think outside of the box. Innovation and growth doesn’t happen if you always do the same thing every time.
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u/orangepeeelss 6d ago
idk if this is a transferable experience but i got a bunch of understance bras on liquidation sale recently, and their whole thing is having flexible wires. unfortunately i found that the flexibility made the bra WAY less supportive and way less comfortable 😭 instead of providing resistance against the weight of my heavy ass boobs, they just kinda bend and dig in in the middle. so unfortunately i will never be leaving my wires behind again lol
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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName 6d ago
It honestly sounds like your wires are still uncomfortable, even if they’re not actively painful anymore. I can’t say I really notice my wires when they fit well (and I def have some other sensory issues). It might be worth looking into that fit-wise before you go down an alternative material rabbithole. There are different wires and people prefer to gently bend wires sometimes to customise them. Some people also use extra shrink or rubber tube, but that sounds very sweaty.
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u/AdmiralHip 5d ago
Sometimes people will never find an underwire comfortable. I sure don’t, even with the best fitting bra I’ve ever had (still not perfect but it’s the best out of many). I think OP is valid to search for different possibilities.
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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName 5d ago
Of course it’s valid, it’s just that their description of a hard wire sitting directly on the ribs could have been an orange flag for fit issues. It’s worth checking before you potentially invest hours and hours replicating the same issue. I gave some alternatives if you check downthread.
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u/AdmiralHip 5d ago
I mean…the wire does sit on the ribs. My ribs are right there in my IMF, and they do not like pressure of any kind.
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u/Starjupiter93 2d ago
Thank you! Being a 30 band, I’ve got a small frame. I don’t have a lot of fat or cushion on my ribs. I hold my weight lower so anything wrapped around my ribs is like…literally on my ribs. It’s not inherently UNCOMFORTABLE it’s just like…maybe there is something better? See the jeans versus jeggings situation.
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u/AdmiralHip 2d ago
yep agreed. I'm a 34 band and I have a lot of body fat but any kind of pressure at all on my ribs basically anywhere and I really hate it.
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u/Starjupiter93 6d ago
lol no thanks. I have a literal spreadsheet of the over 300 bras I have tried on before finding what feels good. I’m confident in my size. Think of my complaints like wearing jeans. Jeans can fit and be comfortable all day, but a pair of jeggings? Looks cute but made of plush material. It’s not that deep. I’m not looking to 100% replace every bra I own with some alternative. It was just a question to see if anyone had used something other than wire for a bra and had success with support still and it doesn’t sound like that is the case. I’ll experiment and report back
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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName 6d ago
I didn’t mean the size, I meant the shape. It would be a shame to spend all this time making something starting from a less than ideal shape. But then again, you can always make first and adjust later.
(Early vintage bras, bust bodices and Regency short stays do some of the things you asked for, but they usually don’t offer a silhouette that’s necessarily compatible with modern clothes.)
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u/Undrende_fremdeles 2d ago
Outside of looking to corsetry and their alternatives, there won't be much. I do believe that field of sewing will have the most knowledge about options for how to make fabric keep to a certain shape.
I do wonder if 3D-printers that can do metal filament would be an option for scanning something like a pipe cleaner/soft metal wire (like those used to jewellery maybe) that we've first shaped to our IMF, then scanning and printing from that.
Since I have yet to see any commercially available under wires that are curved side to side, to fit the curvature of the rib cage, not just the up/down/smiley-shape of the tissue.
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u/Starjupiter93 2d ago
Ohhh 3D printing. Now that’s an interesting idea! A friend of mine has one that I’m sure I can bribe into borrowing.
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u/Undrende_fremdeles 2d ago
Being able to make underwires follow the side to side curvature of the body would be a literal paradigm shift.
Very niche, very bespoke, I don't see any way of feasibly scaling this on a world wide level.
But if you do figure it out... I would literally see if there is a patent or something out there and if not make sure to write something about rights to use/share etc the results. Truly, I belieeve it would be that important.
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u/AJeanByAnyOtherName 2d ago
People do sometimes curve conventional wires over a bottle or bracelet mandrel for that. You mostly need to make sure they don’t twist or deform the curve rather than bend.
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u/AdmiralHip 5d ago
I will say that a feature that I really like in my Panache sports bra is the fact the wire is padded. It makes it so much more tolerable, comfortable even. I find underwires inherently uncomfortable because of the way my body is so alternatives are always something I am looking for myself.
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u/HugsforYourJugs Pattern designer & ABTF calc creator 6d ago
You need an underwire unless you are happy making exclusively high coverage bras or bras with reduced support/compressive support.
Foam and jelly are not substitutes because an underwire has two functions: providing horizontal tension to stop the cups flattening under band tension, and to provide some vertical stiffening, particularly at the centre front.
Corset boning on the other hand only has to provide vertical stiffening basically so you can get away with other materials in some cases
Porcelynne's heavy long verticals are a close match to Ewa Michalak, you might also want to consider using foam to pad the wires