Most of us are concerned by the cup size and strap position in a bra. However, there’s more to a perfect bra. From granting that perfect shape to your breasts, an ideal bra needs to tick all the right boxes when it comes to support and style. This is where the question of spillage comes into context. An ideal bra will be the one in which the cups create the right shape, the straps support without digging, the back is smooth and sits parallel to the ground, and most importantly, the sides support your flesh, enough to keep your breasts pointing forward.
Coming back to the idea of spillage, here is a list of qualities that makes a bra pass the no-side spillage test.
• Wide fabric wings/band: To be able to support the side tissue, the band in your bra actually needs to cover it.
• Supportive boning: Mostly made of flex plastic; side boning adds more firmness to the band and allows it to stay in shape.
• Seaming: Bras offering good side support boasts of side panels that are brought in as part of the cup.
• Good material: Lastly, the material and make of the bra justifies all these qualities too well. A good bra that never lets you complain about spillage. The side panels will never be made using stretchy material.
Spillage, a little know-how
“Side spillage in case of bras could be a pertinent problem for the Indian woman because of the shape of their shoulders. Also, a woman forgets to tighten the straps of the shoulders, which tend to get loose over a period of time as the fabric loses its elasticity and cohesive nature. Still, if the spillage persists, then perhaps the lady is wearing a wrong sized bra. There are designs like demi cups, push ups and balconette with wide set straps, which sit further apart on the chest and further out on shoulders, which may tend to create more side spillage. This gives great cleavage and appearance of a fuller bust; these straps tend to slip more often than the average set straps found on minimiser and full cover bras, which sit closer together on the chest and shoulders and are less likely to fall off,” explains Mr Chirag Patadia, Director, Trylo while talking about spillage in detail.
“Mostly common in fuller women or women with bust tissues towards their underarm, spillage is surely a growing problem in India. Brands have shaper bras with side-slings or side support panels to address this issue. So, when buying a bra women should see for side-shaper sling/hidden slings/shaper panels/sectioned cups/high armholes. Even though a special support mechanism can increase the price of the bra they are buying, choosing a supportive piece is better than facing a sag or spillage. Also, spillage is a need specific feature. Hence the customers looking for it will definitely accept it happily,” mentions Ms Smita Murarka, Head of Marketing, Amante, when talking about customer sensibilities and the rising need for anti-spillage bras.
Spillage…is it a lack of consciousness?
“There is a general lack of awareness among consumers about bra quality and fit. We have seen that 8 out of 10 women in India wear a wrong bra size, which definitely impacts the fit of the bra, leading to a host of issues, including side spillage. There are two main reasons why you would experience side spillage…you’re either wearing the wrong cup size, or you’re wearing the wrong bra style for your breast shape,” points out Shweta Verma, Head of Marketing, Triumph Intl., India and Sri Lanka.
She further adds, “Though brands have come a long way in educating their consumers on how to find the right bra, there is still a long way to go. Brands need to continue to educate their customers on the right fit and how to find the right sized bra. Coming to bra design, apart from a few international brands and some home-grown brands, most brands do not have specifically engineered bras that combat the issue of side spillage. There is still a ‘one size fits all’ kind of attitude when it comes to bra design. What works for a 32B cup is not going to work for a 38F and this is what brands need to understand. Using the same cups and band design for all sizes does not work as they generally provide lesser coverage. For those with extra weight around the chest/torso, large breasts and wide-set breasts, this is especially important, as less supportive shapes can push your breasts out to the sides. The resulting bra bulge under your arms can end up restricting your arm movement, apart from giving an unsightly look.”
In similar vein, Varun Bhatia, owner of Maiden Beauty explains, “According to us, some of the points that are important in making of a bra in order to avoid side spillage are proper contouring and depth of the cup, so that cups of the bra can take up and retain maximum flesh of the bust and sides. Fabric also plays a very important role; especially the one that is to be used in the wings should be of higher GSM and should be compact and stretchable at the same time. Proper side support in terms of boning and reinforcement also helps in avoiding spillage. Under the cup support in the form of panelling also will stop the bust from coming out on the sides. Side cut should be broad so that it can cover maximum part of the skin from the sides. All this together will help in avoiding side spillage.”
Cutting the spillage story short, here’s a list of brands and styles that help you to try to keep slippages at bay.
TRYLO
To solve the slippage issue Trylo Industries is all set to launch its new design Just Multi, a versatile cushioned and wired balconette bra. Its unique features are its metallic colours gold and chestnut, which are perfect for every occasion. Innovative no-slip fabric to go strapless since the garment sticks onto the body, three fourth coverage and smooth finish cups, underwire bra for perfect contouring, lift and adequate bust support. Interesting multi-loop elastic for multiple strap attachments, which could be worn as wide set straps or close set straps depending on the lady’s comfort level. No slip two face de-attachable shoulder strap elastic, which is also wearable on both sides. Soft boning is given on the sides for an extra grip. This bra will be available in sizes Cup B (32-38) & Cup C (32-36) in colours white, black, gold, and chestnut. It will be priced at INR 699.
Maiden Beauty
The Crossfit bra from the brand encounters the concept of spillages with ease. This is a full coverage soft cup bra, made from super fine ‘cotto-blen’ fabric, which keeps the body cool and comfy all day long. Cross over elastics at the centre an integrated panel on the back side of the cups, provides magic lift and support to the heavy bust and prevents sagging and spill-over of the flab, thus giving a natural look to the breast. Power net at the centre and the back provides comfortable and snug fitting. Broad 1a” bottom Lycra elastic and 3/4” shoulder straps promise a secure fit.
V star
This brand’s Joy+ and Elegance+ styles are your best bet to keep spillage at bay. A full-support bra with full cups, these designs provide full coverage. The woven embroidery fabric further adds an extra level of support to the bra. These bras also come with broader side bands, straps and four hook closures giving higher levels of comfort and fit to the wearer.
Parfait
Parfait has a whole collection of demi cup and full coverage bras. Not only do these bras look stylish, but they are also extremely comfortable and certainly chuck out the spillage story. Supportive foam lined modal cups, a bandless front and a U-back to keep straps in place, these bras are perfect as an everyday wear. Most importantly, these bras overcome the spillage problems by having vertical seaming in the padding, combined with three to four-part seaming on the exterior of the cup.
Wacoal
Offering full-figured women the same exceptional fit and comfort as their beloved Basic Beauty Underwire, Basic Beauty Spacer T-Shirt Bra, Wacoal’s full cup bras feature cups that offer the opacity of a padded bra without the weight, a V-back design to keep straps in place, and sides designed to smoothen, all of which will give you a beautiful silhouette. Added to this, the moulded cups of thin spacer fabric provide the opacity of a padded bra without the weight, the inner mesh sling add more support to the design and the wide centre gore establishes the separation. The band and sides on the other hand, smoothen and minimise bulge and the close-set straps prevent slipping.
Amante
Amante has special bras like lace magic, classic shaper, minimiser, etc., which have side shaper panels to push the bust towards the centre and give a front projection. Amante bras also have higher armhole coverage to avoid side-spillage. Classic shaper and lace magic are two of the most prominent non-padded styles that work well for any body type offering immense support and comfort.
Triumph
Consumer education has always been Triumph’s focus. The brand’s global ‘Stand Up for Fit’ campaign, launched in 2015 in India, aimed at helping women to take out the time to understand their bodies, seek professional advice through our fit experts to discover their actual bra size. It also aims at breaking down barriers in the search for advice on lingerie and personal fittings. They followed this with the ‘Find the One’ campaign that brings alive an emotional story of finding the right bra in a beautiful and innovative way, with which women can easily identify. For women who struggle with side spillage, Triumph has bras with higher sides that provide full coverage on the sides. They also have bras with a somewhat wide gore making it a good option to complement wide-set breasts. The sides come up about as high as other side support bras and it is further reinforced by plastic boning.
