--- K.
Being petite doesn´t affect the bra size, but it does affect the type of bra you should look for. Petites usually have a proportionally smaller upper torso, and the distance from breasts to shoulder is shorter than for a tall girl. These rules don´t apply for every petite out there, but they are good general guidelines:
* Bras that are low-cut under the armpit:
Bras that have wide (high) side panels and long underwires will probably poke into your armpit. So look for bras cut low on the sides, with underwires that don´t go all the way up. Usually dainty and skimpier bras are like that. Be careful with catalogue pictures: all bras will look low-cut on giraffe-proportioned models, on you they might look like turtlenecks. If you are buying online, try Balkonetka´s Catalogue for photos of bras on non-models.* Adjustible shoulder straps:
Petites often need to tighten their shoulder straps, since the décolletée area is shorter than average. Not all bra straps are equally adjustable -- many can be tightened only a little, especially the ones with decorations on the front part. As the straps stretch with time, you might find you cannot tighten them any more. If you can do some basic sewing, you can always shorten them. If you don´t sew, buy only those you can tighten a lot. Straps that can be tightened all the way are usually more practical.* Closely placed shoulder straps
This doesn´t apply if you are broad-shouldered. But if you are not, it is possible that very widely spaced straps will slip off. This post talks about strap placement.Dear petites, what did I miss ? What is your greatest challenge when looking for a bra ? Any tips for K?
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