We saw some example of shallow breasts in this post. If you are not sure what shallow breasts are or whether yours are shallow, I have explained this breast shape in detail in this post.
Women with shallow breasts usually go through three stages of fitting:
1. Finding out their correct bra size
2. Buying bras in the correct size but the wrong shape, like plunges; and wondering why everything still fits wrong.
3. Discovering that they have shallow breasts, and finding cup styles that work for them.
Here I wanted to present to you the fitting journey of a woman with shallow breasts and a muscular figure (Bust F from this post on examples of shallow breasts). Also, apart from bras she sent in photos of bikini tops! Her measurements are 28" rib cage; 33" or 32" bust.
"I am 4'11", 112 lbs (or so), and 24 years old. I am fairly athletic. I do powerlifting/climbing, but very little cardio. I would vouch that I have more muscles around my rib cage/back than your average person."
Here she wants to give you an idea of the amount of muscle going on under there:
(Almost) nekkid boobies after jump, NSFW!
From the front it may it be obvious at first glance that the breasts are shallow, although a closer look reveals that the breasts start just bellow the collar bones.
From the profile view you can see how the breasts are shallow. They start really high up, and don't have much projection. The breast tissue stays very close to the ribcage, and doesn't "stick out" much.
Below she is wearing a 32A - Victoria's Secret, wireless. Clearly not the best fit: parts of the breasts are outside the cups, and the bra flattens the breasts. Even if the bra were in the correct size, the plunge style would not work for this breast shape. If she were to size up in the cups, the middle of the cup would be empty due to the "orange in a glass" effect.
Below she is well-fitted in 30D - although she mentions that "After buying some new bras, I promptly and unexpectedly lost some weight, and my new underbust is ~28". Grr. But these 30-band bras still seem to be working okay, albeit using them on the middle and inner hooks already."
She is wearing Midnight Grace by Figleaves pin up half cup padded bra in 30D. Cup styles like these (low cut half-cups and balconies) are usually flattering for most shallow breasts. The top edges of the cups are almost horizontal and open, and the cups are shallow. Win!
Below you see her in a 30D - Lepel Fiore padded plunge, wired push-up. The Lepel Fiore is one of the very few plunge cuts that work on shallow breasts, probably because the cups are shallow and "open" on the top, and the top outside edges of the cups far apart.
Below she is wearing the 30D - Lepel Fiore padded, this time the balconette version.
Below, the 30D - Mimi Holliday Azure Allure Silk Satin & Lace Super Plunge. I think this bra is very flattering on her! Again, it is the shallow cup depth and the low-cut half-cup style that works great on her shallow breasts.
Bikinis
Every woman needs swimwear, and I have already written about the benefits of bra-sized swimsuits and bikinis. The photos here compare a generic size S bikini top to a Freya bikini in 28DD.
Generic size S bikini top. It doesn't look bad, but it sure makes the wearer look flat-chested.
The side view isn't that good...
28DD - Freya Jitterbug Underwire Halter Bikini. The shape, and correct fit magic up curves! Also, bright colours and busy patterns are flattering for small breasts, and Freya offers plenty of such bikinis.
A big big thanks to A. for sending in all these photos! I hope this has been helpful to you. And as always, if anyone would like to send me their photos before and after finding their correct size, I'd love to feature them! You can find my email in the "contact me" section.