Styles
Balconette
A low, near horizontal cup edge with the straps set wide. It shortens the vertical line and rounds the top of the bust, and it will not stay put on every shoulder.
The balconette takes its name from the shape of a theatre balcony: the cup edge runs roughly horizontally across the breast rather than curving up towards the strap. Coverage typically stops around the level of the nipple or a little above, and the straps attach at the outer corners of the cup rather than at the top.
What the shape does
- Lifts from underneath rather than gathering from the side, producing a rounded upper curve.
- Shortens the visible vertical line of the bust, because the horizontal cup edge cuts across it.
- Leaves the upper breast uncovered, which works with a wide or square neckline and shows under a crew neck.
- Sets the straps wide, so they clear a wide neckline and sit outside the shoulder line of a narrow one.
- Usually offers less side containment than a full cup, because the cup wall at the outer edge is lower.
Balconette, demi and plunge
| Cut | Cup edge | Strap position | Centre gore | Best under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balconette | Low and horizontal | Wide set | Standard height | Wide, square and boat necklines |
| Demi | Low and slightly angled | Moderately wide | Standard height | Most open necklines |
| Plunge | Angled steeply towards the centre | Standard | Very low or absent | Deep V and wrap fronts |
| Full cup | High and curved | Narrow set | Standard or high | Crew necks and shirts |
The names are not standardised across labels, so the reliable method is to look at the garment rather than the word. Hold it up: if the top edge of the cup runs level from the centre to the side, it is behaving as a balconette regardless of what the tag says.
Fitting one
The balconette is the shape most likely to be blamed for a fault it does not have. Because the cup edge is low, any excess volume shows immediately as tissue sitting above the edge, which reads as too small even when the cup volume is correct. The test is whether the tissue above the edge is a smooth continuation of the breast or a distinct bulge with a line under it. The first is the shape working; the second is a cup that is genuinely too small.
The wire on a balconette is usually wider and shallower than on a full cup of the same size, which suits a wide breast root and suits a narrow one poorly. If the wire sits on tissue at the side in a balconette but not in a full cup of the same size, that is the reason, and sister sizing down a band and up a cup will narrow the wire.
Wide set straps are inherent to the cut. On sloping shoulders they will slip, and tightening them only trades one problem for a sore shoulder.
The strap problem
Straps set at the outer corners of a low cup pull at an angle rather than straight down, which is exactly what makes them prone to sliding off. The usual responses, in order of how well they work: choose a balconette with straps set slightly closer in; use a strap that converts to a halter or crossback; add a small strap clip at the back to draw the two straps together; or accept it and choose a different cut for days that involve a lot of movement.
Tightening the straps is not on that list. A balconette relies on its band for support, and over tightened straps on a low, wide cup will lift the cup edge away from the body before they stop slipping. Band and cup explains why.
Under clothes
The horizontal cup edge is the giveaway. Under a fine jersey or a light knit it can read as a visible line across the bust, particularly in a cut and sewn version with a seam along the edge. A moulded balconette avoids that, at the usual cost of a fixed shape. Under a structured shirt, a woven dress or anything with a wide neckline, the cut is close to ideal, which is where it earns its place.
For a garment with a specific neckline problem, layering covers which cut goes under what.