Updated in October 2020
Struggling with belly dance bras gaping around the top edges?
Your bra looked fine before you got on stage….but you’ve got gaping bra cups by the time you finish your performance.
Gaping bra cups is one of very, very common bra problems.
The worst part of it is that it really takes your audience’s attention away from all the beautiful movements you’re doing!
You can stuff your cups with padding, but depending on the shape of your breasts and bra cups, it often fails to solve the problem.
So what can we do about gaping bra cups?
Don’t worry, I have an easy fix to share with you. I call it the Magic Straps 🙂
Easy Fix for Gaping Belly Dance Bra Cups – Magic Straps!
Are they some fancy straps that cost you lots of money?
No 🙂
In fact, Magic Straps are just simple straps. It’s made exactly the same way as my belly dance bra shoulder straps.
To make a magic strap, you need:
- grosgrain ribbon
- fabric that matches your bra
First, cut the grosgrain ribbon into your preferred length. If you’re not sure how long you want it, make it about 50cm (20in). You’ll be able to trim it later 
Then cut your fabric like this:
Fold this strip of fabric lengthwise right sides together, and do a straight stitch with a 5mm (1/4in) seam allowance.
Take a small safety pin (or tube turner) and turn the tube inside out. And use the safety pin to thread the grosgrain ribbon inside.
And you have a magic strap ready to go!
How to Use Magic Straps
Now put on your bra and pin an end of the magic strap at the top of the bra cup that gapes. Take the other end, and hold it up at an angle. Try holding it up diagonally across your chest…
The gap at the top of the bra cup should close (or at least improve). If you like this placement, you can place another magic strap and see if that makes your cup fit better.
Try various angles and see which one works best for your bra and which style you like. It’s a really fun and creative process!
By adding these magic straps to your bra, you’ll also feel more coverage over your chest. It’s great if you prefer more coverage, even though VISUALLY, straps are light and your chest is not completely covered up!
Of course, these magic straps can be decorated to match your costume. They can be layered with chain or strands of beads or rhinestones, which adds more interesting design to your bra and perhaps you can skip wearing a necklace. But chain or strands of beads are too weak to replace magic straps. Those should be used for decoration only
If you want more Magic Strap design ideas, I have a Pinterest board where I’m curating Magic Strap ideas. Click here to check it out & follow!
Magic Straps is such an easy solution for gaping belly dance bra cups!
Best part is, this solution looks GREAT!
Unlike some solutions that look too obvious, magic straps look purposeful.
Play with the width and decoration of the magic straps and make your bra fit you better AND prettier!! 😀
Now, the next question is, what about other belly dance bra fitting problems?
How about other belly dance bra fitting problems?
What about the opposite of gaping cups – when your cups runneth over?
What to do about back bumps?
Side boobs!?
All of the above questions are answered in my brand new course, Belly Dance Bra Fitting Ultimate Guide! 🙂
The Belly Dance Bra Fitting Ultimate Guide covers topics like:
- A bra size hack that will save you time and money
- 6 ways to rescue gaping bra cups
- Your cups runneth over? 9 great ways to fit your bra cups
- How to alter shoulder straps so you can say goodbye to halterneck bras that give you a headache!
- The Floating Strap Technique that removes annoying back bumps
- 6 ways to get side boobs out of sight
I put together this course because bra fitting is the MOST COMMON costume challenge that belly dancers face.
So I compiled all the tips and techniques that I learned over the years into 1 single course, so you can always refer to them whenever you have bra fitting issues.
In the course, I also provide multiple solutions for the same problem, so you have various options depending on the bra design or how much time you have 🙂
Click here to learn more about the Belly Dance Bra Fitting Ultimate Guide!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 🙂
P.S. Pin this image so you can find this tutorial easily when you need it! 😉
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