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What are: France Underwires

Jan 13, 2016 | Tutorials | 18 comments

Hi All!

I wanted to share with you my new favourite lingerie supply. The France Wire ๐Ÿ™‚

This is a new style of underwire that has a different shape and fit from the other underwire that I carry, and it’s all part of my goal to make bra-making more accessible for everyone ๐Ÿ™‚ because we all have different needs.

 

This underwire actually came about from a friend of mine, who was complaining that she doesn’t fit regular underwires, the round or the bliss. She said that they were too deep, and she needed something more shallow and splayed to fit her comfortably.

So after a little sourcing, fit testing and experimentation, I found these wires ๐Ÿ™‚

 

You can see right away that these are quite a different shape from my other wires, they are much more splayed and shallow. I would say that these are almost the opposite of the Bliss wire (which are deep and narrow).
So along with that idea, I think that these wires are generally ideal for smaller cup sizes, especially people who find that they have a more average sized rib cage and band, but smaller cups, where you find that the underwire always feels too small and narrow.
That’s not to say that it is limited to only these body types though. I find that this wire has a lot of potential for many shapes. And is great for lighter lingerie, and bra styles that don’t require as much coverage under the arm, because these wires are shorter at the underarm edge.
Here is an example of a bra with a France wire:
As you can see, this bra is lower on the underarm edge, with a medium height in the front, giving a really nice and relaxed fit, which I find is really comfortable, and pretty sexy too ๐Ÿ™‚

 

They are currently available in sizes 30-46
So far I find that sizing is quite similar for these wires to the other style of wires. For example I comfortably wear a 38 in both the France and the Bliss wires.
What style of underwire do you like?
Do you think he France wire would work for you?
xo erin

18 Comments

  1. skysprite

    I would love tho see a side by side ( or on top of one another) comparison of these with your other wires. Keep up the interesting work!

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Thanks! That post is coming up this weekend ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  2. eforshopping

    Erin, it's great to see you expanding what you're offering. I'm sure there will be many bra-makers who are thrilled with those wires.

    Michelle

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Thanks Michelle! That's the goal, good bras for everybody, one step at a time ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  3. Mim

    Hi Erin,

    I'm loving what you're doing, it's great inspiration.

    Is there any chance you could put up 100% scale scans of all your wires in all their sizes? I love the look of some of them, but given shipping costs to Australia I'm just not prepared to take a chance on whether they'll fit. With a scan I can lay one of my well fitting wires on top and work out what might work.

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Thank you so much Mim, that is so kind ๐Ÿ™‚ I do plan on putting up 100% scale scans of the wires, I just haven't had the time to figure that out yet! I totally understand wanting a clearer idea of size before you have them shipped so far! I promise I will do that soon!

      Reply
  4. Sofรญa

    Great post Erin! I didn't know that this type of wires existed! They seem similar to plunge wires, so can they be used to make plunge bras as well? I love your bra theory posts, they're the greatest way to expand my bra making knowledge! ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Thanks Sofia! There are so many different wires out there! And yes, these are similar to plunge wires, just with a few small differences. And you could definitely rotate them and use them as plunge wires! I'm going to be talking all about different wires and the ones that I offer in the theory post tomorrow! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  5. JensWare

    Will the new France wires be available in 48, 50, and 52 at a later date?

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      I will definitely consider it- for now I think that I will keep to the size range I have, and expand in the future!

      Reply
  6. madebymitty

    Hi Erin, I have some of these wires (where I bought them from called them "Demi" wires, but they are exactly the same shape as yours), I was wondering, do you need to change the pattern much to fit these wires? Or can you use any pattern? Thanks, Sam

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Hi Sam! That's great- although you do have to match your wire to your pattern, the overall length and shape of the wire are going to be different and some wires won't work for some bra patterns!

      Reply
  7. Anonymous

    Hi! I'm pretty interested in these wires- they look like a good shape for me. How flexible are they? I can't stand hard wires. I need them to be soft and flexible. Do these fit the bill, or do I keep looking?

    Also, do you have the measurements for these wires anywhere? Width and length are primarily what I'm looking for.

    Reply
    • EmeraldErin

      Hi! These wires are not very flexible, they are a stronger 24 gauge, so they are probably going to be more firm than you are looking for. I don't currently have a chart for them, but I will be making one sometime. If there's a size you're interested in I can send you the specs ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  8. Delora

    Hey Erin,

    I was wondering if you had any recommendations for patterns that would fit this wire. I think the 46 wire’s a good fit and I’m looking forward to trying to make a bra with it (:

    Reply
    • Emerald Erin

      Hi Delora, Unfortunately I don’t have any pattern recommendations right now for this wire. If you already have an existing pattern that fits ‘so-so’ except for the wire, you might be able to use the cup pattern with a modified band. But in the future, I can promise that this is high up on the list for my pattern projects ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
      • Janis

        Hi Erin, I know itโ€™s been a few years but have you found a recommended pattern for your France underwire? Thank you!

        Reply
        • Emerald Erin

          Hi Janis! I haven’t personally tried it, but there is a pattern that uses them, it’s called the Mรฉsange bra from Hari Ito

          Reply

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