Learning Lingerie: A Discourse on the Demi

Going to a lingerie store and asking for a demi cup bra is much like walking into a grocery store and asking where the food is. That's not to say that a customer who requests a demi cup doesn't know what they're asking for -- it's just that a demi cup is a blanket term that does nothing more than describe the scope of coverage the bra offers.

Nina Ricci's Lettre d'Amour demi (which is also a balconnet)

The word "demi" is French for "half". So a demi cup bra is literally a half cup bra, and the term doesn't necessarily describe cut. Many refer to a balconnet bra as a demi cup and in fact many balconnet bras are demi cups, but there exist fuller-cut versions as well as smaller-cut versions.

A demi is best suited to petite to average figures (about A - D cup), and sometimes have padding or molding, depending on the chosen style. Our bustier customers are always looking for the white whale: the ultimate demi cup suited just for them. In general companies who cater towards larger busted women will not make demis for the simple reason that they do not do enough work to support a prominent bust. Chestier girls who wear demis often find that they wear out faster because they have more work to do.