I discovered that the Claudette site had deep sale prices on their Encore section. The trick, though, is that there are no returns, and I'd never worn this brand before. So made a $27 tester purchase of this bra, using all the advice the internet had to offer. I'm between band sizes (34F in Panache and 32FF in not-Panache is my rule of thumb), so I ordered the smaller band. Then I sized up in the cup, since that seemed the internet consensus. Hence, the 32G.

I generally prefer a wider gore, and my breasts are only a teensy bit FOT, otherwise pretty medium-shaped. I'm too big for any 32F I've ever tried, but tend to be either at or just shy of a 32FF cup.

Verdict - OMG comfortable! And it kind of fits! That is to say, my issues with the fit can only be noticed when I'm not wearing a shirt. This was mind-blowingly comfortable, though, so I went back and ordered three 32FFs. I wore it all day and came home without immediately ripping it off.

Cups - First, the good. The wires hit me perfectly under the arms and tack all around my front. The fabric is feather-light and as sexy as neon yellow can be. No poking, no rubbing, no pain. On to the issues. The transparent material makes it obvious where the wires don't quite follow my curves. There is some empty cup at the bottom near the gore and at the very top of the cup, near the strap. I had to hike the straps up to feel supported, though it's not at all cutting into my shoulders. It is, however, flattening me some front-to-back (almost minimizing, really), without also side-supporting me forward. The net effect is a very round but not very projected look. Unlike the dark days of my add-four-inches-to-the-band 36DDD bras, though, it's not so bad as to make me look like I should be serving beer in Valhalla to bearded men who call me "Wench!" Or living a double life by night as a Mesopotamian fertility goddess. In other words, it still shapes my bosom so that my waist doesn't get lost and my breasts don't dominate the frontal view. Rather, it's just a silhouette that's hourglassy from the front and hemispherical from the side - sometimes you want that! This will look fantastic in a sheath dress.

Band - Oh lordy, here's what made me buy three more (just a cup size down). It's soft, and at first I thought that meant it wouldn't support. But that's not the case! My ribcage and the skin thereon is sensitive, and even bras that fit well often hurt by the time I get home from work. I'm looking at YOU, Panache! This somehow manages to hold me just right, tightly enough to support, but not tightly enough to pinch. Three hooks! THREE! I think that's got something to do with it, since Freya's bands are similarly soft, but still pinch at the bottom. This holds more evenly, and not even the ric-rac edge gives me friction burn. I was tempted to wear it on the middle hooks, and you can do that right out of the gate, but I found that wearing on the last hook still worked fine. The gore still tacked, and nothing budged.

Take away - Don't necessarily size up a cup. If you're not all that FOT, your normal cup might be your best bet. Do either size the band down, or opt smaller if you're between sizes.

Cyber yellow with navy colorway

Updated on Jun 01, 2015 Flag this

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