I originally reviewed this in size 30GG, review found here: http://bra.pe/X6Xz/
This size fits much better! I will say that in both sizes I’ve tried the straps are set very wide in both the front and the back. This causes a smaller arm hole. For some this may be if some concern and a matter of comfort. My personal preference would have been for it to be a little less far apart. In this size I at least do not experience any armpit rubbing. The over all look is still very cool. You could wear this with low cut V tops to add a hint of cover, yet still show some cleavage. I feel very securely held in this bralette/wireless bra. The wide under band is wonderful and doesn’t roll up! So far I only see this being offered in black, but would love to see some other color options. Over all I’m very pleased to have this in my wire free collection.
This looks great on you, Happy2BraShop ! I'm amazed the band doesn't roll up. I'll have to take a closer look at Bravissimo's product page.
Have you tried other Miss Mandalay before? I had trouble finding this bra outside of Bravissimo's website. It looks like a Miss Mandalay bra but sold by Bravissimo. So the fit may be more like MM.
Jj Oh snap. I totally missed that this was a Miss Mandalay product when I entered it into the data base. But I did receive this from Bravissimo. So sorry about that. Is there a way to update it to reflect it is a Miss Mandalay via Bravissimo? As for trying other products from MM, I have not. But I may give their other items a whirl if something speaks to me. :)
My shape: Projected, narrow, shorter roots, even/functionally full on bottom, soft tissue. Cleo Lily fits me best.
This bra fits true to size in the "cups", and over a size large in the band (33").
It does give a little lift, but unfortunately it's just not comfortable for me. Because the band is too large, the straps take more weight than they should, and the straps are already too short (not fully adjustable), so they dig in pretty painfully. If the band ran true to size, and the straps were fully adjustable, I think it'd work a lot better for me.
Strap width is .5" at the thinnest and 1.3" at the largest.
I wasn't quite sure how to enter the sizes on the label since the country choices don't match up with Bratabase. The label reads: UK - 30G. US/CA - 30G. DE/ES/IT - 65G. FR - 80G.
I agree that the straps should be adjustable - they're too long for me to give any assistance and you are right about the band fit. Closest I can describe it is those elastic bands at the top of boxer shorts designed for "males". Where they are stretchy but aren't smaller than the size they are meant to fit. I found the fit and support ok for a lounging bra, but it's uncomfortable due to how wide the straps are (I have narrow shoulders) and I don't like those chunky seams on the straps facing the body - they feel inside out! I was also disappointed with the fabric inside - it was scritchy whereas the outside is this gloriously soft fabric which I'd love to have against my skin! All the seams were unfinished inside. It's such a cheap mess of a construction.
I was really excited to try it too!
I'm going to try it on again because I did try it just before my period so that could have had something to do with the comfort issues (the rest being down to hypersensitivity due to my ASD) and the band might be fixable now that I know that narrowing the gore is a viable bra fit alteration for my shape. I feel that just making the band a little smaller in front would help. But that's only if I can deal with the awful lining fabric. Or can wear it inside out!
Forgot to say that it's scritchy in the mesh part at the centre for me and my nipples sit there with the seams going across my areolas so it's probably not an issue for most woman whose nipples seem to have a more east-west thing going on (I'm assuming it's normal since the apex of cups are always very east-west in pretty much every bra I've tried).
This bra is a firm fabric in the cup, has very flat seams, a very smooth and soft fabric. I liked the feel of the bra overall and wanted to love it, but it just isn't what I'm looking for, even if it had fit perfectly. It is a full cup, so while it isn't exactly in my armpits, it does come up quite high in the cup and is too tall for my short frame. The fabric being soft made it something I could manage, however. The fabric is really soft and silky. Just overall really nice. The wires are short and nore on the narrow side, ...I'd say (NO rubbing there and I found them to be comfortable). This cup is pretty closed off on top, so FOT gals would not be compatible. The cup is also deep and projected. FOB and projected gals would have a good match here. I found the cups to be so projected that I'd have to size down to get a smooth fit. Although the cups were too baggy up top since my tissue settled into the bottom, I still got a smooth look under clothing. This bra gave me a natural shape that was not pointy (it was sort of rounded, but not the cleo basketball shape). I guess I'd just call it a natural round shape. I was uplifted for sure and my front view was narrow and centered. The gore was high, being that it is a full cup, but it was not uncomfortable at all. The gore was also unique in that the wires sat side by side until they reached the bottom of the cup, making the center gore as narrow as I've tried with no deviation until it rounded out to the bottom (I'm not sure how else to explain it). The band felt true to a 30 size. While I find Cleo bands to be tight and sort of scratchy, I found this band to be soft and have enough give to be comfortable. I am not sure how they would stretch, so that could change my thoughts on band sizing. If you need projection at the bottom of the cup and at the apex, this is worth a try. If you are FOT this is a pass. Read more 275 more words
My shape: Projected, narrow, shorter roots, even/functionally full on bottom, soft tissue. Cleo Lily fits me best.
The band runs about a size larger (32"), and the cups are pretty true to size.
I had high hopes for this bra, but it just didn't work for me. It gives a fairly droopy/"upside down 7" shape, and the side sling creates a weird tension in the cups that cuts into my breasts. The middle and inner part of the cups seem to have enough immediate depth, but the outer part of the cups are a strange wrinkly mess (partly because they're too wide). My search for a Cleo Lily replacement continues...
Fits ribcage 27 B. perimeter 11.3 Stretched Band 31.0 Band Length 21.7 Stretch ratio 1.4 Cup width 5.6 Cup depth 10.5 Depth ratio 1.9 Wire length 10.7 Cup height 7.5 Cup separation 0.8 Gore height 3.4 Wing height 3.9 Strap width 0.7 Strap length 16 Hooks 2
As with the other Alanas in 30G and 30GG, this bra is made from high quality lingerie textiles that should last users a long time. As with many Bravissimo styles, a finer gore than found in typical brands, wires are low and even, well shaped armscye to both provide coverage without digging into tail of spence, a nice long silky resilient strap that can adjust down to a scant 8.5"; with ...a well projected cup that surpasses Panache, just not quite up to snuff with Ewa.
There is no wing. The powernet in the band attaches directly to the wire. While it's not uncommon to see bras designed with no stable frame around the underwires, this compromises wire stability which can lend Alana to fitting shallow and digging if a band isn't large enough for the average width of the user. Read more 71 more words
Fits ribcage 27 B. perimeter 11.3 Stretched Band 29.0 Band Length 22.0 Stretch ratio 1.3 Cup width 5.7 Cup depth 10.5 Depth ratio 1.9 Wire length 10.5 Cup height 7.5 Cup separation 0.8 Gore height 3.2 Wing height 3.9 Strap width 0.7 Strap length 16 Hooks 2
Very durable and supportive build & materials, many great features as well as lightweight yet sturdy.
My sole quibble is the lack of solid frame structure around the outer part of the cup- there is no wing whatsoever to stabilize and prevent distortion.
I do not know how to measure this or add fit criteria since there's no gore or separate cups so I will write a review with some details. The fit on this is great for a sports bra. I measure at a 30G with the ABTF calculator and this bra seems to fit true to size so far. There's not much adjustment for the straps, so it may not work on a taller person. I have them adjusted as long as they go and it fits well and I'm fairly short. Cup height and construction work well for my size and height, there's no discomfort in the underarm ...area or the straps or band. Due to congenital symmastia, I need a wireless sports bra. Since my boobs are not separate and are connected by tissue in the center, I get the feeling of pressure and heavy weight pulling down on my breasts if I am not in a supportive bra basically at all times. Exercising in a non supportive bra is very painful. I don't care about uniboob at all, my main concern is support with no pain and this fits my criteria. I tried running, jumping, and all sorts of exercises in it and the boobs barely move at all and there is no pain! The material is pretty lightweight and does a decent job of moving sweat away from the body. Since there aren't separate cups, I do experience some cleavage sweat but I am used to that and it's easy to stick a towel in there to absorb it. This is a great option for a wireless sports bra and very comfortable. Read more 167 more words
I've never heard of this sports bra, but it looks sharp! also well constructed.
It also looks good for people with narrow or sloping shoulders.
BraOdyssey thanks! I hadn't heard of it either, got it from someone in the UK. It would definitely work well for narrow or sloping shoulders! I'm not used to racerback bras or narrow straps (thanks to Ewa Michalak!) And I accidentally punched myself in the face trying to scoop and swoop lol
I really like this bra. This is the best-fitting molded cup I have found. It's pretty and comfortable. My cup size went up recently, so now I'm popping out on one side. I wore this comfortably for about 7 months before I grew out of it.
To say I’m disappointed, would be an understatement. This has so many fit issues for me and I’m so sad because I waited so long to get it, and I had extremely high hopes for it. The cups, they’re just big on me all the way around, too wide and too tall, and they give such an unflattering shape. Almost torpedo like. The center of the tanktop buckles when I bend over because it comes up so high. The band rolls under the wires inward and is extremely irritating. But the band seems TTS for a 30. The fabric is quite thin for being so expensive. You can see every lump and bump, but at least it has a very feminine shape to it. So it comes in a little at the waistline. The straps are adjustable, using the same fabric and the rest of the top. It is well sewn tho. It’s two thumbs down for me overall. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
Looks really interesting on the cups but they do look pretty big. Will you try to smaller size?
Calluna I thought about it, but then decided not to. They just don’t give me the rounded, or natural, look. The band rolling under the wires is just too annoying to overlook. The one I tried a a few months back did the same thing. It’s just not worth the money to try again. It’s a bummer for sure.
you know what sucks is that i have 3 of these (all ov15) in my usual 32D size and 2 are new (bought within last 3 years) and 1 (that is 5 years old), and the older one fits SOOO much better and it's cut shorter, which fits my short torso better. i kept the new ones cus, like you, they took sooo long to get to me, i just had to keep them. the way u describe how urs fits is how my 2 new ones fit. so if u can find the ones made years ago or older, they fit great, i had no fit issues with that one. ugh. no consistency anymore. :(
hopeforthefuture Thats good info to know and I’ll just keep hunting for one that fits. Yeah, it’s a real bummer and what’s interesting is how long it is. I’m 5’5” and long waisted, and this bunched up from the extra length. If they were so great back then, why did they change it. :(
It is a full cup style of moderately stretchy lace. It provides a minimized, natural, but very round shape. From the front it is slimming, but not front and center. Basically its a very rounded all over shape from the front. It gives a very round, somewhat minimized shape from the side. I really appreciate it distributing my tissue out and compressing it some to my body. If you want a more projected look, another style would better suit you, or size up in the cup. I also really appreciate the softness of the lace, the smoothness of fabric under clothing, and the short wires. I am center ...full and close set, so the wire gently rests on my tissue slightly but I do not find it uncomfortable. The cups are tall. I do not notice any gaping or real issue, but a lower cup would be more comfortable overall. The straps are also more centered on the cup, so they are not wide and irritating. The bummer is the band seems slightly large. I'd love to size down to a 28 band, but they only offer a 30. The stretch lace on the top of the cups have a thin elastic strip to keep everything contained. I find it to be comfortable and I don't need to adjust while wearing it. The wires are a little wider than I need, but they are comfortable and do not poke or dig. I think this is either for those who are firm and shallow, or soft (as long as you seem to take on the projection of the bra and not force bras down at the wire). Because the lace is closed on top, this is not going to work for FOT shapes. Close set folks may also find issues, although the wires are softer and do not cause pain for me resting slightly on tissue. For me, this is the bra I would sacrifice perfect fit for the minimized, round yet natural, overall comfortable fit and look for. Read more 230 more words
A full cup style, this one that has somewhat stretchy lace on top. The top stretch lace is not nearly as stretchy as something like a cleo Hettie, but definitely was not firm. There is a thin elastic strip at the top of the stretch lace, which for someone soft like me is a nice addition. The downside is that it was a full cup style. Too much bra that came up too high for my taste. The wires do not poke and are comfortable. The cup is tall, as one would expect a full cup to be. The gore comes up high, but is fairly narrow and ...doesn't begin to move outward until the bottom of the cup where the wire goes into a curve. This bra had great support and good projection (although slightly less than the bravissimo Selina). There is slightly less projection somewhere in the cup - either at the wire or apex, making it have a bit more of a round shape for me. Still is a very natural shape, but has no indication of a point at all. It gives a narrow, up front and center look and very projected from the side. This bra would be good for those who wear the Panache envy, I think. Similar in structure, but I think it is a bit rounder than the envy in profile. This was a true to size in the band. The fabric is a nice allover mesh and there is a silky lining inside the cups. Comfortable for sure. Read more 149 more words
A balconette that has a stretch lace upper. This bra gave a really round shape, upfront, narrow, and supported. That being said, the straps...THE STRAPS. So uncomfortable. They came up high on the sides and were very wide. They rubbed just in trying the bra on and I found them to be painful. They would absolutely chafe me. If this is an issue for you, do not buy this bra. The upper lace was also very thin and stretchy. I did not have any real issue with it other than it just didn't feel supportive there to my soft tissue. I felt as though I could fall out ...of the top. For someone less soft than I am, this could be a winner. Wires were not an issue and stayed out of my armpit area. Gore was pretty narrow. Wires and gore were less firm and "intrusive" than that of a Cleo balconette. Band was true to size. The bottom of the band has an extra addition of some lacy elastic. I found it didn’t lay flat and rolled up, so while it isn’t an issue, it’s useless. This could work for a variety of sizes and needs, it just depends on what you find comfortable. Read more 98 more words
Nice, sporty bikini top with a plunge style (though not as much cleavage as in the advertisement photo). Somehow it manages to keep my girls in, even when I'm running around on the beach or getting tossed around by waves. It's so comfortable that I've ended up using it also as a bra replacement in hot, humid climates.
SS14's eyepopping bright neon Orangeade colourway. Actually gorgeous. Lots of decorative embroidery on the upper cup, very pretty striped sheer bows on the gore and straps.
Runs small, and it's not my PMS boobs' fault. The gore pokes about half an inch out from my sternum and my larger boob is spilling over the top and at the side. The gore is very wide, and would be sitting on breast tissue if it did tack. Not sure I want to try a size up, I suspect the wideness issues (gore and wires) would only be worse in a 30GG. Otherwise comfortable, doesn't seem like the highest quality of materials, but nothing feels rough or itchy. Straps are very stretchy, band is good if only a little looser than I like.
I previously reviewed the 30GG - the 30GG was my first go at this sports bra - so please refer to that review.
I thought that the Inspire had promise so I exchanged my 30GG for a 30G. I was persuaded to order a cup size up initially because everyone says how Bravissimo bras are small in the cup, 30G is actually my regular, go to size in most brands and ranges.
The 30G is a much better fit for me. It's ever so slightly big in the cup towards my underarms - but I get that alot - and I find that I can only just tighten the straps ...tight enough. I think I probably ought to try a 28 band to bring the underwires away from my back but this band is firm enough on the loosest hook that I don't know if I would comfortably breathe in a 28.
Most importantly the 30G underwires don't dig painfully down into my rib cage. Thank god.
I'm keeping this one. I think it would actually make a pretty awesome everyday bra for women who like to wear a sports bra because their job is active. However it is quite pointy.
I still think the underwires could use some more padding on the inside. And I wish I could tighten the straps.
But I'm keeping it for hiking. It is supportive enough for running and high impact aerobics but I just don't find it as comfortable as my non-underwired Shock Absorber D+ Max Sports bra. Will try modifying it to pad out the underwires from the inside. Read more 155 more words
finally obtained one of my wishlisted bras! it fits almost perfectly, the band is just a tad too tight. it only begins to hurt if i wear it for too long, but nothing an extender can't fix. the fabric is just beautiful and soft, i love the feel of this bra. the purple color is also extremely cute!
This is another one that is very close, but not quite there. The smallest band size is a 30, which really is too big for me - even on the tightest setting it just feels like there's not quite enough support in the underband. Additionally, the cups are very close to the right size, but I think my breast tissue sits a little higher in the cup design, so on a deep inhale it is a hair too small (and there's some empty-ish fabric at the bottom). Otherwise a beautiful bra and a wonderful color.
I don't often see people talking about or recommending this non-wired bra (in comparison to some of Bravissimo's other popular offerings, like Bravissimo Zara Bralette (LN605)). But I love that this bralette has a longer underband and smooth outer layer that gives it a casual, athleisure look. There is an internal layer with separate boob/cup zones stitched in. It doesn't give full separation, obviously, but my boobs are touching without being smashed or rubbing together and they're well-lifted from below.
Love the build, solid and supportive and closer to a realistic cup than anything else I've found out here.
Yet.
The shape is somehow zero depth at the wire while being wide and shallow and definitely not full on top, with a slight conical protrusion near the apex. For the ultra squishy who may be able to size down and prefer compression for shaping, I'd guess. The double layered thick slinky materials have absolutely no mechanical or knit ease to them so it's really asking a lot of my dense tissue to find any room in there at all. The 2" outermost ...'circle' around the cups gives you about fuck all of outward projection, but if a very narrow rooted person wanted a moderately deep cup with tons of space between themelf and the wire this could might be it.
There isn't an overt concave design in the pattern here, but it's about as close as I can explain what Inspire does.
As a total bowl-shaped freak, this manages to push everything but my nipples back into my chest, and it feels weird/gross. Read more 82 more words
This looks great on you, Happy2BraShop ! I'm amazed the band doesn't roll up. I'll have to take a closer look at Bravissimo's product page.