Because Freya bands stretch out so quickly, I decided to try a 30 band. Right away the support was noticeably different. The gore tacked firmly, and suddenly I could barely feel the weight of my breasts, which is wild. I noticed as I was putting it on that the wires felt narrower than the black 32J, but I do think they got distorted slightly from stretching. When I wore it with an extender, the wires felt like they sat closer behind my breast tissue. So I think I'll need to wear it with an extender to break it in, but I also suspect that it may not stretch ... out as badly as the 34 and 32 simply because there's so much less band to stretch. Despite the tightness, it didn't hurt. It felt reasonably comfortable. This was for about ten minutes, so that could change after a few hours, but my main discomfort with bra bands tends to be when they stretch after a few hours of wear and the weight of my breasts starts to push the wire down into my ribs. I think this band might stretch out less, hopefully.

The cups don't really have any more depth than the 32J, technically, but there was slightly more immediate projection and more height, so the shape better accommodated my breasts without squishing them painfully or pushing them to the side. I was able to tighten the straps without squishing them unreasonably. The straps are on the wide side, but they don't really dig in. So it's not bigger, but the projection does feel better. I think I got a more flattering shape, high and round without being under my chin, very much firmly in place and not moving around. It did make my breasts look kind of huge, but they were comfortable, which is what matters. It feels very forward-facing, with a lot of open room on top for upper fullness, but I wasn't in danger of falling out when I leaned over. The gore was able to sit slightly lower, so it was more comfortable for my close-set breasts.

The material is light, but it feels strong. It's a very breathable lace. I can't really see the seams under a shirt, but the scalloped pattern on the edges of the cups does peek out unless I pull my collar up higher.
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Cobalt colorway

Updated on Feb 03, 2021 Flag this

I decided to try this because it comes in so many pretty colours and can be found for very low discount prices. So I assumed it has to be a good bra if there are so many colours out? Turns out there is a reason it is priced so low. This bra has all the issues of a badly scaled bra. It's a K-cup nightmare

It's how bras were like 10 years ago. It kinda reminds me of 30KK - Panache » Harmony Underwired Balconnet (4031) . The cups are super wide and tall. On the plus side they are also very roomy on top which ... is good for my FOT shape. But they are just too much of everything. I can barely get support from these cups because the wires almost end on my back and I can't fill the top section. The straps are super seperated as if I need a much wider frame to fit this bra. But how you wrap a 30 inch band around such a wider frame? Stuff doesn't add up here. So really a miscontruction is happening here.

I tried to get rid of the gaping by tighening the straps a lot, you can see that it gives a fairly round shape then on my last 2 pics. But the straps would kill me, as they dig into my arms & shoulders very badly so it also isn't wearable that way. The 30K - Freya » Florri Balcony Bra (3102) which is a newer style from 2019 is far better constructed than Fancies. I don't recommend Fancies in K - cup unless you really look for very wide set straps, wide & tall cups.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 18, 2021 Flag this

This actually kind of fits. The 34 band is bigger than I expected, so I had to go down to the next hook because the underwire hurt my ribs sitting weird on the first hook, but that completely went away on the next hook, so I could have tried the 32 band. But it mostly fits! The cups are wider than I need and technically not quite deep enough, but I'm hesitant to order it in a bigger cup size despite the slight quad-boob (that is technically visible in shirts) because the cups are so flimsy that I'm concerned that if they were actually bigger, they wouldn't provide ... much shaping at all. As it is, my boobs already want to go straight out in this bra, with minimal shaping. But they do look way, way smaller in this thing than all the bras I've tried to far, just by virtue of not being squeezed into a too-small bra. The quadding got worse when I tightened the straps, which also caused some slight gaps at and around the straps and made the cups shallower, but I was comfortable just leaving the straps fairly loose.

This is the first balcony-style bra that I've tried that hasn't hurt my shoulders and neck, but that may be because the band is a little big. Still, I have a good feeling about this one and what it means for my options. The high underwire and wings were mostly pretty comfortable, despite being higher than I needed, but they did sometimes dig in, like if I had to lean over or down. So tolerable. The slightly lower center gore is comfortable, even though it doesn't sit flush at all (but this is the first bra that I was able to push it back to reach my chest, even though it didn't stay on its own when I let go, so that's a good sign--although doing this did cause major quadding, so I probably need the 34HH or the 32J). I'm not sure if I would go much lower, since I'd be concerned that my boobs would make a break for the middle and form insta-cleavage, but this is nice. (Maybe I'd try lower in a bra with more support in the cup.)

My breasts do absolutely feel lifted and reasonably supported. They're totally separated with no cleavage, so they become way less noticeable, which is nice. The underwires are a little hard, but I haven't worn an underwire bra since I was a teenager, so I'll probably have to just adjust to the feeling again. They also want to slip down a bit, but I think that will always happen for me with balcony bras, and it wasn't that bad. The biggest issue I had with this bra and the only real discomfort is the edge of the band. It's incredibly sharp and stiff and caused more or less instant chafing and redness under my breasts that will probably still be sore tomorrow. I wore it for maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, and there was serious and painful redness where the edge of the band had dug in and rubbed all over. Very, very painful. I bought some bra liners to see if that helps, because otherwise it's a perfectly serviceable bra for me, but it's bad enough to make it completely unwearable if I leave it as is. It even feels sharp just running my finger along the edge. The fabric is overall fairly rough and not soft, but the edge of the band, where it's held against the wire and therefore stiffer, is just a lot. The straps are much, much softer.

It definitely could be a better fit, but for a bra that I bought on a whim, out of frustration, I'm pleasantly surprised, and I think it'll work out okay in the interim while I explore my options a bit more. So that's a big relief. I can already tell that it may be unwearable during parts of the month when my breasts are bigger (they're pretty unremarkable and soft right now) and the shape mismatch issue becomes a bigger deal, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Update: a day later and it's already more comfortable. I think it's sitting slightly below my IMF, but it's much more wearable this way and the support feels fine. I do feel it in my shoulders a bit more, but not a huge amount, and I think the wide wires are less of an issue than I thought.
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Natural Beige colorway

Updated on Jan 10, 2021 Flag this

I had previously been mostly wearing Panache bras, as I found the bands in the Freya bra I tried to be loose. I decided to give Freya another shot after gaining weight and ordered the Fancies balcony bra in a 32J. I found this comfortable and supportive, and the emerald is a very pretty color. This runs a bit larger than my Panache Envy, but it's great for those days when my breast are a bit swollen, and still wearable on regular days.

Emerald colorway

Updated on Jan 08, 2021 Flag this

I am not a fan of this bra whatsoever. Somehow it is both too big and too small at the same time. The upper part of the cup cuts into my breast tissue, but the sides of the cup gape like it's too big. Even if it suited the shape of my bust (tall and wide roots, I just have tissue everywhere) I wouldn't keep it. The lace is stiff and feels like it's been starched permanently. Maybe with washing it would improve, but on first inspection there was no softness to the lace at all.

Aquamarine colorway

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Updated on Jan 18, 2019 Flag this

I mistakenly bought this instead of the plunge version, and it’s a disaster. The straps are so wide they’re sliding off me. I’m normally a 36HH/J and the band is a comfortable/non-snug 36 but not huge, while the cups are possibly a full cup size too big. However, there is virtually no projection at the wire! Just looking at it before putting it on, you can see the quick upward slope.

I’m FOB and close set with narrow shoulders, and this did NOT work for me at all. It might work for someone with top or apex projection, evenly or top full, and broad shoulders.

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Updated on Feb 02, 2021 Flag this

This is a good bra for projected breasts. It does squish a bit if I tighten the straps a lot, so I've left them a little looser to prevent that and they do slip off my shoulders (constantly), but that's not a big deal. With the straps looser, there's still lots of support, but plenty of room for my boobs to sit where they'd like to be. (There's still a little squishing, but it doesn't hurt, which is what really matters.) There's just slightly more fabric on the sides than I need, but if the shape was just a bit different (like if that room on the sides ... was instead just slightly more depth), it would be an absolutely perfect fit for me. There's no side support whatsoever, which is fine for me, but if you've got wider or very east-west boobs, you might find a lot of boob being squished almost under your arm.

The gore pretty much tacks. There's about a finger's width (or two) of space under it at the top, with less toward the bottom, but I don't really expect gores to tack all that much, and it's pretty firm at the very bottom. There's actually really good separation going on with this bra. My breasts are very firmly held, not falling into the middle, and there's no cleavage whatsoever. They look much smaller in this bra. There's still a lot of boob showing, but it's not inappropriate and there's really not that much jiggle. And there's still a lot more coverage than I normally manage to get. I have to jump up and down to get some movement, and even then, the bra stays put and my boobs don't hurt. So there's plenty of support. And! The cup isn't buckling at the wire and being pushed down into my ribs! The elastic at the top of the cups is comfortable and not digging in or leaving a red indent on my boobs after I take it off. I can lean over, bend down, or twist, and the bra doesn't move or really dig in.

I'm really, really happy with it. It'd be nice if the gore were just a little narrower, because it does dig into my boobs just a bit, but it's tolerable. The straps are very wide-set, but they don't hurt--it just contributes to the slipping. Overall, it looks really nice, it's very light and breathable, and it's not obvious under clothes.

Update: After a few hours, the gore does start to tilt out a bit and the underwires push down into my ribs. I think the bands on the Fancies line are just very stretchy. It's still fairly comfortable, but I do feel it at that point.
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Black colorway

Updated on Jan 30, 2021 Flag this

It had good width for the straps but the cups just seemed to be too big or not the right shape. I’m very pendulous.

Updated on Jul 26, 2020 Flag this

Freya recently introduced a size expansion to their Fancies line, and I was eager to try it because I really like the aesthetic of the original Fancies Plunge (the sheer cups and the cutout gore, specifically). Sadly a lot of the detailing Freya gives the plunge did not make it to this bra.

Firstly, this bra is very comfortable. The fabrics are soft and light, the wires aren't diggy at all. The band is pretty loose, which is typical of Freya - I'm hooking it on the innermost hooks right out of the box. The cups are also quite tall - this is full coverage on me. I'm ... low set, very close set, inner fullness, with fairly tall roots, and so I rarely come across a bra that isn't giving me some sort of cleavage.

This is technically a good fit for me, no quadding, decent depth at the gore and along the bottom of the wire. The wires are too wide for my roots, but the bra is so comfortable it doesn't bother me that much. Unfortunately, I'm getting a pretty pointy shape in this bra. The center apex is veeeery deep, and the top of the cup, while roomier than some older Freyas I've tried, isn't really giving me much in the way of shaping on the upper half of my breasts. If the top cup was stretch lace, I would totally bump down to a 32H, and I bet I'd get a decently rounded profile.

Freya typically suffers from a lack of support in their unpadded bras above a G cup, but I feel nicely lifted in this, actually. It's a really decent construction, and if it had given a rounder shape I probably would have kept it despite the full coverage and the wider wires.
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Colbalt colorway

Updated on Jan 12, 2018 Flag this

Fits well, just wish it wasn’t a plunge and just a normal balcony bra

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on May 15, 2024 Flag this