So far, I think this most recent purchase is my favourite fitting bra that I've ever had.
A bit about me: I have wide, short, high roots. Higher than average projection, with soft tissue. I'm technically slightly FOT but functionally FOB, so it kind of evens out. I'm pretty close set, and have pretty balanced inner/outer fullness. I think I have pretty average shoulder width so I never have issues with straps falling down. One tricky area for me is my Tails of Spence. Without a bra, they are noticeable, but when I have a bra on and am properly supported, because my breast tissue is soft and ... my roots are high, I get quite a pronounced fold in the tissue between the top of my breasts and the ToS, and the ToS tissue sticks out a bit more. I need to be able to encapsulate it within the bra cup/apex/strap, or else I'll get terrible chafing.
This bra is the first high-apex bra I've had. I'm not sure if I even knew high apex bras existed before this - and as for plunge - I just assumed that plunge wouldn't work for me because of issues I've always had with breasts migrating out from the cups towards eachother to create vertical quad-boob (I know now that was because I'd tried the mass-produced bras without proper cup sizing).
Here's what I like about the bra and why I think it works for me:
- I love that it is non-padded, and made of lace and mesh. I sweat a lot and especially in the summer, this bra is surprisingly cool to wear, temperature-wise. It's so breathable and the cup fabric feels like there's next to nothing.
- I love the multi-part construction of the cups, and the non-stretch lace makes me feel very secure and supported - I almost feel like my breasts don't move!
- I like the nicely rounded shape this bra gives me. Because I have soft tissue, I'll take on the shape of whatever I'm wearing. The bra has slightly more projection than I'm used to, so my shape is a bit more natural than the higher/round shape I get from demi-cup balconettes I usually wear.
- I usually have to shorten the straps a lot on any bra, meaning that my bras are more likely to show when I'm wearing certain necklines. Since I wear a lot of v-necks, this bra being a plunge makes the bra a lot less obvious.
- I don't get any indentation or horizontal quad-boob at the top of the cups. Probably a combo of the edging material, and my being functionally FOB and short rooted. I fill out the cups close to perfectly.
- The cups are wide enough for my wide roots, and even though my roots also sit higher, I don't get as much chafing under my arm (where the underwire ends) as I've had with other bras that I wore when I was 30lb lighter. I still get some chafing, but I stop noticing it after a while. In comparison, when I wore 34F in Chantelle's Vendome, Merci and Opera Demi Bras, the underwires would dig in under my arms and get more uncomfortable throughout the day. I'm going to have a look at my old bras and see if the underwires are wider, longer or higher compared to this 36FF Freya. Hope to update this review with some measurements.
- The straps and the band don't have as much stretch to them as my other bras, but I prefer that. I have a lot of "padding" on my body, so a stretchier band or straps would allow for too much give, meaning I'd feel I'd have to constantly tighten them throughout the day. This bra doesn't need band or strap adjustments - the fit typically stays the same all day.
- The straps are somewhat wider than what I'm used to - good comfort-wise, but I normally prefer narrower, more decorative straps for appearances under certain clothes. Since these have a bit of embellishment with the loops, I don't mind it as much.
- The apex area is my saving grace - it contains my ToS, so it's great comfort-wise - no chafing - and much better appearance-wise when wearing clothes that are sleeveless and/or have larger arm holes. When my ToS aren't apparent and that area looks streamlined, it noticeably makes me look slimmer.
- The overall shape of the bra and the fabric means it can sort of pass for a bralette, so I don't mind it accidentally peeking out of my clothes.
If I were to change anything about this bra, I'd:
- make the straps a bit narrower and decorative
- add a J-hook
- narrow the gore a touch - it sits flat on my chest, but presses a few mm on either side into my tissue (though I don't actually feel it)
- make it in more colours - standard black, white, nude, and maybe some seasonal fun colours
I'd love to find other bras that fit similarly to this one. If anyone has any suggestions for bras to try, send them my way!
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Updated on Aug 08, 2020 Flag this