My shape (as I've figured it out so far): average root width, tall roots, projected, even fullness, very soft breasts.
How this bra fits me: I bought this bra as I have the same one in a 28E and the wires are a touch too narrow for my larger breast, meaning the cup shifts down throughout the day. Overall I find this bra (28E and F) pretty good for my shape. This particular one - F - wants a smidge more apex projection than I have - there is about 3mm of space at the cup's apex on my larger breast. Tightening the strap up does sort that out ...by reducing the cup's volume, but also then cuts into my tall roots. The size is not much off, so I am keeping this one for the week leading up to my period, when I typically increase by half a cup to a cup size.
The material of the bra is excellent. Freya plunge balconies are, by and large, a terrible shape mismatch for me - they are far too structured overall and closed at the top. My tissue sinks into all the space at the bottom while the apex remains completely empty. This one is the exception - the material somehow manages to be both forgiving and not stretchy. I feel supported and lifted and secure (again, a feat with my squishy boobs!) but the cup follows *my* shape, rather than imposing its own.
The band is very soft, as are the wires. I wish the band were firmer - in my size range a giving band is usually not too much of a problem, but I think that my soft breasts need wires and a band that will not budge, so that the cup stays in place. Otherwise my breasts shift about and sink into any empty space they find. I am wearing this one on the loosest hook, but may see about shortening the band overall to improve its support for me. Read more 223 more words
The band is much firmer than other Freya bras. I would describe it as close to a plunge version of Cleo Lucy, between size 28D and 28DD (it was a long time ago when I tried on Lucy, so I cannot recall what the sizing felt like exactly, maybe closer to 28D; Edit: I tried on a 28DD Lucy recently and I think Retro 28DD is like Lucy 28D). So if you are full on bottom and not extremely shallow, it may work.
This bra is theoretically gorgeous - the style and detail on it is lovely. I am very underwhelmed by the particular shade of neon pink it is, which makes my pale skin look a tad plague-ridden! On olive skin tones and darker skin tones without red undertones the colour would be gorgeous.
The bra itself is too structured for my soft, bottom-full, tall-rooted-yet-quite-shallow-above-the-nips breasts. It doesn't have the give of the freya fearne plunge balcony (which fits like a dream on me). As a result, although I fill out the bottom well and the wire is perfect, there is gaping at the top above the nipple. I think the ...starlet bra in the vertical seam style would be a better fit on my shape (unless it is not as projected at the bottom of the bra).
If you are shallow on top (or shallow generally, I would guess) then this bra is not for you. The cups themselves want a fair amount of projection, and they close off at the top. Although the cups themselves are sheer and delicate-looking, the stitching really does make this one act like a structured bra.
A shame as, in a different colour, this bra would be one of my favourite things, aesthetic-wise! But back to the shop it goes! Read more 104 more words
This bra is an incredibly comfortable soft cup bra, with silky-feeling (though matte) fabric, yet it has the tension and firmness needed to push my breast tissue forward away from my underarms, increasing my projection and roundness (a lot of soft cup bras make me pointy, and do not manage to bring my breasts forward at all). It also gives a smooth appearance under jersey and light wools.
The band is very stretchy - I can easily pull it about 5 inches away from my back - but does not move when I'm wearing the bra. Tension is even across the band - my mum bought this bra at the same as me in a 34F, and she has no problems with bulging or with the elastic edges of the band digging due to poor tension in the band fabric itself.
The top lace is stretchy and soft (it does not cut into my tall roots whatsoever).
Wires and gore are very comfortable, they encapsulate and hold my breasts well.
Some quick details on the construction of that bra: - It's an unpadded halfcup with one vertical seam in the cups. - The center gore is quite high, and comes up at about the same height as the wings. - The wires are long (23cm), but still about 1,5 cm shorter than the actual wire channels, so there is considerable wiggle room and they may slip around. - As bellea noted in her review of the 28DD, the wires are hard and unstretchy and I found that they poke my sternum and sides uncomfortably. I def. have to exchange the wires for softer ones in order to be able to ...wear this bra comfortably and for prolonged periods of time. - I found the gore to be quite wide compared to Comexim or Ewa Michalak, but there is no actual space between the wires. It's just that the wire channels are quite wide. - It has a straight back (no leotard back). - The band is long, but it doesn't have lots of give, so the bra feels quite tight when put on. It stretches to 30 inches on my new, unworn bra. It will probably loosen up after a few wears and after I exchanged the wires. - Cups seem true to size and fit overall, apart from the uncomfortable stabby wires.
I may update this review as soon as I exchanged the wires.
UPDATE: Now that my boobs have grown a little (half a cup size, maybe), it fits more comfortably. The wires don't poke, neither at the sides nor at the gore. Sadly, the cups are a little too small now. Read more 158 more words
I was searching for a bra that would go with my wedding dress and it seems to me that I have succeeded thanks to a lovely shop in the capital, where the shop assistent spent almost two hours with me... The cup shape and size is almost perfect, although my larger breast is almost spilling out near the central gore (however, the larger cup was simply too big to even consider going up one size). The band is quite loose - fits well on the tightest hook, but it´s mostly the silicone stripes help to keep the bra in place. However, since I usually wear 28 bands, I ...would say this one runs pretty tight.
The shape is nice, rounded and uplifted and looks really well under my clothes without making my breasts seem inappropriately "big", which is a common concern for me. It´s a simple, basic bra. I plan wearing it with the straps on, since I would not feel secure without them. They can be placed in two places on the cups and the band both, which I appreciate, since I have more central fullness and thus I can move the straps to prevent gaping near my armpits and spillage near the center. The side wings are a good height, reaching nowhere near my armpits (which is something my other moulded/padded bras - no matter how much I love them and really want to wear them - tend to do, especially the 28J - Curvy Kate » Starlet Moulded Bra (CK2501) ), which made my armpits hurt. So, if you are short, this is a good option.
Five months later: EDIT: I don´t really know what happened, but the spillage is now very significant and the bra is not wearable for me anymore. I hope it will fit one of my friends, since I can´t return it after bending the underwires... I don´t think it´s a size issue, though. The shape is awfully wrong for my close set, very full on top breasts. Perhaps the tissue has migrated? Who knows.
Attention Narrow, projected breasts: 10.5" inches of depth in this 30F. Wow.
Oh, how I longed for luminous embroidery! The online photos depict glowing colors strewn across a black background. Sadly, the flower colors are demure in reality. The red straps and gated back are beautiful combined with the black. And, a soft lace is used for the wings. The muted colors make this easy to return.
The straps easily adjust along the entire length. They are firm and comfortable in addition to a vivid, slightly orange red. They are more wide set than I like.
The gore is 1.1" wide and has a cut away. The wires are firm. The fabric and lace soft.
I can't tolerate gores taller than 1.7" or wider than .8". Not for me.
I decided to try this bra because I thought it would be like Natori Feathers & it was on sale for a great price on Amazon. I was wrong - it's nothing like Feathers. This bra just didn't fit me correctly no matter how much adjusting I did.
First - the gore. Stabby and painful. Second - the cups. I filled the bottom and sides of the cup with no issues. The top (lace-only) portion of the cup had a gap because the cups are tall and my roots are not - a shape mismatch but not a deal breaker in my book. The lace overlay has elastic ...along the edge; this caused quadding in the center.
I also had an odd rippling/waving at the top of the moulded part of the cup. It stayed no matter how much I tightened or loosened the straps. I think this was caused because the straps are attached to the lace overlay and it is stretchy by nature; any amount of tension will cause the ripples. I think maybe a cup size smaller would fix that ripple issue but would exacerbate the quadding from the elastic edge. It's almost like with this design you have to choose between quadding and ripples.
It was too much of a hassle to return (UK seller) so I am putting this in my donation pile.
Edited to add - This review was for the colorway 'milkshake' (?). No boys were brought to the yard. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" /> Read more 146 more words
This is my least favourite bra. The metal bits on the straps dig into my arms and left a mark and made me so grumpy, it was absolute torture day and I couldn't wait to get it off. I had to put a band aid over it at work. Whose stupid idea was putting a sharp metal object there? Rampant stupidity. The bra is a tight fit and the underwire dug in and hurt, and left a red mark. I bought it in my size in black and white. Both went directly in the bin, I wouldn't even want to give it away to someone else because I don't hate anyone that much. If I must say something nice about it I would say it looks good and has okay support. But really that's just a compliment for my own boobs.
Because people are different shapes, sometimes your torture device is someone else's perfect bra. I could not wear Panache Envy, but other people loved it
also, while reviews are helpful, on this site we are BIG on measurements! If you could measure some of your bras, that would be even more helpful to people
Thanks for your reply! Yes I guess my review was pretty harsh but I was just so annoyed with how uncomfortable this bra was and my frustration shows in my review. In general though I'd say with bra design that sharp objects uncovered anywhere in the bra is poor design.
Oh, we all get mad at bras that dont fit like we want them to! I was SO frustrated with that Envy. Now i'm just annoyed that i keep outgrowing bras.
I have this bra in red/neon trim and also black/dark gold trim. It's a firm fit, looks great, good straps that don't dig. The briefs that match are beautiful too and I have the babydoll in large size which whilst not really comfortable to sleep in, looks pretty smokin'. I like the vintage-inspired design and the cut makes a good shape under clothes. The feeling of wearing this bra is good support, I wear this as an everyday bra now.
This is a sister size to the 28E I used to wear, I happened to find it on sale at a local lingerie store back in the day. It didn’t look like much in the hanger and I would have never ordered it online, but I was positively surprised when I tried it on. I hadn’t even owned an unpadded bra before, but this one fit nicely and looked quite cute on. For a long time it was the perfect bra for chilling out at home, easy and comfortable. The shape was not bad either. Most unpadded Freya bras are super closed at the top, but this one seemed a bit more forgiving for my upper fullness. Unfortunately, this has now become much too small to wear, and the band was always quite big. I would love to get a 28F if I could find one!
The cups fit perfect but the band is too tight. If I add an extender the cup does not longer fit properly. Also the straps are too far apart so they fall off my shoulder. The band use to fit snug but after I had a baby, 14 months ago, my ribcage is two inches wider. Also Freya Deco cups run big, I am 30E or 32DD now and the cups of a 28e in the Deco fit perfect when I should fit into a 28f or 30e cup. I think a person who is taller or who has wider shoulders would fit in this bra ...because the straps are farther apart which makes the cups gap a bit. I have a Freya Deco convertible strapless and when I place the straps closer to the middle, it has that option, the cups do not gap but I still had to wear a 30dd instead of a 30e like I am supposed to. If you wear a 28f in Panache I think this bra from Freya in 28E will fit you perfect. The band use to fit good when my ribcage was 27 inches wide. Now that my ribcage measures 29 inches this is too tight. I barely wore this bra because when my size use to be 28e this use to gap a bit. I saved it because I knew after pregnancy my breast will be at least a cup size bigger. The cup fits now but unfortunately the band is too tight, the ribcage also gets wider after pregnancy. For some reason Freya Deco cups gap when you add an extender too, even if you go down a cup size. Other bra bands do not have that problem, I wonder why though? Maybe the Freya Deco straps are farther apart unlike other brands and also run a cup size bigger than other brands. Which also explains why the Freya Deco convertible strapless has two options for the straps, more closer to the middle or further apart. So far the convertible Deco it's my favorite Freya and it fits perfent in a 30dd. I removed the underwire in the convertible Freya Deco because I hate underwires. I was hoping the wireless Freya Deco would work out for me because I hate underwires but it did not work out. In the brand Royce I wear a 32dd. The brand Royce has a tighter band than Freya and the cups run smaller than Freya also. Read more 311 more words
Freya padded half cups are my best fitting option for full on bottom breasts, soft somewhat pendulous tissue. Post weight loss and had a reduction 39years ago I vary between a 32H and 34 G this 34G feels somewhat firmer than my other Freya 34 bands. When I fully swoop and scoop I get a tiny bit of empty outer cup on left side and a tiny bit of overspill. Outer emptiness likely due to old scarring Its still my best fitting bra so far in my quest I love the colours and design on this bra..it feels very sturdy but looks pretty
I am so in love with this bra! One of my first bras I purchased after finding this site was the Freya Pansy. Despite its ugly pattern (IMO) I feel deeply in love with its fit. After finding this one I was super excited because it seemed to have the same cut but a much more beautiful pattern.
Bra Review: This bra fit extremely similarly to the Freya Pansy. It is great for my close set and full on bottom shape. The lace on the top holds me in without causing any quad boob and the straps are perfectly set (not too wide for a small frame). Because I bought ...this used, I can not vouch for how the band was when it was new, but this one is definitely a bit stretched out for a 28. Never the less, it fits great.
The material is very soft and comfortable and I love the lace top. It is a sweet green that is not too neon. The pattern on the lace is also very cute.
Overall: I am in love and would gladly purchase another one if found. Read more 76 more words
Very short, projected, slightly narrow, center full, close set, even breasts....
This is a fantastic cup for tall roots. Short roots, not so much. The cup is roughly 1" taller than the Freya Morning Meadow. The Pansy cut is more shallow near the wire than Morning Meadow and allows less fullness in the outer quadrant. This helps keep breasts front and center, but can cause flatness in those of us with round breasts.
The lace is soft and stretchy and does not irritate my sensitive skin. Straps are .7" wide, soft, and supportive. If you are high-set, you may require an alteration to make them short enough. The fabric on Pansy is more supportive than Morning Meadow. This is great if you have heavy breasts.
I want to love Pansy, but this Freya cut is not ideal for me.
Patsy is a bra I've ignored for a long time because I didn't much care for its appearance, however I recently saw someone's pictures where it looked very projected so I thought I'd try. And it is very projected--definitely the most projected Freya bra I've tried, and it measures one of the deepest cups (compared to wire length) I've seen in my size range. This bra would be great for me if it weren't for an uncommon fit issue--an apex mismatch. The bottom section is a little too tall, creating a higher apex than my breast has, which causes a very large and pronounced diagonal wrinkle at the seam even though the top closes properly on me. I would recommend this bra for someone projected, FOB who does not have very short roots like me.
This was my first order to find a bra that fits, and it was an epic fail. I believe myself to be splayed, slightly pendulous/projected, low set, and perhaps fob. Recommendations for sizes were 30F - 30G. I bought the sister size 32F because it was on sale.
The material is fairly scratchy in all parts. It is a very light mesh bra, without lining. The entire bra is mesh, which suprized me because it looked like the lower cup was a softer material. The straps are adjustable, even on my long frame.
The bra is supposed to have "side support", which was recommended for my splayed breasts, but ...I felt like my breasts sides weren't supported at all, and in fact the look was a little "east/west". Perhaps this is because my breast tissue doesn't really go that far over to the side. My breasts were not enclosed in this bra at all! The wire around the entire breast was about 1/2 to 1 inch away from my breast tissue, and the cups were obviously gapping. This was definitely not in my IMF. I'm not sure if it was simply too large all around, or if it was just the wrong shape for me? The band was obviously too big, and it stretches a LOT. Even when I scooped, and adjusted the straps, there was still a lot of gaping. I'm pretty sure that I still would have had quite the 'elf shoe' look on a side profile even if this bra had fit me. I will be returning this bra!
Clearly too big, but also I'd say you are very FOB (full on bottom) so you need cups that are good for that - maybe even half cups? You also dont look particularly splayed to me, just wide-set. You have a lot of room between your breasts - i problem I really wish I had. I used to get really bad rash between the girls because my bras didnt separate them enough!
Ooooh you are definitely FOB, narrow, and projected. You should check out CK's Florence, Bardot, and Ellace. I'd stick with a 30FF for now, or try both a 30F and 30FF at the same time if you can. This is too big but Freyas tend to run big, and this is also a shape mismatch.
dbmamaz, and lcl0706, thank you both for your comments. This helps me a lot actually, because I have not been able to figure out my shape exactly. I'll watch for some narrower listings. I've been looking at comexims and Ewas as a possibility, so I may that next.
I think Polish bras would suit you well :)
When wearing a bra that is way too big in the cups like this, almost anyone will look more "projected and fob" than they really are because of the lack of compression. I think you will find it easier to judge your shape after trying designs closer to your size Wilderness1 !
Purchased used. Bra appears to be well made. Unfortunately, I purchased the wrong size (store measured size is 3 cups smaller than the A Bra That Fits Calculator stated 32FF). Center gore rests on breast tissue and cups/wires/side wings were too small since it was the wrong size. Progressively more uncomfortable the longer I wear it. Visually, this is a very basic bra - for nursing moms who probably dont really care about the appeal vs fit/function.
I want to love this bra, but the gore is stabbing me in the worst place possible. So I won't be keeping it. The wires are also a bit wider than I am used to. The band fits me perfectly, tight and supportive, but I'm closer to a 29" underbust so it might be a bit loose for others.
The cups have three vertical seams, which I've never seen before. I think i like it! I also like this design with the beige polka dots so much more than I thought I would. I personally cant stand the pink Patsy, but this one has a totally different look to it.
Ugh about the gore, but this coloway looks fantastic on you.
I had a completely different issue with this bra - not enough depth.
erispe, what were your issues with the Bella? Still trying to decide how i feel about it. The band is too tight but i have an extender. The wires are too wide and there is a bit too much wrinkling at the top of the cups for me.
annabellynn The cup was too small on my larger side and created a weird shape even with an extender.
I feel like the photo of this bra looks a lot nicer that how it actually looked on me. There was a lot of gaping at the top of the cups. I think that either it's too projected for me or that the cup in this style runs large.
Color me clueless, but what is a leotard back?