Sigh. After trying on the Ivy Longline and falling in love with the style, I picked up the Piper Longline in one cupsize bigger, thinking it would solve the quad boob issues I had with my Ivy. Sadly, this was not the case. The Ivy fabric was slightly different and allowed for my fuller breasts to shape the cups a little more, whereas my fuller breasts in the Piper push the bra down my ribcage and cause all kinds of problems. I don't fill the bottom, the underwire is about a cm below the bottoms of my breasts, *and* I'm getting quad boob. Shame, because this bra looks so lovely otherwise. Definitely a bra for the shallow-breasted.
I love this bra, but then again it is the first bra that fits me correctly... I bought two, black and nude, and they fit me really well. I love that the band does not ride and is wide enough. My boobs are up where they belong without using a lot of extra padding. At first the nude bra poked under my arm but now that I broke it in, I haven't had a problem. It stretched slightly over the month, but just to the middle hook (so I hope I have awhile with this bra.) Simple bows on the really wide straps are cute, but now I need a strapless bra that fits!
Pros: fits well, simple, comfortable, everyday wear Cons: Pokes at first, really wide straps (but then again, I'm used to bras that don't properly fit... so are there bras this size with thin straps?)
I already reviewed the black Faye (here: http://bra.pe/RBoC/) but as I bought the beige as well I measured it, just for kicks.
And I think it's fair to say that the beige runs both larger and stretchier in the band than the black; I pulled this one out to 84 cm/33". It fits comfortably on the loosest hooks around my hips--not, by any stretch of the imagination, around my underbust. I've probably worn smaller 32s.
I didn't find the bra noticeably bigger anywhere other than the band. I get the same weird combination of wrinkles and quadboob, in about the same places, and the wires still end up poking my sternum.
I do actually need a belt, but I'll be returning this one anyway.
I think this style is just not for me; I have tried a 30G (too big) and now the 30FF (too small). I think without the longline, the cups would fit or be just the slightest bit too small, but I am constantly pulling the band down after it rolls up, and this causes the cups to sit too low on my breasts, and they quadboob on top. I can wear Freya's regular half cups, and they are some of my favorite bras, but I just can't to the longline. It's a damn shame, too, because I love the look, and how smooth my back looks under fitted clothes.
Lovely bra, great rounded upfront shape from the cups - no east-west boobs happening here. Unfortunately they included only 2 columns of hooks, and the band is a firm 29" which makes the bra tend to be a bit too low on me since it's too tight. Would be perfect with another column of hooks. Beautiful print and detailing, love the teeny black and white bows. Feels very well made.
Sigh. Not going to work. Re-ordered in a cup size up after I noticed everyone was saying it ran small in the cups. It seems to want to smash my boobs from top to bottom. I thought about altering it the way brasihate describes in her "making a pointy bra round" post, but I am no hand with a needle and thread, and I figured I'd be better off finding a few more bras that actually fit before I start dicking around with one that doesn't and trying to change that.
Arabella is a very sexy bra. It gives great support for being made out of sheer fabric. I have this in size 30FF which is my normal size in most Freya and Cleo unpadded bras. While I put this bra down as a "good fit", I have to say that the cups run a bit big. While its knockoff Lyla fits around my boobs tighter, Arabella is wrinkly. So I can't seem to quite fill the cups... But on my big days, the week before my period, it fits really well. This is one of my go to-bras during PMS.
I have the Cleo Lucy in a 30G (i believe a 30FF would have been a better choice)... How do you compare the two?
Hi, I think they are quite different. The band on the Lucy for one runs tighter than Arabella's, but I think that's mostly true for Cleo vs. Freya. Freya bands are generally looser.
The Cleo gives a more uplift rounded shape, while the Arabella forms to your boobs, gives a more natural shape... maybe a tiny bit pointy? Again, I think this is very typical of Freya unpadded bras vs. Cleo unpadded bras.
Cup volume wise, I don't think they differ too much. While the Arabella is a bit big in the cups for me right after my period, it fits me well during my PMS when my breasts almost grow a cup size. Similarly, with the Lucy, I can't completely fill the cups on my smaller days, but it doesn't bother me at all. It still looks very beautiful. I don't wear tight clothes and it's not visible under my clothing. I think a cup size down would definitely result in quad boobs.
Six hooks! Six hooks are awesome. I get no back/side flab and can loosen the shoulder straps to the point where they are basically decoration. The extra hooks mean that I'm not getting the cutting into my ribcage that I was with other 30 bands (more of an issue with Panache than Freya). It gives an attractive, rounded shape.
I can't decide whether it's true love though.
It takes a bit of shimmying in the morning to get it in the right position. I assume this is because the band so reliably stays where it's put that I have to be careful where I put it. The front elastic folds up during the day and this problem is only getting worse. I think the first time it was fine because the elastic was fresh but as it stretches out it folds more. I'm sure there's some fix though I object on principle to having to alter bras in ways like this.
This is a beautiful bra, and fits me perfectly. The fabric is fairly stiff, but I'm hoping it will soften after washing. It does have a very upfront look, but this may lessen slightly after washing. I had the lyla in a 30f, but I found it to be too small and gave a pointy shape, but now that I have the correct size, the pointy-ness has gone.
This bra is beautiful, but, it just doesn't fit me anymore. I wore it a few times but the cups are just too big and I can't fill them. The are nice and soft and will conform to your shape which is awesome but, I still can't fill them, I'm a 30F now not FF. This is very depressing because the bra is very comfortable and provides gorgeous cleavage.
ARGH, FREYA! Why are your bands so unpredictable? I received Lyla from a fellow user and while the cups fit, it's just too loose in the band. I'm beginning to think that I should order any Freya in a 28 band because 30's are way too loose and ride up. I also get a little bit of quadboob when I adjust the straps (no adjustment = no lift).
Lyla is beautiful--the magenta color is gorgeous and it seems like a great summer bra (no padding so no boob-sweat!), but unfortunately, the band and I are not getting along, and the cups aren't quite my friends, either.
I'm slightly conflicted about this bra. Fit-wise, it's pretty good. It fits my smaller side just about perfectly and gives only a small amount of quad-boob on my larger side. Not enough to go up a cup size. The cups are definitely shallower than other Freya bras that I've tried, which is great for me. The biggest problem with the fit is the generous length of the band, which I intend to fix (or attempt to fix) with a rixie clip or some other method of band-tightening. Comfort-wise, band length is the only issue.
What I find odd about this bra is the fabric that covers the cups. ...It's certainly pretty enough (I love the pale green with white spots), but it seems to pucker, pull, and poof up, away from the underlying cup material, for no reason at all. It certainly doesn't give the bra the sort of nice, smooth surface that you'd expect. I'm not sure yet how obvious it'll be under different shirts, but I can't help thinking that Freya could have done a bit better by this lovely bra. Still, I really do love the appearance otherwise. I will be keeping this one and hopefully tightening up the band. Read more 95 more words
Ivy, you're so cute! Straps are comfortable, fabric is forgiving and flattering, shape is great, and lies flat under most of my clothing. The band feels super comfortable, but it makes me worry that it will stretch out rather quickly (and this bra seems like it may be a bitch to alter). My main issue is battling with cup size yet again. The cups are a bit too small for my larger breast and I have some quadboob going on. Ugh, between sizes yet again.
This bra is adorable but I have some fit issues. It's a bit too small in the cup for my larger breast, but seems to fit fine elsewhere. The band could be a little bit tighter, but nothing a small alteration couldn't fix. Fairly comfortable, fabric is a little scratchy, but a washing/soak overnight could resolve that.
Other than that, it gives a great shape, doesn't show under most of my clothes (YAY), and feels comfy (no underwire poking, gore lies flat, wires are wide enough).
Straps are fully adjustable, 6 hooks in back, half cup, great lift and shape...I just love this bra so much. It's hands-down the favorite bra I own.
This bra is a bit too small in the cup for my larger breast and even a bit small in the cup for my other breast. Between the Piper and Ivy longlines, the Piper definitely runs a bit smaller in the cup, due in part, I'm sure, to the black lace trim pulling at the outer edge of the cup.
Despite the minor fit issues, I love the Piper so much that I kept both the 30FF and the 30G. If I lose weight and couldn't fit into the 30G any longer, I won't have to have my heart broken 'cause I gots me a back up https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
Decos are great bras! This bra fits OK and looks great under clothes. The cups fit OK but cut into my arms a little, thus making driving not fun and becoming annoying by the end of the day. Unfortunately for me, I think I need a 28G as Decos tend to run larger in the band and the cup, and I do prefer a firmer band.
This bra looks great, but feels terrible. It flattens me out, is slightly too wide, and the cups come up too high (my breasts are high on my chest) and fold into my underarms. The band is also very loose on me. I wanted this to work so badly, but it just doesn't. Good for those with a lot of upper-pole fullness, not so much for equal fullness and probably not good at all for bottom heavy breasts.
I have had a frustrating experience with this bra. I tried on the 30G and it seemed like I just needed to go down a cup size. So I exchanged it for a 30FF aaannnd... the cup is too small. I have tissue escaping under the sides, slight quadboob, and a pointy shape. I wore this bra once and at the end of the day the wires had left noticeable red marks on my sternum. I'd never experienced a stabby gore before. Now I know what others are complaining about.
I'm thinking that I tried on the bras at bad points during my cycle and a 30G would actually ...fit at certain times. I would really like a 30G in the hazelnut color (the 30FF I have is amethyst, blech).
The upsides: The band is nice and firm with almost no stretch (when I measured the bra at its stretchiest I noticed that the elastic was barely moving, but the cups were distorting!) and maybe this is a factor of the too-small cups, but the straps don't cut into my armpits quite as badly as some other bras. Read more 80 more words
Band is very loose on my ribcage. Cups encompass my breasts, but wires go too far towards the back and poke a little bit. Design and fabric are very cute, but the shape just doesn't work on my small ribcage and narrow shape.
I have the Cleo Lucy in a 30G (i believe a 30FF would have been a better choice)... How do you compare the two?