I would never call myself a longline girl, but my recent experiences with some Freya longlines have started to change my mind. Since I am slim and petite, I don't need the smoothing abilities of a wide band to create a smoother line, and the length of the band usually ends up uncomfortably close to my waist and puts pressure on my ribcage, causing me to panic for breath. However, I've found that some longlines can create an elegant look that looks cleaner under dresses than a standard bra, plus some of them can double as bra tops for going out. So, with this in ... mind, I have found myself the owner of a small longline collection.

I love the Summer Haze Padded Half Cup, as it's the best-fitting soft padded half cup silhouette that works for me. It is a 3HC construction with a slightly closed top. The Summer Haze Longline is simply its longline equivalent, and I own both in 28E. There's not much difference between the two, though mine varies slightly in measurements, which I think is just due to manufacturing inconsistency and not design. If you already like this fit, then go ahead and order the same size as the Padded Half Cup. If you are new to this fit, one of the awesome things about it is that the cup has a really rounded shape and is more closed off at the top than many standard Padded Half Cup styles, such as the Fantasie/Fauve ones, or the original Freya Patsy before the fit was redesigned. It's great for people who are not particularly FOT, but it's not so closed off as to cut into tall roots.

Compared to my other Freya padded longline, the Fancies Longline, this has a different cup shape. The Fancies Longline has a 4 piece cup where the top piece is horizontal. The 4 piece cup is a bit deeper than the 3HC and also has slightly wider wires, so on the body the cup is effectively wider. However, the band construction and measurements are very similar, though the materials are different. The Summer Haze has a very firm feeling band because the cradle and side panel are backed with tricot and are nonstretch (the Fancies Longline doesn't have this nonstretch side panel, and the wings are double layer mesh and lace). Only the back portion of the wing is stretch and is made from firm powermesh. This means that this really feels like it stays in place, but I didn't find it uncomfortably tight at all. Unlike the Freya Wilder Bustier, which has boning in the center front panel, the normal longlines do not have any boning.

The outside of the bra is a shibori-printed dot mesh that extends throughout the entire bra, including the wings. The cups are lined with soft padding and are not molded foam. The upper edge of the cup is trimmed with simple black lace, and the straps are plain wide black elastic. The only trim is a small bow at the center gore, thankfully, with no weird charms. The look of this bra is clean and simple, with no accented seams or contrast details other than the black lace and elastic. This is a fantastic longline if you are hesitant about longline styles. The only flaw I find is that Freya's longlines only have two rows of hooks, and they really would be better off with at least 3, ideally 4 rows to allow for better band fit. 2 rows of hooks really limits the ribcage measurements that can wear this style, unfortunately.
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Updated on Jul 24, 2020 Flag this