I'm finding this bra pretty comfortable. I like the soft top but the lightly padded rest of it. It doesn't show through clothing hardly at all. The color is good on me. I'm not certain about the fit. Maybe because it's two hooks instead of the three I've gotten used to? The band feels uncertain. I started it on the second set because it didn't feel quite supportive enough on the loosest set. Sometimes it feels like it should be tighter, and sometimes it feels like it should be looser. I wonder if maybe there's not quite enough lower projection for me? One thing I really like is that the straps feel closer together than on some bras. I also bought another bra, and it feels like the straps start in my armpits more. This one feels like they're at a good place. Basically, I don't know if this is actually a great fit, but it's comfortable enough for now. And for only $27, that feels pretty good.
Overview: This is a beautiful beautiful bra. I love that the smooth fabric has a pretty floral jacquard weave, and that the stretch mesh panel on the top of the cups has subtle turquoise blue embroidery. Both these design elements really elevate this from being a boring neutral beige bra to something that looks expensive and special.
The stretch lace on the top has what I would consider a pretty tight elastic along the upper edge that would definitely cut in if you're FOT or have any more centre-fullness than I do. I have tall roots, but fortunately the height of this cup ...is exactly perfect for me, and the stretch lace hugs the top of my boobs, but the elastic hits me right at the point where most of my functional volume ends, so it just hugs my boobs in exactly the right spot. If it was any shorter it would definitely cause quadding on me. The cups are deep, and there is plenty of immediate projection at the wire. It is is mostly smooth under clothing, but I do notice the main horizontal seam shows a bit.
My only complaint about this bra is that the band rides up on me, but that isn't entirely the bra's fault. This is a 65 band which is the equivalent of a 30 band so it's technically two sizes too big on me. I almost always get away with wearing 65s (as you can see in my profile I do wear them a lot) because for one, I don't mind a loose band sometimes, and also I have an ongoing issue with one of my ribs coming out of alignment, and I prefer a looser fitting band for those times. I also find a lot of the 65s I wear to have a bit of a tighter fit anyway. This band however, I will say fits TTS as a 30 band. The other factor is that it is a much narrower band than I have in most of my other bras, and it only has two hooks. I think that might be contributing to it riding up and feeling a bit less supportive. For comparison, my Parfait Charlottes in a 30 band also have TTS fitting bands, but the bands are really wide and have 4 hooks so I don't find they ride up much at all, and they still feel quite stable and supportive despite being too big.
About me: Tall roots, low set, centre-full, projected but self-supporting, even vertical fullness, average-to-narrow roots but functionally narrow, somewhat close set, firm tissue. Average width shoulders but muscular-ish. ABTF calculator size: 26J/JJ, best fitting bra: Comexim Pearl Flower Mint 3HC in 60N. Read more 358 more words
Lovely bra on you, and love the detailed review! :)
Wow this is so pretty! It looks amazing on you. Thank you for posting such detailed reviews the past few weeks. I really need to get on top of my reviews. I have like 100 to do lol.
Me: Narrow roots, narrow shoulders, evenly round, lots of immediate projection, slightly FoB, slightly centre full, never met a gore I didn't like, left-heavey by more than a cup size, 31" underbust, but prefer tight band with extender. Panache, Freya size 30GG
I Love This Bra!!!!
First ever with enough immediate projection and narrow enough cups, And straps set narrow enough for my shoulders too!!!!
Additional bonus feature: side boning is in two overlapping parts so it expands with band stretch and fills the entire channel!!!
This is a new shape and design for Gaia and I hope they start making more. Embroidery on cups will show through thin tops ...and the band is about the same as an EM (I need an extender) Lovely leotard back. Cup material stretches vertically but not horizontally. Hides assymetry fairly well. Quality is excellent for the price - good quality sewing and fabrics but band is a bit stretchy (we'll have to see how it lasts).
Only con - only two hooks. Feels secure, and looks very easy to shorten, but still...
In all other Gaia non-padded I go up a cup size like CK to get rid of the upsidedown seven shape. This one is a perfect round shape and fits perfectly.
Advisory: FoB or large center fullness might want to size up a cup?
Edit: It is a little itchy after a day's wear, but maybe a wash or two will help. Read more 132 more words
My shape: FOB, projected, narrow roots and shoulders, soft tissue Appearance: This semi-padded bra is so beautiful in person! The brightly colored fabric looks like watercolor flowers, and continues from the cups to the band. The top lace, straps, and elastic are all a matching cerulean blue. Fit: I ordered this bra, and two others, for my first order from magdalenahukalowicz at bras4you.com. She was super wonderful to work with, and very communicative. The band on this particular Gaia bra is VERY stretchy. I had it on the tightest hook right away. The cups are quite deep. The lace tops are strethcy, but gape on me. I might be able to do some alterations on them to tighten them up a bit, but since I've never attempted that particular surgery, I am a bit nervous to try it. If you like your bands tight, I'd advise to size down a band with this model.
You never know about the bands - I have a Gaia 70 band that should be a 65. I love these colors - gorgeous bra! I tend to have the gaping with stretch lace when it's a semi-soft. Regarding a possible alteration: a lot of Curvy Kates have lace that runs along the top edge of the cup and that's what gave me this idea. You might try running matching thread along the top edge of the cup. Then you can pull it in slightly to tighten the cup's gaping (if that makes any sense!). If it doesn't work, it's easily removed and no big deal. I did surgery on a Gorsenia soft cup this morning, I just did a little foldover and tacked it which left a crease. Now I wish I'd remembered this gathering technique.
I meant to say the CK's have ribbon running along the edge of the cup. Now that I think about it, not sure if it would work with a semi-padded; it might make it pucker weirdly.
Actually, that might work with these semi-padded ones, since the lace is a separate part of the cup. It shouldn't affect the bottom, padded portion, and like you said, it's easily removed if it, for some reason, looks odd. Thanks for the suggestion! I am totally gonna try that.
I do the fold over, but right by the gore and/or the strap where it will be the least noticeable under clothes.
So you don't cut or remove any of the lace, you just fold over the amount you need and sew it "shut" basically, yeah? I really need to try this.
Yep, no cutting or removing. It allows for re-do's if your size changes. I make my alteration near the gore like cupandahalf suggested. I'm one of those that if the top of the cup lays perfectly then the bra is too small everywhere else, so this alteration happens a lot.
My shape: full on bottom, soft tissue, narrow shoulders/roots. Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this bra (and many others!) to try on! I had never heard of Gaia brand bras until recently. and I think I'm in love! This bra fits me really well, and I had given up on padded bras entirely! Granted, this is considered semi-padded, since the top part of the cup is a black lace, but hey, it's more padded than any other bra I have tried that fits! Fit and appearance: As stated above, the bottom majority of the cups are padded, with the top a single layer of lace with a ...thin piece of elastic along the top edge to help it lay flat. The fabric is a soft, satiny texture, and the design is a shiny blue color with delicate black linework flower designs. The straps are black, stretchy and thin! which was a nice surprise, as lots of larger cup bras tend to have those fat straps. These ones are super comfortable, as well. I have a "thing" about straps; they are either too itchy, too wide-set, or not long enough for me. These are perfect. The cups are pretty much perfect on me. They are narrow and give a good rounded, projected shape. These are the three part construction, with a seam down the middle and a piece along the top. The back of the band is a black stretchy, soft fabric with a 2 hook clasp. I prefer three hooks, personally, but this fits so well that I don't even care. The band is ever so slightly tighter than I am used to, but compared to the sister size 70I Gaia bras I tried, this fits me the best. One little quirk with this particular bra is its squeakiness. It's not super loud, but I notice that it squeaks and creaks a little bit when I move. Overall, I HIGHLY recommend Gaia brand bras if you are looking at affordable Polish options. This bra is just awesome. I don't even want to take it off to measure it right now, hahah!
My shape: FOB, Narrow shoulders and roots, soft tissue, projected Appearance: This is your basic beige padded bra. It's a 3 part construction cup, with one vertical seam up the middle and one horizontal across the top of each cup. The top part of the cups are made of stretchy lace, with a piece of elastic along the top of the lace to help keep it down. There are 3 sets of 2 hooks. Fit: I was disappointed that this didn't fit me nearly as well as the other semi-padded Gaia bras I have tried. The cups are quite a bit wider, as well as the straps. The fabric eats ...into my armpit; there needs to be a rounder curve there for me, and it's more of a straight angle up the armpit to the strap bottom. I ordered this from Amazon, and it was shipped by Other Eden. It took about two and a half weeks to get to me here in the US from the UK, so not too terribly long. As the fit is so wonky, I am returning it. (Unfortunately, I have to pay for return shipping, which I didn't realize when I had ordered it; I figured Amazon would cover that cost of return shipping.) Read more 98 more words
They have a US return ship address in AZ though so you're only looking at around $5 to ship it. :-)
Yeah, that I can stomach! I don't mind losing a couple bucks, especially if it means trying new bras. Next brand I want to try is Gorsenia!
If it helps, this style is SS11. I can't remember which models worked for you, but if you remind me I can tell you what style #s they are to aide in your Gaia search.
Where is that style info, by the way? You are a bra wizard (or shall I say sorceress!) for knowing all of this!
It's always on their website (as linked above for Leona) and also on their catalogs which are downloadable pdf files from their main site https://www.gaia.com.pl near the bottom of the page. Each bra will have the style number listed to aide in finding the same fit. :-)
Be forewarned that Goesenia has wider set straps, at least in the sizes/styles I tried (even with the cups being too small the straps were too wide set.)
My Shape: FOB, narrow shoulders and roots, soft tissue, projected Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this bra! Appearance: Padded, semi-soft 3 part cups with white lace tops and darker gray fabric. There are little white daisies with red centers allover the band and the cups. The straps and elastic are all white, and the bows at the gore and straps are red to match the daisies. The hook fabric, on both sides, is black, which is odd since that doesn't match the rest of the bra. Fit: Another Gaia success! Narrow cups, wires, straps, hooray! I just wish there were 3 instead of 2 hooks. The bra is rather squeaky, too, but it doesn't bother me too much.
Me: Narrow roots, narrow shoulders, evenly round, lots of immediate projection, slightly FoB, slightly centre full, never met a gore I didn't like, left-heavey by more than a cup size, 31" underbust, but prefer tight band with extender. Panache, Freya size 30GG
I love this one too!
The band is a bit tighter than the Annika and I will have to sister size up.
The mesh is in no way itchy and the stretch in the top part of the cup is really nice.
Again, only two hooks https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
Textured strap edges so no slipping. Tonnes and Tons of immediate projection! (see photo) Firm, narrow wires measure surprisingly wider than expected. Narrow centre gore, good side boning, and super soft materials. Can't wait til the right size arrives!
Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this to try on! My shape: FOB, soft tissue, narrow roots/shoulders This bra technically fits me, but it's not a style I am comfortable wearing. I feel like I could spill out of the top at any minute. It's a padded 2 vertical seamed bra, with no top lace or horizontal top part of the cup. The gore ALMOST tacks, but not quite. The straps are rather wide, especially compared to other Gaia styles I have tried in this size. The straps are hooked to the front, so you could remove them if desired. The black lace over the beige cup is really pretty.
Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this to try on! My shape: projected, soft tissue, narrow shoulders and roots, FOB Fit: Strangely enough, this bra doesn't fit me as well as the other semi-padded Gaia bras I have. The lace at the top of the cup doesn't lay flat, and I'm too afraid to alter it myself; I don't want to ruin another bra! This bra is so cute. I love the black and white paisley print.
Renee 605 in 65J I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
The Renee is a semi soft bra with light foam lined bottom of cups and a very stretchy white lace on top. The pattern is a dark grey with little white daisies and red centers, both in cups and band. In comparison to the Maxi line Renee, which has a black band, the regular line Renee is prettier and more esthetically pleasing.
Renee in 65J was my first attempt at a Gaia bra. I had went up in cup ...from a UK 32G/30HH so I was in the market for new bras, and wasn’t familiar with Gaia or Polish bras, and logically went with what they listed as a UK 30J. When I ordered this one, I really thought it was dots not daisies. I didn’t mind the daisies, it was just surprising to see when it arrived as the stock photos on Amazon didn’t portray this.
The best thing about the Renee bra is the stretchy lace tops. They are super accommodating, far more than any UK bra I’ve ever tried in the past. This stretchy lace is great for asymmetry, as well as hormonal and weight fluctuations, plus softer breast tissue.
On this 65J, the band measured 23.5” to 30.5” at max stretch with 2 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 11”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 13”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
My only real complaint (as not fitting isn’t a flaw of the bra just my sizing guess) would be the area of the bra that has the hooks is black, while no other part of the bra is. It looks a bit odd, with the cups and band being a dark grey.
I tried the Renee regular line in 65J, 65K, and 70J, as well as the Renee Maxi in 70K and 70L.
Maureen in 65J I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Maureen is a semi padded bra, with light foam lining on the bottom of the cups and sheer lace on top. The pattern is blue with black flowers, and black lace on top.
The band measures 22” to a max of 31” with 2 hooks and 3 rows of eyes for adjustment.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 11”
2 Placing the cup over ...the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 12.25”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
The shape this one gave was far from appealing. For me, the cups were way too small (one of my first attempts at Gaia sizing) and it gave me torpedo boobs. The top lace has no stretch to it at all, so if you exceed the unstretched cup measurement, the only give is from the bottom of the cups and of course the typical resulting quad boob. Not appealing at all and I wouldn’t recommend if you have any upper fullness.
Litsa in 65J / Litsa in 65K I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Litsa is a full padded bra of beige with black lace over the whole bra. It is a half cup style, and the padding is light foam lining, more for support than volume. The straps are adjustable multiway, allowing for a variety of options from regular, to halter, to backless, crisscross, single strap etc. It is similar in shape and style to Gaia’s Gina bra. I tried this bra in both 65J and 65K, but returned the 65K ...before taking pictures, so I’ve combined the review for both in one for simplicity.
The band measured 23” to a max of 29.5” with 2 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops on the 65J, and 23.5 to 29.5” with 3 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops on the 65K.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 10” (65J) & 11” (65K)
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 12” (65J) & 13.5” (65K)
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
The cup height was 6.75” on the 65J and 7” on the 65K. For me, this was neither deep enough nor tall enough to accommodate my breasts, resulting in both quad boob and escaped nipples that sat above the cups instead of within. If they made it in a 65M/N, I think it would have worked.
Great for enticing your partner, not workable under any shirt, even a sweatshirt otherwise. I really wanted this one to work, as I love the demi style half cups as well as the multi functional straps. Alas, another that didn’t work for me.
And yes, I do realize I was in denial of what size I really needed, but I had difficulty accepting my new growth, and the idea of any “cup” labeled above a K seemed really too big in my brain. The concept of EU vs UK sizing method was new to me, so I did not understand why the J-K cup didn’t work, figuring it must just be a shape/style mismatch…….a year later, I feel like such an idiot as I revamp my original reviews and notes, especially with these Gaia bras. I really loved the patterns and styles, and so wanted them to work for me!
Blake 508 in 65J I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Blake is a semi padded bra that is white with a black flower pattern reminiscent of Zentangle paisley and black lace tops. The bottom of the cups have some stretch, but the top lace does not. This can result in flattened tops as well as quad boob.
The band measured 24” to a max of 31.5” and has 2 hooks with 3 rows of eyes.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into ...the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 10.5”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 12.25”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
While I loved the pattern of this bra, no amount of wishing was going to make this one fit. Read more 165 more words
Me: Narrow roots, narrow shoulders, evenly round, lots of immediate projection, very soft tissue, fairly centre full, never met a gore I didn't like, left-heavey by more than a cup size, 31" underbust, but prefer tight band with extender. Panache, Freya size 30GG
Ok, beyond being highly disappointed that this so called Gaia S9 cut is totally different than the Gaia Annika Soft (553) S9 cut, I like this bra, even though it doesn't fit. It is too wide in the cup, the straps are set slightly too wide, there are only two hooks, and the straps are smooth stiff elastic and so the slides might slip.
The whole cup stretches only on the bias, which smooths everything, including the assymetry in the top. Nice broad straps, wonderfully high wings and decent centre gore. Standard band and cup sizes, firmer wires, good shape and construction. Very soft lined cups, no side boning, and firm back band stretch knit.
Aaaaah! I love everything about Gaia but their inconsistent wire widths!
Me: Narrow roots, narrow shoulders, evenly round, lots of immediate projection, slightly FoB, slightly centre full, never met a gore I didn't like, left-heavey by more than a cup size, 31" underbust, but prefer tight band with extender. Panache, Freya size 30GG
I wish this had a vertical seamin the lower cup!
A little upsidedown seven in this bra so I'd advize going up a cup size.
No cutting and nice strap placement. Not quite enough immediate projection. Good side support
Lovely bra on you, and love the detailed review! :)