This is the second Panache sports bra that I own and the third one I have tried. I originally tried the 32DD and was a bit squished. The next one was the 32F which was fine but a little bit too wide and tall. This one is in between.

The cups do fit a bit better than the 32F and compress me a little more. The 32F is a very round shape, but due to the taller cups, I do have a little bit of empty space in the cups at the top as I’m soft tissue and functionally fob. The 30F is better at containing me evenly ... in this respect. That said, the cup height difference is actually pretty minimal. With so little difference I don’t think it made a huge difference in sizing down.

The band on this one is definitely tighter than the 32F which is to be expected from a band size down. I can do it up but it’s a bit more challenging. If I was using this bra for running or jumping and other high impact sports, I would say that the 30 band of this one (with this level of wear) is perfect but, I am doing none of those things. I’m wearing it for Pilates which is a lot more gentle and flowy with the majority of my lessons on my back and I think it’s going to be too tight for me this way.

There is a small snag in one cup which I was aware of when I bought it (it was already discounted) although I accidentally added a small slit with the scissors as I was opening the package. The slit is pretty small but it is in the mesh portion so I hope it won’t get bigger with wear.

Ultimately I think a 32E would fit me better but I’m not sure if it’s the right sports bra for me. I like the rounded and separated profile vs the uniboob look but I am not a fan of the cup height. That said, as long as it is under a top, it probably won’t be a problem. The 32F looks freaking amazing underneath my thermal zip top and my snug shirts even though it is a little bit of overkill for a bra for my needs. I have not tried the 30F underneath a top yet, so I might keep it and find an extender or I might just relist it and keep the 32F which I have grown fonder of since I got it.
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Updated on Mar 12, 2021 Flag this

I received this as a gift from a friend as a pay it forward pay it back sort of thing. I had been looking at the 30FF of this but been concerned about it being too tight. This was a perfect option to try. She sent it to me as we’ve been talking about fitness a little bit and she knows that I have been going to one on one Pilates sessions locally for a few months and have been looking for something to wear. I need something comfortable but with some support. Pilates is not high intensity or anything, and I spend quite a bit of the ... time on my back. So it’s got to be comfortable on my back...this is why I opted to go with the 32 band.

While it is not really my colour aesthetic (with the fuschia, electric purple, and neon green/yellow), it does seem to be ok with my skin tone and I don’t mind it as much as I had thought I would. I can probably get used to it but, I would probably prefer to have something that is a bit more subdued and understated.

The fit was a little bit of concern because the Chantelle sports bras that I have tried were closer to 9” although I usually stick with about 9.5-10” for regular bras. I got the 9.5-10” cup depth for this one. The cups fit. But they don’t. Confused? Me too! So this is what I think. The cup depth is perfect, but it’s the cup height and the fact that I have softer tissue that leans more towards full on bottom and short rooted, functionally. I’m actually a bit more even with only a nod to fob, and my roots are actually tallish, but shallow and deflated. If the cup volume and depth was the same but the cups were like an inch shorter, it would totally be a good fit. I added a few pictures with a basic ribbed tank that is semi racer back and you can see how it is poking out the top of the front some from the tall height.

The band on this one is good. It’s a little bit looser on the last hooks than I would prefer for support to do some activities and it feels secure with the next level of hooks in, however, when I am on my back or doing curl ups and such, I feel as though the band tension changes and the loosest hooks is quite adequate and comfortable. Not sure if that’s making any sense. I going to have to test it out more on my back with my home program exercises to see what feels best.

However...and this is a big HOWEVER, when I get on my back, my boobs soften and shift quite a bit to the sides and I have a fairly large pocket of space at the apex. While it is not a problem, visually, it does have a little bit of a strange feeling and one that is somewhat distracting. I will have to see if I can get over it. I’m going to my lesson tomorrow and will be wearing this to test out.

I do want to try the 32E (or a 30F if it’s a stretchy enough band). I think that even if the cup depth is a bit smaller than I need in a regular bra, the taller cups will have the room to contain my boobs vertically and give me a little bit of compression. The hyba sports bra top that I have in a small that I’ve been using is supposed to fit a bust of 35.5” per the website size guide. I originally bought it in a size medium (37.5”) was a great fit in the cups but, a little bit too large for the over shirt part. As it is a high neck bra top, the small works a little better as I’m a little bit more compressed and the tissue has room to fill vertically without it showing as too small. So...I think that this theory might also be able to be applied to the Panache sport bra if I size down in the cup.

The straps are pretty cushioned and comfortable. I have not really adjusted the straps length in order to use the j hook but I’m not sure if I really want to use the j hook. In the past, it was cutting into my shoulder blades and not comfortable. The underwire is also extremely padded and pretty comfortable. The wire is a bit wide for me, but only just so. The gore seems to be ok (my measurements are only for the wire portion, not the whole height of the center section, btw).

I think that a cup size down is going to be a perfect fit. I have my eye on a 30F so I will be sure to share that with you if I get it.

Update Jan 29/21: I wore this today under my new thermal top and it was fine! Is it the best or most ideal size for me? I don’t know for sure yet. I *am* still interested in trying the cup size down though, so I’ve removed my listing for this for now until I can try a 30F or 32E for comparison. I also added more pictures in my thermal top today.
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Updated on Jan 29, 2021 Flag this

This review is for the Cosmic print colorway, ordered from Figleaves (I'm in the US but ordered from the UK site which saved me a good 10 bucks!). Like the black colorway in the same size and model, this one fits my narrow FOB projected breasts well with minor gapping at the top that is totally not an issue for me at all. It wicks sweat, is bounce-free, supportive, yada yada, but let's be honest, I got it for the space print, which is straight. up. GORGEOUS! The print is a pink, coral, red, navy, and white galaxy print (with shades of cranberry and purple) with navy trim ... and hot pink rings, sliders, J-hook, and piping. It was really hard to tell online if the trim was navy or black, and while the navy is super cute, I almost wish it had been black as it would match more of my workout bottoms. Minor complaint. That said, I think it would pair well with either a navy short or a plain black workout legging. I bet it would look fabulous with a dark purple or gray workout short as well. I can't stop staring at the fabric and it made me feel great wearing it. Space boobs...what's not to love??
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Cosmic colorway

Updated on Jul 26, 2017 Flag this

The bra I purchased was actually the Grey version of the Panache Sport. However, I dyed it using Jacquard iDye Poly Pink, and the pink dye + original blue/grey color resulted in purple! The pink trim also turned into a more vibrant magenta. Unfortunately, the inside of the cups and the thread are made of a different material and did not change due to the dye, but I am still pleased with the overall result of my dye experiment. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> So yes, you CAN dye the Panache Sport -- just make sure to get dye for polyester fabrics and be aware the thread and the inside of the cups will likely stay the original color. Jacquard iDye Poly can be found on Amazon if it's not available in your local fabric store.

For a review of the fit of this bra, you can see what I wrote for the Raspberry colorway here: 34GG - Panache Sport » Sports Bra (5021)

Grey (dyed purple) colorway

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Updated on Dec 10, 2015 Flag this

Panache Underwired Sports bra

It's a very comfortable bra. The padding is rather thick but it adds only 2 cm to my breast perimeter compared to a regular bra. The wires are rather wide and the cups come up rather shallow. The bra is made to push the boobs close to chest and seperate them at the same time. The gore is very wide in this bra, so it does not tack. If I would made the gore tack, then I had some light overspill because the cups are rather shallow and not tall enough for my boobs.

I think in my size and with my shape the bra is ... not supportive enough for heavy exercise. (I would not run in it, but then I never was into running, I would rather need the bra to do light exercise and for that it will be good.)

The straps are very thick and comfortable. The whole bra is rather nice feeling, I don't have anything to complain for now. The band runs tight and fits me just a little snug but not too tight (I can fit 2 fingers under the band but not a whole hand) I don't think I would have to size up to a 34 band. I also don't recommend sizing down, If you are between band sizes, always choose the bigger in this bra.

It's said that the cups come up big in this bra. I agree if you have short boobs that are not very full on top it could be that you need to size down. For me it's not the case and I think that a 32JJ would be the best size for me in this bra. (I usually wear 32J or 32JJ)


A note on the appearance and shape. The shape from the side is very round and uplifted. From the front the shape is a bit wide. My boobs look 1-2 sizes bigger in this bra. But they look very nice and round. I would feel confident in this bra. Looking good while exercising is motivation too and this bra will look very good.

I will update here once I decided if I keep the bra and how it held up with some exercise.
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Updated on Jul 16, 2019 Flag this

Eh.
I had a bad feeling sizing down in this but I read a bunch of reviews that FOBs should size down, and the way my 30GG - Panache Sport » Sports Bra (5021) fit I felt like that had some merit so... I sent back my 30GG and got a 30G instead.

Bad idea. If you are extremely FOB, with zero upper fullness, size down. If you are like me, FOB but with tall shallow roots, do not do it. As is obvious from the one angle photo, this bra is cutting into my chest at the collarbone fiercely. On my larger side it's pretty extreme, on ... my smaller side not as much but it's still happening.
In some photos it doesn't look like it's happening but the thing about (any, not just sports, but sports especially) bras is, you're not stationary when you wear your bra. You move around, you raise your arms up, you pull them back, you lean forward, you lean backwards, et cetera, et cetera.
So, moving around with this bra cutting in gets pretty damn uncomfortable at some point.

The band is comfortably snug, and the gore is a soft tack, being pretty tall it gets to be a bit too much cause the cups are having that push up effect so I get some buttcrack cleavage into which the gore cuts in as well.

Overall, a disaster. Maybe this bra is just not for me?
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Updated on Feb 05, 2019 Flag this

Best sports bra I have tried yet! The band is really firm on this one which does give after a wear so if it feels too snug on first wear give it a chance. After all, snug is better when exercising. I totally appreciate the underwires and them being padded enough for moving around without wires digging in. The back also has a hook to allow you to have a racer back if needed. The fabric at the front between the cups is also vented for breathability. I probably could have gone down one more cup size but if you're like me I am always fitting my larger side which means some room on my smaller side. Made by Panache Sport and highly recommended! 👍👊👌

See this Instagram photo by @roxannelovesbras • 4 likes

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Black colorway

Updated on Jan 02, 2017 Flag this

First, a bit about me: I have even fullness, short/narrow roots, very soft tissue, and am fairly high set and close set. I wear between 70J-70K in Ewa Michalak (depending on style), and 32HH in Cleo Marcie. My UK size for brands other than Cleo is probably 32J.

Knowing that, it probably doesn't make much sense that I am wearing a 34GG in this bra, right? Well, I've found the Panache Sport runs a bit differently than a *regular* bra. I tried it in 34H (last year before the HH & J cups were introduced), but the cups were WAY too tall and the wings were incredibly uncomfortable ... under my arms. I had empty space at the top of the cups and my underarms were being rubbed raw, so that's no good! The cup and wing height in the 34GG are much more comfortable for my somewhat high-set boobs with short roots. And honestly, the cup depth isn't off by that much. Sure, I could use a tiny bit more room, but it's not a deal breaker. I mean, this is a sports bra after all. I don't expect a perfectly flat sitting gore (which would be impossible since it's 2.5 cm wide and I am super close set!) I think if I were to actually try this bra in my actual UK size, which is around 32HH or 32J, it would be much too large. With that being said, if your boobs are anything like mine, I strongly suggest sizing down 1-2 cups if you find your actual UK size doesn't work.

The store I got this from didn't have any 32H in stock, which is why I went with sister size 34GG. It actually worked out okay because I got this bra more for comfort daily wear rather than exercise. I was able to wear it on the loosest set of hooks for the first couple of weeks, but now I am wearing it on the 2nd and 3rd rows. Of course, I normally wear 32 bands, so this isn't a result of the band being too stretchy or anything. Some days I will still wear it on the loosest set of hooks because I DO NOT like tight bands at all, and some days I don't feel well and need a very loose band. Since I bought this bra pretty cheap, the 34 band is totally fine for now until the 3rd row of hooks is too large; however, if I do buy another one, I think ultimately 32H would be the best size for me (so I need the same band + 2 cups smaller than my UK size in this bra.)

As I mentioned above, the cup depth is a little too small, but not so much so that I have massive amounts of quadboob or anything. It helps that the band is not super snug on me, which can exaggerate too-small cups sometimes. This bra does not fit anything like a typical balconette, so I believe it's unrealistic to expect the same measurements and fit criteria to apply. Also, as I previously mentioned, the gore is quite wide. However, the wire channels are heavily padded and are OH SO COMFY, so I don't mind at all. The gore doesn't lie flat and floats away from my chest quite a bit, but I still get enough separation to feel comfortable. No major problems with boob sweat here. I'd say this bra, at this size, fits more as a combination compression/encapsulation bra. My boobs aren't completely separate as they would be in an encapsulation bra, but they're not completely smooshed flat as they would be in a compression bra. Sure, my boobs would be completely separated if I got it in my proper size, but then the cups would be obscenely tall and would kill me under the arms. I'll gladly sacrifice a bit of cup depth for the rest of the bra to fit better. **Edit: One thing I forgot to mention -- the wires in the gore only go up about 2/3 of the way; there is no wire at the very top of the "gore" section, so that adds to what I think is an unrealistic expectation to have the gore lie completely flat. I just don't think it's *supposed* to! I've seen several people disregard this bra because the gore doesn't lie flat, but I think their expectations are just not in line for the functionality of this bra.

The best thing about this bra is the straps. I LOVE the strap placement. It's much closer to my neck rather than towards the edge of my shoulders, so I find the straps very comfortable (plus they are padded). There's a j-hook on the back to make it into a racerback, and I use this feature occasionally when I want more support. I like how the wires/wings are lower under the arms as well, so I find I wear this bra in rotation just to help relieve any discomfort I have been feeling from underwires that are too high under my arms. I love my EMs, but they rub me raw under the arms sometimes!

The shape the bra gives is quite nice as well. I've added pics of myself wearing just the bra itself and also with a t-shirt. The shape is nicely rounded and uplifted. I find this bra to be a great t-shirt bra, so I tend to wear it when I'm just wearing a t-shirt, if I want to be comfortable on the evenings/weekends, or if I'm doing active work and don't want to wear one of my nicer Ewa Michalak bras. All in all, it's one of my favorite bras of all-time. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
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Raspberry colorway

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Updated on Dec 11, 2015 Flag this

I love this bra! I've spent years in ill-fitting compression-style bralettes from various places but, after reading numerous rave reviews, I finally picked one of these up, and I'm so glad I did. I purchased it in black from Breakout Bras (via Amazon). The pros first:

The good:

-The band is veeeery comfortable. I've read many people saying it runs really tight but, as I measure under 26" comfortably and most 28's feel big on me, this one feels great. It's also a sports bra, so it should be pretty snug and secure, right? There are three hooks, and they're a little padded, so it adds an extra feeling ... of stability and comfort.

-There is a racerback option. It cuts into my shoulders near my neck a bit, but it does feel like it might be a good option for higher impact activities.

-It actually looks great under clothing! It could easily be worn under normal shirts and would never be suspected of being a sports bra. It does have a bit of a minimizing effect, but there is also still good definition.


The bad(ish):

-The F is a bit small, but I really think the FF would have too much extra room, especially at the top. The wires could be a little higher on the sides as well. The fit is close enough I don't think sizing up is necessary.

-The center gore is a little wide, but I think I might be more close-set than I realized previously. It requires a little adjustment to get things situated properly. It doesn't really detract from the feel of the fit too much, but would be better if it were more narrow.


Overall, I'm very happy with this bra, and would definitely consider getting a second one.



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Updated on Apr 10, 2012 Flag this

A few months ago, I tried the Panache 28F wired sports bra and the fit was insanely bad. However, I keep having trouble finding sports bras and finding people who recommend the Panache's - so I gave this style another shot, in my 30E sister size.

Result: Shocker... 30E is the exact same wrong fit as 28F was. The wire is still crazy wide. It just doesn't hurt in a 30. But what is it accomplishing?

The gore doesn't tack - at all. This is basically a compression/uniboob fit for me. Might be my fault as I'm more like 28FF than 28F these days, so 30E might have been ... pushing it. But 28F back in January didn't tack either and I was much smaller then.

I just don't understand this style and I feel like there's something I'm missing about how it "works". It's frustrating because the construction quality of this bra feels so much nicer than the other sports bras with wires I've tried, and I want there to be a magical size that works.

Or is this just... wildly a bad style on me? What other sports bra models could I consider?

Last note: I tried the unwired version of this bra too and while it wasn't a fail, it was just a generic compression uniboob bra-- certainly not worth Panache's retail price.
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Updated on Jun 14, 2021 Flag this