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
I'm glad you found something good "for now"! I definitely think that one cup down is the way to go, that way you won't have any gaping when you're on your back. I would strongly advise you to stick with the 32 band, I'm a true 28 with no sensory issues and a preference for a snug band and my 30 band wired sport works well for me. Unless the 30F is really used and stretched out, I truly think that a 32E will be your best match. Thanks for such an in depth review as always!