So, here's my first review of four, which I'll complete in the next few days. First of all, I didn't even realize that the Panache Cari (or any spacer foam bra for that matter) came in my size until Broad Lingerie posted it on their Instagram a month ago. I was immediately attracted to it because of the beautiful colour, but I didn't know if it would actually work for me or not. So, when I was in Toronto the last couple days, I knew I had to make a trip out to try it on, and spoiler alert, I was pleasantly surprised!

Next, we can all see how ... beautiful the appearance is. I love the unique colour, which works as a nude for me, and I love the geometric lace on the bridge which has a beautiful sheen to it. The finishes are so clean and so professional.

This bra is honestly a bit of a revelation for me, because as I said earlier, I never even realized that spacer foam bras came in my size, but it has already become a favourite of mine. The foam moves with my body because it is very thin and flexible, and there is potential for nipple show-through, but most of the time that's not an issue for me. I've worn it for about ten hours since I got it, including a four hour waitressing shift, and it didn't budge and it was extremely comfortable and light on my body. I forgot I was wearing it. It fits well on either the loosest or the middle hook, depending on the day and how I'm feeling. The wires are a tiny bit wide, but not enough to bother me. The only potential fit issue is that the top edge is on the verge of cutting into my tall roots, so if I gain any weight I may get some quadboob going on.

Overall I'm extremely happy with it and I look forward to hopefully a long relationship with it!
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Heather colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jun 01, 2018 Flag this

My shape, as I understand it: round-ish, even fullness (maybe slightly FoT) separated (2 fingers between when unsupported), downward pointing nipples, asymmetrical, low on chest.

I really like this bra! The color is amazing (fuschia?) and the shiny bow and lace details are really pretty. I’ve never tried spacer foam before, and I’m a fan. It gives me a really nice shape and provides enough nipple coverage without making me feel like I’m wearing too much padding. The material of the cup is comfortable against my skin. It looks pretty in the mirror. Have I mentioned the color? It also has cute little scalloped loops around the cup ... edge. The quality isn’t Prima Donna, but it’s lovely.

The gore tacks comfortably, the straps don’t slip. The band is snug and doesn’t budge, but has enough stretch to be comfortable, and I like the width on the sides. Fewer bulges, yay!

I based the cup fit assessment on my larger side. On that side, it’s a a pretty damn perfect fit. No quadding AT ALL (w00t) and nicely filled out on all sides. On my smaller side, the size difference is apparent in certain positions and if I look down at myself. I like it too much not to keep it, though. I may try a cookie or similar on that side to even it out a bit more. I have to say, after 7 hours or so of wear, this is the most comfortable of all the bras I’ve tried since starting this journey.
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Updated on Oct 07, 2020 Flag this

For reference, I am projected, FOB, center full, narrow roots, and petite (4'11"). This was the first bra I kept when I started my ABTF journey, so it holds a special place in my heart despite a couple fit issues.

The band is quite tight for a 28 bra (64cm/25in stretched), but it seems to have loosened up a bit with some wear. I was wearing 34D bras previously, so that could also be why I felt the band was extremely tight in the beginning. The wires are a little too wide for me, so I feel like they flatten my breast tissue out towards my armpits and give me a minimizing look rather than pulling my tissue forward and up like my Comexim bras (which I prefer more). The wires are very firm, and the gore tacks. The cups are quite high on the sides and cut into my armpits badly. Besides that, it's a great choice for a spacer bra that provides good projection.

Updated on Jul 14, 2020 Flag this

My shape is low set, soft, narrow and short rooted.

This bra came through ebay from Belle Lingerie. I've wanted to try this bra (or the fantasie rebecca spacer bra) for quite some time, so I finally took the plunge. The bra was ordered about 6 weeks ago, so shipping was very slow from the UK to Canada.

The colour is a magenta/purple. It's vibrant and fun. There are tiny matching bows on the straps and gore. The shape is softly rounded, slightly minimized but not squished. The bra is very soft and the material is thin, flexible spacer foam. They are satiny feeling inside and out. If you've ... never tried spacer foam, it's like halfway between a padded and unpadded bra. There is a very thin lining along the cups edge which might cause cutting if the cup is too small (like with me), or if you have lots of upper fullness. I am short rooted, and I think I could wear this in the right size without any gaping. The straps are fairly standard in width, comfortably stretchy but supportive, and fully adjustable. There is a J hook on the back so you can wear this racer back style or regularly. The band and gore area have a lace on them to add something extra to the bra, but the very bottom of the lace band was very mildly irritating against my ribs when slouching. Otherwise this bra is exceptionally comfortable. The band is fairly firm and fairly true to size (maybe a touch under). I could easily wear this 30F on the tighest or loosest hook depending on the day. I could also wear a 28FF quite comfortably I believe, so I'll be watching for this to go on sale in a 28FF. The cups were too small for me, even though I'd read that this cup ran slighly large. I am a true 30F/28FF, as every time I've tried to size down thinking that I'm smaller, it backfires on me and the cup ends up being too small. Why do I keep trying? I'm not sure...

Overall pretty, comfortable, and would be great as an everyday bra.
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Updated on Sep 13, 2020 Flag this

I've finally bought my first spacer bra and I've chosen Panache Cari in Cashmere. I'm really glad I did ti because it's comfortable and almost invisible under white shirts so perfect for summer.
It's true to size but I think the band will loose quickly.
Cups are moderately deep and they fit my shallower breasts. They give me really rounded shape and maybe little minimizing.
For more information, read my review on my blog.

Panache Cari - first spacer bra I've ever bought and I'm really glad I did it. More in this review.

http://www.abracabra.cz/2016/06/panache-cari.html

Cashmere colorway

Updated on Jun 05, 2016 Flag this

AbracaBra

583 reputation

26 bras

My shape is low set, short and narrow rooted, and soft.

I previously tried a 30E - Panache » Cari Moulded Spacer Bra (7961), but the cups were too small. The band, however, was perfect in the 30". I knew that the band on this 28FF may be a bit tight when I bought it based on how the 30" fit (and from reading reviews), but I wasn't expecting it to be quite as firm as it is. I bought this one off ebay for a bit less than the 30F, so I thought it would be fine. I can fasten it alright without an extender, but ... I find it much more comfortable with the extender on the 2nd or even the 3rd set of hooks. The straps are fully adjustable and they have a J hook on the back, which is a nice feature since I don't have any racerback bras or other J hook bras currently. The detail on the band of the bra is pretty...the bottom of the gore comes up in an upside down V, which makes it look nice. The pattern on the gore and lower band is little circles. The shape that the bra gives is nice and rounded, but perhaps slightly minimized. The cups fit me perfectly! It's a great everyday bra really. I have a feeling I'll get a lot of wear out of this one because the cups fit so well and look great under a t-shirt. The cups have the spacer foam, which is flexible and not very thick.

Overall, it's constructed very well and is of excellent quality from what I can tell (only tried on so far). The comfort is great as long as I'm using the extender. A 30F would have been better of course. The appearance is okay being that it's beige, but this bra in another colour looked quite nice.
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champagne colorway

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Updated on Oct 20, 2020 Flag this

This bra, people. This bra. Why is nobody talking about this bra? I. Love. This. Bra.

Okay, Okay. I know. Different strokes for different boobs (that sounds sort of wrong, doesn’t it?). I know lots of people just don’t care for the T-shirt bra aesthetic. However, as a SAHM, T-shirts are basically my uniform, so I am happy to have finally found one that fits, is comfortable, and looks good both in and out of shirts.

On with the review.

As the name says, it’s a moulded spacer foam bra. I’ve never had much luck with moulded bras. I never managed to cram myself into a foam dome when I ... was still stuck in the matrix. I’m guessing I was a 32E then (prior to babies and breastfeeding, which seems to have permanently biggered them) and was wearing 34DD, so technically a sister size and not insanely wrong. But I was always too projected for any of the T-shirt bras I ever tried. And I tried a lot, since that’s mostly what was available. Spacer foam is much lighter and more flexible than the typical moulded foam.

I have tried a couple of other spacer bras. I had a @Fayreform Profile Perfect 32FF briefly that I got off ebay. Holy crap. You think Panache wires are stiff? That thing left semi-permanent grooves in my ribs. I was definitely a 32FF then but the cups were too tall and too deep for me. So uncomfortable I don’t even want to try it in another size. I also tried on a @Fantasie Rebecca a couple of years ago at a boutique and was completely underwhelmed with the shape it gave me. This bra does looks a bit like that one. I knew this bra was a risk but it was cranberry and Butterfly Collection had it on sale so …

Well, it’s pretty much perfect. Wire width good, enough projection, gore tacks, band just right. My boobs aren’t lifted like in my unlined Cleos, but they’re lifted enough for me, and the shape is just infinitely better under clothes. It is minimizing in that it seems to hold the breasts close to my body, but not flattened out like every other minimizer I’ve ever tried on. Let me put it this way, my boobs are nicely separated but there is no east-west action. It is by a mile the most comfortable bra I have. The spacer foam is very light and I think it will be fine for summer (although, technically, nothing is good for the hot and humid summers we have here). I have a little bit of gaping on my smaller side, but it is not bothersome and absolutely does not show under clothes.

I know some people might think it’s a boring bra, but I think it’s lovely in an understated way. Of course, cranberry is one of my favourite colours. There is some tone-on-tone embroidery on the mesh around the cups. There is a bow at the top of each cup where it meets the straps, as well as the obligatory bow on the gore. Band has two hooks. It has a j-hook so I even have the racer-back option for summer, but I have not tried it yet.

I’m sort of between sizes right now. When I ordered this, my 32FF unlined bras were still fitting OK and I ordered down a size as per recommendations. Well, since then, I lost a few more pounds and suddenly all my 32FFs just collapsed on me. Even my Envy 32F, which was always on the small side, is getting a bit floppy. I think because the spacer foam is a bit stretchy I could actually size down to 32E and this issue would disappear.

Of course, Butterfly Collection shut down about two weeks after I got this bra. I went back to order another one, but was too late!! Sob, sob. It hasn’t really shown up on clearance anywhere or on ebay yet, since I guess it’s still so new. I need, need, need the champagne colourway of this bra … but I need to be patient because the best price I can find is just utterly ridiculous, even before duty and shipping are factored in. Oh, Canada, Y U such a bra desert? (Sorry, this is supposed to be a review, not a rant!)


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Cranberry colorway

Updated on Mar 17, 2016 Flag this

This is my fourth try in this bra. I previously tried 30E - Panache » Cari Moulded Spacer Bra (7961) , but the cups were too small. Then I tried 28FF - Panache » Cari Moulded Spacer Bra (7961) and 32E - Panache » Cari Moulded Spacer Bra (7961) , which fits well, and then I tired this 30F.

Please note that I've been wearing this bra for a while, so the band may be a bit longer (stretched) than a brand new bra. I've gained a bit of weight since buying it, so now I actually wear the 32E more often, but this one ... still fits. I get a touch of boob quadding, but I ignore it.

The cups are spacer foam, straps adjust long (I have them all the way out here), cups are smooth and slip under a tee, band is a bit uncomfortable and scratchy and the bottoms of the front cups due to the lace. The lace flips up a bit.

It makes a nice daily wear kind of bra, which is what I was after. However, I prefer the longer band at this point because of some sensory issues I'm having with tighter scratchy bands.

Overall, great quality, great fit and great appearance.
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Updated on Oct 26, 2021 Flag this

Very short roots, projected, slightly narrow, even, close-set breasts....

Having previously tried this bra in 28G, I knew I needed a longer band to comfortably narrow the gore without creating the need for an extender. The wire channel is .75" longer than the wire. So, moving the wire as far as possible to the underarm creates a gore 2.1" tall. Still, the gore at that height is too wide. The gore narrowing alteration remains necessary. From my perspective, this gore is wide and close-set breasts will be forced to alter it.

Close-set users:
When a wire is sitting on my breasts, the cup often feels too wide. However, once the ... breast is free from from the wire tether, the wire lifts the breast rather than sits on top of it. And, the cup width is no longer too wide. Until I overlapped and narrowed a gore, I did not understand how profoundly the gore width effected fit for my breasts. In fact, I thought my breasts were wide-set when I started my journey 8 months ago.

Because the band is too big, there is little support. But, narrowing the gore will shorten the band by nearly an inch. Then, the band will fit more snuggly. Because the immediate projection is not enough for my breasts, there is empty space in the bottom of the cup. Compared to other molded cups, Panache Cari has good immediate projection: Lulu Tout Madeleine has better immediate projection.

This bra is easy to wear and meets my simple list of requirements for an everyday bra.

EDIT: Photos of a gore narrowing alteration in a similarly constructed bra here: http://www.bratabase.com/bra/dia37/pictures/
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Cranberry colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 15, 2016 Flag this

Features: J-hook, side support, soft padded straps, flexible and soft spacer foam cups. Center-pull straps!

"Cashmere" is a neutral light beige colorway. Great nude for paler skin. Subdued tasteful detailing if a little safe and boring - soft picot trim along the edges of the cups, small heart-shaped bows in the same color as the bra. Geometric stitching as decoration on center gore and to the sides of the cups. Band is a single layer of power mesh. Spacer foam is very malleable and conforms well to my tons of bottom and center fullness, but the lack of seams and the soft material means I get a bit more ... of a widely set look despite narrow cups and side support, and that perky nipples are visible through the material. I'd say the cups fit a touch roomy, definitely not a full cup size but if you're between sizes or don't have much top fullness you may prefer to size down.

The bra is in general ridiculously comfortable but there are a few things that are a bit of a miss for me:
1) Unusually for Panache the 32GG has a two hooks and eyes rather than three. I like their three hook bands for extra support.
2) The underwires are extremely U-shaped. The underwires shift down for me because my inframammary fold doesn't have as steep a curve so pulling the bra 100% up will cause the underwire to sit on breast tissue in the lower outer area of the cup.
3) The side wings are really tall for this size. I can handle it especially because the last half an inch doesn't have underwire but still, that's a lot of side, and I think it looks a bit odd how it swoops down to a tiny two hook closure.
4) I'd prefer if the center gore was narrower. Again I can handle it and it wasn't uncomfortable but it's definitely not ideal.
5) The elastic used for the band has pretty firm edges that dig in a little bit.
6) The partially adjustable straps paired with a J-hook mean that if you have very high set breasts you may need to alter the straps a touch shorter. I'm high set but not to a huge degree and I wear the straps tightened almost to the max.
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Updated on Jul 11, 2016 Flag this