This bra is ugly as sin, advertised on TV specifically to women who don't understand underwire bra fitting, and has been discontinued in size XS. So what made me curious enough about it to try it? Frankly, I wanted to know what made this "leisure bra" different from the similar looking knit sports bras that I tend to wear. Plus, it was available on Amazon with free shipping and free returns, so I decided to give it a shot.
The pros: My first thought when putting this thing on is that it is INSANELY comfortable. The main difference between this and a sports bra is ... that a sports bra is designed for support, thus the cups provide compression. This is designed to stretch, like a pair of pantyhose. I didn't feel constrained or restricted in this bra, and it was sooo comfortable for the most part. The band felt pretty decent and I didn't experience any riding up, which is pretty shocking from an alphanumeric sized bra, though it does flip up in the front as you spend time sitting or bending over.
OK, the pros end there. There's only one true pro to this bra, and the main problem is that the insane comfort I experienced at first was quickly replaced by pain and chafing as I realized the armholes are too small. The bra is cut way too small in the armholes, and the band is too tall all around. As I wear the bra, it quickly rides up into the armpits and rubs them raw. There is no "Ahh" at this point, just "Argh" as I futilely tug the band down and away from my armpits. The fact that the straps are not adjustable just makes this issue worse. I am very petite and typically have to adjust all my straps down. How would anyone with a normal or long torso make this bra work?
Although the bra's cups are knit to shape and have plenty of stretch, it doesn't really provide any better shaping than a minimizing sports bra with no knit-in cups. The construction of the cups cannot provide any shaping or lift. It pains me to read all the reviews on this bra from various websites where the women clearly don't know any better and try to wear this thing as a regular bra.
In addition, there is just SO MUCH BRA. The band is really wide, since this is touted as "reducing back fat." The front is cut really tall, and it was visible underneath scoopneck t-shirts on me. The nylon fabric is thick and warm, which is really not ideal for any season other than winter. The bra is 96% nylon and 4% spandex. Know what else is also nylon/spandex? Control top pantyhose. This contraption is glorified control top pantyhose for your torso. Think about it.
As a leisure bra, it fails because of the tight armholes causing armpit chafing. I see this fitting a very small proportion of the population, and if it fits you, it will be a very comfortable leisure bra. I wish I could bum around at home in this thing, but only in cooler weather.
As a bra, well, it can't be evaluated as a bra because it is not a bra. Please do not wear this as a bra or expect this to be a bra as Rhonda Shear doesn't even classify this as a bra. You will not be supported, you will not be lifted, and you will certainly have nipple show through.
In addition, the different colors fit really differently. I bought both Black and Nude, and have read that the dark colors consistently run smaller than the lighter colors, supposedly due to the dye. The only way this is possible is if the garment is piece-dyed, which is honestly not that common. Most likely it is knit from dyed yarn, which wouldn't explain the variation in size. The Black runs much smaller and fits me better, but unfortunately this means that it chafes the armpits even more than the Nude. Sigh.
FYI their size guide just tells you to order based on dress size (overbust) or by the +4 cup size conversions. The XS would be my recommended size based on dress size based on waist, hips, waist, but not bust as the bust range is 30-32" in this size--if I went by the bust measurement for dress size, I'd end up in a S, which would be way too big in the band and even higher cut all around. However, XS is also given as 30-32/A-C. Based on the +4 size conversion, this would suggest the bust measurements are meant to fit 26" underbust, 31" bust (30A) to 28" underbust, 35" bust (32C). I find that this fits much more closely to the cup size conversion.
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Updated on Mar 14, 2020 Flag this