Leedlebra

You haven't experienced comfort until you have tried on this bra. Soft cotton jersey on the inside feels like your favourite lounge t-shirt, undyed cotton linen blend on the outside is soft and breathable. No more stickyness, sweating or itching. The natural fibers conform to your shape. Wearing this bra is like wearing your favourite pajamas, except with support for your boobs.

The band is nice and firm, the cups give a flattering natural rounded teardrop shape. The straps have the perfect amount of separation, and the underwires are a good medium-narrow width. The wires come up just high enough to enclose breast ... tissue without poking or digging in anywhere.

This bra isn't sexy or cute in the same way as most big-bust bras, but it looks VERY flattering in a relaxed, effortlessly sexy (maybe even a little androgynous) way that is nearly impossible to come by in my size. I think I'm in love.

Note that the sizing does NOT follow the standard EU size chart. I mostly wear 28GG/H bras, which would be a 60K/L in regular EU sizes. I got this bra in a 60J based on another user's tips and it fits perfectly.
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Updated on Jun 10, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

As a (regularly) 28GG/H gal, I have had massive trouble finding a strapless/multiway bra and a longline that fits well. This bra killed two birds with one stone - I now have a workable strapless/convertible bra that is also a longline, so I am happy with this bra

Technically, I am sized out of my preferred size, but the band on the 30G is snug enough that on the smaller set of hooks, the bra stays up through even the most enthusiastic jumping jacks, and I can comfortably wear it on the larger hooks with straps or for less active pursuits. The cups on the ... 30G are also generous enough to easily contain my usually 28H boobs. I have a lot of projection but a thin layer of tissue right up to my clavicles - many strapless bras are simultaneously too shallow and cut in at the top - this one doesn't have either problem, though it could use a tiny bit of extra projection right at the bottom.

This bra has two different positions for the multiway straps, both front and back. I find that many bras in my size have their straps set further apart that the average shirt, so it is nice to have the option of a narrower setting. The cups have a nice sling in the cups, I presume to help prevent boobs from sliding the cups east-west.

While this bra fills a very important niche in my wardrobe, and as a result I am happy with it, it nonetheless has some downsides:

* The floral detailing on the front, which seemed like a really neat detail on the promotional pictures, looks washed out and almost like accidental staining in person. The bra itself is also less of a yellow-cream, and instead an ivory/off white

* Like many Freya bras, the quality of materials and contruction did not impress me in this bra. The cups on my brand-new bra already have a couple tiny snares, the straps are simple satin elastic and are very slippery, and the front of the band curls up.

* For reasons unknown, this bra only has 2 columns of hooks. Since I bought a band size up from my usual, I am on the smallest right off the bat, but even in a properly fitted bra, I would prefer 3+ rows.
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Updated on Jul 11, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

I ordered this bra from a different Bratabase user as a way of diagnosing EM fit before putting in my own custom order - at the time I was comfortably filling out a 28G Freya. I had heard that Ewa Michalak bras generally (and this one in particular) ran firm in the band, and that I would be most comfortable in a 65 band. The band rides up, even on the tightest hook, with the straps fully extended. I would definitely be more comfortable in a band size down. The straps also seem bizarrely short - I am only 5'5" and even fully extended they ... *barely* fit. I thought Polish ladies were tall?

Now for the good news - I went up a full cup size between when I ordered this and when it arrived (I now fill out a 28GG), so I was very concerned that it would be way too small. This does not appear to be an issue - the cups fit perfectly and give me AMAZING round cleavage. I'm totally filling up the cup with the straps fully extended, though, so if I grow even a tiny bit more I will start quad-boobing all over the place. The gore tacks but does not dig in, the underwires are in the perfect spot, and have I mentioned the CLEAVAGE! Wow!

I will definitely be keeping this - as of right now it is the only bra I own that fits without quadboobing, and the band issues can easily be resolved by altering the band down a tiny bit (or just reserving this as a special-occasions sexy bra once my other bra orders with a tighter band arrive).

The bra is gorgeous, well-made, lined in cotton and perfectly shaped so that it doesn't dig in anywhere. I'm seriously impressed.
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Updated on May 10, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

This is the best sports bra I have tried so far, but it is unfortunately too small (when I purchased it, I was a 28G and was quad-boobing already, and I have since gone up a size) .

I really wanted this to work , as it keeps me from jiggling at all, which is witchcraft, but the cups are too small, so I am quad-boobing a little bit out of the the top and sides of the cup and the centre gore does not tack, and the wires under my underarms overlap my breast tissue a little bit.

I think this bra is made for full on ... bottom breasts, as although I am quadboobing at the top and the gore does not lay flat, I still have a little bit of extra room unless I fiddle a whole bunch and sort of jam myself in.

The bra does not poke anywhere, but like all sports bras the compression gives me some upper back aching.

The band fits quite true to size. There are four hooks in the back, which I think helps with holding everything in. The shape of the cups is truly bizarre, but it seems to hold my breasts in place remarkably well, which is the key feature in a sports bra.
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Updated on Apr 04, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

I got this bra knowing that is the same cut as the Cleo Melissa, which fits me like a dream. The top edge of the Bella is a little bit more closed off, so it is more prone to slight wrinkling/cutting in when I breathe deeply or move around, but it is a perfect fit when I am standing straight, and the wrinkling/tightness is not noticeable through clothing.

Like all Cleo bras I have tried, this one is beautifully made and detailed - reinforced seaming, padded straps, unique trims. Panache does not skimp on quality, even for their juniors line. The band is nice and firm and seems like it will keep it's shape. The cups give a great rounded and projected shape.

The wire channels are a little too long for the wires, and sometimes I can feel the wire through the channel, so I might sew them in place and add some moleskin pads.

Updated on Jul 11, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

The Panache Sport is the most effective and comfortable sports bra I have tried. It is stellar quality and very well designed, with a wide, cushioned band, underwires encased in neoprene and cushioned mesh straps with a J-hook racerback attachment.

I previously owned the same bra in a 28GG, and I found it to be a weird fit. It felt too small and uncomfortable, and I got in-cup quadboob above the wired gore, yet there was still a bit of extra space in the upper front of the cup. I wasn't sure whether to go up or down in cup size.The 28H does have a fair ... bit of extra space in the same spot, but the gore tacks better and it is more comfortable. I was concerned that the wires would be too wide in a 28H, but they're not much wider than the 28GG, and the wire width is not bothersome. Somehow, it is still very effective at controlling bounce despite the extra bit of room in the cup.

I ranked the bra appearance as only "okay" because I got this bra secondhand in a particularly vile shade of Barbie pink. The bra itself is an attractive design, and I find some of the other colourways quite attractive.

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Updated on Mar 13, 2014 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

This is my second review of a Cleo Melissa. I also own a Cleo Melissa in 28GG, which fit well when I purchased it, but I outgrew quickly. While Cleo is Panache's junior/cheap line, the construction and design of the Cleo Melissa are top-notch - great shape, fantastic reinforced seaming, sturdy materials, true-to-size and an absolutely adorable pattern.

With many other bras, the jump from 28GG to 28H is often the tipping point into shitty pattern grading (wires mysteriously become an inch wider, cups run up way too high and shapes become all wonky). I clung onto my too-small Melissa for a couple months fearing that ... the 28H would be an awful fit.

I needn't have worried - if anything, the pattern grading is BETTER in the 28H. The wires and cups run up just high enough to contain all of my breast tissue without engulfing my torso or poking anywhere, the wires are a great width (narrower than Freya in this size), the gore is nice and narrow and tacks without digging in. It manages to be cute and delicate while providing great support to a bigger bust.

My only complaint is that, like ALL the Cleo bras, this only has two columns of hooks in the back, even in bigger sizes. The Melissa has a thick underband in front, I don't understand why that isn't extended to the back (especially in bigger sizes).
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Updated on Jun 06, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

When I first tried on this bra, it felt very strange. Though it appeared to fit (gore tacked, etc) it felt....off and not very supportive. However, after wearing it around the house a few times it started feeling better. I took it out for a run and rock climbing yesterday, and I believe I have found my first ever properly supportive sports bra.

The bra itself is very solidly constructed, as Panache bras frequently are, and includes great details like soft cushy padded straps with mesh coverings, a racerback clip adapter and foamy covers for the underwires.

Updated on Jun 10, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

This bra has upped my standard for quality and looks. The fabric is solid, and does not catch like some of the other bras I own. It holds it's shape quite well, without feeling overly stiff or scratchy. The straps have a nice plush lining, and the band extends just far enough below the cups to make it nice and stable. The bright blue berries print and red cloud mesh are cute and cheeky while being totally different from the standard pink frills and lace in most lingerie. The Melissa gives great forward projection and a fairly rounded profile, without creating an unnatural ... silhouette

Previous reviews said that the band runs tiny on the Cleo Melissa, so I was worried that being a larger 28 band, I would find it stifling. I find it runs actually quite true to size, both in the band and cup. I was also concerned that the wires would be too wide, since all my other bras are Freya/Ewa Michalak, but I think the wires are actually the perfect width - some of my bras may actually be a smidge too narrow. It doesn't poke anywhere, and has a nice narrow centre gore.

I do have a couple complaints and concerns, though. While the very solid mesh at the top is good for shaping, it does not have much room for variation in size. The bra fits perfectly right now, but if I go up or down even a tiny bit in size, I am concerned that it will not fit as well. Also, I don't know what it is about the shape, but I find there is a bit more pressure on the straps in this bra than in others. It might be partly due to only having two hooks in the back - I prefer three.
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Updated on Apr 12, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras

This is the most gorgeous bra I have ever owned. I have the "Fruits" colourway in pink-orange with moss green trim. It is bright and summery and VERY colourful without looking garish or childish. I am really upset that it is discontinued and hard to find, because I would want 2-3 of these (and maybe one of the padded halfcup versions in a 30G, as well).

This bra fits true to size in the band (tighter than other Freya 28 bands, which is nice) and a tiny bit large in the cup. It is marked as "did not fit" because there is a bit of loose lace at ... the top of the cups, but it is still quite comfortable to wear, looks great, and is supportive. It does not poke. The wires are narrow-medium width. It would be a good fit for full-on-top boobs because the lace detail does not cut in (I have evenly full boobs and a lot of bras cut in at the top)

It seem to be quality construction - seams are all reinforced, and the band has the strap material used as a detailing (which is quite firm), so I don't think this will stretch out too much.

The only negative comment I have is that while I appreciate that Freya incorporated a mossy green in one of their bras (my favourite colour) the lace and frilly details seem a little bit fussy for my tastes, and the frills at the band are a little scratchy. Overall, I'm thrilled with this bra.
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Updated on Apr 10, 2013 Flag this

Leedlebra

450 reputation

37 bras