The Freya Lyla: what a pretty bra! I felt elegant when I first put it on. I have mixed feelings about the Lyla, though, but it's mostly due to my breast shape.

When the Lyla first arrived from Figleaves, I looked at it and was extremely skeptical. I wondered if I had made a huge mistake, because the cups looked taller and deeper than other 30FFs I've tried. I even looked at the label to make sure it was the right size! I also wondered just how supportive it would be, since it's all mesh.

But I was mildly surprised at the fit. I'm not going to sit here and ... say it actually fit me, it just fits me better than I expected. The Lyla is the narrowest bra with the deepest cups that I've tried in a 30FF. When I compare it to other unpadded/unlined cups I've tried, I like this fit better than certain Wacoals and Chantelles that, while they held my boobs in, they didn't do any favors for the shallow shape or bring them front and center. I feel like the Lyla attempts to reign in my wide set boobs and bring them on in to the front. What seems to helps with this is the way the fabric is cut at the sides, but I'm no expert with bra mechanics. It could also be the length of the wire. But that part of the bra seems to cradle the sides and nudge them forward. I'm not sure about the shape it gives my boobs. It actually seems to be a natural shape, not flattened, but the shape doesn't seem to be very lifted. I suspect it is due to my breasts being bottom heavy. While I question whether I LOOK supported in the Lyla, I certainly FEEL supported.

The band is firmer than other Freyas I have in a 30FF -- which is good, because it means I don't have to use the innermost hooks right away. I'm using the middle set of hooks, but before you say that I should try this in a 28, I suspect a 28 in this model would strangle me! In addition, I think if I went up a cup size (because the sides ARE spilling out a bit), I probably wouldn't be able to fill out the top.

Appearance-wise, as I mentioned before, it is very pretty. I was afraid that the mesh would itch, because the fabric felt a little rough when I first touched it, but it seems okay. It may be because I haven't washed it yet. I love the mesh style, and the embroidery is a nice touch. The sides of the bra peek through if I'm wearing something sleeveless with loose armholes, but for some reason, I'm fine with that.

In conclusion: the Lyla is a lovely bra if you are looking for an unpadded bra that isn't full coverage. It may not be the best match for you if you are wide set or have a wide root, or if you are bottom heavy, because the cups are quite narrow and deep.

I'm still putting the Lyla to the comfort test -- I'm wearing it right now https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> so if I have any additional thoughts, I'll update this review!
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Updated on Mar 01, 2013 Flag this

Despite the fact that I marked off pretty much every fit issue possible, this bra is...actually really comfortable? One of the closest I've gotten to the Holy Grail "feels like I'm wearing nothing at all (nothing at all, nothing at all)" bra. I have no idea what pre-Bra Epiphany me would think if you told her that someday she'd forget she was wearing a bright fuchsia mesh bra with a big cyan bow in the cleavage.

The band is not very stretchy, which I like. It rides up a little on the loosest hooks, but I don't feel it sliding around my back all day, and I don't mind ... wearing it on the second set (not as much as I probably should, anyway) because it doesn't feel like it will stretch out that quickly. For reference, I measure 27.5" underbust and am pretty bony.

I can't tell if the cup size is wrong or if the shape is just not that compatible with my breasts. It's definitely quite pointy, which I don't mind, but the apex of the cup sits about 1-2 cm above my nipples, so things can get a little weird if I get cold. I fill the whole cup just fine, no wrinkling. I think that, on me, some of the pointiness also comes from the three-part construction, where the inside-center piece (the one with the embroidery) sits very flat when the cup is filled and squashes down my breast tissue in the center. I'm pretty full in the center so my ideal cup shape would be more rounded here, but this actually works well for minimizing cleavage under work tops that would be completely inappropriate if I wore, say, a Deco.

The mesh is comfortable and not at all scratchy, no complaints there. The fabric on the wire channels feels a little thinner than on some other bras, and the wires are definitely pokey if I bend over, both in the center (where it's poking breast tissue--ow) and on the sides (where it's poking ribs instead--still ow). I think this would work well if your breasts are full on the bottom with a lot of projection and a little less fullness in the center than I've got.
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Updated on Apr 28, 2013 Flag this

This is a beautiful bra, and fits me perfectly. The fabric is fairly stiff, but I'm hoping it will soften after washing. It does have a very upfront look, but this may lessen slightly after washing. I had the lyla in a 30f, but I found it to be too small and gave a pointy shape, but now that I have the correct size, the pointy-ness has gone.

Updated on Mar 03, 2013 Flag this

ARGH, FREYA! Why are your bands so unpredictable? I received Lyla from a fellow user and while the cups fit, it's just too loose in the band. I'm beginning to think that I should order any Freya in a 28 band because 30's are way too loose and ride up. I also get a little bit of quadboob when I adjust the straps (no adjustment = no lift).

Lyla is beautiful--the magenta color is gorgeous and it seems like a great summer bra (no padding so no boob-sweat!), but unfortunately, the band and I are not getting along, and the cups aren't quite my friends, either.

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Updated on Feb 26, 2013 Flag this

cherry_cherry_bang_bang

208 reputation

25 bras

I have had a frustrating experience with this bra. I tried on the 30G and it seemed like I just needed to go down a cup size. So I exchanged it for a 30FF aaannnd... the cup is too small. I have tissue escaping under the sides, slight quadboob, and a pointy shape. I wore this bra once and at the end of the day the wires had left noticeable red marks on my sternum. I'd never experienced a stabby gore before. Now I know what others are complaining about.

I'm thinking that I tried on the bras at bad points during my cycle and a 30G would actually ... fit at certain times. I would really like a 30G in the hazelnut color (the 30FF I have is amethyst, blech).

The upsides: The band is nice and firm with almost no stretch (when I measured the bra at its stretchiest I noticed that the elastic was barely moving, but the cups were distorting!) and maybe this is a factor of the too-small cups, but the straps don't cut into my armpits quite as badly as some other bras.
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Updated on Feb 23, 2013 Flag this

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Added on May 16, 2013

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Added on Feb 11, 2013