I bought this in the Lupin color, which is a bright purple color. Really beautiful! It has bow a black and white bow on the center gore with similar bows where the straps meet the cups. This is not an absolutely perfect fit, a tiny bit big in the cups, but I am able to adjust the straps enough to make it close enough. The band is nice and snug. Fabulous cleavage with this bra!
I got this in a swap, so the band was a little more stretched than it would be otherwise. It still fits just fine on the second hook. And I like it, a lot. It's supportive, comfortable, not itchy (after a wash) and looks sexy.
My only complaint has to do with the color. There is little contrast between my skin and the pistachio color, and because the mesh is basically transparent...my nipples stand out through fabric that's at all on the thin side. Forget seams; my areolas are the headlights. But whatever, I just can't expect this to be invisible under white shirts.
Also, the center gore nags at me by the end of the day. I think it's itchy or otherwise digging into my skin, and I'm not sure exactly why.
I like the fuschia Eleanor better than the pistachio one. Because I got this one from Figleaves in 2011 and the pistachio one from a swap (where she had owned it for at least 6 months), I suspect this model is slightly different. It's a tighter band, which I like. The cups just seem to fit my breasts more neatly. The center gore works with my sternum more nicely.
I do keep adjusting the straps more than other bras. Perhaps the length needs fiddling, or perhaps putting the band on the second hook places the straps in a better position for my back.
So I'm kind of in love with this bra. =) From the first moment I tried it on, it just felt right... I mean, it's so comfortable and looks amazing too!! It gives a really nice shape, but when I first wore it, it seemed a little pointy when looked at from the side. That went away after a wash or two, though, and now it's perfect... Still, I have to be careful of wearing this under thin shirts or with light colors because it's completely see through.
This one is just as the nude version in the same size that I've already reviewed, so for the full story, read that one. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
I got this one in black at the same time as the nude one, know a year ago. Now I've worn both a lot, even though they really don't fit just because of how fabulous they are. However, it didn't take more than a month before the wire in this one poked out. I never made any complaints about it, since sending it back would mean a whole lot of work, more than it was worth.
However you ...find your size in this one I really recommend it. Better t-shirt/plunge/cleavage bra all at once probably doesn't exist. Go down a bandsize and keep your usual cup size and then you'll get at least a good guess on the size you should be wearing.
---------------------------------------------------- Pros: + T-shirt bra + Plunge + Cleavage + Support
Cons: - Large band results in issues if not the correct size - Large cup also means hard to find the correct size - May gape on the top for empty-on-top breast - Plunge model means running in stairs still should be avoided. - Doesn't go higher than GG in most bands and a G in 28-bands.
I like the look (got it in black) but sadly, such a type of balconette (unpadded) is not the right style for my breasts (it always digs in). The band still feels very tight, so it didn't stretch out much. I think, it's a bit itchy, so not very comfortable.
This is a brand new one in this model (Feb 2024). It feels pretty much the same as all the others I have like it. The keyhole at the gore maybe a tiny bit shorter - which is less than ideal if actually the case. Otherwise great!
This one, while purchased at the same time as one of the black ones I have in the same model, feels a little looser at this point in its life. But that could just be that the black one is more recently washed. Love it, all the same.
This is another bra that is probably near the end of its life for me. At this point, the band starts to run down a bit during the day and the top of the cups, while still smooth, cut in a tiny bit. Still love this model!
This was one of my first normal bra styles - a later iteration, but older now. Still fits well, but the wire does fall across my rib/sternum a bit - no helping that. Wires do tend to move down a bit through the day, but again - not a new bra.
This was one of my first Freya Fancies - and one of my favorite colors. The keyhole design at the gore gives me a little relief where the junction of my sternum and rib is inevitably impacted.
My teen has regular Decos in 28GG and 28H, and while Deco is soft, smooth seamless and subtle, making it a favorite in rotation... she truly despises the gore.
Understandable. So we've been on the hunt for a plunge version with racerback option which came up a size small, but seemed as though it might be somewhat forgiving, being more open in the center and better suited to a very small frame. One finally turned up. In a favorite color combination, new and unused! It works! It's filling all the needs, and checking all the boxes! For a super hard to fit combo of upper full, ...close set and short bustline! Hallelujah. Back to regular life forgetting about boobs, right?
However. This is where it all goes off the rails
You see. There were... Problems.
For even with a perfect fit you can never 'have it all'. Or, as kid affectionately calls this, 'The Bra Made From Chainsaw Blades' .
Week 1. Total obsession. Glee. Some occasional hunching, and asking me for gift tape. I think nothing of this whatsoever, who hasn't felt the joy of not being stabbed in the sternum? Week 2. Admitting defeat is the first step to redemption, but this might be a premature tactic for some. Deco plunge shows up on my sewing machine, I'm asked later whether the 'itchy strip of interfacing' sewn inside, where the band and wing join, can be removed. "It's kind of pokey". I gently say that I can pick that off but it might take some time to find a replacement strip of material to serve the same purpose- Deco Plunge might not be available for awhile. Bra leaves the machine zone, and vanishes back into the Void. Week 3. Kid is going braless. This has never happened, and would never happen, but I say nothing and go about my business. Huh, we're running low on bandaids. I just restocked with what seemed like a lifetime supply? Also we've run out of mini pads, during a non menses time of the month. Adding items to shopping list. Week 4. The Reveal. I'm approached with a morbid and uncharacteristic admission that I Might Be Needed To Examine Something. Expecting another tarantula hiding under the bed or maybe a stray cat in a closet, mental assessment of carriers and exterminators come to mind. No, just pulling up a hoodie to show 5 or 6" of what looks like a bloody raw series of tiny knife wounds, running from just behind my kid's armpits toward her spine.
We fetch the medical kit and sanitize this bizarre pair of deep welts while I apologize profusely for how painful the whole process is, and realize on very close inspection that this is not really chaffing, it's many series of tiny stabs. Kiddo explains that she can't wear anything because it hurts so much, and honestly I can't really imagine any kind of heat rash or boobsweat situation that compares. It finally hits me. "Hey, so what ended up happening with that aqua deco you had?" Silence, leaving, and returning with the offending item. On close inspection, it's not the sheer vertical strip that itched... it turns out that the bands sewn horizontally along the side are some kind of cheapo antiroll elastic that becomes razorlike when pulled slightly, and has rows of stiff reinforcing rubber pointing at the sharp edge.
I've never seen a half inch lingerie elastic so rough or stiff, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Someone clearly thought, 'Oh well the color matches and it has pretty loops so it should be fine'.
It was not fine. Luckily Jennifer Fairbanks sent me some of her ultra soft bramaking elastic which saved this Deco from the trash, my girl is on the mend but still scarred, and we've all learned valuable lessons about being extremely nitpicky about textiles. Read more 562 more words
I think my shape is simply not suited to the Starlight. The 28FF/30F fits me with a bit of quadboob, so I sized up to a 28G. Unfortunately, the 28G comes up too high in my armpit/TOS area which makes wearing it uncomfortable. I also have shifted into 30 bands so it feels too tight as well. I would recommend this bra to someone who wants an everyday bra that has a more bottom-full shape. It's a great bra! Just not for full-on-top boobs.
I liked this bra at first, but not so much right now. I've owned it for about a year and it's always felt slightly too tight in the band for me, but because I got it free (got lost in the mail and the company let me keep it when it finally arrived), I figured I'd just get an extender and make it work. It is more comfortable with the extender--even just using one extra row of hooks helped a lot. The cups quad very slightly, but I'd tried the 28GG previously and the cups were much too big, so I stuck with the G since it's not ...really noticeable to anyone but me anyway. It's pretty comfortable, especially given that I deal with a little bit of rib cage flare and haven't worn longline bras before. I also liked that it gave me a slightly more rounded shape--I'm not a huge fan of pointy or natural shape for my boobs. It works pretty well under shirts and the lace isn't super noticeable. My only complaint, really, is that the past few times I've put it on, I've noticed that for some reason it makes my boobs look...long, and downturned. I have no idea how else to describe this. Maybe it's a shape mismatch or the apex is too low for me or something, because the cup itself is filled in all the right places, and my boobs aren't squished, it's just the bra makes them look like they are. It's the weirdest thing. In any case, because of that, I don't really wear it much anymore, but would still recommend it if it's the right shape for you. Read more 171 more words
Not a good technical fit, but I really like the style and find the bra comfortable for casual/work wear. On me, I can get a passable fit when I'm not in the larger part of my cycle if I loosen the shoulder straps--it's a delicate balance between tightening the straps & having severe quadboob, or loosening & losing support (creating even more empty space at the bottom of the cup). Still, it's a way better fit (larger and/or less shallow cups?) than the 28G - Freya ยป Expression High Apex (5494) that I had tried.
I don't find the wires wide at all, but if I'd been able to size up to get proper cup depth then they might be too wide and the cups too full-coverage for my tastes. Definitely closed on top so won't work for full-on-top boobs.
Fits ribcage 27 B. perimeter 11 Stretched Band 28.2 Band Length 22.8 Stretch ratio 1.2 Cup width 5.7 Cup depth 9.5 Depth ratio 1.8 Wire length 11.0 Cup height 7.5 Cup separation 0.9 Gore height 3.0 Wing height 4.5 Strap width .5 Strap length 20 Hooks 4
First impression: oh, that's lovely trim.. omg this is HUGE. And rounded, yet a little wedg-ey or conical. Wow, these are kind of really tough underwires and industrial strength thickness foam? More intense resistance than Panache's. Mind, I'm sitting here during a weeklong swelling spree where only 32G/G fits and... like... oh no, this still *looks* like a hell of a lot of bra. ... When I flip it over and inspect the inside of the cups, it's depth seems to be closer to 3 sizes smaller than the wires and height would suggest. Looking back to the outside at the delicate netting and pretty trim which exaggerates the bit of curve it has, yeah this looks huge and flatter than I was hoping for. Can't tell how much room is eaten up with the heavy duty layers. But at least 1 cup size vanishes into the void between these big ole underwires, and the bottom of cup, then a few more in the zone where a breast can be seated at. So huh. A boob hat. One that anchors all extremities very firmly into place, until you get somewhere safe and can have it surgically removed.
While it is nice to note that there is an apex 'seating area' for projection around 4" deep, this feels like a half-assed hail mary given the rest of the band and rigging causes the cup to curve back into itself on top and bottom. Maybe this battle of wills is over the bra wanting my boobs to go somewhere (they mos def don't take orders), or my breasts don't compress like this thing expects them to. I'm gonna need way narrower roots for this since everything grows straight out from them. Which is weird cuz the wires in Idol Allure are really not all that narrow? My lower breast complains about how it feels squished vertically on the inside at gore, while the higher breast is upset that it's both being pushed back into the outer side of the cup, and pushed down along the upper edge from strap toward the gore.
It's not a bad option if you're after security. But it's been so incredibly hot and humid lately, that the stay-up sticky lining and overdone heavy materials are difficult to assess without extreme prejudice. I will not be saying a word on the super long, thin accessory straps or their many attachment points. Read more 347 more words
I am definitely not filling out the top of this bra, but it's so cute that I'm keeping it anyways. It also has a smooth line under most shirts that I've tried, much to my surprise. It's also nice to have such wide cups! Band was not overly loose but felt surprisingly loose for a 28 in new or EUC.
This is another lovely bra by Freya. The cup runs a little smaller than other Freya bras on me with a bit of a quad-boob effect at the top - there may be a tiny bit of extra room at the bottom of the cup, but not much. I think the reason this creates the quad-boob effect is because the top of the cup fabric is an elastric strip rather than lace. I tend to be a bit fuller on top, but this could work for someone who is more neutral/a bit fuller on bottom. The gore is perfectly placed, but for my sternum weirdness, a little uncomfortable.
