I have been wanting to try the Panache Sport Top for a while based on good reviews, and the fact that I like their bra. I got the black colorway which has a bright pattern running down the front sides. I have read some reviews of people who use it for swimming, and it seems like it would work well for this as well as regular exercise.
This top has the same fit at the sports bra, which I like. It provides a good amount of support, and a nice shape. The fact that there is a top on the bra makes it more challenging ...to hook the bra, there is tight fabric on top and in the way.
I haven't worn this to the gym yet, but it feels like the same level of support as I get in their regular sports bra. As stated in other Panache Sport reviews, the band is tight and the cup runs big. For reference, I bought this in 30GG, as the 32GG I had bought recently felt big in both the band and the cup. I had to fasten the 32 on the tightest hook. I can hook the 30 on the loosest hook. I haven't done a thorough measurement of myself recently (although I need to). My under breast measurement is a 28.5 tight, and over bust is 38. I would ballpark my UK size at 30HH.
I haven't worn this to the gym yet because I feel very exposed in it. Apparently I need to 1) get over it (haha) and 2) wear it around the house to try to get used to it. It is not any more low cut than the bra, so really not low cut, nor much cleavage. However, the top is form fitting, and I felt like it made my breasts look very large and on display. I can only imagine how they will look during jumping jacks, even with the purported 80 percent bounce reduction.... I am not sure if this is really portrayed in my pictures, maybe the black makes it look minimizing, but in real life I felt very vavavoom. I normally wear a semi tight shirt on top of my bra, but the fact that this panache sport top is tight across the bra and is also tight under the bra and all the way to the hem highlights the size difference between your overbust and underbust measurements. Read more 311 more words
Thank you for sharing your review! It looks really nice on you!! I just saw it is on sale on Nordstrom Rack and ordered a few of the sizes to try on. Glad to hear the support level is the same as the bra.
Glad this helped braluv . FYI I found someone selling lots of sizes on ebay for $28, that is where I ordered mine, in case anyone else is trying an inexpensive one.
I've tried the wired Panache Sports bra before, but the size was all off... so naturally it left me with a bad impression. I will say that in 30GG I don't think it's half bad.
First and most important -- the gore in this bra tacks on me. It's a soft tack but it's the most tack I've ever gotten in a wired sports bra so I'll take it. The wires seem kind of sharp though, I can't quite figure out why. Like on the outside, they actually have sharp edges. Not sure how good or safe this is for the bra. The wire channels are mega cushioned on the inside, ...so if they are sharp there, I can't tell.
The cups do run a little bit larger. I find I can't quite fill out the apex of the bra, and not because it's small as the cups don't feel compressing or tight or uncomfortable in any way. I'd say half a cup too large. For higher set breasts/short roots it might be a full cup as the cups are extremely tall. For me, I find if I slouch the fit goes all off, I can't at all fill out the top of the cup. So I guess I should just not slouch. I don't know if I'd fit into a 30G is the main issue I'm having doubts about returning this, mainly because I think it would be short on the sides. Maybe someday in the future in which case I will just purchase another one cause screw it. The bra looks nice under a shirt, no pointy, but rather a nice rounded shape. I quite like it. In 30GG for me I fear it wouldn't be very good for anything other than light running/yoga etc. Just cause it's that tiny pinch too large. Another thing, taking measurements for this bra is really difficult so take mine regarding cup depth/width/height with a grain of salt.
The band I'd say runs very tts. I've seen complaints about the band being tight and maybe it's a colourway thing, but I find this one to be comfortably tight.
So overall I'm pretty pleased with this bra. The colourway is fantastic, kind of a little more feminine and elegant rather than in your face this-is-a-sports-bra, and I find it not very distracting which makes it great for yoga I think. I can't stand colourful loud bras in yoga classes (unpopular opinion but w/e). Read more 293 more words
That pattern looks great! I find their sizes weird too. Mostly just too tall. The unwired are more closed on top, if you feel like that would work better.
Aaaaah I love this one. And that's great that it works for you :)
For now it does! We will see how it fares when I get off the pill (which is in like 7 days so).
Thanks for the info about it being tall and having room at the apex. I'm certain the same thing would happen to me. I've wondered about this bra, but I think I'll stick with my compression bras...
Wilderness1 excuse the crappy drawing but this is how I *feel* my breast sits in the cup... I can't be 100% sure because I can't actually see it but yeah. The blue line is my boob. It sort of acts like a shelf from the bottom and then my soft tissue just sort of sits in it...does that make sense? https://i.imgur.com/NBQ2G8N.jpg Seeing as we're pretty similar in shape I'd say it's a safe bet you'd have the same thing happen.
I'll also say I just can't seem to pull the wires into my imf although I know they can sit there but the bra is pretty bulky down there and I can't seem to make it right.
I love this sports bra. I think I have a similar shape to you both, brasaremean and Wilderness. I size down a cup to a 28FF and it works great for me. It fits nice and snug and lifts/compresses my breasts somewhat so that they fill that little space (like in your drawing) that would be there in a G cup. It feels very secure.
Hm Sonya I do wonder then if I should just send this one back and exchange it for a 30G... but I'm so scared it will be small :(
brasaremean Thanks for the drawing... that's pretty much what I thought from your review. I have read (in other reviews of this bra), that you do need to size down in this one.
I might just get a different one in 30G from poinsettiastyle (cheaper, anyway). Just for comparison. Because when I first put this one on it genuinely seemed like it would not fit on the sides...
brasaremean I took apart one of these and the wire channels are actually filled with clear gel. Possibly why it feels weird on the bottom. I don't think that I can actually get mine shoved all the way up in my IMF either.
Edit: Update December 2016 - 3 months of owning this bra:
The band has gotten very stretched very quickly. It was never all that supportive so I only wore it one to two times a week for the duration of a workout (not the whole day or anything) and still, the band unstretched is now 26", and it stretches to a ridiculous 33.5". I've only hand washed and laid flat to dry so I'm really disappointed overall with the quality of this bra. The band is just too loose to even wear for exercise anymore, and I have other bras that are more comfortable for lounging. ... I hope others have had better experiences, but I wouldn't buy another unwired Panache Sport and wouldn't recommend one to anyone in my size range.
--------------------------------- Well - I read reviews of this bra so I knew about the bottom of the cup folding issue. For me so far it's not uncomfortable and doesn't seem to show under tops but I do worry about the cup collapsing more and the straps having to compensate and take more weight. Mostly I feel great working out in this bra because I've been wearing badly stretched out sports bras with too little room in the cups for years, basically forever. I get migraines from nerve trigger points on my shoulders and neck - so it's something I'm really aware of - I just didn't know there were bras with less painful straps! Which makes me wonder... I always thought my nerve problems were related to repeated shoulder dislocations as a swimmer in high school and college - but now I'm wondering if others with large busts have this issue? I dont have a particularly small frame and didn't feel I suffered from the back issues smaller boned busty women frequently have, but perhaps my breasts have been more physically challenging for my body to lug around that I realized!
Anyway, this bra is still a tad too small for me, I've got some quadding at the top of the cups and the cup (even the fold area) is fully filled - I think the bottom of the cup fold is a construction or design issue, because there are two layers of fabric, I'm fully filling the internal coral shaped cup part but somehow on the outside it looks like there's empty space.
I like this encapsulation design, though for me there is still some compression since I'm being pushed up out of the bra. Panache sport cups seem giant and I didn't want to be swimming around in a sports bra, but if I bought this again I'd go with the 30H, which I believe is the largest size they make in this style. Probably because the weight of breasts that large can't be adequately supported by the design, hence the bottom of the boob fold.
One note about measurements - I think the other reviewer may have had a typo in her bust perimeter measurement, On a full inhale my perimeter in this bra was 40" and I believe the initial measurements say 48. Since the rest of our measurements line up quite well, I don't believe this bra could physically be stretched to an overbust perimeter of much more than 40", the material is not elastic and I fill the cups completely with some overflow, I suspect 38 was the actual overbust measurement. So beware if you have a >40 overbust measurement and thought this might fit due to the other set of measurements.
This bra does feel supportive, but in this size range I must agree with the other reviewers and say it doesn't reduce bounce or jiggling the way a good compression bra would. I never had luck running in my wired panache sport either though, for the record, though it probably wasn't properly fitted either.
I hula hooped rather aerobically in this bra for a half hour yesterday and it felt great - plenty of stability and took so much weight I'm used to off my shoulders. Yoga today was also great wearing this bra. I've jumped around some and expect it won't do so well on the treadmill - it doesn't stand up to that kind of repeated vertical motion. For that, in this size range, I'm thinking I'll have to go to a compression style bra... or a couple layered together. Read more 640 more words
Almost all my retro style nonwired bras fold at the bottom, it does not cause strain on the straps at all :-) I'm now more like 37-38" bust but was previously fuller busted, bigger than you are currently (probably around 41-42" over) so I'm pretty confident this should not be a problem for you. An excessively loose band or insufficient coverage/containment of the upper breast could be a concern for strap pulling though.
I've also been wearing this bra already for a while at the gym and haven't noticed any issues caused by the folding of the cup. The straps feel the same way as for the wired version :)
The Panache Sports bra is just what I needed for pilates/yoga and hiking. It provide firm support without compressing my chest into a uniboob. I can't speak to whether it works for running, but it held up pretty well to the jump test.
The fit of the 30GG is spot on and the shape/profile is the best I've seen in a sports bra. The band is quite firm and unstretchy. The first time I hooked the band, it was a bit of a struggle, but after a couple days of wear it loosened just enough to become a perfect snug fit.
The central gore is a couple millimeters from ...tacking to my sternum, but I think this has more to do with the design of the bra than the fit. You can see in the pictures that the foam of the cups continues above the central gore and is sewn to the outer lining of the bra, pulling the wires out a bit. The underwires are thickly padded and quite comfortable.
The straps attach to the front of the bra a bit more centrally than a normal bra, which leave a tiny bit of underarm fat/sideboob uncovered, especially with the low wires under the arms. I haven't found this to be a problem in terms of support, but it can look a little like the fit is off.
Overall, I'm very happy with the bra and highly recommend it! Read more 129 more words
I bought my first Panache Sports bra used on ebay, because I was going to work in a farm and needed some sort of comfortable bra in which I could easily move with less impact to my back than "normal bras". I followed the advices on Bratabase that said to get one cup size down from your real size. It was my first sports bra ever, but since it was a used bra I couldn't really officially review its effect, in my opinion. Then I lost weight and changed sizes so I ordered a brand new sports bra. Now I've used it everyday for three months and I've just ...bought a new one in white, so I can finally review this bra !
The first thing I've noticed is that, unlike my "normal" (Cleo) bras, the band is quite firm. It was good because I have enough to deal with back pain with the physical activities I'm doing around the farm, there's no need to add those of a too much elasticated bra back ! The center gore is quite comfortable with its padding, and it separates my breasts nicely. The cups are soft and comfortable too, and it protect my nipples from the cold air out there, which is good since I'm in Sweden. There's nothing I dislike more than having cold hard nipples, it hurts ! The padded straps are also very comfortable. But I don't know if it's the texture of the padded sections or the sweat produced, but I have a couple of small red pimples where they sit on my shoulders.
The big advantage of this bra is that the straps are more centered and closer to my neck than on my other, "normal" bras. It's the feature I love best in this bra, because thanks to that the straps don't fall off my narrow shoulders like they did with my other bras ! I wish all of Cleo and Panache bras would have the same feature… I like the 3-hooks closure for the nice support it gives.
As it is, this bra doesn't suppress bounciness, but then I have very soft breasts. I don't use the J-hook in my everyday activities but I noticed it helps a little with the bounciness.
It doesn't get smelly with sweat or retains much deodorant perfume, and when I wash it, it dries very quickly.
This bra gives my breasts a rather nice shape, but less projected and high than with my Cleo bras, so it has a little minimizing effect. I can wear this bra under normal everyday clothes too (which I do because I have only two bras that fit me at the moment) and it's not obvious I'm wearing a sports bra.
All in all, I think this is a pretty good bra ! The only downside is the price… Read more 358 more words
Not only a nice, thorough review, but another reminder of how bad americans are at learning another language . . . i'm always impressed by such eloquence in a second language
Thank you! *blushes* Being a french girl in Sweden, english is kinda required to be able to communicate here ^^ I'm sure with enough motivation and efforts, anyone can learn another language ! But english is special because it has become universal…
My husband is french canadian - he said he learned english early because he was an avid reader and english books were cheaper.
This bra was a huge failure and basically exactly matches the long review from another lady who has the 30G
I can't fill the bottom, there is a very odd fold that is both unattractive and causes discomfort and weird fit.
The racerback is both pointless and very uncomfortable, not matter what length the strap.
The straps don't adjust short enough.
There is no seperation between the girls, but I wasn't expecting that anyways. Just something to keep in mind.
There was no support from jiggling and it seems like running is just as painful as any other plain bra.
I cant even wear this as a lounge bra. It's a huge no. I'm quite disappointed as I do need something to tie them down and give support for gym, but oh well. Panache, I'm disappointed for once https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
This unfortunately didn't fit for a number of reasons. Firstly, I could barely fasten it in the back. I had to struggle with it a lot to get it to stretch enough the first time, and even though it stretched out a little after being worn for a while, it was still a challenge to get it on. There was also quite a bit of extra space at the top and a little space at the bottom. I think the cups might run large, and it seems like it's definitely meant for more full on top breasts than mine.
Despite all this, it was still quite supportive, and I ...would have overlooked it if not for the fact that the shirt wouldn't stay down. If I moved around at all, it would ride up. Not exactly ideal for exercise. I think if my stomach was flatter it would have been fine, but considering the entire reason I bought it was to lose my pregnancy weight, it seemed a little silly to keep it at this point.
One nice feature it has is the J-hook in the back, which helped a little with the issues I was having with the extra room in the cups.
If I was going to try another one of these, I would try one band size up and one cup size down, but I think unless I find a really great deal on one, I'll just look for a traditional sports bra. Read more 135 more words
I own many of the wired versions of this bra and wanted to try the non-wired version, thinking it might be more comfortable for some of my lower impact activities - yoga, rock climbing, etc. It worked OK for climbing. The boob shape under shirts isn't as nice and high and round as with the wired version, but that wasn't unexpected and wasn't a deal breaker for me. However, I got into downward dog and my boobs just slipped out of the top of the cups! I have very soft breast tissue and so I think because the cups didn't hold their shape after a day of wear, maybe the gore spread out or something?
It does fit the same as the wired versions i.e. true to size. Someone with slightly more rigid tissue or looking for a bra for hiking, walking, or climbing that won't eventually poke one would probably like this bra.
LOVE THIS BRA!! This is the absolute perfect sports bra for my size/shape!! It holds in everything in place and keeps me from bouncing everywhere! I love the fact that that I can wear as a regular bra, but I love having the J hooks and that I can easily convert to a racer-back and it's easy to reach. It's also lightly lined so that nipples don't show through on cold days. I have several colors and rotate them as I work out several times a week. Again, very expensive bras, but worth the cost for the great fit and durability.
Great non-wired sports bra! It feels more snug than the wired version, but I love the J hooks in the back that give me the option to make it racer-back very easily. It's also an expensive bra (bought on discount at $68) but finding my size (let alone anything that is durable/comfortable) is very hard to find, so I will always buy one if I can find it at sale price.
I loved this sports bra when it fit me, very supportive and even fairly cute as far as sports bras go. I have recently gone down a few sizes so it does not fit me anymore.
I love this bra! I have a tough time with underwires because of where my ribs are & working out in a bra that rubs sucks. This Panache sport bra is wonderful.
I use it for Zumba, so you know it needs to hold well. And I wore it while nursing, so my breasts were pretty heavy with milk too!
The shoulder straps are wide & really comfy.
Ready to buy a different size now that I'm done nursing and down a couple cup sizes.
great sports bra, good support! i'd say size down one size in the cups, keep your usual band size. the shape isn't too bad, not super pointy and not squashed.
This bra is very CLOSE to being my size, but after an hour or so of exercise I'm just as glad to take it off. Still, I plan to buy a 32G, or possibly a 32FF. (I feel like I might want the size down? These cups are very spacious and molded, because of how they're designed, so it's hard to be sure.)
PROS: Nice shape. "Modest" enough to be worn without a shirt. Decent bounce-prevention, though I wouldn't use it for running. Comfortable, in spite of being too tight.
CONS: Well, if you're looking for a running bra... Plus, Panache bras seem to very rarely go on sale.
Its measurements were modified after wearing it for so long on the last hook even though it wasn't my band-size (mistake on my part). The too small band teneded to curl up, also changing the shape. It's good for exercise, but not a perfect fit cup-wise. Fabric was a bit stiff and almost scratchy at first, but easily turns comfortable. Material is thick, so very durable but also prone to feeling 'too hot'. I still like it, it fits, it works. Overall, despite the minor cons (mostly my fault), it is the best bra I currently own.Will keep.
my first sports bra which separates the breasts. i really like everything about. fit is great. fabric is pleasant to touch and easy to care for. i really like the option of clipping the straps in the back for a racerback option. i wear it running. i wear it in self defense classes. it keeps my breasts steady during the most intense exercise and it looks good enough to be worn alone on those long summer runs https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
The 30 band fits true, but I'm a bit perplexed about the cups. The left one (my smaller side) has a slight wrinkle at the top, and the center gore doesn't lie flat, though the band fits perfectly. So I'm thinking either the cups are too small, which I doubt, or it's just a flaw of this style (at least for my breast type). Because if I went up a size I'm sure it would be too big, but if I went down a size I feel it wold be too small. When I push the gore flat against my skin, the cups fits amazing-- no wrinkling and no pinching too tight--just right. So I'm perplexed, I really wanted this bra to work for me. However, it didn't pass the bounce test well either. Too much bounce for me, especially if I'm spending this much money on a sports bra. The panache sports bra in red/grey is beautiful and comfortable, well made from what I can tell.
This is a little big in the cups, and the gore won't tack. I'm not sure if that's more a function of band size (this is my normal Panache size) or just the fact that it's a weird floating underwire kind of situation.
Warning: this, like most other molded sports bras, is NOT designed for shallow breasts. It's not really a problem, and your breasts will stay in place while running, but it will have some serious gaping at the top of the cups, especially in the section between the top of the underwire and the top of the gore (a 3" difference).
This looks great on you!