I've been looking for a wire free bra for some time now to wear for an upcoming trip. I tried a few and they had all the typical wire free bra problems: not enough lift, uniboob,sideboob, etc. I'd just about resigned myself to wearing a wired bra and getting a friendly patdown from the TSA but this one kept cropping up in my Amazon search results. It didn't get good reviews and a few people really hated it. But, it was $35 and Prime shipping, so I figured what the heck, just one more return if it's awful.
But it's not awful! I like ...it! Yay! So glad I took those reviews with a grain of salt. After all, Wacoal does make pretty good bras.
For a wire free bra it has decent cup separation and an unexpected amount of lift. The shape is just slightly east-west but the bra does a good job of corralling side boob. I didn't get the uniboob and downward 7 shape like I got from the 36F - Amoena ยป Isadora Non-wired Bra (43232) that I almost kept. The band is firm and supportive with a 3 hook closure. The cups are 4 part with a double layer side support panel. The bottom and side support are a non-stretchy satin on the inside. The upper cups are non-stretchy mesh in a very light grayish pink. The outside of the side support panel is covered with the same stretchy swiss dot pattern mesh as the back. The rest of the cup has black lace overlay. The inside of the front band is lined with the same non-stretchy mesh as the upper cups and there are very thin, extremely flexible side stays. The bottom elastic is very wide which contributes to the smoothing effect and supportive feel of the band. Straps are non-stretch and fully adjustable.
It's definitely full coverage but the wings are no higher than any of my Panache underwired balconnets so there's no armpit discomfort at all. The fabrics don't feel scratchy to me although I'm not particularly sensitive to that, and I'm sure they'll soften after washing.
The only disadvantage to this bra for a lot of folks is that cups stop at a US H and they're kind of wide. The straps are not real wide-set though, so it may be possible to sister-size up and alter the band to fit.
One Amazon reviewer said the support of this fell apart in a short time. I'll update with how it wears for me. In the meantime I would say that if you can get a size that works for you at a good price this is one to try. Read more 350 more words
Thanks for your review: I'll try it, too. :-) Wacoal has so impressed me with their wireless bras. And, a few of their wired bras are incredible, also.
oooh thanks for this review I've been wondering about this one!
FWIW I have never been patted down by the TSA due to an underwire. I think that's a myth.
wendybien I'm glad you found the review useful.
I wish the underwire issue was a myth, but I got patted down last year at this time while wearing a Bali underwire. At least I didn't have to go into a private room. Not taking any chances this year. I'd hate to see what one of my Panaches would set off.
Did they say it was because of the underwire? I've never flown WITHOUT wearing an underwire bra and I've only been patted down maybe once every 5-6 flights. they didn't usually tell me why.
No, they didn't say, but the lady patted me around my bra.
It's always a pain flying out of Philly. When we fly back from Albuquerque it's usually more relaxed.
I always get patted down around the bra area too , underwires or not .. must think I can hide stuff in my ample cleavage :/ .. I don't even care anymore it's almost routine . Now my underwires have never set off the alarm either ..just special ... it's probably there on your ticket in code pat Down boobs she finally got them ;) just kidding ..they DO have some code system though because the last time I flew the rest of my family got to go through the express line no taking off shoes or jackets and me I was all long line pat Down take of shoes ....travel is awesome .. lol I am going on vacation in two weeks I shouldn't curse myself
Last year my husband got pre check both ways and I got the regular both ways. So not fair! Especially since he was the one who forgot he had a Leatherman in his bag a couple of years ago that TSA confiscated. Maybe they do have some kind of code for me. "pat Down boobs she finally got them" made me laugh.
Have a great vacation and hopefully they'll lose your special code.
I was patted down once or twice prior to each flight. When I last left the UK, they even unpacked my luggage in addition to two pat downs. Dear friends of mine are Muslim, and I was "on the list" for over ten years. Sigh. Thankfully, somehow my name was recently removed from the list and I pass through with no touching.
Love4Pollinators that just sucks! I'm glad you're at least off the list now.
Wow, I have a crap-ton of Muslim friends, countless Muslim clients including ones in very "hot" countries if you get my meaning, and my sister lived in Egypt for almost a decade studying and interviewing Muslim extremists and I didn't ever make it onto the list! You must have really gotten unlucky, that's crazy!
* I should add my sister isn't on the list either, which just goes to show exactly how unlucky you were.
I'm a pacifist, and I giggled about the absurdity of thinking I was a terrorist which caused problems with the agents, "Mam, do you think this is funny?" "Well, I could cry if that would help." Deep breathing and meditation help ;-)
even though I don't have any bras without wires - will bookmark this one. :-) I looks really cute.
Just have to share this lol - after all the discussion and time spent looking for a wire free bra, I printed our boarding passes today and I got pre check!
finallygotboobs How do you feel about this bra now? I'm SO tempted to try it before it disappears (discontinued).
And, one more question: The piping they use as the wire, how does it feel when sitting on your tissue? I feel like the "princess and the pea" and sometimes the piping hurts if it isn't close enough together to simulate a very narrow gore. Again, thank you!!
Love4Pollinators I hadn't worn this for a while so I put it on today so I could answer your questions.
I like my Soma wire free bras better. The elastic band flips up on the Soma and this, but it feels more uncomfortable in this bra, maybe because the material doesn't have as much give. The band does not have good recovery. It stretches out noticeably during one day's wearing. The straps dig into my shoulders too, and I don't notice that with any of my other bras
I'm not bothered by the piping, but I'm someone who is comfortable with Panache wires so ymmv. The piping only touches my breasts at the bottom. The center is floating a good 2" from my chest! The vertical seams of the lower half of the cups is also raised up on the inside.
Fabrics are still a bit itchy after 3 washes too. Sorry, but there are much more comfortable wire free bras out there.
This Wacoal La Femme Contour (853117) bra is very plain looking even with a few lace accents but don't let that fool you. It fits me wonderfully and I feel very supported (even with a paltry 2 hooks). My breasts fill the cup nicely without any gaps or dreaded quadboob. The straps don't cut in and my shoulders and the band is a perfect fit. I don't tend to go for plainer looking bras but I'll make an exception for this beauty.
Despite how it sounds on paper, this is the best bra fit I've found so far. I suspect that my cup size is actually slightly larger than this, because the similar Wacoal 855170 was definitely too small. The 85567 (of which I have seven, so I feel confident in them) is a little too small in the cup volume and underwire height and the gore doesn't quite lie flat against the sternum, but it gives fantastic support and feels as if it fits (even though it doesn't, quite).
I had a professional fitting at Nordstrom, but she never told me my measurements or size, just threw three 80$ ...bras of various sizes in with me (I had told her I was on a budget and she had sounded sympathetic, maybe she was hoping I wouldn't actually check the prices? I literally can't afford not to check prices); she threw in a couple others after I found her and asked if she had anything on sale, and thus I ended up with a beige Wacoal 85567 34H for 45$ (although there were bras that fit better, I couldn't afford them).
If I'd known then what I know now, I would have written down which brands/models/sizes fit me because I could have looked for them in sales or auctions (20/20 hindsight)
I do have the problem with this bra that I have with every underwire bra I've ever had (at any size) in that it can initially fit very well but after some hours of wearing it, the fabric pulls off the underwire so it starts pinching at the side because I will now have bare fabric at the top of the underarm-underwire which causes the breast to spill over slightly and get pinched.
Despite how this sounds, it feels so good every time I put one on! (and wear it all day)
Pros:
Gives fantastic support Straps are wide at shoulder so bra doesn't start digging into shoulders Three hooks at back give full support Although can be hard to get on initially due to tight band, band seems to stretch just enough to be easier to put on and not get too stretched out (I have had my 85567s for three months as of November, and I have three pre-owned one of which was fairly used before I got it and all of which have the same excellent sizing and support so I am guessing they won't over-stretch as long as taken care of, e.g. hand-washed in delicate and never machine-dried etc. Pretty good-looking for such good support
Cons:
After wearing for a few hours, underwire "hides" and causes pinching on breast tissue under arm -- but this may or may not be the bra, as I always have this issue with any bra. (It's like the underwire is smaller than the channel it is placed in) Can be expensive Could be available in more/prettier colors
[ EDIT: the bra I took the pictures of is a Cappucino-colored one I bought new, not the beige one I got for 45$ ] Read more 393 more words
It feels comfortable, but it's much too big for me in all aspects. The gore also goes up pretty high, which doesn't seem to be a problem right now in this size, but I feel like it might poke if I went down to a size that would actually fit me.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Wacoal is using non-standard band sizing, by an extreme degree. I bought this many years ago and wanted a replacement. Today, a 34H is too tight. A 38DDD is the actual clone of my old 34H version. Note that the cup size is a sister to the original.
In summary, this has been my favorite bra for years, and I would recommend it to anyone. I wore it so much I needed a replacement, but discovered the new version uses Wacoal's new band sizing method, making the band size on a 34H too small.
Straps: The straps are wide set sitting mostly on the bone of the ...shoulder and a little bit on the muscle, minimizing muscle irritation. The straps are a whopping 1.25" and nicely padded. It feels great.
Band and Underwire: My first US 34H bra had a great fitting band and underwire. It was easily a casual wear bra, where I could even slouch on the couch to watch TV without being irritated. The new US 34H bra is much different. The underwire digs into my 32" rib cage right way. It was so intolerable, I thought it had to be a mistake and returned it. I've now discovered Wacoal is using non-standard sizing.
Support: Great. Most of the support is on the torso, and the straps are wide and positioned well to handle the little weight they carry.
Comfort: Great. A bra that can be worn for casual occasions and slouch or curl up on a couch with little irritation. A great any-occasion bra. Read more 149 more words
In no way does this bra fit. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":p" /> I'm not really sure what I was doing. I hadn't tried anything strapless that fit, and a lot of reviews were like, "yeah, just order a couple sizes too big and it will still fit," so I thought, "okay, sure, this random size will be good!" And then it wasn't. xP The band is definitely too big, which I knew it would be and thought maybe I could alter. But the cups are also too big, which isn't really that much of a surprise. I'm going to try to exchange for something smaller.
Great lift; forward pointing of breast. Gives a slightly pointed look which to me gives the breast a sexy look.The bra has held it's shape after several washings. Really attractive bra.
Very soft material. Lots of cushioning around the underwire. The underwire stops a bit before the top of the cup on the outsides (i.e. the side note near the gore).
Gore definitely doesn't tack. I need the cup to be a tad bit wider, which is surprising because I think in other bras I've tried, a 34H would be too big.
Despite the gore not tacking, this is a very comfortable bra. The band is perfect, which I think means it's generally tighter because I'm usually a 32.
I love the round boob shape this bra gives me. The center gore is cut up in the bottom and there is no outer rim of trim to curl up, which seems to happen with my short torso with other styles and brands. The cups are smooth, which makes it perfect under tees and thin knits. While the straps are very thick and comfortable, they do limit my ability to wear tanks. This is definitely my go-to daily bra.
Thanks for your review: I'll try it, too. :-) Wacoal has so impressed me with their wireless bras. And, a few of their wired bras are incredible, also.