Freya Active Underwire Performance Sports Top Review

I ordered this top from Large Cup Lingerie on account of my previous Freya Sport biting the dust after doing a great deal of hard work over a year, and my size change. I was curious as to how it worked and it was discounted.

Construction

Moisture-wicking close-fitting fabric tank over the traditional seamed two-part cup Freya Sport bra. Interestingly, the shoulders are adjustable length in that they have rows of hooks like a back band. Three rows of three hooks in the back.

Fit

Band’s true to size. Cups are true to size, slightly wrinkly at the apex for me as per usual with Freya bras. The cups are wider than most Freya cups (consistent with the Freya Sport bra).

Looks

Well, I didn’t buy this to look sleek. The tank is not very flattering to my ribcage flare or my stomach fluff rolls. I also get the hilaribad unnatural-for-me almost-torpedo shape I’ve gotten from Freya Sport bras before. I look in the mirror and am a bit skeptical that those are my breasts. Those who have a more projected shape or are naturally fuller at the apices may not get the same issue since the tissue won’t be fighting the fabric. It definitely gets the job done at the gym, holding everything in place and the breathable fabric means I don’t need a Shamwow if I overdo it. It’s a bit hazardous to wash because of the eleventy billion hooks and eyes on the straps and band (it’s supposedly machine washable). I could wash it by hand, but I have to squeeze it for ten minutes to get enough water out if I want to use it the next day. If you like the Freya Sport Underwire seamed bra, this seems like a logical extension.

The Uncertainty of Size

I’ve hit the point where most of my 32 bands need extenders (my ribcage is now 33.5″ and not squishy), so I’d bought the Deco Honeys and a Panache unpadded Dahlia to ‘tide me over’ until I figured out a consistent size. This has caused me a large amount of brainhurt for some reason I couldn’t fathom for a while until I figured out that I was upset about needing extenders with glamorous bra sets in styles that don’t exist anymore. For example, the Masquerade Delphi in sepia, and the Rhea in mulberry. They just don’t feel ‘replaceable’, have plenty of life left in the elastic, but wearing an extender just feels a bit of a mood-bummer. I actually went and ordered a larger Fauve Bronte in spice while I still could.

Tighter bras can interfere with singing- I took a few singing lessons with a bra I knew was too tight and I could definitely tell the difference. None of my sports bras fit anymore, either. I actually don’t have the correct extenders for them (regular fabric extenders feel like an odd choice), so I’ve been doing my weightlifting and biking in regular bras. While this is nowhere near high-impact, it’s suboptimal. There’s the typical ‘what if my size changes more’ fear that is stopping me from replacing them yet. It’s more fear of having too many bras- I don’t want to turn into some kind of bra hoarder. Now you know more about my neuroses! To purge that thought I sold off some older bras and will list a few more (Masquerade Amor berry, Freya Deco Wireless). We will see what people actually want. It’s worth it to not need an extender for any bra I can replace.

Fit and Active September?

I’m joining the fun some other bloggers are having with Fit and Active September.

I go to the gym about three times a week and generally walk a bunch (Seattle is pretty hilly). I’ve had short breaks since I moved here of not adhering to the practice, but I’ve increased my military press by ten pounds, and some of the other exercises have definitely gotten easier (planks, push and pull ups on a bar, squats). I assume I’ve built some muscle to do this.

Bra bands feel tighter. The exercises do build back muscles, so there’s less squish. I can’t really wear a 30 band anymore except on older stretched out bras. Some 32s need extenders now (Masquerade’s bands don’t stretch much). At first I thought I was gaining fat around my rib cage. That may be the case, but muscle could also be the cause. I’m making an appointment with a trainer to check my body fat/weight. That should give me an idea of how my body has changed.

My sports bras are the most excellent Panache Sport (which my partner tried to fasten the other morning when I was tired and cranky, and he was amazed by the strength it requires) and the Freya Active Underwired. The latter does run quite tight and gives me a hilarious torpedo shape complete with prominent horizontal seams, but it’s sturdy and lightweight. The Panache Sport is a wonderfully comfortable bra and sometimes I wear it just for the day, workout or none.

Have you found that you needed different bras with a different exercise regimens? What’s your favorite sports bra?

Panache Sport review

The Panache Sport has been a big hit since its release, with fun colorways (grays, purples, pink, lime green, navy) and rave reviews. I thought I should see what the fuss was about, because a molded cup sports bra seemed like a dream come true to me. I ordered the navy version from Large Cup Lingerie in size 32G.

Construction:

Molded cups. The underwire casings are silicone-wrapped and sewn between fabric layers of the hefty underband.  Fabric includes microfiber and mesh for moisture wicking. The straps are wide, padded, and only partially adjustable. There’s an included J-hook on the straps to convert to racerback. Three hook closure, and the back is nicely finished with extra padding and no extra label.

Fit/functionality:

This bra’s an encapsulation sports bra, which means one’s breasts are kept in separate capsules/cups for distributing weight so it’s easier to stop movement of the mass. I vastly prefer it to compression-type, which squashes things together and in (and as my friend Sara says, makes you feel like you require a Shamwow in your uniboob cleavage after!).

Amazingly comfortable. I love the padding on the wires! Straps don’t quite adjust short enough for me, so I wear this as a racerback until I figure out how to alter it . It reduces bounce very well, especially with the J-hook! I wonder if a smaller cup would help even more- I couldn’t quite fill out the top, so maybe I should go down a size. Runs full in the cups, so if you’re between cup sizes or shallow profiled, sizing down once in the cup may be a good idea. Band feels true to size. The top of the bra after the wires end does not tack to my sternum- I’m not sure how important that is. Perhaps another sign that shallow profiles should size down or look at alternatives? It seems to keep sweat away well- I’ve felt it dripping down my forehead while biking hard and felt minimal moisture on my chest/sternum where sweat will normally collect.

Looks:

This is an amazing-looking sports bra. Gives a streamlined, non-torpedo shape. I love the patriotic red, white, and blue! The lines are clean, smart, and fierce. It covers a lot, and I could wear this as outerwear in summer or in the gym.

I adore this bra in this colorway. I’m keen to try it in a smaller cup at some point and then decide which works better. The Freya Sport (underwired) functions well, but I vastly prefer the aesthetics of the Panache Sport- the main advantage Freya has in this case is that the Freya Sport is explicitly machine washable.

Other reviews:

A Sophisticated Pair, Obsessed With Breasts, Fuller Figure Fuller Bust guest review, Bras I Hate and Love, Stackdd, Invest in Your Chest, Becky’s Boudoir

Inventory turnover, a look at intriguing fall selections

It’s a sad thing that bras only last less than a year- gravity fights wires and seams, and bands stretch out. Thus the contents of my drawer change every six months or so.

I have eight bras I wear consistently, five of which are Freya Decos. Another is a sports bra (also Freya underwire), and I have two Masquerade bras (Delphi, Rhea) as well. The rest of my drawer is wearing out (CK Emily, Panache Porcelains) or I’ve had trouble fitting the cup (Freya Taylor, CK Tempt Me, Parfait Jeanie). I’m in the process of donating/listing all of those.

What does this say to me? It tells me I have more than enough enough Decos (I got them all on eBay or through exchange) and that I don’t like fabric bras. I haven’t given up, though: I ordered the Panache Confetti from Breakout Bras to try on. How many fancy bras does a woman need? My Masquerades are in good condition but I still want more- I find them beautiful and give amazing shape. They are not the most practical under clothes, though.

Eight isn’t too many, right? Right? Here’s my Most Wanted list for pretty stuff- I tend to keep a new bra every six weeks, so it’s a little above replacement level.

Masquerade Rosetti

Contrast satin leads to interesting geometrics, and I love red.

 

Masquerade Amor

I’m a bit concerned that the model doesn’t appear to fill the bottom of the cup here. However, I love myself some jewel tones. Sweetheart neckline plus dart and V-shape is not something I’ve seen appearance-wise before.

Panache Sport

My Freya Sport will give out in a while as it is well-used. I’ve been curious to try the Panache sport for a while- I love molded cups and encapsulation-type bras, so I should get this before my other sport bra dies!

 

Cleo Leila

Absurdly girly for me, but I do like that shade of purple and that shape (vertical seams for the win!).

Out with the old? Inventorying…

I really need to retire my 34F bras, but they have seen only one year’s use.  I am trying to think of creative things to do with them, but at worst, I’ll donate.  My 2 32FF bras (just a tad small) could use a new home, and they are gently used.  I’ll see if anyone wants them on Bratabase.

My lineup as it stands:

• 32G Curvy Kate Emily in Flame
• 32G Panache Porcelain in Nude x 2
• 34F Freya Underwired Sports Bra

I’m retiring the following or giving them a new home:

• 34F Freya Deco in Pomegranate, Black, and Nude
• 32FF Curvy Kate Emily in Flame
• 32FF Freya Deco in Pistachio

I have the following being shipped to me:

• 32H Curvy Kate Tempt Me
• 32G Freya Taylor
• 32G Masquerade Rhea

I’ll probably add a nude or black Deco in 32G to there, too.  We will see how the bigger Tempt Me and Rhea work out- at the smaller size I didn’t fill the bottom of the Tempt Me and overfilled the top, which is not a common experience for me!  We’ll see how it works out with extended wear…

I shan’t perk up

I generally find it easy to tell if a woman has implanted breasts when she’s wearing a bikini- their fullness is evenly distributed on the bottom and top, making a half-spherical shape.  However, gravity and the nature of breast tissue won’t do that, so like many DD+ women mine are full on the bottom only- this is called a shallow profile.  Usually the tissue is pretty soft, and this calls for a larger bottom of the cup and a narrower top.  Fitters thus recommend demi bras to me, but those are not usually very supportive- I do run for the bus, walk quickly around town, et cetera.  The lady at Intimacy gave me an exasperated look and said that my best option might be sport bras.  I guess I could wear sport bras all the time, but those generally aren’t made for a shallow profile either.

Soft tissue in my experience wants a molded cup so the tissue doesn’t migrate as easily- I own one cut-sew bra and I get quadra-breast after a few hours.  In America lots of media makes perky (and gravity-defying!) breasts seem the ideal, but without a bra, gravity wins.  Anyway, I’m looking for more bras that could fit my profile- the Fantasie 4510 has too much space at the top for me to fill, unfortunately.  The Cleo Jude just looked odd when I tried it on in store- cups extremely separate and I had to go up two sizes so that the cup didn’t cut into the top of my breasts.

I tried on the Chantelle Rive Gauche 3086 at Intimacy, and it’s one of the few demi bras that I’ve liked, but I can’t find it in malls in my size, and I’m not sure what size to go to.  Nordstrom only carries it up to F (E English size), however.  The most famous molded bra in America, however, is Le Mystere’s Dream Tisha.  European sizing means I’d wear a 32H, but I hear the bra is best suited for fuller breasts, as opposed to shallow profile ones.  I’ve tried them on before when I was changing the sizes- it’s supportive, but definitely feels like armor!  I should give it another try if I go to the mall at Thanksgiving, even if it runs small…

Sporting with proper armor

I was out this weekend camping, thus unable to post every day.  While camping, I run and fall down a lot, thanks to some improv theater my friends and I do.  However, it was the first time in many months I’d done that- my regular exercise is stationary biking, so I haven’t really needed a sport bra (at least I thought), since my torso doesn’t move.

I recently (less than two weeks ago!) got a Freya Active Underwire sports bra.  Due to a fitting at Intimacy, I  knew the band came up a bit tight, and I thus took the 34F instead of 32FF, which felt supportive without being as restrictive as some of my underwear.  The cup was slightly roomy but going down a size (I got fitted with the 34E and the saleslady though I was daft) doesn’t quite give enough room, depending on time of the month.  Anyway, it looks like an average bra, encapsulating the breasts so they stay in place instead of trying to squish them, a method I despise.  Retails for 60 USD (ouch!).  My preliminary reports after only a few days using it, including this weekend, are that it does a fabulous job of minimizing motion.  I showed a friend of mine how good it was by jumping up and down in it, and she was quite impressed.  The one caveat I have is that the seam is very horizontal and will show through garments.  Sports bras always get more of a pass, though…

Cheryl at Invest in Your Chest gives an excellent review in a smaller band size (with photos).  If I come across further issues, I’ll post on those…