Sunday, June 18, 2017

Review: Comfort Choice Cotton Everyday Wireless Full-Coverage Bra

Nutshell: A good, if unlikely, contender for a cotton, wire-free, wear it out of the house, option. And a bargain at $15.
 
I was familiar with this bra from years back. It's the much better designed cousin of this bra.

 Beauty

Not beauty, so much as fun. Loads of colors and prints. I opted for Violet Blossom.

Comfort

Fabric.  100% cotton. That's it. No spandex, no polyester, no nylon. Just a substantial cotton knit that is soft against the skin and very breathable. The only slight irritation I experience is from the seams beneath the piping running along the upper cup, but the seams across the boobs cause no irritation.

Band.   Quite deep and stable. Three-hooks, widely spaced. 

Straps.  On the thin side, they are center-pull, made of reinforced cotton in front, and connect to a regular stretchy bra strap in the back; no evil ring connectors. A wider design would be a nice upgrade.

Fit & Shape

Cups.  The whole design is very retro. The cups have full-on horizontal seams - something I normally avoid like the plague - but this bra is an exception. 

The shape is surprisingly good! 

I'm not quite sure why the seams work in this case, but they do. 

The shape is very rounded, and is not causing the usual pointy horribleness that happens when full-on-top boobs meet horizontal seams. 

 

    
It actually makes my boobs 
look like they are a balanced shape. 

The top of the cup is a single layer of cotton knit, with the bottom being a double layer. 

The wrinkling is not due to any looseness, but is just the result of what 100% cotton does, when not infused with spandex. 

The sides are nice & low, too.

The shape under clothing is pretty decent, certainly an acceptable shape to wear out of the house, & much better than the Natori Glance.
 

This is a thin cotton T-shirt & I really did not expect the Everyday bra to give this shape.

I'm very pleasantly surprised.

As a wirefree style, it can't give real separation, but it does not actively smoosh the boobs together as many styles do.




I am fine wearing this out & about. I also didn't think it would work under a low-V neckline like this since the gore is pretty tall....

.........but it does.








When Do I Wear It?

Pretty much anytime I want. This bra feels substantial on the body. It is not a lightweight, airy, super stretchy fit like the Glance. It is comfy, but in a different way. It's rare to find a bra that is 100%cotton-knit. And does not come in just frumpy white. It is definitely supportive enough for work. It's not as comfy as a Bali bralette, but it works well as a hybrid weekend bra: when I'm wearing jeans & T's, and alternately puttering in the garden and running errands.

Size: 42DDD (US)

Sizing notes: The cups run generous and the bands quite tight. This sister-sizes to a 38G (UK) or a 38H (US), but actually fits me like a 38GG (UK) or a 38I (US). The size range is huge, from 38-54, B-G. In reality, it's more like 34-50, C-J.
 

Review: Comfort Choice Cotton Everyday Wireless Full-Coverage Bra

Nutshell: A good, if unlikely, contender for a cotton, wire-free, wear it out of the house, option. And a bargain at $15.
 
I was familiar with this bra from years back. It's the much better designed cousin of this bra.

 Beauty

Not beauty, so much as fun. Loads of colors and prints. I opted for Violet Blossom.

Comfort

Fabric.  100% cotton. That's it. No spandex, no polyester, no nylon. Just a substantial cotton knit that is soft against the skin and very breathable. The only slight irritation I experience is from the seams beneath the piping running along the upper cup, but the seams across the boobs cause no irritation.

Band.   Quite deep and stable. Three-hooks, widely spaced. 

Straps.  On the thin side, they are center-pull, made of reinforced cotton in front, and connect to a regular stretchy bra strap in the back; no evil ring connectors. A wider design would be a nice upgrade.

Fit & Shape

Cups.  The whole design is very retro. The cups have full-on horizontal seams - something I normally avoid like the plague - but this bra is an exception. 

The shape is surprisingly good! 

I'm not quite sure why the seams work in this case, but they do. 

The shape is very rounded, and is not causing the usual pointy horribleness that happens when full-on-top boobs meet horizontal seams. 

 

    
It actually makes my boobs 
look like they are a balanced shape. 

The top of the cup is a single layer of cotton knit, with the bottom being a double layer. 

The wrinkling is not due to any looseness, but is just the result of what 100% cotton does, when not infused with spandex. 

The sides are nice & low, too.

The shape under clothing is pretty decent, certainly an acceptable shape to wear out of the house, & much better than the Natori Glance.
 

This is a thin cotton T-shirt & I really did not expect the Everyday bra to give this shape.

I'm very pleasantly surprised.

As a wirefree style, it can't give real separation, but it does not actively smoosh the boobs together as many styles do.




I am fine wearing this out & about. I also didn't think it would work under a low-V neckline like this since the gore is pretty tall....

.........but it does.








When Do I Wear It?

Pretty much anytime I want. This bra feels substantial on the body. It is not a lightweight, airy, super stretchy fit like the Glance. It is comfy, but in a different way. It's rare to find a bra that is 100%cotton-knit. And does not come in just frumpy white. It is definitely supportive enough for work. It's not as comfy as a Bali bralette, but it works well as a hybrid weekend bra: when I'm wearing jeans & T's, and alternately puttering in the garden and running errands.

Size: 42DDD (US)

Sizing notes: The cups run generous and the bands quite tight. This sister-sizes to a 38G (UK) or a 38H (US), but actually fits me like a 38GG (UK) or a 38I (US). The size range is huge, from 38-54, B-G. In reality, it's more like 34-50, C-J.
 

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Review: Kindred Bravely Soft French Terry Sleep Bra

This is a bralette aimed at maternity wear. So a good bet for softer fabrics and lots of stretch. A bargain at around $20.

 Beauty

For a practical sleep bralette, it is quite pretty. It comes in this pale pink as well as the ubiquitous beige & black. I'm a sucker for the crossover styling. In theory

Comfort

The fabric is really nice. French terry is, as I understand it, a thicker cotton material with a flatter finish and the very minimal 'loopy' quality of terrycloth. This just feels like a substantial, very soft, cotton knit.

The straps are nice and wide and are also racer-back to spread the weight. Wasn't sure if I'd like the pressure near my neck, but it's fine and doesn't cause any irritation.  

Fit

The cup capacity is small, especially for a maternity-aimed style. 


There are regular sizes, and also 'Busty' sizes. I opted for an XL-Busty, which per their size chart, fits a 38E - 40G (US). On me, it fits like a 38F/G. 

The crossover style is - as always, for some reason - right over left. That means that my larger right boob is allowed to make a break for freedom, when it actually could use the greater containment that lefty is getting. 



The band is quite snug. I'd say it could work for 36-40 bands. The straps are very stretchy and would be much improved by tweaking the design to be double-layered or restricted stretch. They do not prevent bounce and really reduce the support. 

The shape under clothing is pretty relaxed. I've worn it out of the house under a loose woven cotton tunic where shape & lift aren't essential. It doesn't really give enough support for comfort and containment, the way that the Bali Comfort Wirefree and Leading Lady cami bralette do. (The former, I'll wear out of the house and feel quite comfy.)

Compromises

Scratchy, uncomfy seams. There is no way I could wear this without flipping it inside-out. The seam joining the band to the cups is pretty harsh and rugged. This is just not a seam I can tolerate on sensitive under-boob skin:



Crossover design/cup capacity. Looks nice on smaller cup sizes, but realistically, it's not a match with F+. Especially when combined with the lack of projection in the cup shape (those very shallow gathers don't allow for much expansion) and the overly stretchy straps. 

When Do I Wear It?

For lounging around the house under my jim-jams. It does provide enough support & separation to improve comfort and for some, it could be a good choice as a sleep bra for PMS swelling, especially if you are full-on-bottom and like a snug band. But because of the band style of snug, thick, continuous elastic, I'd be more inclined to opt for the Bali Comfort Revolution Bralette with its soft, minimal knit-in band.
Size: XL-Busty

Review: Kindred Bravely Soft French Terry Sleep Bra

This is a bralette aimed at maternity wear. So a good bet for softer fabrics and lots of stretch. A bargain at around $20.

 Beauty

For a practical sleep bralette, it is quite pretty. It comes in this pale pink as well as the ubiquitous beige & black. I'm a sucker for the crossover styling. In theory

Comfort

The fabric is really nice. French terry is, as I understand it, a thicker cotton material with a flatter finish and the very minimal 'loopy' quality of terrycloth. This just feels like a substantial, very soft, cotton knit.

The straps are nice and wide and are also racer-back to spread the weight. Wasn't sure if I'd like the pressure near my neck, but it's fine and doesn't cause any irritation.  

Fit

The cup capacity is small, especially for a maternity-aimed style. 


There are regular sizes, and also 'Busty' sizes. I opted for an XL-Busty, which per their size chart, fits a 38E - 40G (US). On me, it fits like a 38F/G. 

The crossover style is - as always, for some reason - right over left. That means that my larger right boob is allowed to make a break for freedom, when it actually could use the greater containment that lefty is getting. 



The band is quite snug. I'd say it could work for 36-40 bands. The straps are very stretchy and would be much improved by tweaking the design to be double-layered or restricted stretch. They do not prevent bounce and really reduce the support. 

The shape under clothing is pretty relaxed. I've worn it out of the house under a loose woven cotton tunic where shape & lift aren't essential. It doesn't really give enough support for comfort and containment, the way that the Bali Comfort Wirefree and Leading Lady cami bralette do. (The former, I'll wear out of the house and feel quite comfy.)

Compromises

Scratchy, uncomfy seams. There is no way I could wear this without flipping it inside-out. The seam joining the band to the cups is pretty harsh and rugged. This is just not a seam I can tolerate on sensitive under-boob skin:



Crossover design/cup capacity. Looks nice on smaller cup sizes, but realistically, it's not a match with F+. Especially when combined with the lack of projection in the cup shape (those very shallow gathers don't allow for much expansion) and the overly stretchy straps. 

When Do I Wear It?

For lounging around the house under my jim-jams. It does provide enough support & separation to improve comfort and for some, it could be a good choice as a sleep bra for PMS swelling, especially if you are full-on-bottom and like a snug band. But because of the band style of snug, thick, continuous elastic, I'd be more inclined to opt for the Bali Comfort Revolution Bralette with its soft, minimal knit-in band.
Size: XL-Busty