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