Review: Natori Hypnotic Contour bra

Nutshell:  a holy grail T-shirt bra!

 Beauty

As it is designed to disappear under thin knits, the styling of the cups is sleek and understated, but this is offset by a touch of lace at the gore - and a gorgeous full lace band. It only comes in two colors: Cameo Rose (non-yellowy beige) and black.

Natori.com

 Comfort

Impressive. This bra has the rather magical quality of actually growing more comfy throughout the day, which is highly unusual.

Band(less).  I can't remember the last time I saw a full lace band. And this one is very soft and comfy. The lace is high quality and unlikely to tear or stretch out too quickly. It is also very, very pretty.

This is actually a bandless style, i.e. there is no band under the cups themselves. This usually is far less comfy for me as the wires sit right on your chest, and too much weight can be concentrated there. This bra is rather magical in that it simply does not suffer from this issue. My best guess is that it is down to the shape of the cups and straps and the superior way in which they distribute the weight so that it is not all concentrated on the bottom of the wires. Again, impressive.

Cups.  Very thin foam, 1/8" as compared to the 1/4" of most traditional foam-dome T-shirt bras. This makes them very light, breathable, and flexible and I imagine these properties is what make the bra grow more comfy as the day wears on: your body heat causes the cups to actually adjust and mold to your own boob shape. They are extremely full-on-top friendly. The tops of the cups are not closed-in and there are no restrictive elastic strips or rigid bands of fabric. If you're full-on-bottom you are very likely to have gaping. Balanced shapes, probably not, but you may consider dropping a cup size if you have softer tissue or a less projected shape. 

Straps.  Very comfy. They have a soft, velvety texture and are fully adjustable. They are also uniquely angled: in the front they are at a very nice spot - not too far out on the shoulder, but not too close-in either - and in the back, they angle in steeply toward the center. This makes them unlikely to slip or to show under any but the widest necklines, while also distributing weight more evenly over your shoulders. It's going to be a happy design for those with narrow shoulders or those who get really sick of the super-widely spaced UK style straps that rub close to the underarm.

Wires.   I find Natori wires to be comfy: on the narrow side and soft-to-medium gauge. Flexible enough to conform to your shape and easy to bend if you need to. The height of the wires does vary a bit, with the Pure Allure having quite low wires and the Satin Fleur being on the higher side. Sister-sizing (going up a band and dropping a cup) does work with Natori if you want a lower wire and I opted to do that here. The wires actually feel lower than they appear in the pics. 

Fit

Shape.  All the foam Natori styles I've tried have a similar shape. It is not completely round, but boosted with a defined apex.

The positives: it gives a perky shape that is moderately projected and not at all wide. The lone negative: you do run more risk of boob-tenting with flowy tops. 

I do think the Hypnotic gives a much better shape under a flowy modal top than the Pure Allure, though I'm not certain exactly why. 

Hypnotic

Pure Allure

 Compromises

 Yeah....there really are none. Whaaat?!

This is a holy grail T-shirt bra for me and I am going to snap up several more.

When Do I Wear It?

Under thin clingy knits or fabrics that tend to be on the transparent side. Any time I want a little extra coverage that also feels light and almost weightless. Under clothing that requires a high bust line to drape well, such as dresses with an empire waist. And when I want a full day of comfort, either sitting or standing, especially when I will be going out directly after work.

Size:  40H (US sizing)


My usual size in Natori is 38H, but with a foam cup I sometimes need a little extra room due to my full-on-top shape. Since the brand stops at an H cup, I went up a band and this is a great fit for me. I do have slight extra room on my smaller side, but it is a perfect fit on my larger side. In this case, it works well because any double-bubble with a T-shirt bra is highly visible. In a seamed bra, I would be more likely to fit my smaller side.