Review: Leading Lady Loretta bralette

Because I loved everything about the Greta bralette - save her annoying X-back straps - I decided to try her sister, Loretta. Different fabric from the delicious modal of Greta, but still a very soft microfiber, and in a similar V-neck style, but with regular bra straps. Here's how that went for me.

Beauty

I tried Loretta in the awesomely named colorway of Whiskey Rose. First off, the deeper V neckline lined in lace makes her prettier than the plainer Greta. That lace continues about 1/2 way up the straps. More on those later.

Comfort & Fit

Cups. Unfortunately, they run significantly smaller than the Greta's. I'd say by a full cup size. The reviews on Amazon note that 40% say the bra 'runs large'. Yeah, no. This demonstrates that about 80% of bra reviews are left by folks who genuinely do not understand how bra sizing works. And correlates with about the same % who are supposedly wearing the wrong size anyway.

The positive: the vertical seams give a nice shape under clothing. More important: the seams are completely flat, specifically the inner layer that lays next to your skin. I can't emphasize enough how unfortunately rare this is, even in more expensive brands, and how hugely it impacts comfort.

The negative: despite the seams, the cups are needlessly shallow and lacking in lift. Though the profile is actually better than this angle would suggest.

This is due mainly to.....

Straps. They are very - inexplicably - thin, but adjustable. Leading Lady makes some great large cup bralettes, in wonderful soft fabrics, but after trying two styles - both of which have needlessly complicated or inadequate straps - all I can conclude is: they really need to have an actual person with big boobs explain to them how straps work.

Band. Very different to Greta's unique band, which I really liked. This is a more traditional band: taller, with 4 hooks. Had the straps been wider, there would have been all day support potential here.

Shape. You can certainly leave the house in Loretta. It gives a soft, rounded natural shape - not nearly as flattened as the pic above would suggest.

When Do I Wear It?

Well, I wore Loretta to work one day under a chunky sweater and the straps began to cut in annoyingly after 4 hours, making Loretta a great after-work or weekend bralette.

Sizing: Unlike Greta, Loretta comes in cup size ranges. I tried 42/DD/F/G, which I found to fit me like a 40F. Because the bands do fit snugly, you have room to sister-size up in the band, and, especially if you're full-on-top, I'd suggest you try that.

Note: I've added an affiliate link, which means that if you opt to buy this yourself, then I get about a quarter from Amazon, to help cover the costs of this blog.

Reviews: 3 Options from Leading Lady

Based on how useful and comfy I have found my Leading Lady cami-bralettes - which, naturally, now appear to be discontinued - I tried three more styles: a T-shirt bra, a long(ish)line bralette, and a sleep bralette. Let's see how they worked out for me:

Brigitte Molded Padded Seamless Underwire

Beauty.  Lots of pretty colors and patterns. I opted for Classic Cranberry, a juicy jewel tone with a subtle pattern. 

Fit & Comfort. What in the actual...?! Just no.....oh dear, no, no, no. I was not expecting this bizarre shape. It is both shallow AND pointy. I can't imagine how they accomplished this. Or...why they even tried to. The majority of the depth is way over at the outside of the cups, practically halfway around your back, with virtually none at the center of bottom. The gore is around 4" from my chest. A larger cup would not help since it would be up to my eyebrows, and still wouldn't have any depth. I can't assess comfort because the shape mismatch is so extreme.

I don't think this is a full-on-top issue, since most full-on-bottom shapes will not have the extremely shallow and side-weighted shape the cups demand. Perhaps the bra scales better in smaller sizes, who knows. But with the ultra-pointy silhouette, i.e. boob tent creator, I'd give this one a hard pass. 

Greta Wirefree Bralette

Greta had real potential, ruined by what, for me, is a fatal flaw - but may not be for you. 

Beauty. I find this sleek and pretty in the color way Modern Violet.

Comfort. Wonderful soft modal fabric, which is the gold standard for sensitive skin. The deep band is also soft and stretchy; in smaller cup sizes it gives more of a longline effect. The darted seams are actually non-irritating.

Fit. The cups have a lot of depth and capacity. The size range is impressively large, from S-5X. This is a 3X which equates to 38F-40H (US). Lots of stretch to accommodate different shapes.

Love the low sides! They taper away almost to the band in back, while still giving coverage where you actually need it. There is a very decent amount of lift and a nice rounded shape with some separation, too.

So, why oh why didn't this work for me? The straps. For some reason they decided to try to get fancy and make them an X-shape. 

Yeahhh, a really bad design move, especially for non-adjustable straps. It was the main complaint mentioned in reviews. Though I did not find them too tight, I found the place just endlessly uncomfortable. And awkward. I was constantly aware of them and hated the feel of them creeping ever more toward my neck. There is just no way to fix this, short of cutting the straps and reattaching them in a more sane configuration. Which is a real shame, as Greta is a stellar bralette in every other way. Bummer.

Bamboo Crossover Sleep Bra

This one was almost a keeper.

Comfort.  Bamboo is right up there with modal for sensitive skin nirvana. Once I had turned it inside-out so the seams and elastic would not annoy my sensitive skin, of course. This is something I have to do routinely, and was expecting. It's definitely comfy enough to sleep in.

Fit.  You can probably already see the issue coming.....Yeah, even though there is nice cup capacity on the sides:

There simply wasn't enough cup capacity in the front and center. Sadly, this style tops out at a 2X, and I really needed a size up. I thought about keeping it anyway, but I knew that the cutting in, especially on my larger side, would drive me nuts over time. Not to mention the annoyance that boobs tumbling out would cause if I actually tried to sleep in it. 

I actually liked the style and have no real complaints about the design. The drawback of reduced size capacity that always accompanies a crossover style are balanced by it being super easy to step into, as there are no hooks. Because Leading Lady bands run on the snug side, I think this size could work for you if you're between, say, a 36E-40F (US) especially if you're full-on-bottom.

Who Will These Work For?

I'd honestly just give all their wired styles a miss. It's just not worth the trial and error to -possibly- find that one style that doesn't have that truly bizarre shallow yet pointy cup shape. 

But the bralettes are actually worth a look. If you're petite, or actually like racerback or X-back styles, then Greta would be a great, very comfy option for you. And one of the few available in a truly large cup, smaller band size range - and at a decent price point. The Bamboo Crossover is a nice sleep bra option in you're in the size range. It's unfortunate they discontinued the highly practical and comfy cotton cami-bra style, but I will keep an eye out for new styles from the brand, in case they come out with something similar.

Price: All styles were around $30.

Reviews: 3 Options from Leading Lady

Based on how useful and comfy I have found my Leading Lady cami-bralettes - which, naturally, now appear to be discontinued - I tried three more styles: a T-shirt bra, a long(ish)line bralette, and a sleep bralette. Let's see how they worked out for me:

Brigitte Molded Padded Seamless Underwire

Beauty.  Lots of pretty colors and patterns. I opted for Classic Cranberry, a juicy jewel tone with a subtle pattern. 

Fit & Comfort. What in the actual...?! Just no.....oh dear, no, no, no. I was not expecting this bizarre shape. It is both shallow AND pointy. I can't imagine how they accomplished this. Or...why they even tried to. The majority of the depth is way over at the outside of the cups, practically halfway around your back, with virtually none at the center of bottom. The gore is around 4" from my chest. A larger cup would not help since it would be up to my eyebrows, and still wouldn't have any depth. I can't assess comfort because the shape mismatch is so extreme.

I don't think this is a full-on-top issue, since most full-on-bottom shapes will not have the extremely shallow and side-weighted shape the cups demand. Perhaps the bra scales better in smaller sizes, who knows. But with the ultra-pointy silhouette, i.e. boob tent creator, I'd give this one a hard pass. 

Greta Wirefree Bralette

Greta had real potential, ruined by what, for me, is a fatal flaw - but may not be for you. 

Beauty. I find this sleek and pretty in the color way Modern Violet.

Comfort. Wonderful soft modal fabric, which is the gold standard for sensitive skin. The deep band is also soft and stretchy; in smaller cup sizes it gives more of a longline effect. The darted seams are actually non-irritating.

Fit. The cups have a lot of depth and capacity. The size range is impressively large, from S-5X. This is a 3X which equates to 38F-40H (US). Lots of stretch to accommodate different shapes.

Love the low sides! They taper away almost to the band in back, while still giving coverage where you actually need it. There is a very decent amount of lift and a nice rounded shape with some separation, too.

So, why oh why didn't this work for me? The straps. For some reason they decided to try to get fancy and make them an X-shape. 

Yeahhh, a really bad design move, especially for non-adjustable straps. It was the main complaint mentioned in reviews. Though I did not find them too tight, I found the place just endlessly uncomfortable. And awkward. I was constantly aware of them and hated the feel of them creeping ever more toward my neck. There is just no way to fix this, short of cutting the straps and reattaching them in a more sane configuration. Which is a real shame, as Greta is a stellar bralette in every other way. Bummer.

Bamboo Crossover Sleep Bra

This one was almost a keeper.

Comfort.  Bamboo is right up there with modal for sensitive skin nirvana. Once I had turned it inside-out so the seams and elastic would not annoy my sensitive skin, of course. This is something I have to do routinely, and was expecting. It's definitely comfy enough to sleep in.

Fit.  You can probably already see the issue coming.....Yeah, even though there is nice cup capacity on the sides:

There simply wasn't enough cup capacity in the front and center. Sadly, this style tops out at a 2X, and I really needed a size up. I thought about keeping it anyway, but I knew that the cutting in, especially on my larger side, would drive me nuts over time. Not to mention the annoyance that boobs tumbling out would cause if I actually tried to sleep in it. 

I actually liked the style and have no real complaints about the design. The drawback of reduced size capacity that always accompanies a crossover style are balanced by it being super easy to step into, as there are no hooks. Because Leading Lady bands run on the snug side, I think this size could work for you if you're between, say, a 36E-40F (US) especially if you're full-on-bottom.

Who Will These Work For?

I'd honestly just give all their wired styles a miss. It's just not worth the trial and error to -possibly- find that one style that doesn't have that truly bizarre shallow yet pointy cup shape. 

But the bralettes are actually worth a look. If you're petite, or actually like racerback or X-back styles, then Greta would be a great, very comfy option for you. And one of the few available in a truly large cup, smaller band size range - and at a decent price point. The Bamboo Crossover is a nice sleep bra option in you're in the size range. It's unfortunate they discontinued the highly practical and comfy cotton cami-bra style, but I will keep an eye out for new styles from the brand, in case they come out with something similar.

Price: All styles were around $30.

Review: Leading Lady cami bralette

Houseguests in summer = I need some comfy bralettes. That I can easily put on before I stagger out for coffee in my usual semi-conscious morning condition. And that means I need hooks. Nothing would be more ill-advised than me trying to balance on one foot to step into an Ahh Bra style, or even worse, trying to pull one over my head. I'd end up with an elbow to the eye, or another knee injury.

I wanted something lighter weight than the Comfort Revolutions that provide heavier support (with less comfy straps). But more substantial than the ultra-minimal Bali sleep bra. Because cleavage. I needed something light & soft that I wouldn't mind wearing early in the morning, and again for hours of late evening socializing until bedtime. 

Leading Lady is a brand I'd never tried, but their bralette looked promising. I first opted to try the bralette in a 3x (in blue), the size that corresponded to my bust measurement. I then tried a size down (in grey), to compare the support.

Comfort

Fabric.  Wonderful! Very soft cotton. I really did not expect that at this price point ($15); I was braced for cardboardy cheap cotton along the lines of Hanes sports bras. But this fabric has a very soft hand and moderate stretch. 

Straps.  Regular, adjustable bra straps. They are center-pull. More comfy than the rolled & doubled straps of my Bali Comfort Revolution. 

Band.  More snug than I expected, which is a nice surprise, since I ordered by my boob size, expecting I'd have to put up with a very loose band. But nope. It's a bit too loose for me, but not unwearable. It is not, however, the usual deep knit-fabric band found on bralettes like these. It is actually just an band of covered elastic. So you don't get that wide, anchored effect, but you also don't get any annoying roll up or dig in. 


Cups. Well, there actually aren't any. But there is shirring at the bottom and of course, stretch, so no uniboober look. The cup capacity was much bigger than I'd expected, and without the usual intense flattening of these styles.

Neckline.  The lace is completely non-irritating, and the high neckline was perfect with my deep V-neck pj tops. Complete cleavage coverage, and the narrow band of lace looks like a pretty cami peaking above. It does come up quite high.

Compromises

Support.  Um, well, yeahhhh. There isn't much of that, especially in the larger size. 

I did find that it was enough for gentle containment under loose pj's; definitely better than nothing. The lack of compression or uplift meant no crazy cleavage. 

 


The support was significantly better in the size down, because I got a bit more compression-effect, and the band was basically a normal 38 in the 2x size. 

However, I also got less comfort. In this size, I was more aware of the edging around the arm/sides and band, and just the general - though mild - compressed feeling.

Band.  Also, some may prefer the more secure anchoring of a knit-in deep band. It was not uncomfy, but doesn't add much support. It does have 4 hooks,  so I think they missed an opportunity by using such a thin elastic band. Just a 2-inch band of elastic would have really increased the anchoring and support.

When Do I Wear It?

When I don't want to go totally braless (as I normally would, say, like now, when I am just sitting on my sofa in jammies drinking coffee), but I want to be absolutely comfortable, and will not be leaving the house, I choose the 3X. So, for early a.m./late p.m. when I have houseguests, or PMS time. Also for reading in the garden in my bathrobe. (Something about that combination of activities virtually ensures that the Fed Ex guy will show up and I'll have to sign for a package over the garden gate.)  If I want more support and to be able to mayyyybe even leave the house for a quick errand, I'll opt for the 2X

Size: 2X or 3X  (cups run large)
The cup capacity and stretchy material mean the larger size is more than I need, but very comfy. 

Review: Leading Lady cami bralette

Houseguests in summer = I need some comfy bralettes. That I can easily put on before I stagger out for coffee in my usual semi-conscious morning condition. And that means I need hooks. Nothing would be more ill-advised than me trying to balance on one foot to step into an Ahh Bra style, or even worse, trying to pull one over my head. I'd end up with an elbow to the eye, or another knee injury.

I wanted something lighter weight than the Comfort Revolutions that provide heavier support (with less comfy straps). But more substantial than the ultra-minimal Bali sleep bra. Because cleavage. I needed something light & soft that I wouldn't mind wearing early in the morning, and again for hours of late evening socializing until bedtime. 

Leading Lady is a brand I'd never tried, but their bralette looked promising. I first opted to try the bralette in a 3x (in blue), the size that corresponded to my bust measurement. I then tried a size down (in grey), to compare the support.

Comfort

Fabric.  Wonderful! Very soft cotton. I really did not expect that at this price point ($15); I was braced for cardboardy cheap cotton along the lines of Hanes sports bras. But this fabric has a very soft hand and moderate stretch. 

Straps.  Regular, adjustable bra straps. They are center-pull. More comfy than the rolled & doubled straps of my Bali Comfort Revolution. 

Band.  More snug than I expected, which is a nice surprise, since I ordered by my boob size, expecting I'd have to put up with a very loose band. But nope. It's a bit too loose for me, but not unwearable. It is not, however, the usual deep knit-fabric band found on bralettes like these. It is actually just an band of covered elastic. So you don't get that wide, anchored effect, but you also don't get any annoying roll up or dig in. 


Cups. Well, there actually aren't any. But there is shirring at the bottom and of course, stretch, so no uniboober look. The cup capacity was much bigger than I'd expected, and without the usual intense flattening of these styles.

Neckline.  The lace is completely non-irritating, and the high neckline was perfect with my deep V-neck pj tops. Complete cleavage coverage, and the narrow band of lace looks like a pretty cami peaking above. It does come up quite high.

Compromises

Support.  Um, well, yeahhhh. There isn't much of that, especially in the larger size. 

I did find that it was enough for gentle containment under loose pj's; definitely better than nothing. The lack of compression or uplift meant no crazy cleavage. 

 


The support was significantly better in the size down, because I got a bit more compression-effect, and the band was basically a normal 38 in the 2x size. 

However, I also got less comfort. In this size, I was more aware of the edging around the arm/sides and band, and just the general - though mild - compressed feeling.

Band.  Also, some may prefer the more secure anchoring of a knit-in deep band. It was not uncomfy, but doesn't add much support. It does have 4 hooks,  so I think they missed an opportunity by using such a thin elastic band. Just a 2-inch band of elastic would have really increased the anchoring and support.

When Do I Wear It?

When I don't want to go totally braless (as I normally would, say, like now, when I am just sitting on my sofa in jammies drinking coffee), but I want to be absolutely comfortable, and will not be leaving the house, I choose the 3X. So, for early a.m./late p.m. when I have houseguests, or PMS time. Also for reading in the garden in my bathrobe. (Something about that combination of activities virtually ensures that the Fed Ex guy will show up and I'll have to sign for a package over the garden gate.)  If I want more support and to be able to mayyyybe even leave the house for a quick errand, I'll opt for the 2X

Size: 2X or 3X  (cups run large)
The cup capacity and stretchy material mean the larger size is more than I need, but very comfy.