Review: N by Natori Truly Soft Bra

I've been buying up some of the old N by Natori styles that will never come again. While I've found two of the new styles that I like very much,  Satin Fleur and Pure Allure, and they will definitely become staples, I still like much about the 'less bra' aesthetic of the old iteration of Natori.

The truly soft bra is a wire-free cami-bra. A very useful style for tops that would simply be a lowish neckline on a B-cup, but on a GG bust - and high set, at that - are basically indecent. Seriously, I find that annoying. My roots begin only 2" below my collarbone; I can show cleavage in anything but a turtleneck. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But for work, especially in my former job when I was often the only woman present, I prefer to be able to remove cleavage from the equation.

Beauty 

Here is how it looks under a top that would have otherwise been completely unwearable for me. 

That line down the center that I thought was an odd design choice is actually pretty genius. It's there to hide the line of cleavage that would otherwise be totally visible

  

And close up, you can see just how high my cleavage actually begins, right at the top of the bra.

The lace is a rose pattern, but the center line detracts from it quite a bit. But it was quite effective at camouflaging the cleavage shadow. You'd have to be pretty close up - and staring from this height - to see it.

Comfort

Not bad, but not as comfy as I'd hoped, either. 

Fabric.  It is indeed very soft. I experienced no irritation at all on that front.

 The sides come up quite high, but the fabric is non-mesh, so it is smooth against the skin.

The lace is a V-shape so it doesn't cut across the boob and the seam that joins it is flat.

There is no side sling; the sides are molded and the fabric here is thicker. It does a good job of keeping the shape forward and centered.

Compromises

 There are quite a few, I'm afraid.

Side Stays.  I dislike them at the best of times, but these really did not work for me. 
 
They are fairly soft, but very, very tall. 
  
You can see the beginning of what is going to happen a few hours later:  they are going to end up bent into a 'J' shape, with the bottom of the stay flipping up and out, away from my body. Which was far more comfortable, but ridiculous. There is no need for 5" side stays in the first place in a band this tall and stable.

I will be removing the side stays before the next wearing of this bra.  

Straps.  Another style that is not restricted stretch.  While not as wide as they should be, they do have an interesting feature: the underside has a polka dot velvety pattern, making shoulder slip a non-issue. Not really necessary, as these are not wide-set straps at all.

Coverage.  As with virtually all wire-free bras, you are not going to get any separation, and over the course of the day, I do get cleavage-creep. Being full-on-top increases that, so I do need to re-arrange several times a day when I feel the rise of double-bubble.

When Will I Wear It?

With lower cut tops where I would otherwise need to wear a 1/2 cami. Sometimes, you just don't want even a partial additional layer. Though for complete comfort and coverage, I'd opt for the 1/2 cami with a non-padded wired bra instead.  

Size:  40H   This is the old Natori sizing, so the band is plenty snug, and runs a full size smaller than the new styles.  

Review: N by Natori Truly Soft Bra

I've been buying up some of the old N by Natori styles that will never come again. While I've found two of the new styles that I like very much,  Satin Fleur and Pure Allure, and they will definitely become staples, I still like much about the 'less bra' aesthetic of the old iteration of Natori.

The truly soft bra is a wire-free cami-bra. A very useful style for tops that would simply be a lowish neckline on a B-cup, but on a GG bust - and high set, at that - are basically indecent. Seriously, I find that annoying. My roots begin only 2" below my collarbone; I can show cleavage in anything but a turtleneck. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But for work, especially in my former job when I was often the only woman present, I prefer to be able to remove cleavage from the equation.

Beauty 

Here is how it looks under a top that would have otherwise been completely unwearable for me. 

That line down the center that I thought was an odd design choice is actually pretty genius. It's there to hide the line of cleavage that would otherwise be totally visible

  

And close up, you can see just how high my cleavage actually begins, right at the top of the bra.

The lace is a rose pattern, but the center line detracts from it quite a bit. But it was quite effective at camouflaging the cleavage shadow. You'd have to be pretty close up - and staring from this height - to see it.

Comfort

Not bad, but not as comfy as I'd hoped, either. 

Fabric.  It is indeed very soft. I experienced no irritation at all on that front.

 The sides come up quite high, but the fabric is non-mesh, so it is smooth against the skin.

The lace is a V-shape so it doesn't cut across the boob and the seam that joins it is flat.

There is no side sling; the sides are molded and the fabric here is thicker. It does a good job of keeping the shape forward and centered.

Compromises

 There are quite a few, I'm afraid.

Side Stays.  I dislike them at the best of times, but these really did not work for me. 
 
They are fairly soft, but very, very tall. 
  
You can see the beginning of what is going to happen a few hours later:  they are going to end up bent into a 'J' shape, with the bottom of the stay flipping up and out, away from my body. Which was far more comfortable, but ridiculous. There is no need for 5" side stays in the first place in a band this tall and stable.

I will be removing the side stays before the next wearing of this bra.  

Straps.  Another style that is not restricted stretch.  While not as wide as they should be, they do have an interesting feature: the underside has a polka dot velvety pattern, making shoulder slip a non-issue. Not really necessary, as these are not wide-set straps at all.

Coverage.  As with virtually all wire-free bras, you are not going to get any separation, and over the course of the day, I do get cleavage-creep. Being full-on-top increases that, so I do need to re-arrange several times a day when I feel the rise of double-bubble.

When Will I Wear It?

With lower cut tops where I would otherwise need to wear a 1/2 cami. Sometimes, you just don't want even a partial additional layer. Though for complete comfort and coverage, I'd opt for the 1/2 cami with a non-padded wired bra instead.  

Size:  40H   This is the old Natori sizing, so the band is plenty snug, and runs a full size smaller than the new styles.  

Natori Pure Allure Attempt #3 (we have a winner!)

So I have chronicled my never-say-die attempts at this style in the new Natori:  Attempt #1   and,  Attempt #2

And here, finally, I achieve a decent fit. The good news is that the new Natoris appear to be quite consistent in their sizing (recap: keep your cup size, drop a band size). 

But first, let me just go off topic for this public service announcement. Because bears. Also, because where else but in Alaska would the term SOB be used, in an official capacity - & without irony - as the agreed upon name for the State Office Building:

Yes, I know it's crooked. No, I can't do better on a Monday a.m.

 That's currently posted in the elevator of my office building. Anyhoo, now that you have all shared in my morning elevator ride to work, back to Pure Allure.

Comfort 

Here is the pic of the fit I get in the 38H. Irony: to get the best fit, I was forced to get .... beige. I seriously dislike beige, and it was only my desperate need for a T-shirt bra alternative for thin summer knits - & utter failure to score any other color on sale, even in sister-sizes - that made me break down and buy this bland beige.

It's pretty comfy. Far more so than a thickly padded T-shirt bra. The padding is very thin; I'm guessing 1/8" as opposed to 1/4" standard padded bra. I did not overheat and the fabric moved with me. 

Cups.   A surprisingly friendly shape to full-on-tops. Though I don't think it would prove unfriendly to full-on-bottoms; there's no tendency toward gaping, and no cutting in either. A very universal shape, actually, with quite a bit of depth.

Wires.  Very low. A good inch (or more) lower than Natori's Satin Fleur. In fact, almost as low as the Fantasie Esme, which has the lowest wires in the history of ever. This is a good thing for me. It does give a different kind of support; it cradles, supporting from the bottom, rather than encasing, corralling from the sides. I like that, but it's a preference. The shape is also narrow, so the front and center shaping remains.

Much of the discomfort I experience with bras comes from the outer wire hitting pressure points, or digging; sometimes due to height, but often simply from rigidity or shape. The casing of Natori is better than Fantasie's, so I don't experience any dig-in or pressure of the wire tip through the casing. 

Tack.  This is the best tack I've ever gotten from Natori. A very nice soft tack, under 1/2" float. Partially due to the perfect height of the low gore, but also because the cup has  more room for upper and inner fullness than any other style I've tried in the brand. 

Compromises

Straps.  It's a bit of a flaw in Natori's design decision-making that none of the new styles have restricted-stretch straps. It's really a no-brainer in F-cup and up.  I am aware of the feel of the straps because they are taking on slightly more weight than they should, solely because the decision was made not to use restricted-stretch. I really hope they rethink this in future styles. The straps could still remain on the narrow side but would disperse weight across the shoulders better. It's not a dealbreaker, but it's a flaw that could have been easily avoided. 

Band.   The power mesh is not especially soft, and is no firmer or more supportive than previous iterations in a softer mesh. 

When Will I Wear It?

Any time I would wear a T-shirt bra. For me, that means only under very thin or clingy knits. Think modal fabric. Or, under high necklines, when I want to avoid the awkward shape a too-boosted balconette can give. 

Size:  38H  (consistent across all styles I've tried in new Natori, so that's nice)