The bra I never thought I would buy.

A couple of weeks ago I found myself 30 minutes early for an appointment. I decided to take a look around at the local shops and what do you know, there was a lingerie store! It took me two walk by’s to pluck up the courage to go in. It was messy, it was busy and I loved it. I hate walking into somewhere that is like a museum, it’s too quiet and neat for me and puts me on edge. The best thing about actually going into a boutique is trying stuff on you never have the chance to! I was finally able to try a 28 band and after that, everything else I tried on felt too big.

The bra I ended up buying was the Panache Andorra in black. Unfortunately there were no matching knickers but I thought ‘whatever it’s black it will go with a lot!’ To be honest it’s not my favourite looking bra, it leans more towards grandma than chic. I think I only brought it because I was excited to find a 28 band and to support a local boutique however minor the purchase was.

There isn’t a lot to be said about this bra that hasn’t been said before. It’s great if you fluctuate between sizes because it’s made of stretch lace. It gives a good shape thanks to the substantial side sling it just kind of pushes everything forward. The cups are made up of 3 parts. The bottom two parts have the stretch lace over a rigid mesh and the top part is just the stretch lace. The bra closes with 2 rows and 3 columns of hook and eyes in this size but goes up to 3 rows in the larger cup sizes. I personally prefer 3 rows of hook and eyes, I just feel more secure and I feel that it looks smoother under clothing so wish that it was 3 rows for all sizes.

The gore tacks firmly and comes up quite high at 3 inches. That is to be expected for a full cup bra but it is the highest I have and took a little bit of getting used to.  I have this in a 28ff and I’m unsure if it’s my right size or if I’m just not suited to a full cup. On my bigger boob it fits really well but on my small boob I don’t fill out the lace at the top AT ALL. Might be because it goes boob, then bone. Like 0 top fullness. The boutique that I was at is discontinuing stocking Panache so I couldn’t try on many sizes to compare.

I’ve had this bra for a while now, and I’m surprised how much I’ve actually worn it. I do have a lot of lingerie to choose from on a daily basis so I’ve surprised myself when I’m constantly reaching for the Panache Andorra bra. A lot of my love for this bra lies in its firm band and its stretch lace. It’s also the only full cup bra I own.  I’d never considered buying from Panache before I walked into that little boutique. I thought it wasn’t for me, too old and not fashion forward enough. I’m happy to report that I was very wrong in thinking it wasn’t for me. I’m now planning on buying another style from them, but hopefully this time with matching bottoms!

Has anyone else changed their mind about a bra after getting to try it on? If you find the perfect fit, will you compromise on style?

E x