On Sports Bras
Gentlemen, this may be your cue to leave. Or not. Whatever suits your fancy.
Back in the day, long long ago, Moving Comfort made a really great sports bra. It was called the Vero A/B and it was awesome. When I wore it, nothing moved. Nothing chafed. Nothing peeked out.
Screen cap of the new Vero (also called The One) from titlenine.com, the retailer with the best sports bra buying system that I’ve found.
Naturally, they “improved” it. Do not be fooled by the current listing for the Vero A/B. It’s not the same. The band is smaller than its predecessor. The mesh swoop that follows the neckline happens to have a seam that crosses over an underseam and causes rubbing and chafing. And best yet, I washed them on the cold-delicate cycle that I use for every other bra and the external fabric immediately shrunk causing weird puckering over the lining.
So for the past eon and a half (or about two years) I’ve been looking for a suitable replacement. I tried on a dozen styles at REI, half a dozen at Nordstrom, and have ordered more than I care to admit from online retailers.
Here’s my criteria:
- Adjustable straps. I’m 6’1″ and bras made for women 5’5″ and below will slice me in half at the shoulders.
- A band that’s true to size.
- Cups that hold things still. For the size that I am, there’s no reason why they can’t be solidly anchored into place.
- No headlights. I think that’s a fairly obvious one, right?
In my latest batch order from titlenine.com, I tried the Frivolous bra, which I know is made by Oiselle, a company that I’m a big fan of. I love the colorful straps (springy enough, even though they’re not adjustable), but don’t like the headlights, jiggle or the uniboob feature.
Screen shot of Frivolous from titlenine.com. I love the colorful straps.
Next up was the Wow sports bra. I kept this one and it’s ok. The overhead on-off can be tricky after a strength workout, and it digs into my chest a bit strangely, but there’s no jiggle, no uniboob and no headlights. Good enough to keep one, not enough to buy multiples.
Screen shot of Wow from titlenine.com; ok, but not the best ever.
Then there’s The Deuce. It’s a toss-up between this and the Wow, above. I think the Wow minimizes the jiggle a little better, but they’re competitive in the anti-uniboob and anti-headlights departments.
Screen shot of The Deuce from titlenine.com; it’s ok, but not enough to keep.
I also tried the Handful bra sold by Poppy Sports. Colorful, adjustable, may be ok for lower-impact activities, but definitely not ok for running. The green (no longer pictured on their site) was a lovely color, so I’m debating hanging on to this one for strength training or non-running pursuits.
Screen shot of Handful from poppysports.com.
Does anyone have an A/B bra that they really like? Or is anyone hoarding unworn versions of the original Vero A/B that they’d like to sell? Hey, it never hurts to ask….
Tags: Fitness, handful bras, moving comfort, oiselle, poppy sports, sports bra, support, title nine
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