August 6, 2013

I Heart Juna

In all her glory: I really love this bra!

People have been bicycling in this city forever but its biking culture hasn't been as fully mainstreamed as it is in many European countries ...like hello, Amsterdam! As of this Spring, bike lanes and the albeit mostly Manhattan-centric Citibike phenomenon (and, well, those who can bike over connecting bridges in the 45-minute ride limit) have been relatively embraced by many seeking another suitable transportation alternative to the MTA.

So something that's been around for a while is now being appreciated and it's only getting better.

So why am I talking about bikes? Because Juna's story is similar.

Juna herself as a shape has been around for quite some time in different beautiful palettes and pattern combinations over the seasons. When she debuted as a line of continuity colors in most recent years (was it really only 2011?) I was already a fan of her previous sister styles yet it took a little time to get acquainted with her simple shapely self.

In fact the earliest versions seem to have debuted by Panache brand, Masquerade. English Rose (SS09) and Inca (SS10) are both lighter color half cup bras and there may be versions dating farther back that I've yet to set my gaze upon. Inca most closely resembles Juna as we know her today. She is a pretty pinkish-coral combination of oval swirls almost reminiscent of small pieces of maki sushi or decadent tea biscuits all trimmed with tiny dotted, floral embroidered cups.

Masquerade "Inca" SS10

My lingerie drawer has been blessed with an explosion of color in many of her offerings. I am lucky to own each version of Sadie including her longline, Darcy, and arguably my favorite: Rihanna! Still there are lots more I keep an eye out for every day: Poppy, Ellie, Rita, Martha, and Cara from the most current SS13 season shall be mine soon!

The playful patterns really drew me in even before I discovered the great fit. I'd thought I could only get an adorable, well fitting half cup from Freya but now I had choice! I was a proud wearer of a Monet while still believing my size range was a proper 30ff and consequently wore the 30g half cups for the extra room! But since the style is very specific they weren't my everyday go-to bras. So all the other 30ff bras I wore really helped shift the renegade breast tissue back to its rightful place and a year later I ended up in a true 30g, which meant I really needed a 30gg in most half cups, sizing me out of those beauties! Enter Cleo half cups reaching a bit higher in both sizes and the height of the cups for a best fit. The earliest variation I own is the purple tartan Sadie in a 32g. It's the same cup volume as a 30gg but the particular season only ran 30-38 D-G. Yes, I settled on a bra I started on the final set of hooks. And oh was she worth it (still is).

Thing is that now starting with AW13 Freya is taking back my love by expanding the half cup ranges up to H cups. Now that they have the structural elements to construct even larger sizes I can see my drawer coming close to overflowing in the near future. Oh yes, I will choose to see the half cups as full-filling. No rivalries here: I'm a brand loyalist in that I love everyone equally who makes clothes that love my body. It's a celebration of women everywhere. Obviously some consumers might see the multitude of brands as competition for your devotion but I choose to see it has healthy competition. If we can have choice from an array of incredibly talented designers it can only be a wonderful thing. We're all better off for having each and every one of them.

I'm still hunting down some more of my precious Juna sisters and extremely excited by Spring 2014's lime green, yes even with the pink trim, Darcy.

Stay tuned for more half cup love.

SS14 Cleo "Darcy" in Flamingo Print
xBustsX

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