Review: Freya Ada

Admittedly I have an ongoing happy-sad love triangle with Freya bras. Growing up without proper support wasn't easy. Throughout adolescence I'd been told I was a 34C and deducted maybe I was a 34D and so spent all those years trying to find pretty non-padded bras that wouldn't break the bank. I fondly remember my excitement over solid cotton brightly colored 34D's from Gap Body but I was never drawn to floral pastels or anything overly girly. The multitude of options drastically slimmed back with my preferences. I would have to settle at least for comfortable basics even if I couldn't have more unique patterns or color choices that weren't available without a half-inch of padding.

So nowadays I've got a firm grasp on how to handle my lady assets and I'm more than overjoyed, nay, absolutely thrilled there is choice. Imagine that, fifteen year old self! It is with sheer delight that I can own a bra that fits in a nary heard of size outside the UK (where Freya is designed) but also have it available in an unpadded and proudly branded pattern. See, usually I'm a huge fan of imagery but would rather buy a shirt or other item without branding or logos because I think it speaks volumes about a company about the strength of their designs. Plus, I would rather not be a walking advertisement at my own expense. I feel the Ada bra is different. Freya were my first proper sized bra and even though it was a plain nude which actually hurt me so much I had to gift it away I'm grateful for their brand's existence because that first one was the only instance I've ever had like that. Not only do they offer a wide range of cup sizes and bands for smaller frames like my own but as a brand they really embody what it means to be feminine. Sure there are the everyday and lacy necessities of Jolie, Arabella or the Deco but some days we all require something especially fun to really amp up our need to get dressed.

The Ada is a classic balcony bra which Freya are pretty expert on. They state the center gore falls a bit shorter than many other similar bras so it makes it kind of a plunging style though not a true plunge per say, at least not as high up as a G cup when compared to my Deco collection. It fits as comfortably as any of her other recent balcony plunge sisters like the Ellie or Ivy. The band is pretty stretchy as Freya's are notorious for but still feels good on. This style is generally quite a popular fit and works well on so many women from reviews I've read. I would say the quality is great and the material gives just the right amount of stretch for movement throughout a day's wear.

The cup shape is quite natural and one I would label as 'pointy' in comparison to the well rounded shape Cleo bras give me which I generally prefer. It actually kind of disappears under certain types of clothing or specific fabrics like a heavier weighted cotton that provides some kind of shape in the darting. I would really prefer to own a ton of the padded half cup styles but the cups are really short and I would need something larger than the G-cup they top out at in the size range. (30g just doesn't cut it but a 30gg would be awesome if it were made one day!) Until then my only real choices are the true G-cups in balcony/plunges but I'm really picky about which ones I like even remotely enough to order it to try out. Because if I don't feel like it's worth at least a 75% or higher chance it'll work out for me, I know it's just time wasted ordering, waiting, trying on, returning, waiting for refund. Which can sometimes take more than a month.

 

Remembering back to my earlier years when I disliked anything tiresomely pink, lacy, floral or butterfly patterned I am so thankful for this complete antithesis! This rockabilly inspiration sports flying hearts, black inkspots, and the rockstars of the winged-insect world ‒ dragonflies! (*swoon*) Instead of the rose-adorned scroll-print toting "I Love Mom" it wears the love for Freya and is like it's been taken directly off a tattoo parlor wall. This version of "What's black and white and pink allover?" is anything but boring or outrageously girly. It's a full-busted rocker chic dream come true. Toss on some fully adjustable straps outlined in black trim, black-and-white polka dotted bow-ties, and you've made a fan outta me.

 

Normally I wouldn't go near a bra with so much of a sheer mesh upper layer and emphasis on that layer like an Arabella or Beau style because it feels just somehow uneven in appearance. Obviously I was won over by this print for other reasons but I believe it's the print which helps balance out the sheer upper cup. The black embroidery trims both the bottom and upper parts of the band, both edges of the straps, and the black parts of the mesh upper cup play off the drawing outlines of the entire bra itself. Of course, the little black bows are helpful too in creating a sweeping feel to the v-shaped neckline which finishes off a perfect composition. Wearable rock and roll tapestry! Rejoice!

ox

Gotham out!

What's Your Size Range?

Many women find a bra they like that fits well and believe that's their size in every bra. There's a myriad of reasons this isn't the entire truth because behind each label there are different factors that comprise the make up of each bra.

It stands to reason most brands would have one or more designers responsible for each season's styles and the ongoing core or "continuity" lines, you know the ones available usually in Black, White and a "Skin-tone" year after year. The total fabric content also likely differs depending on whether it's made from lace, nylon, sheer mesh, lightly-padded for shape and security, the list goes on, really. Each material will grant a different level of flexibility and some remain rather firm.

I think it's quite important to be properly measured for the likeliest size that will fit and work with it. After that it's basically up to finding the nuances of your appropriate size in each brand. Sometimes a band will be far too snug for comfort and so you can size-up the band. Other times a cup may be too big with very clear signs of wrinkling. Or, the underwire may poke at your sides so you can try a cup larger to see if that helps alleviate the issue (so long as it fits right everywhere else!).

Online Bra Size Calculators!

Measure in Inches
Linda's Online (aka Linda The Bra Lady)
http://www.lindasonline.com/bra-fitting-calculator.html

Measure in Centimeters
Elektroniczny Bra-Fitter
http://www.atlastravel.nazwa.pl/mini

Measure either Cm or In
Butterfly Collection
http://www.butterflycollection.ca/bra-size-calculator

A Sophisticated Pair
http://www.sophisticatedpair.com/bracalculator.htm

It's really just a starting point. The only real way to find out if a bra will fit you is to try it on. Here are some examples of variation through the same brand.

I'm a huge Cleo fan. The colors, the patterns, the fit! I believe (after blooming early) taking about fifteen years to find the right size has me longing to make up for lost -and very necessary- wardrobe time. Give me the bright purples and neon greens any day! I found much of the 2010 through 2012 seasons to run either TTS or they may appear so and tend to stretch out rather quick. Most notably I purchased the Eleanor in Red one band smaller and a cup size larger, 28gg, because I anticipated it would stretch somewhat given a bit of time. So I added an extender and wore this cherry tomato red pieced-cup bra with a lovely almost picnic-basket like embroidery a few times over the course of a summer week. Usually after a wash and dry a bra's elastic snaps back into place somewhat making it more snug. After only a few wears I had to leave the extender in my drawer because it was already perfect on the first set of hooks. I was shocked and definitely in awe. So I figured from thereon if the shape fits it was best to buy smaller bands so my new bras would have more life. As it turns out I would go on to purchase several more Cleo's in this size such as the Bonnie and the ever popular Lucy in many colors.

left to right: SS11 Cleo "Bonnie", SS10 Cleo "Eleanor", SS12 Cleo "Lucy" (all 28GG)

Migrating Tissue?
 
When one size seems to work a majority of the time there can still be size variations. As mentioned in an earlier post on my first proper fitting I'd originally been fitted into 30FF's. After wearing proper sizes for about 8-12 months I noticed the need for a slightly larger cup. I wondered why because my weight rarely fluctuates outside a few back-and-forth pounds and never enough to significantly alter the fit of my clothing. So after all the years spent wearing ill-fitting and unsupportive boob hammocks the extra tissue had over time kind of floated away from the front bust into the underarm and toward the back but now had been brought forward where it should be. Claire at Butterfly Collection has a great blog post with examples.

Even in my new found 30G I still found variation depending on different brands and styles. As of current time writing this I fit and constantly wear a 30FF in Fantasie moulded cup styles as the 30G is still a bit too roomy leaving little air pockets inside the cup. Fantasie's Ava from their core line is one of my favorite bras and the first one I ever wore all day without feeling like I was wearing a bra. It's that comfy! Otherwise I tend to fit well into the 30G cut-and-sew Fantasies as well as Freyas which makes sense as they are sister brands and often design shapes are identical across both lines. That said, I own just a couple of these in Freya since I'm less a fan of the overall pointed shape they give me personally. Not to be confused the similarly named AW12 Freya Ada is perfect in 30G and I loved the pattern so much I made an exception for it. Going back two seasons the Cleo Sasha (AW11) technically fit in both a 30G and 30GG but the 30GG felt more secure. In comparison the cups are ever so slightly higher and more supportive and I feel better about bending over/moving about. However just as with the previous 28-band Cleo's this band stretched out quickly and it now wears on the final hook, sometimes second-hook when a bit of room is required (luckily I was able to snag it in the smaller 28H via Bratabase and the shape is consistent).

left to right: Fantasie "Ava" 30FF, AW12 Freya "Ada" 30G, AW11 Cleo "Sasha" 30GG

Bump It Up
 
Most of the above mentions are of unlined cut-n-sew types with the exception of Ava. Not everyone will find themselves in the following situation but most of the time I tend to need one cup size larger in lightly padded styles. It feels like there is just a tiny bit less room in there with more than just the outer defining fabric. And so it's usually a 30GG for me in padded bras like Cleo's Juna. A shape from the core line it's one that started long before her as she is well known today. Available in Black, Ivory and "Nude" shades Juna seasonally wears different patterns and shades such as the current AW12 Darcy with patriotic red, white and blue leafy heart print and the purple tartan AW10 Sadie below. The purple Sadie however was not available past a G-cup. Here is another exception made and purchased in the same volume however in a 32G, worn immediately on the final hooks and will eventually need altering to shorten the band. Braless in Brasil has a good post on altering or shortening bra bands. When I purchased Juna and her colorful sisters Sadie in Orange, Darcy, and Rihanna I was still anticipating their bands to stretch out fast in a 30 and so bought the size down all in 28H's. They work well for my shape and I have a matching bra extender for each to get more wear in the long run. The only 30G bra I've found to work appropriately in a padded style so far has been Cleo's SS12 Arianna which ran 28-38 D-G and I tried the 32FF and 32G but they were both too big in the band and the 32G was definitely too big overall!

left to right: SS12 Cleo "Arianna" 30G, Cleo "Juna" 28H, AW10 Cleo "Sadie" 32G

For those curious, The earliest incarnation of Juna I've found was from just before my introduction to Panache and their Masquerade line: SS10's Inca.
 
Being measured on average for a 30G is just the starting point as witnessed above. All of these bras are worn on a regular basis and all have their own slight variation on fit and shape although on the same body.

Do you find yourself varying between brands or even in the same line? Please share below in the comments!