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

A personal note

So there's this perfect www.someecards.com card I stumbled across earlier this week (unfortunately it's not this one above). It was going to be perfectly appropriate for this post alas, it has disappeared from my memory (and cache it looks like, too). It simply makes a point about having the intent to do something but instead of making it a reality you think about it for so long that you actually forget it's still just living in your head.

That's been this blog and my life for the past umpteenth months. When I originally started this blog I was incredibly excited to have garnered so much knowledge about the intimate world of proper fitted lingerie and thought I was finally ready enough to make some proclamations of my own in the blogosphere. Life had some interesting events for me as it turns out. I have spent the former part of 2013 moving households (no small feat in New York City I assure you!!!), losing a great job I liked being a part of, working here and there to make ends meet which means all my time has been spent on keeping afloat. This has meant no time for participation in the Wonderful Webby World of Boobs which also has translated to not enough funds to buy new bras in order to write reviews. I've also got to catch up on months upon months of fellow busty bloggers around the net. All pending, of course. This post is kind of a whip to snap myself back into it and a confessional of sorts as well.

From the beginning I had promised myself to keep as professional (and omit my everyday identity) as much as possible so that I not only take a stand for bigger busts but to keep everything really relevant to the issues at hand. I would never want to talk about my cats, worklife, boyfriend, etc. at needless length if those topics had zero to do with actual bus(t)iness. So here I am laying it out on the table, doing something I hoped never to really do. Truth is that I couldn't imagine my life without having travelled down this path...

Of course aside from a few comments I'm not even sure anyone reads this, although I shouldn't really mind anyway.

And I'm not one to want to make excuses so I'm kinda forcing myself back to my passion here, putting much less pressure on myself to draft perfect posts (I'm not formally trained in the writing arts but hold myself to an incredibly high standard in all the work I do.) After all, I have fit many friends and some family in this time which means I'm not stopping there, so why should I here!

Oh, and rest assured when I find it the image above will be rightfully replaced.

Delay after booby delay...

Those who know me personally wouldn't be surprised when I say that I like to keep my blog and my boobs (my actual self) separate. However, I feel there comes a time when I need to be honest and now is one of those times. I had my first delay just after starting the blog last summer, it was kind of a writer's block and kind of a shyness about what to write about. It was an embarrassing numerous months-long delay. In the months that led up to starting the blog I witnessed tons of bra blogs debut and I wasn't sure mine would be any different or even necessary. This time I went through a few months of the immeasurable stress related to apartment hunting in New. York. Frikkin. City. Everyone knows this city is unlike any other and the real estate process is more than all time consuming. Add in a dash of career fluctuations and it made for a silent blog. But I am pleased to say that I am writing somewhat comfortably from my new abode and with a few more positive transitions I'll be back and better than ever in just a short while. Because what I've realized is that it is necessary for me, regardless of who else is or isn't reading.

I've made boobs my passion in everyday life but sometimes other women don't initially realize that it is coming from a truly good intentioned place deep within my heart. So this note is kind of a letter of admittance, guilt, grief, acceptance and still all based on love.

That being said, I have many pending posts from a CurveNY roundup, breasts in the media, boobs & stress, and many more reviews.

Interested in reading anything in particular? Please let me know and I'll do my best!

xBustsX

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!

Freya's 365 Days of Deco

This month Freya kicked off their 365 Days of Deco campaign.

Each month will see ten winners drawn which means you have a new chance roughly every 30-days! Simply visit the website and upload a photo of your niftiest outfit supported underneath by any of the Deco range. Prizes include new items in the Deco range and £1,000 stylist shopping spree! And it's open Worldwide so that means hooray, New Yorkers can enter! Personally I think it's quite exciting enough to put together your own stylin' 2013 Deco Calendar! It's like a scrapbook of excellent outfits you get to proudly show off and without ever having to give a sneak peek, unless it works for you and what you're wearing!

I'm actually excited to discover the new AW13 fashion styles featured in the video...

A stunning ruby red and black number, shimmery lavender & black lace, the muted turquoise reminiscent of a deep sea dive. Perhaps a late summer availability?

Is this a new Deco-named line like the "Deco Honey"?

More contrasted piping/trim along the cups to match the darker straps, ala the "Taylor" and "Ashlee" versions of Deco.

Looks like a wee twinset of buttons similar to the Freya Plunge in Charcoal.

I spy with my little eye what looks like a Freya Honey in Turquoise! YESSS!!!

Freya Shape is launching this year available in Ivory for SS13 and the Black is likely part of AW13 collection. Included are a new Multiway, Strapless Longline and Moulded Strapless Slip. There is a wide size range in most save the Slip which debuts in 32-36 D-GG cups. Frankly, I'm hoping they expand those sizes just a bit more with the Black colorway.

I'm highly anticipating the new blueish Freya Honey and still wish Taylor in Charcoal were available in 28GG. It does appear that SS13's Deco Flamingo and Honey in Iris purple are however much of the range still tops out at a GG cup. It's exciting to see so many options in style but I wonder how much longer GG+ fans will have to wait until they can join in on the fun?