A year ago this Independence Day, I was trouncing about a wedding weekend in patriotic lingerie. This year? I painted a bedroom and sat grumpy in a pair of VS Pink flag undies to take these pictures. Buying a house will change a gal. Wanton spending? Hobbies? Free time? Nope, nope, and nope. Between preparing this house into a home, working, and an internship, I feel like I haven't breathed in ages. Can we talk about this lighting though? I took these shots at sundown! Bless this house.
Now, speaking of breathing: Exercise! Another friend I haven't had time for! Since this bra and I haven't been able to spend as much time together lately as I would like, I'm hoping to introduce it to some other folks. Meet Chantelle's Sports Bra. I'll go out on a limb and say I prefer this over the Panache Underwired Sports Bra, which is a huge fan favorite. I won't be doing a full comprehensive review of it, but you can find plenty out there--I would link some, but there are too many blogs to choose from. Work the Googles.
Underwire in a sports bra isn't essential, and while it may seem uncomfortable to some, I'll probably never go back. After experiencing running while pregnant wearing a compression bra, I finally felt what was happening, and had flashacks to the first moment of my budding pubescence where I realized I couldn't run without a bra on. Compression sports bras don't do much for you, and here's why: When you exercise with a compression bra on, especially one that you have too much tissue for(which is usually any tissue), your breasts bounce. Not only do they bounce, but the movement is in a figure eight, and as one breast unit. The uni-boob. We've all been there. That bouncing is painful, of course, but it's also doing long-term damage to the ligaments that help keep the breasts lifted. It moves like a rubber band with each bounce, and as time goes on, that elastic is going to run out. Bra-sized, full-support sports bras offer separation. And that separation is critical to keeping everything where it's supposed to be. If you haven't gotten yourself a proper sports bra, I'd go get fitted for one stat. Especially if you're one of those fiends stacking sports bras and regular bras every time you exercise.
~Anyways~
Support:
Both the Chantelle and the Panache do a great job of support for medium-to-high-impact exercise. The wires encapsulate the breast tissue fully, coming up under the arms as well as to the top of the gore. It's very important that this wire be as flat as possible on the sternum, to maintain that separation. This may be an issue for some who are more full in the center, but most who are in the size range should be fine. Panache's only edge here is it's extended size range (UK sizing): B-J cups, 28-38 bands. Chantelle (Euro sizing) serves: D-H cups, 30-42 bands.
Shape:
While both give a really good, round, controlled, two-boob shape, one definitely lifts more than the other. Panache, as it does with most of it's bras, really lifts up from the bottom and brings in from the sides. The result is a perky, projected shape that flatters most, if not all. While Chantelle definitely still lifts, the pull in from the sides and bottom is not as strong. Personally, I'm not wearing my sports bra for gorgeous breast shape, so this doesn't bother me.
Construction:
As can be seen, they both have about the same pattern. Foam-lined cups, with mesh in a wishbone shape, and a tall underwire. That wire is fully padded and encased, to prevent too much rub or dig. A solid, padded band runs underneath the wire, for added cushion and anchoring to the body. The fabric on the cups on both are more smooth and firm, although the cups on the Chantelle definitely have more flexibility. Both feature wide, cushioned straps with an an adjustable j-hook option for those who want racerback. They also absorb stink at the same rate, and hold it an equally long time...ugh.
Fit:
Where the greatest differences lie, naturally...The biggest difference in the fit of these should come as no surprise, if you're familiar with the two brands. If not? Read on.
Panache is a very firm brand in basically all of it's styles. As much as I love their designs, it's not a brand that works too well for me, simply because of the way their wires are shaped. Panache uses very firm wires in more of a tight U shape. This is great for forward projection! But not so great if your breast tissue expands more out to the sides, as mine do post-reduction. I have a very wide shape, so these wires can not only be a little uncomfy, but also make the cup feel small to me. I often have to size up in Panache. I have this bra in a 32F, but it's from last summer when I was more of a 30F (what a time to be alive!!!!), so spillage at the sides definitely occurs.
Chantelle uses wires of a thinner gauge, that are generally more flexible and comfortable for folks who can be more sensitive to the pressure of underwire. The shape of their wire has a much more open mouth, allowing it to encompass more tissue on me. I have two Chantelle's in 32G (which is the equivalent size to UK 32F). These wires also mean that I can still fit this bra pretty well, despite being more of a UK 30G now.
Both bras run snug, as most sports bras I've encountered do, so I recommend sizing up in the band. These 32 bands are killer to break in. Depending on breast shape, these bras can run a bit full, moreso with Panache than Chantelle. If your shape is anything but full all over, and after taking into account your breast shape versus the wire shape on each, I would perhaps size down in the cup. Better yet, try both.
Overall though, I prefer the Chantelle Sport because it just feels better for me. And of course, it feels better for me because it's a better fit for me; but I also prefer that flexibility, that less heavyweight battle armor feel that the Panache can have. My tits don't feel rock-hard fake in this sports bra. I can sacrifice a lil bit of forward projection for a lil bit of comfort, especially when it's for activities that make me wanna diiiiiie.
Sweat happy, dudes.
