Over the previous few months, I’ve been working by way of the grueling (and at occasions ugly) means of overhauling my sports activities bra assortment. It was like all my previous standbys misplaced their stretch and assist in a single day—though in equity, I hadn’t purchased any new ones in years. To melt the monetary blow of bra buying, I seemed to Amazon, the house of activewear dupes, for affordable(-ish) choices.
That’s the place I discovered Baleaf’s Freeleaf Bra ($46, amazon.com), a chunk I used to be deeply skeptical of at first. However its value (which ranges between $32 and $46, relying on Amazon’s present offers) and cute, strappy again satisfied me to take an opportunity. Lo and behold, it’s now a part of my heavy rotation—and I find it irresistible a lot, I lately purchased a second one.
The design
The Freeleaf is a longline bra with a scoop neck, molded cups, and criss-cross straps. All these options most likely aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, particularly when you’re searching for most assist, however I believe they play properly collectively. The news neckline doesn’t plunge too low, and the cups don’t need to do all of the lifting, due to the strap configuration: One set of straps creates an X throughout your shoulder blades, whereas one other pair runs straight down out of your shoulders to the bra’s band. And, in my view, a longer-line bra with a pleasant, broad band isn’t a nasty factor—I can put on my Freeleaf as an everyday bra or a crop high, relying on my plans and the temperature.
The one situation I’ve with the design is that the band and straps aren’t adjustable. The complete bra is manufactured from a nylon and Lycra materials that’s extremely stretchy and what I might name reasonably compressive. That means, the band and straps could be considerably accommodating—however if you would like a really dialed-in match, it’s your decision one thing with buckles or a hook-and-eye closure as an alternative.
The sizing
Baleaf makes use of a mixture of standalone sizes and ranged sizes, so your choices are small-medium, large-X-large, XX-large, and 3X-large. Is that this complicated? Sure. Did I, as somebody who by no means is aware of if I should purchase sports activities bras in smalls or mediums, recognize all of it the identical? Sure. The small-medium is simply the best dimension for me. The band feels a little bit comfortable once I first pull it on, nevertheless it rapidly stretches to suit comfortably round my higher torso.
And by chance, the model gives a dimension chart, so you possibly can simply discover the choice that fits your customary cup and band dimension.
Authentic picture by SELF senior commerce author Sara Coughlin
Authentic picture by SELF senior commerce author Sara Coughlin
The texture
Easy is the primary phrase that involves thoughts once I take into consideration this sports activities bra. It doesn’t rub or squeeze anyplace, and it doesn’t chafe below my armpits, which is an annoyingly frequent drawback for me. I don’t personal any high-end sports activities bras (once more, I’ve needed to exchange so many bras this yr—finances is all the things), however that is how I’d think about they really feel: modern, mushy, and cushty.
