Over the previous few months, I’ve been working by the grueling (and at instances ugly) strategy of overhauling my sports activities bra assortment. It was like all my outdated standbys misplaced their stretch and help in a single day—though in equity, I hadn’t purchased any new ones in years.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 appeared 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 bit I used to be deeply skeptical of at first. However its worth (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 adore it a lot, I not too long ago 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 in all probability aren’t everybody’s cup of tea, particularly in case you’re in search of most help, however I feel they play effectively collectively. The inside track neckline doesn’t plunge too low, and the cups don’t must do all of the lifting, because of 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, large band is rarely a nasty factor—I can put on my Freeleaf as a daily bra or a crop prime, relying on my plans and the temperature.
The one concern I’ve with the design is that the band and straps aren’t adjustable. The complete bra is product of a nylon and Lycra materials that’s extremely stretchy and what I might name reasonably compressive. Which means, the band and straps might be considerably accommodating—however in order for you a really dialed-in match, it’s your decision one thing with buckles or a hook-and-eye closure as a substitute.
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 can purchase sports activities bras in smalls or mediums, recognize all of it the identical? Sure. The small-medium is simply the proper dimension for me. The band feels a little bit comfortable after I first pull it on, however it shortly stretches to suit comfortably round my higher torso.
And by chance, the model offers a dimension chart, so you’ll be able to simply discover the choice that fits your normal cup and band dimension.
Unique picture by SELF senior commerce author Sara Coughlin
Unique picture by SELF senior commerce author Sara Coughlin
The texture
Clean is the primary phrase that involves thoughts after I take into consideration this sports activities bra. It doesn’t rub or squeeze anyplace, and it doesn’t chafe beneath 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—funds is every little thing), however that is how I’d think about they really feel: smooth, comfortable, and cushty.
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