Best sports bra ever finally takes gold.

Posted on December 14, 2014 by busts4justice

Freya Lingerie Sports BraMega and totally overdue congratulations to my partners-in-bounce Freya for finally taking the first prize for their sports bras in the UK Lingerie Insight awards.

Freya’s underwired sports bras (moulded and non-moulded) are the only ones I trust to keep me supported and cushioned when I run/jump/climb trees. Sadly, a Figleaves shipping cock up means I’ve been making do with Panache’s much hyped but hopelessly incompatible with me sports bra for nearly two months now*. In fact, I write this message fresh from a Nike Training Club session in aforementioned nemesis. As if a drill called “stretch and burn” wasn’t painful enough…

I digress. I love these bras, Freya Active deserve huge recognition and possibly a Nobel prize for physics for getting me and G-Unit in to fitness. I have two replacements on their way, to be paired with these ultra rad Nike flash running leggings to get me back out on the road over Christmas.

Nike_Flash_Allyson_Felix_1_original

Freya Active forever!

*I’m not entirely sure why I am so incompatible with Panache’s sports bras. After extensive evaluation (and some tears) I think it’s too big for my torso. Even when I play with sizes, it comes up extremely high and cuts in to my under-arm muscles. Evil creation.

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All I want for Christmas…

Posted on November 30, 2014 by busts4justice

I’ll be honest readers: I’m in a lingerie funk. 2014 has been awesome for a great many reasons, but frankly it’s been a personal low for my undercrackers.

It all started with my new job in March. I L-O-V-E my job. But my job has me living out of a suitcase for weeks at a time, first forcing me to make some hard style-vs-practicality choices, and then getting me stuck in bad habits.

Taking 7 lingerie sets for a week long meeting bonanza away from your husband isn’t a great use of your baggage allowance. So you start compromising: a couple of sets and some vaguely co-ordinated frillies from M&S’s 3 for 2 selection. Then you realise the bras you’ve chosen aren’t optimal for the mix of outfits you’ve packed, so you sub them out for some more basics – forgetting, perhaps, to even vaguely co-ordinate with the bottoms. Before you know it your packed lingerie selection looks as mish-mashed as an end-of-season bargain bucket and… worse… you’ve even stopped caring.

Well, enough. Lingerie has always been my thing- and right now I’m a mess. My lingerie’s all over the place and – probably no coincidence – I feel pretty crap about my body. I need a make-over (make-under?) in the smalls department. And I need it fast.

Desperately seeking: pretty, flexible and practical lingerie sets with non-aggressive cleavages, low center gores, and non-VPL making pants. Santa, I’ve actually been pretty good this year. Help a sister out?

layla in black by miss mandalay

Layla by Miss Mandalay

Lilliana by Tutti Rouge

That green! Lilliana by Tutti Rouge

Bravissimo DixieI know this is boring but that colour makes me feel all Disney inside. Dixie by Bravissimo.

PANSY-MIDNIGHT-UNDERWIRED-PLUNGE-BALCONY-BRA-1681-1682-BRIEF-1685 (1)

I just want a butt covered in pansies. Pansy by Freya.

What is my list missing? I need you, lingerie elves!

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Victoria’s Secret has the perfect body (but it’s not yours)

Posted on November 3, 2014 by busts4justice

victorias-secret-perfect-body-campaign-1414684193

That Victoria’s Secret would plaster “The Perfect Body” over ten very thin women in an advert can come as no surprise to anyone. This is a brand who have previously retouched the very butt cheeks out of their already uniformly thin models. They are not known for their dedication to diversity (even in haircut, let alone size) or promoting body confidence.

But as jaded as I am, Victoria’s Secret is still a $5bn business and an American icon that is now aggressively forcing its way on to European high streets. As much as I loathe it, they are an aspirational brand for millions of women – especially young women. This truth has prompted a petition of nearly 20,000 people calling for Victoria’s Secret to stop promoting mostly unattainable standards of beauty in their marketing. #iamperfect argues that Victoria’s Secret should be more responsible about the welfare of their customers and I am right behind them.

The problem is though – and I really hate being this negative – but I just don’t think Victoria’s Secret care. Victoria’s Secret was founded by a man, to make the lingerie shopping process more comfortable for men. This is a company that has got rich promoting a certain kind of thin, mostly white, long shiny haired, lipgloss pouted homogenous kind of sexy. That sentence alone tells you how much they care about women. Talk about unrealistic expectations of beauty: as if it wasn’t godawful enough to ignore the fact that we come in a multitude of shapes and colours, who would rationally believe it was possible to navigate long hair and lipgloss without inadvertently ending up with a beard?

This is not a company that gives a tiny crap about your self-esteem. Or your perfect fit. Or anything. Yes, petition them. Yes, use the hashtag. Yes, tell every woman you know how much they suck. But the only thing Victoria’s Secret will understand is the sound of our purses snapping firmly shut.

 

[Read more on why I HATE VICTORIA’S SECRET. Two years old. All still true.]

 

 

 

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When in Rome: Bestform reviewed

Posted on October 2, 2014 by busts4justice

rome-balconette-black-bestform

So I have been travelling and working a lot, and with my brain super busy with all that it’s made some inexplicable decisions in other aspects of my life. I’ll abandon getting dressed half way through to write one e-mail, only to come round an hour later shivering and powering through my list of things to do. I have made some questionable style choices, not least cutting my own bangs (when will I learn, seriously?). And, when asked to review a bra for Bestform I chose a style not available in my size… from a brand who makes my size.

I have started running again for my sanity, so I am coming back in to the light…

But that still leaves me with a 32FF bra to review. Bestform are a 91 year old lingerie company, and while they definitely do a stalwart line in – let’s say – conservative basics, of late they’ve been pushing their brand forward with brighter colours and prettier patterns. They cater for a range of sizes from a 30 back and up to a J cup.

Which again, doesn’t really explain why, 30G and a fan of bright things, I requested a black 32FF Rome…

Everything about Rome is classic. It’s decent quality, the full balconette offers good coverage and the wires perfectly encased my boobs. The “B” pendant on the centre gore may be a little much if your name isn’t, say, Beckie and you don’t write a blog called Busts 4 Justice, but no one’s named a bra after me yet so I’ll take what I can get.

The only problem is – just as with any bigger banded bra – is simple physics. With big boobs, it really doesn’t matter how well the cup fits if the band doesn’t anchor them to your body strongly enough; if your breasts are heavy their weight will pull the perfectly fitted cups away from your ribcage and you end up a jiggling mess. I – and many other women – need a tight band to keep everything in place. This is why the traditional +4 method fails so many fuller breasted women: heavier breasts simply need a stronger counterweight to keep them up. See, physics.

I won’t labour my struggles with this bra – especially as I’ve reviewed Bestform in my correct size before and found it to be a great fit. Ultimately in cup fit, quality, style – this bra is a decent basic. They just don’t happen to make it in my back size.

I’m not having a great streak in 2014. Need topick up some sizzlers to ride the year out with a bang…

Thanks to the kind people at Bestform for letting me try this bra: I can only apologise for my ordering insanity!

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Oops I… quite like Britney’s new lingerie line, actually

Posted on September 11, 2014 by busts4justice

That Britney Spears has launched a lingerie line perhaps isn’t that surprising, though I’m sure that – pre click – the Internetz was looking forward to a good old LOL about a trashy lingerie line inspired by her Vegas residency.

Well haters, sorry: Britney Spears’ lingerie collection is actually pretty good… and it goes up to a (UK) GG cup. Woah!

So confession: I bloody love Britney. I turned eighteen dancing to a Britney megamix in a sweaty Bournemouth nightclub. I think she’s handled over a decade of public, messy breakups, mental health issues, and not-always-the-most-successful releases with remarkable dignity. And… aw hell, I don’t need to justify myself: it’s Britney, bitch! I think she’s awesome and hope this collection proves to be as good as it looks.

And how does it look? For the most part, it’s clean lines and simple designs. The Anenome Cage bra is definitely an homage to Marlies Dekkers (Britney’s a fan, she’s worn Dekkers on stage before).

I love the simplicity of the Angelika Lace Bra. Minky grey and pink = perfect.

And there are a couple of long line bralettes that I wouldn’t mind pretending I didn’t have G-cups for…

The collection is completed by cute knickers, a couple of basic and strapless options, and even a few chemises too. It’s surprising in its simplicity, and I love Ms Spears all the more for it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to listen to Toxic in the bath.

First image by the mighty perezhilton.com. Lingerie detail shots from barenecessities.com, where you can pre-order the collection here.

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