Tomima - Lingerie and Underwear Expert

Sports bras are really in a category all their own. You see them less in lingerie departments, and more in the active sportswear stores. This is because sports bras are all about performance. And that performance is their ability to reduce breast bounce. It’s a pretty standard occurrence that a sports bra will declare itself to be one of 3 support levels: light, medium or maximum in its breast support.

Maximum support sports bras are claiming their design will keep your breasts supported during high impact sports such as running, tennis, basketball, etc. This is all great, but do we really know if a bra claiming to be maximum support is doing its job? Before answering this question, let’s talk about breast bounce. The leading researcher in this field is Dr. Joanna Scurr — Professor in the Department of Sport & Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth in the UK.

Dr. Scurr has done extensive research and testing in this field. Her findings are rather interesting. The first interesting point about breast bounce during running is that breasts move in 3 directions: up and down, side to side, and in and out. And, because of the alternating movement of our arms, the up and down and side to side movement looks like a sideways figure eight.

This movement happens both with and without a bra on. Testing 20 D cup women (ranging from 32D-36D), Dr. Scurr was able to measure the movement. Without wearing any bra, these women’s breasts had a total movement of 15.4 centimeters or a little over 6". That’s a lot of breast movement! Dr. Scurr than set out to find if this breast bounce was reduced significantly by wearing various bras. What she found is that breast movement reduced by 49% just by wearing an average everyday bra, and that wearing an encapsulated high impact sports bra reduced breast bounce movement by up to 73%.

Given this research, can one conclude that all maximum support sports bras will reduce your breast bounce by 73%? Well, HerRoom put all their 35 sports bras claiming to be maximum support to the test. With a 34D model running in place, a still video was shot of the model both in front and to the side. The results of "The Bounce Test" showed that the label of "maximum support" or "High Impact" on these bras did not guarantee a consistent reduction in breast bounce during high impact sports. The poor performers included:

	Champion Double Dry Seamless Sports Bra 2893
	Donna Karan Casual Active Underwire Sports Bra 35160
	Lily of France In Action Sport Underwire Bra 2111210
	Moving Comfort Sera Seamless Sports Bra 705360

Another point Dr. Scurr observed is that encapsulation style sports bras reduced breast bounce more than the traditional compression style sports bras. The Bounce Test proved this out, with the best performers being encapsulation, or a combination of encapsulation and compression. The best performers included:

	Enell Sport Bra 100
	Lunaire Coolmax Underwire Sports Bra 11111
	Anita Active Front Close Sports Bra 5523
	Goddess Sports Bra Soft Cup 5056
	Moving Comfort Melbourne Racerback Sports Bra 720960
	Panache PS Sports Bra 2001

See all the Bounce Test videos on HerRoom.

With great fanfare, the highly anticipated Spanx Bra-lleluhah Bra style 216 launched this January. Three years in the making, this Spanx bra claims to be "So comfortable… You’ll forget you have it on!."

So what’s so different about this bra? Unlike other lingerie manufacturers, Spanx approached its design more from a shapewear and hosiery perspective. The bra is fashioned out of a unique hosiery fabric. Spanx claims it conforms to your body like a second skin, and thus reduces any visible bra lines under your form-fitting tops. The straps have no hardware adjustments. Instead, the unique hosiery fabric naturally adjusts the shoulder straps to the appropriate length for you. And, a new technique claims the underwires are contained differently so that no wires will peek or pop out. This new bra concept is also patent-pending.

Given this bra has the Spanx name behind it, many would predict opening sales would be brisk… and they were. So good in fact that Spanx is now saying they’re sold out and will not have more inventory until August of 2008! This is a good sign, but does it put to rest the initial cautions being voiced before its launch?

Here were the pre-launch concerns with the Spanx bra. The shoulder straps are unusual in that they’re not adjustable. These non-adjustable straps could be problematic for petite and tall women who need strap adjustability. Also, as this bra is worn over time, will these straps stretch out of shape? This Spanx bra is a front closure bra. Hence, it has no band adjustability - unlike the traditional 3-position hook and eye back closure. Again, as this bra is worn, will it have a shorter life-span because the back has stretched out? Finally, it appears this bra is really designed for an average height woman who has neither a broad nor narrow back, because anything other than normal can not be adjusted for in the band length.

So far, the reviews at HerRoom.com have been mostly raves. 38B and 34C sizes have given it 5 Star reviews:

"Loved the Bra. I do wish that they offered bigger cup sizes in the smaller sized bras. ie: 34 D/DD or 36 D/DD"

"I love this bra. It is the most comfortable bra I have owned. I hardly know I have it on!"

However, a peek at early returns is showing a trend. There is a higher return rate in D cups. Perhaps these recent review explains why:

"Did not like this at all! I am probably a 32D-32DD and although the band is big enough around (maybe even a little too big), the cups are too small!" 32D

"It is not comfortable, does not fit well and is almost no support at all." 38D

"This bra is extremely comfortable, and perfect for under T-shirt and fitted tops. The drawback is that you cannot adjust the straps and it does not offer a lot of support. I would not recommend this bra to anyone who requires larger than a C-cup due to the lack of support. If you have smaller breasts and want a smooth line under your clothes, this would be perfect for you." 34D

Bottom line: the Spanx Bra-lleluhah bra is so far, quite popular. However, if you’re a full D cup, or you’re out of the norm in terms of height, just understand that this bra may not be the best choice for you. Hallelujah!

Spanx Sighting Update! As rumors spread that Carly Smithson, a top American Idol contestant, was pregnant, she confessed to wearing  Spanx for her performance in an effort to show that no, she isn’t pregnant.  She did look unusually trim and got knowing looks from American Idol judge, Paula Abdul at her mention of Spanx. And by the way, Carly really isn’t pregnant.

Find Spanx lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Slips
Shapewear

Let’s face it–nursing bras are not so very sexy. We’ve all seen the heavy cotton white utility model. But nursing mothers take heart. Condessa has come out with a line of pretty, colorful, and lacy styles (really) that remind you (and your partner) that you are not just an all-night dairy. The Cassandra lace nursing bra Gives new meaning to the phrase, ‘Hot Mamma.’

You can find lots more information about maternity and nursing lingerie in HerRoom’s fitting guide.