I’m afraid this is going to be one of those “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” reviews.
I have tried the Rebecca in a 36FF and 36F (with a band extender – more on that later). The Rebecca is a spacer foam fabric moulded cup bra. If you haven’t tried a spacer fabric bra, I recommend you do. I have seen the fabric recommended because it is cool and comfortable, but for me, the winning feature is that it’s a great smooth cup option for those of us who struggle with traditional rigid smooth cups like Freya Deco or Panache Porcelain.
Band: Compared to the Cleo Juna and Freya Deco, the band is not as stretchy. That said, the 38 band positioned the cups too widely for me. The band also will “release” after about 3 washings and suddenly feel 1″ larger – and then shrink up again after a wash. After about 6 washings it permanently releases by 1″. I finally added a band extender to the 36F – and it feels much better. Remember, I don’t have a fleshy rib cage (despite it being 36″). Eventually, I’ll be able to remove the extender.
Gore: Between the 36F and 36FF the gore grows by 1/2″. That may not be a big deal to most, but it is to me since I need short gores. The gore does not fully tack on my close-set, wide frame; however, the 36F is an improved fit over the 36FF.
Wires: The wires are wide enough on the outer edges without stabbing my underarms. Towards the center; however, the wires are too narriw (or curve up too quickly), and sit on breast tissue just a bit. The wires are not deep U shapes, and have more of a rounded outer section wing to them.
Cups: Spacer foam fabric can stretch. Alot. I originally purchased an FF cup (my usual Fantasie size) but found the fabric stretches too much throughout the day to give good support. Sizing down a cup size gives the support you need. It also greatly reduced the footprint of the cup – there is much less fabric on the F cup than FF. Dramatically less…. Also, downsizing helped center the cups (where it meets the band) more on my chest and moved them out from under my arms, which felt much better. There are side slings for support, however, I don’t even notice them. I won’t say they don’t work…but they aren’t strong enough to stop a bit of outward projection at the base.
After a month: I can’t write about how the Rebecca feels after a month without taking into consideration why I went down a cup size and use a band extender. The spacer fabric stretches, so after a month a too-large cup becomes painfully obvious – hence, moving from a 36FF to a 36F. The tall gore on the 36FF also began to poke out (probably because the cups were too large). This does not happen in the 36F. Lengthening the band with the extender helped because I got a more centered (remember I’m close-set) fit and a longer band. The extender lengthened the band, and didn’t widen the position of the cups. The bra is very well constructed, and the fabric washes well. The band will break in after about 6 washes.
Conclusion: Would I recommend the Rebecca? Yes. But beware it is more full-coverage at FF cup+. I would especially recommend it if you have bad luck finding smooth cup bras because moulded or contoured cups don’t fit the shape of your breasts. Personally, I feel like a mermaid in a shell bra in a Freya Deco or Panache Porcelain. The Rebecca gives a very different fit, and decent uplift. I do admit I’d be happier if there were vertical darts in the lower 1/3 of the cup – they probably wouldn’t be visible even in tight t-shirts. I am very wide, and I do have a bit of outward spread; however, I’ve had worse in seamed bras.
A Sophisticated Pair did a great post about upcoming Fantasie styles, and I noticed the Rebecca is coming out in a “less coverage” version – the Rebecca Nouveau. I’ll definitely try it. Ironically, the Elomi Hermione looks to have a shorter gore and perhaps a shorter band…and it’s made from the same spacer foam fabric. Fussy Busty has a great review of the Hermione. You may give it a try if the Rebecca peaks your interest.
Fantasie Rebecca 36F Stats
Gore height: 3 1/4″
Wire circumference: 11″
Wire shape: rounded with an outer edge wing
Distance from strap to strap: 8″
Side/band seam height: 3 1/2″
Great review!
BTW what about wires flimsiness/sturdiness? How much they expand when the bra is on? They seem pretty narrow from Bratabase info and from your review it seems that it’s not really the case.
I’m working on a wires/width post. For me, it’s weird…
I’d say the Rebecca wires are very sturdy -especially compared to a Freya Demi wire like the Totally Tartan.
The Rebecca is wide enough on the outer edges for me – my boobs don’t really wrap around my body, and I’m so short waisted I can’t wear long outer wires. It’s the inner width that’s an issue. I suspect it’s a flat vs. round thing – the Rebecca wires probably are long enough, but the length is wasted on curving too much where I need it to be flatter (which would make it fit like a longer wire).
Making the band longer (extender), but not making the cup position wider (by going up to a 38) helps the inner wire width problem a bit.
I admit I make compromises in fit because I have yet to find a supportive bra that has wide enough and FLAT enough wires.
I’d say the wires stretch approximately 1″ at the top (bottom curve doesn’t flatten) once I fasten it around my body.
They DON’T stretch from boob weight – just band stretch.
Oh! Thank you! This 1″ gives me some hope that this bra might fit me after all. From digits on Bratabase it was looking more like “not in a million years”
Bratabase is wonderful for lots of things, but I don’t think “flattening” of the wire is one of them. It also doesn’t tell you (unless it’s in a review) where the cup depth is at.
I’ve been struggling to measure and define wire shape – U, round, winged…how do we do it? It’s a real problem for some of us.
Have you tried Curvy Kate bras? A Sophisticated Pair’s comment about the Desire made me think of you. Short gore and very shallow.
Yep, wire shape is not specified anywhere and it’s not very obvious when you see bra on a person, because breast shape and ribcage shape affect a lot how it looks. Although I think if you have a picture of a bra itself you have a good idea about wire shape is and lucky for us it’s sometimes there and sometimes it could be found in bloggers’ reviews. But wire flimsiness/sturdiness and how much it stretches and change its shape when the bra is on, this information is much harder to find.
It was so sweet of you to think about Desire and me )
I haven’t tried any CK bras yet, because I don’t like Showgirl aesthetics and I don’t wear balconettes, but I think I will give their new Daisy Chain a try. And it looks like Desire is worth a try, but I already have two black Tiffanies in the rotation, so yet another black plunge doesn’t seem like a necessity to me. And it has higher cups without immediate depth (which makes it most likely wearable, but not the perfect fit), So I moved it lower in the “list of bras to try” (may be they made it in Nude while I will be buying other bras?)
I have a list like that :).
Other manufacturers use spacer foam. I think Chantelle uses it, and Elila has a few. So, if the Rebecca doesn’t seem like the best fit there are other options. Search on HerRoom for ideas.
I would have so many more bras to choose from if manufacturers wouldn’t make my best prospects with inhumanly widely positioned straps. Fauve comes to mind…as well as Masquerade. Bratabase doesn’t measure that, either, and most people don’t realize the impact on fit between wide ribs and average/narrow. Or is it deep, narrow breasts vs. wide breasts?
I tried Fauve Lucia half cup in a local boutique, the fit was pretty good and the straps were actually not awfully wide set as I expected! I would buy it, but buying a bra for more than $150 in a sister size? thanks, but no, thanks. I tried to locate it on ebay, but couldn’t find my size in colors other than brown (sad). So Fauve could be actually worth a try!
I have three Masquerades so far, and I will buy more if they make some more designs with wider wires which will be invisible under clothes.
I think that ribcage shape affects the fit as much as breast shape actually. Bratabase is taking the step in the right direction with better suites to xxx breastshape pics, but ribcage shape is yet another fit factor to add.
Sometimes I think that it’s so complicated that it’s impossible to get to the point where everything is taken into account. )))
I agree, taking all factors into consideration is an impossibility. I do think there needs to be more talk about “wide” – how it can vary.
I’m so wide that even the Rebecca straps start to head east/west…so any wide-ish strap is a no-no. Strangely, I can live with the straps – it’s how the cup gets pushed into my armpits that kills the fit.
I really enjoyed your review! The Rebecca is a fabulous bra, but it does have narrower shaped underwires which can be problematic for women who need them to extend further back. I’m kind of shocked that Eveden has the spacer fabric bras without Panache at least attempting one. From what I’ve found, the Hermione and Rebecca are pretty awesome, so I wonder why Panache won’t think of doing their own version.
Do you have a Rebecca and Hermione in the shop? I’d love to know how they compare on dimensions, side to side.
My problem isn’t the outer wire (unless its too tall), it’s the inner wire being round/narrow and gore too tall and wide.
You wanna know what I’m thinking? Well, I’ll tell you anyway…I think my boobs are proportional to my width and don’t wrap around my sides, so I fit like a narrow root (but my chest is wide, so I’m wider than normal narrow roots) but close set/touching – so I need a plunge.
Does that make any sense?
We have Hermione and do Rebecca on special order (for now) until I can free up some space to bring it in as a basic. Next time I get one in though, I’ll do a side by side comparison for you. Your explanation totally makes sense. Dezi (who blogs for us sometimes) is not technically narrow rooted but her breasts are still all forward on the chest. Of course, her root isn’t super wide either, but it’s enough that Freya, in particular, can be problematic in the fit department for her unless it’s the Deco or the padded half-cups. I know there’s lots of terminology floating around, but I totally believe you can have breasts that are close together but still have tissue wrapping around the sides or have tissue further apart but all contained on the front of the chest. Maybe that new plunge version of the Rebecca will work for you. Such a shame we have to wait until December!!
Yes, I agree!
I think some industry-wide clarification of “wide” is in order. I’ve been chasing bras with wires around my back all this time, when truthfully, I think I need a plunge with a flattish wire that doesn’t extend to my back.
I’m oddly shaped, I don’t deny…. but this experience has been a bit much.
Have you checked out any of Natori’s bras yet? Not all of them are available in your size, but I know that they tend to have a shape which works well for most women. You could probably do the 36G in the Cool Contour (it runs big in the cups), but you could do the 36H in the Conceal Contour or Sheer Luxe. They have a new one out that uses stretch lace too although I haven’t seen that one in person. They don’t have the same design aesthetic as the European brands do, but the wire width is what I’d call “medium,” so it’s not too bad a fit. If you get a chance, it might be worth it, and as a bonus, Natori is usually easier to find in department stores!
I have looked at a few in retail stores. Either they don’t stock my size OR the cup looks unbelievably round. I did ask for the N line but they don’t stock it locally. I looked at some measurements on HerRoom and the gore and/or band heights seemed too high to encourage me to order one as a test. That’s my big problem – if it’s over 4″ on the band seam or 3″ gore it’s out. I’m that short waisted/high set/close set. Ugh.
My next set of testers are all plunges, from different brands. Cross your fingers!
Do you know of a way to determine if you are high set? Is there a measurement? Formula? An Oracle?
I just looked at the Natoris you reco’d. Two have 4″ band seams – I’ve learned that if they measure 4″ at mid range they’re unlikely to be 4″ or less at the largest cup and band size. One does look promising – I just don’t typically do well with stiff cups/contours. If it is spacer fabric, I’m ok. Any stiffer and it usually shifts – but thank you, and I’ll put it on my list!
[…] recent reviews of the Panache Sophie (it’s tough to find wireless bra reviews), Fantasie Rebecca, and Claudette En Dentelle have been favorites of mine, and I’m looking forward to reading […]
Usually, I just go by looks if someone is high, low, or mid set. With high set, the start breast tissue is going to be sitter closer to the collarbone, and it’s more common in women who are short-waisted. Bra shopping definitely isn’t easy! I’ll be interested to read how the plunges pan out for you, and I’ll keep those guidelines about measurements in mind in case I think of something else. 🙂
[…] Elila is a spacer foam fabric softcup bra, and since I am a fan of the Fantasie Rebecca and spacer foam fabric, I had hopes this bra would give me more support than most wireless, smooth […]
Wow that was odd. I just wrote an extremely long comment but
after I clicked submit my comment didn’t appear. Grrrr… well I’m
not writing all that over again. Regardless, just
wanted to say fantastic blog!
[…] definitely moulded, but are not as thick and inflexible as the Freya Deco, nor as malleable as the Fantasie Rebecca. The shape does a great job of moving my breasts front and center – another improvement for […]
[…] Elila is a spacer foam fabric softcup bra, and since I am a fan of the Fantasie Rebecca and spacer foam fabric, I had hopes this bra would give me more support than most wireless, smooth […]
[…] definitely moulded, but are not as thick and inflexible as the Freya Deco, nor as malleable as the Fantasie Rebecca. The shape does a great job of moving my breasts front and center – another improvement for […]