Panache "Envy" Review

I've been eager to try Panache's new Envy bra. Being based on their extremely successful Jasmine bra, I figured it would be a good one. However, I heard initial reports that it was different from the Jasmine, so I was worried it wouldn't deliver. However, this weekend I got the chance to try the Envy in a store and I was blown away by how great it is. I haven't tried the Jasmine (shameful, I know) so I can't report back on the differences, but I can say that this is a great bra that I'd highly recommend.

Here's the front view. Like the Jasmine and its ancestor, the Andorra, the Envy has a modified full-cup construction with a side support panel and stretchy upper section.

The combination of the uplifting side support and the stretch in the top means that these bras don't suffer from the problems that regular full-cup bras have. However, I still get a very slightly pointed shape in the Andorra full cup. That was NOT the case in the Envy:

This is one of the best shapes I've ever seen--held close to the chest and extremely rounded. At first I couldn't believe the shape I was seeing, so I did some bouncing around, but it seems like this is the real deal.

I tried the Envy in a 30HH and 32H. The cups run true to the size I currently need in Panache, Freya, Curvy Kate, Bravissimo and Cleo bras (though I can still wear a 30H in Cleo Marcie), so I would say the cups are true to size. The band felt a little firm to me in the 30, as I'm more of a 32 now. I would say the band is also true to size and is made of a lovely high-quality material like the Andorra rather than the typical crappy mesh.

I'm really impressed by this new offering by Panache. Because of the stretchy upper cups, it will work well for both full-on-top and full-on-bottom types--it works to combat both cutting in AND gapping. I'm really glad to see Panache beefing up their collections (which have been a bit weak in recent seasons) with such a well-constructed bra.