Panache Underwire Sports Bra Review

9.7
9.7 score
[Editors rating (9.7)] = (WalkJogRun) score (9.7)/10


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If you're someone who struggles to find a bra in your size, you’re not alone. Even for those with small breasts, finding the right bra can be a big chore. For those with large busts, it can be especially challenging. Thankfully, the Panache Underwire Sports Bra is made specifically with you in mind. Available for cup sizes D through H and chest measurements from twenty-eight inches to forty inches.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra brings you premium support, thanks to a ton of small details. A hook-and-eye closure means you won't have to wrestle it over your head and down over your breasts. You can leave the straps separate, or hook them together to achieve a racerback style. 

Panache used polyamide, polyester, and elastane when they designed their underwire sports bra. These materials work together to bring your bra strength, durability, flexibility, moisture management, and comfort. 

Additional touches like the ventilation mesh panels on the bust and shoulders of the Panache Underwire Sports Bra will help keep you cool, dry, and comfortable through your workout. The sleek design not only looks great but feels great on your skin. The seams are as flat as possible, so they won’t irritate your skin. And smooth cups ensure a fit that is gentle on sensitive skin.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra is highly supportive and beautifully made. It brings everything you need to the table, so long as you can afford it. It does come at a high price, but if it’s what you need, it could be worth the cost.

Editor's Pros & Cons
Pros

For larger breasts

High-Impact support

Adjustable

Optional racerback

Breathable

Comfortable

Cons

Expensive

Wires can pop out

Brand

Panache has been around for more than thirty-five years. In that time, it’s gone through many changes and growing experiences. Panache Sport line was introduced in 2011, and it quickly became an award-winning brand and one of Panache’s most popular. What makes them special is that they are designed especially for women with larger busts. This is a big deal because it enables women of all sizes to participate in activities they normally may shy away from.

Panache is a company in Britain that specializes in lingerie, activewear, and swimwear bras for full-busted women. Their bras, like the Panache Underwire Sports Bra, are geared towards women with cup sizes from D to KK, however, across their brands, they do cover cup sizes A through KK. The headquarters of the company is in Sheffield, England.

The company went through multiple changes in 2014. This included dropping the name “Superbra”, giving their website a makeover, and changing the logos used for Cleo and Panache. The Superbra is now called the Panache Lingerie brand. The bands for these bras range from twenty-eight inches to forty-four inches and the cup sizes come in D through K.

Between the five brands that Panache owns, they cater to the many different needs of their consumers. The five brands owned are Panache, Cleo, Masquerade Lingerie, Atlantis, and Sculptresse. Lingerie from Panache is available for sale in fifty-three countries around the world and can even be purchased at many leading lingerie retailers. For more full-bust lingerie, check here.

Materials

When you’re a woman with large breasts, buying clothing can be even more frustrating than it is for everyone else. This is especially tricky when buying bras, and when you’re shopping online without trying them on first. One of the most important things to consider when looking for a bra is what material it’s made out of. You need to make sure you’re not sensitive to the material, and that it will do what you expect it to. You’re going to want to look for a material, or material blend, that will deliver in areas like support, comfort, durability, flexibility, and moisture control.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra is made from a material blend. It includes forty-eight percent polyamide, thirty-eight percent polyester, and fourteen percent spandex. This blend was chosen because it can provide your bra with all of the components it needs to help you perform at your best.

You may be wondering what polyamide even is. It is a fabric that has a reputation for being strong and highly elastic. It is often used to make workout clothes. Polyamide is technically plastic. When it is woven, it usually becomes what people call nylon. This material is highly resistant to chafing, which is why it’s perfect for busty women. It will give your Panache Underwire Sports Bra compression and keep you dry with its wicking ability and quick drying characteristic.

Polyester was chosen for the second main material used in the Panache Underwire Sports Bra for a couple of reasons. Polyester is a very durable, strong material, and it is flexible; just like polyamide. It is less susceptible to wrinkling and/or shrinking when you care for it, as long as you don’t expose it to high temperatures during washing and drying.

Polyester has moisture-control properties that will help keep you comfortable. It wicks moisture away from your skin, pushes it through to the surface, and quickly dries. This will help to keep your Panache Underwire Sports Bra from sticking to your skin and causing irritation. It will also help keep away odor-causing bacteria that just love your sweat. If you're going to be out in the rain, you could use a jacket as extra protection.

Let’s not forget about the twelve percent of spandex incorporated into the composition of the Panache Underwire Sports Bra. Spandex will provide you with extra support, durability, shape retention, and flexibility. The material is going to give you a more snug, secure, and proper fit that will last longer.

There are people that prefer their bras to be made with cotton because it is a natural fiber and is hypoallergenic. However, it is also shrunk easily, retains moisture, is more expensive, doesn’t last as long, and is flammable. If you’re interested in looking at cotton bras, check here.

Fit

Many sports bras, especially ones that are designed to provide support for sports, don’t have individual cups for your breasts. Instead, they smoosh them together to keep them in place. For women with smaller breasts, this works just fine. However, when you have large breasts, it is extremely uncomfortable to have them squashed together. It would cause unnecessary sweating and chafing.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra does have separate cups for each breast. This way, it encapsulates them to give them the best support possible. For larger breasts, this is the best way to limit the motion of the breasts during exercise. If you’re looking for a bra without cups, check here.

When you try on your Panache Underwire Sports Bra, pay attention to how it fits. If the band under your breasts is sticking out from your chest in the front center, or if the wires are digging into your armpit, it might mean you need to try a larger cup size.

If the straps are digging into your shoulders, you may not be getting enough support from the chest band. If this is happening, you may need a smaller circumference size. If the cups of the Panache Underwire Sports Bra are lifted away from your chest when you raise your arms, you may need to try a smaller circumference size or a larger cup size.

Support

Breasts need to be supported, whether they’re large or small, whether you’re sleeping or jumping. Giving them the support that they need with the Panache Underwire Sports Bra can help to improve your posture. It can help slow down the sagging process, and it can even help decrease pain and discomfort.

No matter the size and shape of your breasts, they will be bouncing when you move. They don’t just bounce up and down, either. They bounce side to side, in and out, and end up forming a sort of figure-eight pattern. This is why the Panache Underwire Sports Bra put so much work into making sure it delivers enough support to minimize the size of the figure-eight patterns made during exercise.

Your breasts don’t have any muscles, so the skin and ligaments of them take all of the shock and damage. They are vulnerable to breaking down, becoming weak, and causing sagging long before you’re ready. Once the sagging starts, you can’t reverse the damage.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra was developed and tested at Loughborough University, using Progressive Sports’ 3-D motion and biomechanics. Because this bra encapsulates your breasts, instead of compressing them, it is able to (comfortably) reduce the bounce of your breasts by eighty-three percent.

There is enough support provided by the Panache Underwire Sports Bra to be used for any sport. If you’d like to look into other high-impact sports bras, check here.

Moisture Management

Moisture management is an important component to look for in a sports bra. Thankfully, the Panache Underwire Sports Bra has many details focused on keeping you dry, cool, and comfortable. The polyamide and polyester used to make this bra will provide some help, along with the ventilation panels incorporated into the bust and shoulders.

The polyamide in the Panache Underwire Sports Bra is able to wick moisture away from your body and it dries quickly. The same can be said for polyester. Therefore, with both materials pulling moisture from your skin and sending it to the surface to be evaporated, you will be covered. Especially with the help of the mesh panels. Make sure you let the rest of your body breathe as well.

Skin-Friendly

A lot of women struggle to find a bra that keeps their skin happy. Sometimes seams seem to be placed at the most inconvenient places, rubbing your skin where you absolutely can’t stand it. Sometimes the lining in the cups of the bras can be irritating to your sensitive skin. And sometimes the bra straps can dig into your skin until you feel as though it may break the surface.

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra, however, is made with special consideration to your skin. The cups are molded and smooth so that they can reduce friction and skin irritation. The seams are as flat as they possibly can be, creating a smooth appearance and feel. The shoulder straps are wide, and cushioned, to limit how much pressure they put on your skin and to help them stay in place. For other bras aimed towards protecting your skin, check here.

Range of Motion

Range of motion may not be the first thing you think about when considering a sports bra, but it should be on your list of considerations. What if you find the perfect bra for you, except you go out to play tennis and discover that it’s rather difficult and uncomfortable to give your swing all of your efforts?

If you find that you don’t have enough range of motion when you put on the Panache Underwire Sports Bra, there is an option to hook the straps together in the back to create a racerback. Having your straps together will keep them in place more easily, allowing you to move freely without worrying about pulling them back up. It will also allow your shoulder blades to move more freely. This option is also great for runners. Check out another racerback style bra here.

Adjustability

For some women, a pullover bra with no room for adjustments gives them the perfect fit. However, for many other women, this kind of bra just simply isn’t functional or comfortable. If you’d like a pullover bra, consider this one.

Panache is dedicated to making bras that are suitable for larger-breasted women. That is why the Panache Underwire Sports Bra has options for adjustments. The hook and eye closure can be set to different tensile strengths so that you can adjust how the band fits and how much support you get from it. The straps can also be adjusted. They can be loosened, tightened, and even hooked together. With all of the room for adjustments, you’re sure to find the perfect fit. Here is another adjustable option.

Care

It is important to note the care that your garments require. It is especially important with bras. It is very easy to ruin and/or shrink your bras in the wash, especially when they have cups and/or material that is sensitive to heat.

You will want to hand wash your Panache Underwire Sports Bra. Be sure not to iron it. Do not put it in the dryer. Don’t ever bleach it, and don’t take it to the dry cleaner.

Returns

All Panache merchandise comes with a full warranty that covers defects due to materials or workmanship. It does not cover damage that is due to accident, usage, improper care, or negligence. Panache will repair some damage to merchandise not covered by the warranty, for a cost. Return shipping will be charged to you.

If you find that you’ve ordered the wrong size, or would like to exchange your product (unworn and unwashed) for a different style, you may do so. If you decide to simply return your Panache Underwire Sports Bra (unworn and unwashed), you may do so. You have thirty days from the date of purchase to make this decision. If done within sixty days, you’ll be able to get a store credit.

Bottom Line

The Panache Underwire Sports Bra gives you the support that you need so that you can have the freedom to play, run, jump, or sleep in comfort. It has a hook and eye closure to save you from wrestling with putting it on over your head and then unrolling it down over your breasts.

The straps are wide and can either rest where they normally would, or be connected together to form a racerback style option. This option will give you more range of motion, comfort, and will keep your straps in place on your shoulders while you exercise.

The polyamide, polyester, and spandex (elastane) in the Panache Underwire Sports Bra work together to bring you all of the strength, flexibility, durability, moisture management, and comfort that they can. Between the materials and the ventilation mesh panels, you will be kept dry, cool, and comfortable all day.

While the Panache Underwire Sports Bra is very supportive and beautiful, it does come at a higher cost. However, with the return policy, and all of the benefits this bra could bring you, it is worth it.