Panache's latest sports bra promises 83% less bounce. Red Wolf road tests it to see if it delivers.
Breasts and running: a tricky combination
For any runner who is a
B-cup or higher, it is a universal truth that a good bra and good running shoes
are her two most important pieces of equipment. As a recreational runner with a
36C bust, I know too well the detrimental effect of bounce.
Running, at its purest, can be transcendent. Once the initial blood sugar burn subsides, and the body has
warmed itself, the natural movement of your own continuous stride beneath you creates a calmness that can lead to maximum bliss. But running
demands total physical lockdown - no headphone cord flying about, no loose
rucksack knocking against the small of the back, no waist band slipping down to
the hips.
Breasts moving about, even
slightly, are even more problematic. They are a feature of a woman's body singularly
poorly suited to the activity of running. A good sports bra recognises this, and works to overcome it. For this reason, the sports bra is one of the most difficult pieces of technical equipment to get right.
Bra science: encapsulation v compression
If we suppose for a moment that Shock Absorber is designing sports bras at the Sigourney Weaver end of the scale, then Panache has designed what may be described as the Mae West of sports bras. This bra has glam, and delivers the all important bounce reduction. The informative,
technically detailed fold-out brochure that accompanies it states that the Panache bra is engineered to control and support breasts, not to compress
them. In the parlance of bra science, this approach is known as
"encapsulation".
This bra aims to provide anatomically moulded
support that embraces and holds the breast in place, while minimising movement
in any direction. This is rather different to the blunt effort of a maximum support
crop top, which basically squashes the breast tissue against your chest. Its
wide shoulder straps are padded to disperse pressure, and the underband sits
directly under the breastbone, leaving no space between where the bottom of the
breast rests and the top of the band. The cut is high at the sides and top,
giving a sleek, overall feminine shape that shows no cleavage.
Good wicking action from the microfibre materials means that there is no rubbing or conflict with bare skin, though I have yet to test the Panache over a longer distance.
Rear closure prevents "jujitsu bra"
Another major benefit of
this bra is the ease with which a woman can get in and out of it. This is a
serious design challenge. For anyone who has ever tried to slip a racer back crop
top on after a swim, then you will have experienced how a bra, with no apparent
motive, can suddenly jujitsu you into an underarm lock from which there is no hope of escape. If a bra pulls this
maneouvre on you, you have experienced the fashion equivalent of a suicide mission.
Panache has thought of this. A rear eye hook closure allows you to slip the bra comfortably on and off dry or wet skin, without struggle. It also carries a discreet eye closure hook that allows it to be worn racer back style if desired. But the build renders this largely surplus to requirements.
Panache has thought of this. A rear eye hook closure allows you to slip the bra comfortably on and off dry or wet skin, without struggle. It also carries a discreet eye closure hook that allows it to be worn racer back style if desired. But the build renders this largely surplus to requirements.
Price
At £35, Panache is well priced
for what is a highly engineered, solidly designed product.
Stockists
Sweatshop, John Lewis, figleaves.com, lessbounce.com -
and many others
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