Hello Everyone!

My intention was to post this review about two weeks ago, but if you follow our Facebook page, you’ll remember we spent about a week hanging new fixtures and reorganizing the store.  Every time I undertake a new project, I always forget to multiply whatever my initial time estimate is by three, and I distinctly recall thinking while my dad and I plotted out the placement of our new efficient and stylish wall mounts was “Oh, this shouldn’t take more than two hours to hang and maybe another two to put everything up.”  Oh how foolish I was!!  Even though it is totally unrelated to the review itself, I thought I would share a before and after picture here of our progress:

We now return you to our regularly scheduled review.  In my recent reviews of the Freya Fancies bralette and the Fit Fully Yours Kristina, I mentioned how wireless requests have exploded in the last several months, and as part of my scrambling efforts to expand inventory, I began eying the Goddess Sports Bra.  One of the challenges of running a lingerie store and planning inventory assortment is determining what to sacrifice carrying on-hand in order to stay open—an agonizing process the result of which customers do not always understand.  Sports bras (and to some extent strapless bras) have always been underrepresented because they both are utility pieces, often not purchased until the client needs them.  A notable exception to this is the Panache Sports bra which is one of our best-selling bras, and my personal favorite sports bra of all time.  As with normal bras, sports bra are available in multiple styles in a range of sizes and fabrics, each designed for different tissue types, breast shapes, and activity levels.  Because of this, sports bra could easily have a dedicated department all their own, budget and space constraints notwithstanding.

In October of last year, Goddess released their new sports bra (GD6910/6911 depending on color), a modified and improved version of their classic style.  The original style was nothing special.  It’s what I call a “generic three star” bra in that it was serviceable but not exemplary in anyway.  However, it can be challenging to find sports bras in 42+ bands.  I’ve always found this a bit paradoxical because as a culture we are not above shaming anyone who doesn’t meet a certain size criteria, particularly women, but if they want to be active or choose to lose weight, we are failing to provide them with an essential piece of equipment.  Furthermore, not all of my customers, even those in the range of some of the underwired sports bras, really wanted one for exercise.  They preferred a wireless alternative which coincided perfectly with my exploration of wireless options in general, even those traditionally relegated for another purpose.

Sizing & Fit:  Available in sizes US 34-48C-I, the sports bra boasts an impressive size range, and in fact, our best-selling size so far is the 48I.  After watching so many customers order this bra and fall in love with the fit and comfort, I decided to review one for myself.  All of my older lounge and weekend bras have needed to be retired, and I was in need of something more substantial than a bralette but more comfortable than a traditional bra.  From experience, I knew the Goddess Sport runs firm in the band, with many customers sizing up for comfort.  Since I am between a 30 and 32, I opted for the 34I (UK 34G).  While not an exact sister size, the 34I fits much better than I expected.  The band closes comfortably on the middle hooks, but for my purposes (like lounging on the deck and writing a review about it), I prefer the loosest setting.  The inherent stretch in the cup fabric accommodates my UK 30HH/32H tissue although I realized belatedly after shooting the pictures and video that I was not fully scooped.  As a result, there seems to be overflow on the larger side where tissue is not encapsulated.  This is only from rushing to finish, and in person, my breast tissue fits comfortably inside the cup.

When I first initiated beta testing on my customers, I appreciated how the Goddess Sport bra manages to be a wireless, compression style sports bra with a lovely shape under clothes.  Most compression sports bras produce the oh-not-so-flattering sports bra uniboob many people have associated with sports bra in general, but Goddess built in both space and projection into the cups to enable tissue to fill out more while still remaining firmly contained.  The resulting profile is lifted, forward, and rounded.  As with all wireless bras in higher cup sizes, the Goddess Sport fails to separate tissue at the center, which is why I prefer the classic Panache sport for times when lots of sweat is involved.  However, for lounging, weekend chores, or even yoga, the lack of separation is not a problem for me.

Furthermore, the wide band and wings, accompanied by four hook-and-eye closures, provide not only excellent side and back support but also smoothing.  The bra removes any strain from my neck and shoulders.  Many sports bras nowadays utilize a J-hook to allow clients to convert the bra to a racer-back; however, Goddess forgoes this design element in favor of an alternative strap design.  Markedly inset, the straps on the Goddess Sport sit nearly adjacent to my neck, meaning anyone with narrow or sloped shoulders should not have issues with slippage even during heavy activity.  Restricted stretch fabric maintains shape over time, but the light padding up to the shoulder means these are only partially-adjustable.  That said, the strap length is short.  I’m a little over 5’6″ and have torso for days, and I need to wear these bad boys fully loosened.  In fact, I angle them outward more on my shoulders because they are too tight near the neck.  Wash and wear loosened the fabric some, but if you are tall or have a long torso or both, this style—despite the other good qualities—may not be the right fit for you.

Materials & Design:  A breathable mesh fabric on the interior exploits moisture-wicking properties to keep you dry during exercise, and the outside cup uses tight seaming on a smooth fabric to minimize show-through under thinner tops.  The wings and bottom band are completely encapsulated in fabric to prevent elastic or stitching from rubbing or chafing, and despite the smooth fabrics, the bra grips the body for impressive anchorage.  I experienced no issues in the front with the band rolling although on the sides, the position of the band sinks inside some naturally occurring back fat (hey, it is what it is, right?).  This caused the elastic to invert a little, but it was alleviated more by tightening the band further.  Because of the softness of the fabrics, this doesn’t bother me at all, and I didn’t even realize it was doing it until I took the pictures.

Aesthetically, the Goddess Sport does not break any new ground, which is okay.  It’s a sports bra after all and not a high-fashion lingerie piece.  The design is full-coverage enough to allow you to wear it as a top, but the strap width and color-blocking also read as a workout tank under clothes.  Currently, the bra is available in a heather grey/pink combination as well as a black/red.  In the future, I would love to see them invest in seasonal fashion or to add solid colors.

Additional Thoughts:  My exercise and activity preferences skew away from bouncing up and down, but I think it is important to still evaluate the bounce test for those more cardiovascularly inclined.  When I jump, my breast tissue not only stays contained inside the cup but also experiences no horizontal or vertical movement.  I am technically in one of the smaller size ranges for the bra, but I have seen it perform equally well in 38+ bands C-DDD cups.  In G-I cups, the tissue does move more, but the hold is still quite remarkable.  In those sizes we see the most interest in clients using the bra as an everyday staple due to the comfort and compression.  I have a delightful customer who has been purchasing the Goddess Alice and Audrey bras in US 46K for years, and I encouraged her to try this one in the 48I for exercise.  It’s her new favorite everyday bra, and even her husband commented how nice it looked under her clothes.  Overall, my hat is off to Goddess for giving men and women a new, comfortable sports bra or lounge bra or everyday bra or all three depending on how you feel!

Erica

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