fox | enell

I'd never really been happy with my Shock Absorber sports bra, and then with the weight fluctuation over the past year or so it had really just been a thing I kept around to change into, not for any real value. I'd been trying to work out how to decide what size new one to get - I know my size, but sports bras in my experience run very different from daily-wear bras, and if 9/10 users recommend going up a band size, fine, but then do I get the same cup size, or the cup size that goes with that new band size, or something different? And hardly anyplace carries sports bras in sizes that will be useful to me, so trying them on isn't really usually an option.

Then

flt showed up with an Enell, which I'd heard of but never seen, and she talked me through guessing what size I'd be, and I found the local retailer who stocks the damn thing and tried it on, and today I bought it and came home and changed into it because everything else I own needs to go in the laundry.

Wow. WOW. This is, bar none, the most supportive thing I have ever worn. Any sturdier and it would be made of kevlar. It's a bit of a challenge - it fastens in the front, and I can't actually see to do up the first hook, but I can make it work. It's got about a dozen hooks, because it's more of a vest-like thing than a bra, so the girls are really packed in there and not going anyplace at all. And I knew my right breast was bigger than my left, but that has never been clearer than it is right now.

Every other bra in the world, even the highly-constructed scaffolding I normally wear, is going to feel like a mere shoelace compared to this.

[eta: Oh - and I'm in only the 40th percentile of sizes that are available off the rack. That is, there are three sizes smaller than the one I'm wearing and six bigger. So if you're thinking "yes, but", go ahead and give the size chart a look - you may be surprised.]

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Congrats--finding a good sports bra is an accomplishment.

If you want to try something different, I love this one. It fastens like a regular bra, except with an extra snap, and I prefer that to the front-closure ones.

I am skeptical of anything that says cup sizes "C and up" and then only talks about DD. Of course, the Enell chart only talks about DDD, and the thing does fit those of us who have to go further down the alphabet, so maybe the Champion does as well? But in the Champion it looks like I'd just fall out the sides, where the Enell doesn't have sides, really.

Well, I've never been smaller than a D cup, so if you are, I can't speak to that. But when I was 34D I found it completely comfortable, with no bouncing at all when I ran.

I assume you mean bigger than a D cup? Because I haven't been smaller than a D cup since junior high, and trying to work that out didn't make sense. :-) If the Enell ever fails me I'll keep the Champion in mind - who knows what will happen with further weight loss.

Ah, I misunderstood what you were saying. I can vouch for the Champion at D and DD sizes, but that's it. But, yeah, if you're happy with the Enell, stick with it. Comfortable sports bras are a challenge to find.

I have heard of the Enell and am about ready to try this thing. Can you please let me know the name of the local retailer? I can guess at my size, but would rather just go try the thing on. :)

It was Potomac River Running, and their website is kind of crap but it does have a store locator - there's one in Ballston, which is probably the closest to you.

I'm also in the market for a new sports bra. My previous -and all-time fave- was a Champion. Doing leaps and jumping jacks while wearing it, the girls never budged. Unfortunately, Champion doesn't appear to sell that model anymore, and all the current models have thin-ish shoulder straps. Definitely do not want while lifting weights. I'm so very tempted by the Enell. It reminds me of my previous Champion, which had 6 hooks in the back and wide shoulder straps and felt incredibly solid. My hesitation is that given the oddball way that sports bra sizes run, I wouldn't really want to just order one from their site, and I'd have a 90-minute drive to the closest retailer. I'm going to have to think on it. Thanks for the rec.

I don't know what size you're dealing with, but my friend is bigger up top than I am and there's room in there for her, so the fact that it sure seems to me that nothing bigger than mine could possibly fit is apparently misleading. Don't go by your current bra size on their size chart; that would have had me ordering the next size down, which wouldn't have fit nohow. Put on the bra that fits you best, measure around the band, choose your Enell size by band size, and proceed. (Also the lady on the phone said you want to be, ideally, toward the high end of the range they suggest for the size in order to get the best results - so, you know, I'm on 35" and 42" and that is the high end of the range for size 2, but I think if I were on 35" and 43" or 44", she'd have recommended I stay with 2 anyway.)

I did the measuring earlier today and I came in at 37"/42", which is a size 3. I'm high end on the rib cage, but not so much on the bust. I think because of my rib cage I'd have to stick with a 3.

Calling Enell is a great idea. I tried calling my closest retailer because I didn't want to make the drive if they didn't have anything in stock which could remotely be my size. Turns out they're a posh lingerie shop with very limited hours. I'd have to take a day off of work to make their limited hours, which I just won't do.

I think I may need one of these. What sort of cup size do you think would be the limit in these? By their size chart I'm thinking I would be okay with a 3 or a 4. I guess I should call and ask, but I'll ask you first--did the Rockville store have many to try on?

I love my Enell sports bras. They are fantastic.

enell

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