Last month I wrote that I prefer seamless bras, but several weeks ago I gave in to Iris’s insistence that I try the Panache Tango II. I think I like it. It does all the lifting a seamed bra is supposed to, and it’s a very pretty everyday bra. I’ve even worn it under tee shirts this week without feeling self-conscious. As my friend reassured me today, it doesn’t have that pointy, busty, lacy look that full-breasted women were forced to endure in the 50’s. Although I experienced the underwire poking under my left arm today, which is never great, I was able to adjust it so that the poking stopped.

What really sold me on this bra was the fit. I mentioned last July that I bought some new everyday Chantelles to accommodate my weight gain and to try a new lingerie store. Then I showed the Chantelle I was wearing to Iris, who promptly demonstrated how the cups were too shallow by putting me into the Panache. I was humbled. I really thought I understood fit until I saw the difference in the Panache: the center rests flat on my chest between my breasts, and there is no bulge on top or at the sides. A skeptic may be saying, “Sure, Iris just wanted to sell you another bra,” but Iris wouldn’t actually sell me the bra. She said I had too many. It wasn’t until I dropped off my donation at the end of September, including the Chantelles, that I could persuade her to sell me the Panache. I only bought one because I knew she wouldn’t sell me more!