The Body by Victoria bra line Revamp and Relaunch

The Body by Victoria bra line has had quite a few relaunches.  During my tenure, the first relaunch prompted me to stop loving the unlined demi bra.  During the late 90s and early to mid 2000s, it was my “go to” bra.  It fit great and provided a great shape.  With the relaunch that occurred just a few years after I started working for the company, the Body by Victoria Perfect Coverage became my new favorite.  The revamped unlined Body dug into the top of my breast in a way that was not flattering.  It gave me a lumpy look that wasn’t there to begin with.  The Perfect Coverage came up high enough that this was not an issue.  The shaped Demi bra did the same thing as the unlined version so I stuck with the Perfect Coverage option.  When I lost weight, though, I found that there was too much gapping in the cup of my beloved Perfect Coverage and switched to the Demi. 

That relaunch introduced us to “memory fit”, a super soft, conforms to your shape, material from heaven.  But it also came with controversy--the “Perfect Body” campaign.    The other downside was that the bras had less material at the front of the bra, along the band line.  It was mostly just underwire.

Not many notable changes in 2013

2014 brought about another revamp.  This one involved adding a “keyhole” feature to the center gore and more material along the band--much relief for those who felt that the previous version was digging into their ribs.

And here we are with the latest revamp/relaunch.  

I was able to try on a few styles yesterday and ended up buying the Unlined Lace.  I tried on the largest cup available in a 36-band.  Some were DDD, a couple were DD.

My thoughts on the new styles:
Pefect Coverage—it fits the same as the last Perfect Coverage and is great if you want to camouflage any shape issues.  The cup is narrow and shallow so I was not able to fit my 36H size into the largest offered—36DDD.

Demi—same as the Perfect Coverage: little difference from the previous version.

Lace Demi—while I didn’t try this one on, it was passed around at our store meeting the other day.  The lining is one of a fine mesh material.  There is no memory fit in this cup.  It would dent easily if stored with one cup inside the other as most customers are wont to do.  I wouldn’t wear it on a hot day either.  I think the “itch” factor would be too noticeable.

***One difference between new and old though: they swapped 3% of the elastane for 3% more nylon.  Before it was 74% elastance and 26% nylon; now it’s 71% and 29%, respectively.  It's still a "memory fit" though***

Perfect Shape—really don’t like this shape at all.  I felt like I had grapefruit sitting on my chest.  The shape of the bra was that round in silhouette.

Pushup—another dislike.  This bra pushes your breasts together rather than up.  I had serious “quad cleavage” when I swooped and scooped.  Very shallow cups too—the bra was pushed down by my breasts since they were gravitating towards the deepest part of the cup hence the “quad cleavage” because that meant out of the cup almost completely.  Another “didn’t like” feature: the underwire definitely digs in though that might be more noticeable because the bra was being pushed down my ribcage.

Wireless—not bad just didn’t like the lack of separation that underwires traditionally provide.  I’ve never been a fan of wireless bras so this was not unexpected.  A great option for those who like compression-type sports bras but also want some cleavage because this bra has a bit of a plunge front.  **Not available in DDD

Unlined Lace—this is the option that I ended up getting for my gratis.  The cup seems to be less shallow than the others; probably because it’s the only option that is made from three pieces of fabric rather than one continuous one.  The underwire was a little too wide to truly sit in my intramammary fold but that allowed for more room in the cup as well.  I swooped and scooped and experienced very little “muffin top” above the cup.

The new Lounge bra—VERY comfortable.  Unfortunately too short on the sides.  I felt like I had back fat just hanging out.  Very soft; very smooth.  The straps are not adjustable.  They’re reminiscent of the original Incredible bra.  They’re also in a halter/racerback configuration.  The band is “longline” and I can easily see someone wearing it as a short tank all its own.  It would even work as a yoga bra.  **Not available in DDD
I'm looking forward to trying on the other styles as they come in, especially the Lounge Bralette--it looks like it may be super comfy.  **Sizes are XS, S, M, L, XL

This relaunch happens July 28th.  The current versions will be discounted and pulled from the floor and will probably be available again during the various Semi-Annual Sales that happen twice a year.