Sports bras have improved dramatically over the past decade. But for anyone whose body doesn’t fit the narrow set of industry sizing standards, fit remains a challenge. Many end up buying bras that are either painfully tight or too loose without enough support.
Lume Six is here to change that. In 2021, the young brand launched the Alta Medium Impact Sports Bra ($100) and the Cirra High Impact Sports Bra ($120), both available in extended size. Choose a cup size between XS and XL (XXL and 3XL coming later in 2022). Then choose the matching band, or a smaller or larger band. Testers with 34C and 30D busts found medium-medium and small-small sizes worked best, while a 32B tester with muscular lats preferred a medium bra with a small band.
But there’s more to love than the wide range of sizes. Rather than using removable inserts that bunch up in the wash and are thrown away, all Lume Six bras come in two versions: unlined or with sewn-in thin padding. Most importantly, there is the fabric. Many sports bras are made with spandex-blend knits, which are naturally stretchy, with added nylon for durability. The Alta and Cirra use a woven outer fabric. Weaves are inherently more structured, allowing designers to use spandex blended with less durable but more absorbent polyester, resulting in thinner, lighter fabrication and construction. The result: a discreet and incredibly breathable sports bra that still offers support. Welded seams and flat straps (non-adjustable) are frosted.
Notably, the Alta and Cirrus are not as flexible as other bras. “The lack of stretch meant that extra fabric was bunching up under the bust,” our 32B tester said. She wondered if an extra small bra with a medium band would have helped. But the excess fabric didn’t stop her from wearing her Alta for five straight days on a test trip to Panama that alternated between hazy and sweltering — the perfect incubator for bra-induced misery. -swamp sport gorge. “It was comfortable enough to sleep in, with no chafing seams or scooped out straps,” she said. It also dried completely within an hour after an impromptu river bath. Group consensus: This is one of the lightest, fastest drying and most comfortable bras we’ve come across.
Upper Cirrus
