Freya Pollyanna Reviewed: The Difference Dye Can Make
Hi all! So I know the Pollyanna is a discontinued style, but there are still so many of them floating around ebay that I thought doing a review of it was valid. Plus, this is possibly the perfect bra to illustrate the difference that coloured dyes can make in changing the size of a bra. I mentioned briefly that the cups of the Panache Andorra were slightly larger from the black to the pearl colour, but the difference between various colours of Pollyanna is really something.
Pollyanna front view, size 28F
Pollyanna in black is probably my favourite Freya bra, and I’m terribly sad that they’ve discontinued it. They may have replaced it with the newer, more updated Faye, but Faye is kind of the opposite of what I need. Pollyanna runs tight in the band, whereas Faye is considerably loose (especially in the beige colour). I find the wires come up a bit higher on the Pollyanna than the Faye, though I only tried on Faye once so I could be wrong about this. I personally prefer the Pollyanna, because most Freya bras tend not to come up quite as high as I’d like. Pollyanna’s straps are the thickest of all my Freya bras though, which is a bit of a negative for me as they’re a bit overwhelming on my tiny frame. If you like thick straps though, this one’s a keeper.
Pollyanna three-quarter view
The lace upper-section lays nice and flat, no cutting in at all like I can sometimes get with the Luisa. The material of the cups is very silky and soft, but if you like a firm fabric then you will not get this with the Pollyanna. The fabric feels rather flimsy, but once the bra is on it does a great job supporting my bust.
Pollyanna back view. Yipes, check out the difference between the different colours
Now onto the matter of dye. I have the Pollyanna in the caramel and black colours. I honestly only wear my black one though, because while that one fits well on the loosest hook. the caramel Pollyanna isn’t even a firm enough fit on the last hook! It’s passable, but why would I bother wearing it when I have the likes of my Miss Mandalay and Ewa Michalak bras that are an infinitely better fit? And with Cleo Meg and my two properly sized Panache Andorras on their way, caramel Pollyanna is really out of a job. In the picture below you can see the difference between the two, as I’m wearing both on the loosest hook. Pretty big difference huh?
Here you can see just how much larger the brown Pollyanna is. So just keep in mind: Dark colours tend to run smaller/tighter. Freya seems to have the greatest difference between colours compared to other brands, in my experience anyway
Anyone had this experience with different coloured bras before? I thought I had found the perfect basic bra to buy in multiple colours, but it was not the case. Black Pollyanna will always have a place in my heart (and drawer!) though.
-Windie
Oh man, great minds, I just bewailed the discontinuation of Pollyanna in my post today! I had black and ivory back in the day, and I agree that the black fit more snugly and securely. I adored the fit and shape of this bra, and I haven’t found a “basic” to equal it since. 😦 Great review!
Freya is awful for this, and it annoys me to no end. The Faye is no different; the beige one is at least the equivalent of one back size bigger than the black. I never have this problem with my Fantasie bras. If only they would offer a 28 back :(.
I have the same problem with my Cleo Lucys. I’d say my black Lucy is a size smaller than my yellow one, the difference in cup size most noticeable. The band being tighter is actually Ok but since the cups feel (and looks) definitely a whole cup size smaller I never wear it.
bah i have the beige, and i have no idea what to do with it! can we dye them to tighten them, is that a thing? 😉
Haha, give it a shot and tell me how it goes? 😉