Some things are just made the way they are made and have been for so long that it barely seems useful to mess about, tinker or generally try to improve them. One such item is the typical bra. Designers tweak them here and there around the margins, but leave the core idea still, precisely where we found it: hooks and eyes, rows and columns, with a fastener and the bulky bits hidden away at the back, with all of the visual appeal and some manner of support, swell or minimization up front. Rummage about in your drawers and it is likely that nine out of ten bras will fit this general description. Just as likely too that more than 90% of your waking hours are spent in a bra of this type.

I have seen Front-closure bras with useful new twists on the old formula taking up more shelf space in the shops (and on the shoulders of my lingerie obsessed friends) lately though. So I took a little romp through a couple of big, national lingerie chain stores to see whether these new entries pose a legitimate challenge to the Queen Bee Bra; the always faithful back-fastened fave.

First stop, Soma. Soma is the intimate sister of the Chico’s retail empire, and caters nicely to women too old to have read Twilight, but still well on the young side of their own twilight years. Airy, hushed and well lit, my local shop is staffed by cheerful women mature enough to appreciate just how important a good fit is. Soma is well stocked with a broad assortment of nightwear, shape wear, knickers and bras that are, on balance, more pretty than sexy, more 9:00 to 5:00 than 5:00 to midnight.

I picked up the Nadia Vanishing Back Front-Close Underwire Bra, in silver floral lace, a typical contemporary bra in many respects; underwire construction, nylon/spandex blend for stretch and resilience, and t-shirt ready with lightly foam padded contour cups. The not-so-typical bits include the broad, unseamed and perfectly smooth, moderately elastic back which does actually manage to vanish, even under the skinniest of T’s. Don’t you just love it when the product does what the name says?

Nadia does a little more in fact. The comfortably snug and gently insistent elastic embrace across ones back really does provide a nice ongoing reminder of the importance of good posture. No digging or bulging in the slightest. I felt lovely, and quite easily kept my shoulders back over the course a good long day. Also nice is the metal fastener and strap adjustment hardware. Very clean and clearly built to last.

Soma Nadia Bra

Fit and comfort up front first rate too. Again, very light contouring that adds no more than a half-cup of dimension, provides enough insulation around the underwire for comfort, and a fit that is very true to size. Available in solid shades including a lovely dusty pink for $48.00, and few animal and floral patterns for a couple of bucks more. Complete bra love and not my last Nadia. I will go back for more.

Soma Nadia Bra

Next into the mall, to give Vicky a try. Again. I can’t help myself. I haven’t really loved anything I have picked up at VS in forever. When I do strike customer service gold with a helpful sales assistant experienced enough to know that we do actually change shape a little with time, next trip back she is gone and I am again chatting with a perky young thing who seems to not need a bra.

In any event, the Front-close Push Up Bra from the new(ish) Incredible by Victoria’s Secret line is similar to the Soma number in these ways: solids are $48.00, fancy prints cost a little more, and yes they both close at the front. Our VS number differs in a few key ways, and none of them register really very positively in my view. I will say that the criss-cross racer-back strap idea is a good idea, and does provide a little cleavage boost, but it is a bit of a stretch to call the straps “self-adjusting”. There are no adjustments other than how widely you set the straps on your shoulders. To me, that does not count as self-adjusting. As a result, fit is really a matter of chance.

Up front. smooth, plungy, and coming from the “extreme lift” side of the family, well quite extreme, even incredible (like it says on the tin, yes?). I have said in prior reviews here that I do prefer a more natural silhouette, and this is matter of personal preference of course. Vicky did endow me with a little more than a two cup gain, but this really puts just a little too much strain on my t-shirts, and on the imaginations of people who know that I simply am not a D-cup.

Victoria’s Secret Incredible Front Close Bra

The closure hardware is plastic. Like the Soma Nadia, it closes with a (very comforting) locking snap, but plastic is plastic. The fit is small. Terribly small. Go up a full band size, and stay with your normal cup for a good fit if you must, simply must have this bra. And don’t get me wrong, if you like VS, you should like the Incredible.

Victoria’s Secret Incredible Front Close Bra

Again though, it does come down to taste. So take this little desert taste test before shopping: To me, the Soma Nadia is very much like Crème Brûlée, velvety smooth and elegant with a sleek exterior finish. The VS Incredible seems very much more like Tiramisu, a little lightweight and frothy, a sweet attention getter yes, but just a little insubstantial. Given the choice, I will opt for Crème Brûlée every time, and so will find myself back at Soma hungry for more sweet things sooner than my next (inevitable??) foray into Victoria’s Secret.

How about you? Comments on front close bras and your experiences with these shops most welcomed here.