On Thursday I got my first True & Co. Home Try-On box (two days earlier than I thought I would!) Herein lies the review. (Sorry – no modeling of this box…)

Opening the Box

All the pictures they show online or that people post show all these pretty bras just popping out of the box, like bright, shining beacons of female hope. Like this one:

My box, once opened, looked like this:

Really? This was not inspiring to me. It was a plastic-wrapped pile of black & nude. I did try to set up the bras into a pretty display like the photos I’d seen but there was no substance to them – they wouldn’t sit UP. But, I’ll look past the preconception that I’d open something pretty and exciting and just get to trying these on (and, again…no photos of them on my body. Sorry. You’re not my spouse and he wouldn’t like me doing it.)

Bras

As stated in my original post, you get to pick three bras and they send you two. From the following, I picked the first three and then last two are the ones they picked for me.

Brallelujah

“One of the most comfortable bras you’ll ever wear, you’ll forget you have it on. Brallelujah by SPANX is a black demi bra that is made with an all-over hosiery material conforms to your body and eliminates visible bra lines from back spillage. Made with molded cups and has a front-closure and thick straps, Brallelujah is one of the best T-shirt bras you’ll ever own.”

I selected this one because I’ve been trying to hunt down a good front-closure bra again. Once upon a time I had the perfect front-closure bra then the closure broke and I’ve been in bra-mourning since. But…I digress.

Their photo makes it look nicely molded, like it will hold up the girls well and that beautiful front-closure. Not so much in person:

And definitely not once it was on. It was comfortable enough but I just felt kind of unimpressive with it on. Maybe if I tightened the straps…oh. wait. You can’t do that on this one. So…no. In the return bag with it.

Porcelain Viva

“Porcelain Viva gives great coverage and support for everyday wear, features smooth contour cups that feature light padding. The top of the cups are detailed with subtle jacquard lace that adds a feminine touch.”

I was looking forward to this one based on the light padding, the subtle striping and everyday wear concept. However, website and reality again didn’t quite align:

Tried it on. There was no shape or lift to this bra. Flat girls again. What the hell?

Romance

“Treat yourself this season to this elegant sapphire blue balconette bra from Montelle. Intricate all-over lace with a hint of stretch creates a custom fit guaranteed to make you feel sexy and sophisticated. The cups and band are lightly lined in a nude mesh to provide subtle coverage and comfortable support. Features a delicate jewel embellishment in center for a hint of sparkle.”

This was the one I was most interested to get. I really loved the lace look and subtle blue color.  I had no idea what a “balconette” bra would be, but their photo made it look like it might be a little less coverage than a demi but still with some structure to lift the girls from below. Reality crashed down around me yet again:

Flat. Completely flat. Both the bra and then me with it on.  How is this even possible? Three bras so far and not even remotely the right look or fit.

Brallelujah Racerback

“One of the most comfortable bras you’ll ever wear, you’ll forget you have it on. Brallelujah by SPANX is made with an all-over hosiery material conforms to your body and eliminates visible bra lines from back spillage. Made with molded cups and has a front-closure and a racerback design, Brallelujah is one of the best T-shirt bras around.”

In real life, it looked like this:

Just the like Brallelujah above but with a racerback. I don’t like racerbacks. At all. But I tried it on. Still don’t like them. And I still looked flat.

Sophia Icon

“For a comfortable fit and a classic look, we recommend this black contour balconette bra by Claudette. Features vertical seams on the lightly lined cups, a high power-mesh back panel for smoothing, and triple hook-and-eye closure for extra support. Fun details include tiny satin bows at apexes and center panel.”

This didn’t look promising on the site and less so in person:

And on my body…no. The seams stood out at the top making weird points. And my breasts were flattened. Again.

Panties

I had selected a pair of panties and then they added another set of three thongs as a special…and sent me a free pair of the same thong for my birthday gift. They do put the panties in little folders they call a “Panty Book.” See if you can spot the contradiction in their book:

Did you catch it? The front says basically says ‘Don’t judge by the look, try it on.’ then the inside says ‘If you try it, you buy it.’. So…don’t open the packages. Unless you REALLY want them.

The First Kiss

“Unique modern details meet a functional shape in these charcoal grey low rise panties with a contrast mint green elastic. The sheer diamond argyle mesh and triangle cut out add a touch of sexy while a bikini cut with quarter cheek coverage make these nylon panties suitable for everyday wear.”

Totally cute, full coverage panty, although they were more brown than gray. Potentially the right size. Cost – $22. Sorry, I’m not paying $22 for a pair of panties if I can’t try them on.

Best Lace Thong Ever 3-Pack

“Grab this fun pack of colored panties. Features three ultra-soft lace thongs with a scalloped stretch lace band that is cut straight across in the front and forms a flattering V in the back. The allover lace front panels have a soft nude liner that comes halfway up in the front; the upper half of the lace is sheer. These are possibly the most comfortable lace thongs you will ever own, so stock up!”

The thongs are a little better at $33 for the 3 ($11/each) but again if you can’t try on it’s hard to tell. And they are marked O/S for one size fits all (or most). Since the free panty I received matched the ones I had selected, I tried it on. It definitely did not fit. Apparently, I am not “most”. And most people I know would not be most. Not even close to being most.

Shape Wear

“Layer up in the Stephanie 2-way tank that regulates your body temperature as it shapes you. Made with Outlast technology, you’ll never feel too hot or too cold in this reversible 2-way tank. You can wear this multi-functional tank two ways, as a scoop neck or a V-neck by flipping it around.”

This was actually pretty comfortable. And I could see it helping some of my tighter tops look smoother. And it was only $34, which is pretty comparable to ones I’ve seen elsewhere. Unfortunately, I had selected the black top instead of nude and I need nude for most of my tighter tops. This send back is on me.

Conclusion

While good in theory, I don’t think this a great service for larger sized women. Or maybe it’s older women that gravity and age are affecting. Maybe you’re thinking by this point, “The woman just doesn’t know her size.” or “Maybe she just doesn’t want to admit she’s pretty flat.” Uh…no. If you remember, in my first post about this service, I recommended measuring first and/or going for a professional measuring. I know how to measure myself and I’ve been measured in the last 6 months. Both measurements came out 36DD (how’s that for some honest?). Yes – that’s TWO D’s. So…not flat. Not at all. I do need some help pulling the girls back up where they belong and maybe rounding them out, but I’m by no means “flat”. Yet, somehow, five different bras managed to make me look like I was.

Recommendation

If you’re a more “normal” size or your breasts don’t need as much support, you might try this out. The boxes I saw for other women had more fun styles and colors in them. Maybe you’ll have better luck.

As for me, I’ll be sending the whole package back, minus the opened and ill-fitting single free thong. I don’t know that I’ll be personally trying the service again. I’ll check out my personal store after I enter my responses and see if I get different options. Maybe I’ll take the quiz again and adjust a few things to see what turned up then, too. For now, though, I’ll stick with my tried and true Victoria’s Secret Dream Angels Pushup. I just need to go buy a new one…

XO – T.