If you follow my posts, then you know by now that I have a tendency to buy some fabulous-looking bras for the prettiness alone. I have rarely had success with Freya’s plunge balconies, but I couldn’t resist the Wildfire plunge. Let’s talk about why.

Appearance

One of the things I have always liked about Freya is that their prints and patterns are often unlike other brands. Usually there are at least one or two styles in their seasonal collections that are refreshingly different. Freya isn’t afraid to use bold and vibrant splashes of color. It was the first brand I fell in love with after finding my correct size and discovering UK brands, and with good reason.

The more recent Fancies range of all mix-and-match solid colors is cute, but a little boring. After striking out with the chilli red longline, I avoided the plunge style because none of the colors really spoke to me. Then I saw that the Wildfire plunge has the same cut and design as the Fancies plunge, only in a more fabulous colorway called “Lava”. I bought this bra in the spring, the perfect season for this bright, floral explosion. With the grey winter upon us, now is a good time to review it and think back to the warmer weather.

The Wildfire plunge looks much nicer to me in person than in the stock photos, like a bouquet of sun-drenched wildflowers against a magenta sunset. The cups themselves are unlined semi-sheer mesh with just enough opacity to keep things hidden.

The lace at the top of the cups is super soft and just a bit stretchy and matches the light magenta color of the straps and wings. The wings are covered in soft embroidered lace that extends to a scalloped trim beneath the bottom of the band.

The straps also have the same patterned material as the cups along the front and are finished with tiny matching bows. It is possible to move the strap adjusters over this patterned section to enable the straps to be fully adjustable, but it can be a little difficult.

The gore also has a matching patterned bow and the magenta lace continues along the entire front of the bra, the wire channels and up to the top of the cups. Overall, I find the entire bra’s design to be very pleasing to the eye.

It’s not just the print that grabbed me, but how the design was executed. I love the nuanced lace details, the fun cage-back closure, and the keyhole cut-out at the gore. I have long felt that these playful features were off limits to me being fuller busted.

A single-hook back closure doesn’t look very supportive, even if it is pretty. I would therefore probably never have chosen this bra when I was a 30G, but at 30DD, I thought it was worth a try.

Size & Fit

Right now I am generally comfortable in a UK 28F/30E. However, all the unlined Freya bras that I have tried this year (and that’s a lot!) have run larger and deeper in the cup than other brands. I therefore didn’t hesitate to size down to a 30DD (28-bands not available in this bra).

I can say that this bra runs true to size in the cup for Freya (i.e. a full cup “deeper” than other UK brands, so like a 30E). The wires are quite narrow and the cups, while deep, also require substantial upper fullness – or perhaps an overall fullness – in order to fill out the lace on top. That said, those with tall roots would likely experience some cutting in from the top elastic edge of the lace trim, as it is firm and makes the cups more closed on top. The cups also extend fairly high towards the outsides, making it a true “plunge”.

In my case, with my even-to-full on bottom, soft and pendulous tissue, while the sizing was fairly accurate, I do not have the upper fullness to support the lace so it wrinkles, while the edge of the cup digs in a little against my chest because it’s taller and more closed off than I need it to be. Similarly, I get some empty space at the sides where I have little to no fullness. With the cups being very deep, my soft tissue migrates towards the depth and gets little support or shaping, and spills over the seam between the lace and the rest of the cup, as well as towards the gore area where I am most full. I am also close-set and the lovely keyhole gore detail is lost on me because it makes the gore too wide for comfort.

I would say that the band runs true to size, too. Since I have a 26″ UB, this is bad news for me as I would need to alter the band to get the support I need. I was surprised to find that the single hook closure does not necessarily seem to compromise support. I think this is partly due to the substantially thick nature of the cage back straps that make up the back of the bra. There is also some firm boning where the wings meet the cage back that gives additional support.

Comfort

Since this bra did not fit, I can’t speak too strongly on the subject of comfort. The gore caused me some discomfort by being a little wide for me personally. In the past, I used to have issues wearing unlined bras due to skin sensitivities, but since dropping a few cup sizes this has somehow inexplicably lessened. That said, the materials throughout are soft and not bothersome. The mesh cup material is supportive and not stretchy, so overall the comfort level would be fine were it not for a shape mismatch. I feel that Freya’s plunges will simply not work for me due to the cups being narrow but deep and tall, and closing in on the upper part of my chest/roots above where the fullest part of my bust is. I also find it uncomfortable when my soft tissue is not supported enough and spills over the top seam, causing “in-cup quadboob”.

Quality

Like most Freya bras, the Wildfire plunge is well-made. Although the cage back gives it a dainty appearance, the firm boning at the sides has more of an industrial feel in the hands. For looks alone, the single-hook back closure makes for a cute feature. Functionally, it doesn’t provide the same secure feeling and support as a full closure back. That said, it makes a great bra for lightweight or strappy tops as it is pretty enough to let it poke out of clothes.

Final Thoughts

I have been trying with all my might to get more Freya’s back into my collection. In the past, I have only had luck with the padded vertical seam half cups and some cuts of the Freya Deco. Wildfire is one of many plunges and balcony bras from the brand that sadly just doesn’t work for me. I’m still in love with how pretty it is. I’ve finally decided to part with my NWT 30DD, which you can find on my sale page.

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