Online budget lingerie company Yandy rocketed聽to fame in 2013 when Ellen,听罢辞诲补测, and The Daily Show featured the company鈥檚 聽as one of the year鈥檚 most bizarre Halloween costumes. Now聽it鈥檚聽back in the news after introducing more than 100 , almost all of which are priced under $10.聽
鈥淭hese really high-end activewear and yoga companies,听some girls don鈥檛 have the money for that,鈥 says Pilar Quintana, merchandise director at聽Yandy. 鈥淎nd I know I don鈥檛 like to do laundry as much, so why not have more bras?鈥 Sports bras聽from companies like and 聽cost anywhere from $40 to $85. Phoenix-based聽Yandy thought it could cut the cost dramatically聽by producing a lot of product all at once in China.
We wondered if the low price also meant reduced quality, so we put a few styles to the test.聽I wore the聽,听, and 聽sports bras while running and cycling over a two-month period. Full disclosure: I鈥檓 a 32B, which is a small in Yandy鈥檚 Flex line (they go up to a 38C and plan to add more sizes soon). A聽note on what鈥檚 likely the most important thing on any woman鈥檚 mind: bounce factor. For me, the bras did a fine of job keeping bounce in check. That鈥檒l mean absolutely nothing to a larger-chested woman, but at $10 a pop, they鈥檙e worth your own experiment.
With that said, here are my聽first impressions.聽
Wide Ladder Back Microfiber
鈥Best for:聽High-intensity workouts
The Ladder Back聽was聽my favorite of the three for hard, active workouts聽because of聽its comfortable聽1.25-inch-wide shoulder straps, supersoft microfiber fabric, and flattering scoopneck cut.聽It fits nicely under a tank top or T-shirt, but it鈥檚 also made to be seen,听with five color options and that聽ladder-back聽detail.聽The removable padding soaked up sweat, which caused chafing聽on longer workouts, but I just took it out and kept going.
Keyhole Racer Back
鈥Best for:聽Weight lifting聽and yoga class
This bra, fashioned from a soft, seamless material,听features adjustable straps for an almost-custom fit. But because the straps are thinner than those on the Ladder Back,听they dug into my shoulders: I found the聽Keyhole worked better聽for weight lifting and聽yoga than for running or riding. Like the Ladder Back, this bra features removable padding.
Lace Back
Best for:聽Running errands
The Lace Back聽lasted all of five minutes on a bike ride and run: The smooth, swimsuit-like fabric felt聽restrictive as soon as I started breathing hard. The聽thick, nonremovable padding also made me overheat. I did love it, however,听for low-output activities like traveling and聽walking around town.聽And聽after multiple washes, the padding has held its shape without any effort on my part.