Prairie Wear HuggerVIDA Compression Bra

Month’s ago I had a customer in store showing me a fabulous front closure bra that I had never seen before. She had come in wearing it. So I was pleased when Prairie Wear reached out to me about testing their two front closure bras, once of which is the Prairie Wear HuggerVIDA compression bra I am reviewing today.

I have been wear testing this bra for 4 wears which has given me great insight for this article…

Design Features of the Prairie Wear HuggerVIDA

Zip fastening
Super padded straps that don't look bulky
Adjustable strap length
Instantly comfortable fabrication (bonus points for sustainable certified yarn!)
Straps set inwards at the back to prevent slipping off shoulders
Removable cup inserts make way for breast + body prosthesis

Some hype around this bra is that it is not a “cut and sew” bra like a lot of its industry competitors. Rather it’s made with a 360 mapped seamless compression which is a much more complicated way to design and produce bras. It’s this extra effort during the development process that ultimately gives the HuggerVIDA that instantly comfortable feel on body, which I “bang on” about below

Things I loved about this Front Closure Bra

This bra was instantly comfortable even though the fit was firm. I find most bras will have that initial “fiddle factor” as you first start to get used to them and the fabrics soften, so it was a nice surprise to skip that with the HuggerVIDA. I suppose given that this bra is “operating room ready” having that instant softness and comfort without abrasive fabrics is obviously important.

The shoulder straps are a real highlight, so soft and comfy
As it's made with antibacterial fabrics I didn't feel guilty wearing it a few days in a row.
Being velcro free is a nice touch for a bra that could be used post surgery
It's machine washable, which is a real luxury as I generally handwash bras these days.
You can get an extender which would be useful immedately after surgery if that was the journey your were on

Image Cred: Prairie Wear

Fitting Tips for the HuggerVIDA

So, I recently have had some weightloss which had me order this in a XS. The XS is labeled to fit a band size 26-28. My band size measurement is 28″ at this point in time. I like my bras to be nice and snug and felt this was a good fit around the ribcage.

When I pulled this style out of it’s (recyclable) packaging I got a bit of a shock thinking it was going to be too small. But it absolutely wasn’t. Because of the nice give in the yarn it really fit pretty perfectly. If you have read more of my reviews you’ll know I am passionate about ensuring the band around the ribcage is snug in order to get your best support.

Prairie Wear will tell you if you are between sizes to size down – I very much so agree with this given my measurements and experience.

On the Prairie website they also advise to go up a size if you are above a DD. I personally am now a 28G (given my weight loss only effected by mid section and not my boobs), and while the cups were only just big enough, I definitely wasn’t spilling out of them. So, I would be cautious about going up a size if you are big busted because you may then lose the important support that comes from around the ribcage. Of course, if you fall above a G cup I would probably say sizing up is your best option.

Don’t know how a bra *should* fit? Read this ‘How your bra should fit’ blog

What sizes does the Prairie Wear Front Closure Bras come in?

XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 2XL with extender.

My thoughts are that this style is best for up to a F cup.

But this style did actually work out ok from a fit perspectivefor my current G cup boobs.

Things to be aware of with this bra

Honestly, there is not too many red flags with this style at all, it’s a pretty safe bet if you are accurately able to measure yourself for a size.

As I have said with other zip bras, a zip can make it hard to get definition between the boobs. So while you can still get a fairly nice natural shape from this bra you have to be mindful that the zip will add some bulk between the breasts. This was probably especially the case for me as my boobs are a bit bigger than the ideal for this bra.

Another thing to note is that while this bra is machine washable, please be very careful with this. With no way to adjust the bra inwards as it stretches, you really want to treat it with care so that it isn’t put in a position where it may get tangled and stretched in the wash 😃

Prairie Wear HUggerVIDA additional colour options

Prairie Wear HuggerVIDA

 4.5/5

Prairie Wear HuggerVIDA

 4.5/5

Is this a good post surgical bra option?

While I didn’t use it for this, I think it’s certainly been designed well with the post surgical woman (or man) in mind. Here are a few reasons…

Flat Lay Design, makes this a “operating room ready” design. Your surgeon can put this on once dressings are applied – should they choose that to be appropriate.
Pockets for breast and body prosthesis
No latex
No velcro
Suitable for long periods of wear due to the antibacterial fabrication
Comfy from the get go
The optional Extender will add life to the bra, you may need to wear it with the extended immediately post surgery and remove this days or weeks later once the swelling has reduced.