In some cultures it’s lucky to wear new underwear for the new year. So what’s more fitting than my first review here to be about new underwear for the new year on my new blog? And what better color than green since it signifies better luck for this year than the last. Here’s hoping 2021 is a much better year! So what did I think of the much instagrammed ARQ (ShopARQ) underwear?
Well I get it. I get why their high-rise undies so popular: because it really is quite comfy. The 92% organic cotton/8% spandex material feels like a soft stretchy t-shirt. Nothing digs in with these undies. Also after wearing it for over 24 hours and on a hike no less, I can report no wedgies either. I did have to get used to the high-waisted nature of the undies since I’ve never owned such underwear before. I actually appreciated how high they were when I wore my high-waisted Only Child pants and these undies prevented the deep elastic band marks on my waist (I have to admit the OC pants are probably on the tighter end after gaining some pandemic weight). Since the material is quite thick, you will get some VPL even in jeans. Right now I mostly wear dresses or loose-fitting pants so it doesn’t really matter. But when (if?) I get back to wearing tight-fitting bottoms I’d probably wear a different pair of underwear.
As for the bras, they feel like sports bra but less constricting. They are made from the same stretchy tee type of material so they were quite comfy. I’m flat chested so I don’t have to worry about support so sorry I can’t really comment on that feature. But I do see a lot of large-chested women wearing their undies on insta so I assume they must be pretty comfortable to them too. I purchased both the ARQ wide-strap bra and the full coverage bra. I imagine the full coverage bra would work better for those with a bigger chest. As for me, I liked the wide strap bra better because it just fit better on me.
I also got the ARQ child basic tank for Emi in the 2-3T size, but unfortunately she didn’t fit them and I was too lazy to exchange them. Emi is definitely on the big side but in general I would say the ARQ tank runs small.
So if you guys are looking for some high-waisted undie and really comfortable sports-bra-but-not-like bra I would definitely recommend ARQ. Sure they’re pricier than your fast fashion/VS stuff but that’s because they use organic GOTS certified cotton and are made in a family-owned USA factory. They support USPS and try to keep all their packaging plastic-free and recyclable. They are also size-inclusive and use diverse models. You probably can’t ask for more from an underwear company. But if high-waisted trendy undies aren’t your thing I recommend Organic Basics as a more plain/basic but still sustainable and quality option.
P.S. oops forgot to mention sizing. I got a medium in the underwear and bra (I’m usually a size 6ish) and I would say they fit true to size.
{July 2021 Update: So it’s been a bit since this post and thought I’d do a little update. These days I find myself reaching for the wide strap bra a ton. I end up washing it every week (but hang drying) and it’s been holding up really well. I think I might get myself another one soon. I would also say that the material does soften a bit over time so even if it’s on the tighter side it should loosen a bit. I don’t wear the full coverage bra at all and plan to sell it soon along with the underwear (I know it’s kind of gross to be selling underwear but it’s also such a waste to throw these perfectly good undies away. I haven’t worn them because soon after this review I gained a ton of weight and am now more of a size 10 and not a six 😢😆).}