More Cleo by Panache bra reviews! My lingerie drawer is going to explode if Cleo shows another collection at the upcoming CurvExpo that’s as bright and fun as this one has been.

When Bare Necessities had a 50% off all sale prices deal recently (exclusive to newsletter subscribers, so I suggest you sign up!), I couldn’t believe the outrageously low prices and I bought two more Cleo bras for just $19 and $16.50 with no shipping. I picked up the molded “Karen” in the hopes that a bigger size would make it a better success than the “Darcy” and the seamed “Zia” in the rare pink pattern.

First up is Zia, which sadly was an absolutely awful fit on me. It looked so similar in style to the Cleo Meg, which I had great luck with, so I ordered the same size (30FF). But it’s not even close. Maybe Meg was a fluke because all the Cleo bras I’ve tried since then have needed a totally different size.

Zia’s 30FF cups were absolutely tiny on me. The bra gave me very sad-looking squashed quad boob and was just horribly uncomfortable. Weirdly, they were also too short in length from the wire up to the top edge of the cup. Perhaps a third of my breast tissue was not encapsulated by the cup. Bearing in mind that this is the same size as my Meg, I found this aspect to be particularly strange.

Unfortunately, there were no more sizes left at all by the time I received the bra in the mail, so I couldn’t exchange it for a bigger size. And I really wished I could. The bra is so lovely, even prettier than in photos. The color is very vivid and the embroidery is unexpectedly modern.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see that the band is made of the same thick, opaque fabric as the cups. It drives me a little crazy when bras have thin mesh wings. It stretches and wears out so much faster than heavier fabric and often gives me phantom back fat. The Zia fabric is quite strong and thick, yet silky smooth and felt really nice against my skin. There are tons of yellow dot Zias on eBay, but after paying just $19 and falling in love with the pink, I just can’t bear to pay more only to settle for the yellow.

Cleo’s Karen was definitely more successful, but still not a perfect fit. Since the 30FF Darcy was too small, this time I went with 30G. A 28 band would have been slightly better, but 30 was all that was left in stock, so I went with it. It’s hard to go wrong for a mere $16.50, after all.

The cups are the right volume, but as I suspected the band is a touch looser than I prefer. The gore does not sit flat. As the shape of the cups isn’t quite right on me (too wide and shallow, as are all Cleos), I don’t know that going down a band would actually ameliorate this issue. The cups are just too stiff and unforgiving.

Karen does give really great uplift and feels comfortable despite its shortcomings, so I kept it and have worn it numerous times. The neon star print may be exerting undue influence, though—I just can’t resist neon stars for some reason! But I also found it to be one of the few bras I could comfortably wear during my last period, when my breasts inflated close to a whole cup size for a week. Something about the wide wires, I guess, helped encapsulate all the extra oomph I don’t usually carry around.

Polish bra brands seem to really be getting better known outside of Poland lately. I reported on Corin in my CurvExpo coverage, have tried Ewa Michalak, and I’m currently waiting for an order to arrive from Comexim. Polish brands have the reputation of narrow wires and deep cups, which is what I need, so I’m eager to try more. (Miss Underpinnings has even traveled to Poland to learn more about these brands and is reporting on her trip on her blog.)

A month ago I was searching on eBay for “28G” and “30FF” just to see what was available besides my saved Freya and Cleo searches, and I found a brand I’d never heard of before called “Gorsenia.” There were two 30FF bras listed, both of which caught my eye:

Andrea

Cappuccino

I found the Gorsenia website and there were quite a few nice-looking bras. The “big bra” sizes generally run 65-100 (30-44) D-M. It uses Polish sizing (no double-letters), which translates to D-J in UK sizes. The 30FF I ordered is actually labeled 65I.

Gorsenia bras generally fall into the style of “a lot of bra,” meaning there’s a lot of coverage and the cup comes up quite high. However, I think the large amount of embroidery keeps them looking moderately delicate. The high cups can also be a boon to full-on-top boobs, since they tend not to cut into the breast tissue.

I thought the Andrea bra’s embroidery in particular was pretty cool. The silver thread is striking and the embroidery under the cups is rather unusual. Helpfully, the eBay seller had translated the Polish size into UK and American sizes in the item title, so it was easy to pick the one I wanted without needing to figure out the translation myself. Unfortunately, though, either the seller’s translation was incorrect or the cups run really big, because this bra did not fit at all.

The cups are perfectly round, just like the (airbrushed-looking) manufacturer photo. The band fits true to size, which is actually too bad since I really need a 28 band. The cups are definitely a full cup too big and the gore didn’t lay flat, though I suspect that’s a result of the band being too loose and not an issue with the bra’s overall shape. Check it out:

Even when I pushed the gore against my sternum, the embroidered section was all wrinkly and the smaller side (righty) still had shadows from the edge of the cup not sitting flush. The straps are also a bit wide for me and dig into my armpit a little, but once again going down a band would’ve helped with that.

It’s too bad, because I think the bra is gorgeous and it felt comfortable aside from being slightly too big in the band. It has three hooks, which is nice, and the color is beautiful. (My photo is more accurate than the manufacturer’s warm-toned picture.)

Since this bra definitely fits like a 30G, not 30FF, I’m going to create my own Gorsenia size chart here:

Gorsenia        UK

D                    D
E                    DD
F                     E
G                     F
H                     FF
I                      G
J                      GG
K                     H
L                     HH

Continuing my coverage of Polish bras, after my first Ewa Michalak bra was such a success, I did decide to place an order for two more bras. Here I’ll outline the ordering process as well as review the two bras.

The first one I tried was a CHP, so I decided to stick with that style for my first real order. CHP is sort of halfway between a plunge and a balconnet. It’s a good style for me, since I can fall out the center of plunges and the straps on balconnets are very often too far apart and painfully dig into my armpits and/or fall off my shoulders.

The two I selected were the silvery grey CHP Stalowka and the bright red (with lace wings) CHP Mak. Note that there is also a CHP Mak Nowa Koronka for ten zlotys more, but I cannot for the life of me figure out the difference between the two.

CHP Mak

CHP Stalowka

I decided I wanted to order a 28GG (or 60GG), which is a custom-made size, meaning it is non-refundable and I would have to pay a little extra. But the prices are so low and the bras so wonderful that I thought it’d be worth it. I followed instructions from Braless In Brazil (scroll down to “Ordering”) to keep emails as short and direct as possible to avoid any language miscommunication. Here are all the steps I went through, from first email to arrival at my door:

January 30: Sent an email to sklep@ewa-michalak.pl stating that I wanted to buy the two bras, the size I wanted, my Ewa Michalak account user name, and my mailing address.

January 31: I received a response from Dominik Michalak confirming that my order would be non-returnable. I responded that I knew and accepted that. Then he (she?) sent me an email stating that the order had been created for me, and that payment would be 289.38zl. I then sent a PayPal payment in that amount to the same email address I’d been using to converse. Finally, I sent Ewa another email stating that I had paid and included the PayPal transaction number. (Yes, this was all in one day!)

February 1: I received an email confirming they received payment.

February 4: I received an email telling me my order had been delayed. (Since I knew they’d be custom-making the bra, I could only assume that this was par the course. It takes time, and three days would not be enough to complete the job.)

February 21: I received an email stating that my order was being “processed” and could no longer be changed. A couple hours later, I received an email announcing that my order had shipped. It included an itemized list of garments and the breakdown of the cost.

March 8: The bras arrived at my door.

The two items I ordered cost 109zl and 119zl, plus 45zl for shipping and 6% extra to cover PayPal’s fees. This week, Ewa rolled out a new policy of charging an extra 20zl for custom orders, but that was not the case when I purchased. At the time, the total was equal to $95.99 USD. Considering that most new bras cost at minimum $50 and custom-made ones twice that, plus adding in the fact that it’s coming from a foreign country, I feel totally pleased with the price I paid.

As for the bras themselves, they feel extremely high quality. Everything about them is tough and made to last. Excellent fabric, no loose threads or wonky seams, and amazingly strong wires (more on that later).

As for fit, on my body they look more like the photo of the Mak above—balconnet-like—versus the plungier-looking fit in the Stalowka shot. It doesn’t come up as high on me, though. It’s more like a true halfcup.

I ordered 28GG because the 30FF I had first tried was one cup too small and I could comfortably close the band on the tightest hook. Ewa is known for their exceedingly tight bands, so I was a little hesitant to order 28s, but I so prefer tight, tight, tight bands and I figured I could use an extender if it was too much.

Well I need an extender–haha! I can close it on the loosest hook, but I’m literally pulling the band as far as it’ll go. I’m okay with the comfort level since I feel more secure in a vice-like bra, but I don’t want to damage the hooks by pulling them too hard, so I’ll stick with the extender until it stretches out some. As for comfort, I doubt most other women would like it so tight, so I do have to recommend ordering up if you wear a small band.

The only thing that’s uncomfortable for me is that the wires line up perfectly with a rib. It’s fine if I’m walking around, but if I’m sitting down for a long time, the wires press against the rib harder and it hurts. The first day I wore one to my office gig, I ended up stuffing my tee shirt between the bra and my skin to give me a little more padding. Amazingly, despite the insane tightness of the band, the wires aren’t being pulled or warped at all. I don’t know what kind of magical alloy they’re made of, but I am seriously impressed.

As for the cups, well they’re pretty magical, too. Like I said, they look more like a balconnet on me. That’s a bit of a shame, as I prefer more of a V-shape than a horizontal line going across my chest, but the volume and shape are perfect. They almost look small on me when I look down because I have a lot of skin visible, but then when I look in a mirror, they’re perfectly, perfectly flush with my bigger boob and just the tiniest bit loose at the top edge of the cup on my smaller boob. No quad boob or indent into my breast tissue, not even an inkling. It’s pretty awesome.

I also love the crazy lift these bras give. No underboob sweat for me this summer! It also makes my chest fill out an empire-style dress better, because they’re being hoisted above the seam.

Going forward, I’ll definitely be ordering Ewa bras one cup size up and one band size up (so 30G/65G instead of my standard 28G), since the 60 bands are just a bit too tight and I’d prefer to avoid paying the extra fee and waiting for a custom-made bra anyways. But I would still call this order a rousing success.

Next week I’ll be writing about another Polish bra brand, Comexim, which I’ve actually decided I like even better than Ewa.

—————-

For more background on bras from Poland, be sure to check out Miss Underpinnings’ series about her recent trip there.

It’s finally here! I’ve been waiting two weeks to write this post, but I forced myself to keep things chronological, which meant Gorsenia and Ewa Michalak took priority. This week I review my new favorite bra brand, the Polish company Comexim.

I know I’ve said before that I “never want to buy another brand again” after discovering a new one, but I think this time I might actually mean it. Since receiving these two bras, I’ve selected some almost-new ones to cull from my collection and have sworn off buying any more British brands except the occasional Freya, just so I can justify getting more Comexim offerings.

Before I get to all the gushing, let me lay out how the ordering process went. It all started when I discovered Comexim’s beautiful bras and decided I needed the Paradise and Magic Blue. But I was really confused by the size chart. Other reviews online indicated that the bands fit true-to-size, so I just needed to figure out my cup size, since Comexim uses EU sizes.

The problem was, I knew I wanted the Paradise in 60 (28) and Magic Blue in 65 (30) since reviews said it ran a whole size small in the band. Yet when I compared my bust measurement to the company’s size chart, 60 band came up with K and 65 with HH. Those are not sister sizes! I next polled other busty ladies in an online forum, and one of them provided a chart comparing Comexim cups to UK ones (provided below). It indicated that I would need 65HH and 60J. Then I reached out to Comexim to confirm…

February 14: I used Google translate to send Comexim a message through their “contact us” form explaining the problem. Later that day, I received a response from Anna that said if I want 65HH, I should go for 60J as sister size. I’m not totally sure she understood my dilemma, but I decided to just go with that and hope for the best, since it matched up with the chart my fellow forum-goer had provided. Anna also asked what country I live in so she could get me a shipping quote and further asked if I would want the gore lowered or raised (more on this later). I responded by listing the two bras I wanted, the sizes I wanted, turning down the gore alteration, and asking for shipping price to the US.

February 15: Anna responded and said that shipping would be 20 Polish zlotys (zl) for registered letter or 81zl for “shipment package” (I assume this is a phrase that wasn’t translated correctly).

February 17: I asked if the registered letter could be tracked, and said I preferred the cheaper option even if it’s much slower.

February 21: I hadn’t heard anything yet, so I sent another email saying I was waiting for order confirmation, and included my order (the two bras with sizes and the 20zl shipping option).

February 22: I received an order confirmation email listing the total cost (275zl, or $89.30), directing me to send payment via PayPal, and asking for my shipping address. I sent payment and wrote the two bras with sizes in the message field in PayPal. Then I sent an email to Comexim with my PayPal transaction number.

March 4: I received an email from Anna noting that my order had shipped. It did include a tracking number. She also asked me to let them know when it arrived.

March 22: My package arrived.

Overall, the language barrier was only a minor inconvenience and I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them more complicated questions about fit or other issues. As for that “lower or raised gore” thing, most of Comexim’s bras are a moderate plunge. If you prefer a deep plunge or more of a balconnet shape, they will alter the gore up to one centimeter (maybe more? You’d have to ask). Use Google Translate to send them an email explaining what you want.

When the bras arrived, I was nervous that they wouldn’t fit but excited because they were so gorgeous! The colors are just as vivid in real life as in the photos online. As for fit, I felt exceedingly lucky because it was spot on. It’s definitely the right size.

Paradise

Magic Blue

The edge of the cups is a tiny bit loose, but I think this is due to the fact that I’m only moderately full on top (very full-on-top ladies take note!). Otherwise I fill out the volume just right. Going down a letter would definitely make it too small. The Paradise 60 band is true to size and, as suggested, the Magic Blue 65 feels a size tight, so it’s good. However, the 65HH feels a tiny bit bigger in the cup than the 60J even though they’re sister sizes. I still think the volume is right, but the edge of the cup is noticeably looser than the 60J. I’m planning on putting a little centimeter-long dart in the cup edge close to the gore to make it flush with my body.

The shape is extremely round and placed quite high, just the way I like it. It gives impressive cleavage without squishing my boobs together into a “Y.” As with other Polish brands I’ve tried, the cups are very deep and the wires very, very narrow—which of course is what I need. The cups are tall enough that I feel comfortably contained. There’s actually a lot of fabric overall for a plunge bra, so a deep neckline that’s also wide wouldn’t really work with these bras. In fact, a little bit of the Magic Blue peeks out of my Urkye Kieska dress on my smaller boob side.

While the bras are certainly plunges, the gore is high enough that I feel locked in place with no worries about falling out the center. The cups are a little low and open under my armpit, enough that I have a touch of sideboob even after doing the scoop and swoop. However, I’d prefer this itty-bitty amount of escaping tissue to cups that rub my armpits raw.

These bras look so good under clothing. The seams and light texture don’t show through clingy fabric at all and the shape is beyond flattering in everything I’ve worn them with. I’ve had to force myself not to wear them every day since they arrived. But I know I need to let the elastic rest between wears. I’ll definitely be placing another order very soon! I’ve got my eye on the leopard print Pantera, the black with pink pin dots Jennifer, and the black and white houndstooth with red trim Jacqueline. And with prices starting at under $40 per bra (120-125zl), I can actually afford it!

Here is that size chart, by the way:

EU                   UK
B                     A
C                     B
D                     C
E                     D
F                     DD
G                     DDD/E
H                     F
HH                   FF
J                      G
K                     GG
L                      H
M                     HH
N                     J

This was my first bra, except mine was beige.

When I was searching for a picture of it, I found this fun reflection on boobs by a mid-life blogger. When you read it, be sure to check out the comments for more stories that you may relate to. Also see  if you can relate to this first-bra memoir that won third prize in a writing contest, although hopefully none of you can relate to having a mother like hers.

CurvyHK tells us when underwires are likely to trigger the TSA alarms. While you’re on her blog, enjoy the story behind one of her most treasured compliments, and be sure to check out the emergency compliment resource she’s found for us (my favorites so far: “You think of the funniest names for wi-fi connections,” and “Your cousins refer to you as ‘the cool cousin.’”

Katie frequently contributes thoughtful comments to Hourglassy, but when I read her own blog I have NO IDEA how she finds the time. Recently she wrote about a topic that’s near and dear to my heart: planning a wardrobe for the early professional years. I like how she contemplates the cost factor for sewing her own things–this is a woman who leans in if I’ve ever met one–and other factors (such as how to add interest or how flattering, comfortable and professional trump trendy).

So far there are only two posts up on the new blog Wide Curves, but I like how the writer sets out her mail order methodology for finding bras in her size. It’s similar to what I do, but I never thought to formalize it. Despite all the negatives that she lists for this method, she’s been able to make some important sizing discoveries by using it, and my guess is she’ll be able to order fewer bras at a time going forward (unless it’s a new brand she hasn’t tried before or is a brand known for being inconsistent). Do you take the same approach as she does?

Imogen Lamport has another super helpful post about necklace scale and bust size.

If Leah’s review last Friday got you excited about Comexin, so will Linda’s guest review of unpadded Comexin bras over at Braless in Brasil.

Finally, I continue to do a lot of thinking about “Look at me” dressing, and a guest teenage writer has added another dimension to consider with her post on Already Pretty about Style and Privilege. If you read it, also be sure to read commenter Vildy’s perspective from across the river, and the writer’s follow-up comment. I also believe that there’s a lot that we women with large busts can relate to about N’s experience that has nothing to do with neighborhood.

This week will be my first of two reviews of items from Parfait by Affinitas’s newest collection. They accidentally sent me the wrong size in the bra I requested, but luckily they sent Lelaina two sizes of her bra, and the one she couldn’t fit happened to be my size.

This is the Fiona Balconette Molded Padded Bra in “Champagne.” As usual, it’s beautiful. I love the vertical seams, the lace trim, and especially the pleated straps. The color is an unexpected combination and the look overall is really classy and understated.

The quality, as always, is top notch. I wouldn’t really call it “padded,” since there’s no tapering or pushup pads. Its foam cups are thicker than average but also softer and more flexible than, say, Freya’s Deco. Even though it’s not an item I would normally gravitate toward, now that it’s in hand I really like it.

However, Parfait’s fit has been progressively worse for me with every season and Fiona is no exception. The first time I tried the brand was in January 2012. I was wearing 28FF and found the brand’s 30FF to be a perfect fit. The bras were so comfortable and flattering. Too bad for me, shortly thereafter my boobs inflated up to a 28G. (Weight gain? Birth control effect? No idea!)

All the 30G’s I’ve tried since then have been hit or miss. I even had to completely give up on my beloved pinup-style Charlotte. It just wasn’t working and I couldn’t really put my finger on why.

Like Charlotte, the Fiona absolutely isn’t working on me, but there isn’t one glaring problem. Everything is just slightly off. The cups are slightly too shallow and slightly too far out to the sides. The gore sits slightly away from my chest. The wires are slightly too wide. It’s just . . . not quite right.

The only hard and fast complaints I have are that (1) the straps don’t adjust short enough, and (2) the hooks dig into my back.

Otherwise, the 30 band feels great on my typically size 28 ribcage. It’s very tight and the three sets of hooks and eyes aid in making it feel really stable. But the cups and the placement of all the pieces just don’t work on me.

As my boobs are quite full on the bottom, have very narrow roots, and sit on the front of my chest with little underarm tissue, I’d recommend Fiona for someone without those features, but also not too extremely at the opposite end of the spectrum either. I think Parfait fits a pretty average profile—average depth, root width, and placement on the chest.

Still looking forward to trying the Arabella longline, though!

Getting my Parfait bra set in the mail was extremely exciting!  I wear a 28FF in Freya, but because Parfait sizes run from 30D-40G, they sent me a 30F and a 30G to get as close to my size as possible.  I didn’t even try the 30G because the 30F was surprisingly roomy.  So I gave Leah the 30G, and you can read her review and see pictures of it in her post.

First of all, the Fiona is really beautiful.  I chose this style with its creme shade and relatively simple pattern because that is what appeals to me.  It’s important to me that I can wear my bras with all my clothes and that they are comfortable and offer proper support.  Prettiness is an added a bonus.  Besides being pretty, the quality of the make and material of this Parfait is really obvious.  The small details are great.

I was also very impressed with the Parfait in terms of comfort.  I wore it all day yesterday and felt wonderful.  The band was snug on the loosest hook, but it didn’t dig into my ribs or back at all.  I had to adjust the straps a bit, but they rested in the perfect spot near the edge of my shoulder without falling off or irritating my arm.

Below you can see some pictures of me wearing the bra under a regular shirt and two different dresses.

This is the t-shirt that I wore the whole day and it highlights the main issue I had with the Parfait bra.   There was a significant crease on the top of the cups.  We tried the band at all levels of tightness and the crease didn’t really change.  When the band was at its tightest, there was also a little tissue spilling out and making a mound.  Sometimes the crease wasn’t too noticeable and didn’t create lines in my shirt, but with certain posture it could definitely be seen

This is the dress that I wore yesterday.  I had the options of wearing it with a completely beige bra, wearing it with an undershirt, or letting my more patterned bras show through.  I think that I would wear the Fiona bra with this dress, though the dark brown lace is visible in the picture.

This is another dress I wear pretty often and I really like it with the Fiona bra.  My plain beige bra is visible, as this dress is pretty low-cut, and my other bras show more cleavage than I prefer.  The Fiona didn’t show much cleavage at all and the bra itself stayed hidden.

Do you want to win the Arabella that Leah reviews in her column today? Then be sure to enter the giveaway that we announced on Monday!

After Parfait’s Fiona Balconette was so unsuccessful, I was a bit trepidatious about trying the Arabella longline. But I’ve had my eye on it since CurvExpo of summer 2012, so I still just had to check it out. And good news…I love it!

Now, it’s not without issues, but I still adore it and expect to wear it often.

The first thing I noticed was that it is exceedingly tight. I’ve always found Parfait to run a band size small, but this one was so tight I had to have my boyfriend help me do up all the hooks. I probably would have been able to handle it if it was just two or three hooks, but with five, I absolutely couldn’t do it myself. If I had been trying this on in a store, I probably would have purchased a 32 band instead of a 30.

I actually think this is good news because women who were previously sized out of Parfait’s 30+ and max G-cup range can wear this particular item. Parfait tops out at G, but since it runs two bands small and one cup small, then a 36G would be the right size for someone who normally wears a 32GG, and 30FF would be the right size for someone who needs 26G. It’s a bit confusing, so I’d recommend trying one on in person or ordering multiple sizes if you’re not sure.

Moving on, since the band is a little smaller than it should be on me, the little piece of boning in the front is buckling. Luckily, it’s not digging into me and it’s just a cosmetic problem, so I don’t really care. Plus I’m convinced going up a band would solve it.

Next, there’s a weird thing happening with the gore. The wires don’t actually reach all the way up into the tip of the wire channels. So there’s about a centimeter of the channel folding over since there’s nothing to hold it up. That being said, the rest of the gore sits perfectly flat against my sternum and feels totally secure. The gore is a bit wide, though, so this may not be the right bra for very close-set boobs.

Almost done with the negative notes—I swear I have lots of positive things to say too! Anyhow, the wires come up too high on the sides for me. As such, the outer edges of the cup rub against my armpit. It isn’t nearly as bad as, say, Curvy Kate Showgirl range’s veritable shredding of my armpits, but it’s noticeable.

Okay, now for the good stuff: First, I think it goes without saying that this bra is gorgeous. The color is so vibrant and I absolutely adore all the little touches: The fuchsia underwire channels and delicate matching straps, the dotted line embroidery that’s shiny enough to resemble baby pearls when seen from a distance, the tiny rhinestone hanging from the gore. And if you’re not into girly pink and purple, I think the black and white colorway is equally stunning—love that tuxedo look.

I’ve had bad luck with Parfait’s non-molded bras thus far, but the cups of this one finally fit right. They’re a touch shallow at the base (but that’s the case for me with literally everything but Polish brands), but there’s no quad boob and there is excellent support. Likewise, I don’t even feel the boning in the back, but I think it’s subtly encouraging me to stand/sit up straight. I wore Arabella while riding my bike to work this morning and didn’t even feel the bra, in spite of my complaint about the too-high sides.

The bra gives a rather east-west separated look, so I think it’ll be good for when I want to avoid obvious Y-cleavage. The shape could stand to be a little more lifted, as I get a bit of a droopy shape on my bigger side…but my smaller side looks pretty round, so I think it’s a breast shape issue. I think someone not so full on bottom would get along with the lift a little better, as you can see in this photo of the model at CurvExpo summer ’12:

Overall, I was so thrilled with this bra that I wore it around my apartment all evening yesterday. If it weren’t sheer, I might even considering wearing it as a top (well, maybe under a sheer white blouse or something). It’s encouraging me to try one of those crop tops (with a high-waisted skirt) you’re seeing so much of this season. I cannot wait to try more longlines. The only problem now is, how do I fit them in my lingerie drawer?

Somehow in the shipping of the Parfait bras to Leah (Fiona and Arabella) and my niece (the Fiona) for their reviews, I ended up with an extra Fiona in 30G. Happily, Reader K entered the giveaway and asked for a Fiona in 30G, so she won something right away! Even better, she’s written her own review, so you’ll get another perspective of the fit of a 30G on someone with a different shape from Leah.

Appearance: 10/10
To start off, the bra is quite pretty. The fabric is a really soft, silky champagne colored satin with brownish maroon lace along the top of the cups. Parfait adds to the glamor of this bra with a small sequined charm at the gore. I like that the cups are lightly lined and are very soft and flexible. The band is mesh and clasps with 3 hook and eye closures. Overall, the Fiona is a beautiful bra that looks like it it is sewn to last!

Fit: 8/10
I waited until I had worn this bra a few times just so I could give a more accurate review! I normally wear a 28G but decided to try the Fiona in a 30G since their sizes start at a 30 band and I read online that Parfait’s bands run tight. The 30G turned out to be a good fit. I gave the Fiona an 8/10 in the fit department for two reasons. Firstly, the straps aren’t fully adjustable. If you’re a short gal like me this can be a problem when the bra begins to stretch (thankfully, I have a little sewing know-how and a good tailor for when I get in over my head). Secondly, the cups are just a hair shallow and wide on me, though not by much. The bra is very comfortable to wear and has earned a spot in my normal rotation!

Couple of bra reviews this week. Though I’ve slowed down on buying new ones in anticipation of placing a big Comexim order sometime in the next couple months, there are a couple Freyas that I’ve had my eye on and am willing to make an exception for the right price.

Freya is one of the very few brands whose cut-and-sew bras fit me really well, really consistently. And the ones that fit me best are the ones with lace or lace-like sheer fabric on the top half of the cup, like Naomi (the best-fitting one I’ve ever tried…I will cry when it wears out), Luisa, and Ada. The fully solid ones, like Lacey and Erin, aren’t quite as good. They have some wrinkling at the top of the cup near the strap for some reason.

A couple seasons back, I had my eye on the Freya “Beau,” but wasn’t crazy about the color (brown bows on a tan background). But then Freya offered it this season in fuchsia over light pink (they call it “lollipop”), and I absolutely loved it. Large Cup Lingerie is currently selling it for $40 with free international shipping, so I picked one up for a decent price.

The fit, as expected, is spot on. It’s uplifted and round with an ever so slightly pointed shape, the way most Freya bras seem to fit. As with all Freyas, the wires are pretty narrow and the cups pretty deep, though not ridiculously so for either. The gore sits perfectly flush without digging in.

I love the details on this bra. The gore and each strap have a little lilac bow with white polka dots. The print of the bra continues onto the front of the straps, but is flat enough that you can adjust the straps all the way onto the print, making them fully adjustable. The color is wonderfully bright, more so than the manufacturer’s photo included here. All in all, it was a great, worthwhile purchase.

Next up is Freya’s “Babes in the Wood.” I noticed it at the last CurvExpo and really liked the pattern, but didn’t make plans to definitely buy it. I’ve kept an eye on it, though, just because it’s one of the half-lace offerings. So when Figleaves.com had another of their 20% off everything coupons and I needed a new strapless bra anyways (review to come!), I went for it.

Babes in the Wood doesn’t fit quite the same as Beau. I couldn’t put my finger on why at first, but then I realized the lace panel seemed wider. I measured it, and closest to the gore the panel is two inches tall. On Beau, it’s only 1.75 inches. As such, the heavier fabric isn’t enclosing as much tissue and I get a slight quad-boob effect on the seam where the lace meets the fabric. The lace is also quite delicate compared to Beau’s mesh-like texture, so it’s not restricting the tissue as well.

However, the lace is deliciously soft and molds to my shape at the top of the breast, so it’s not a total loss by any means. I’m considering tucking a little of the lace under the fabric near the seam and sewing it in place or maybe sewing some grosgrain ribbon on the inside of the seam so it strengthens the lace.

Otherwise, the fit and shape is similar to Beau, and equally as pleasing. Babes is also very bright with fabric that again reaches onto the front of the straps without affecting adjustability. It further matches Beau’s charm with sheer cream and blue striped ribbon bows with a tiny coral center placed at the gore and straps.

It took me years to move away from wearing nothing but molded bras; and Freya’s lovely, nearly perfectly fitting options and genius prints are definitely responsible for my conversion.

After years of wearing an ill-fitting Victoria’s Secret strapless bra, it was a relief when the Freya Deco strapless came out. They’ve seen more wear than all my other bras during the last three summers. However, they’re far from perfect, so I’m still looking for another strapless to supplement the Deco.

The first problem I have is that the Deco cups are slightly too shallow for me at the base of the cup. That, combined with the relatively flexible cups, results in my boobs pushing the cups down. While I’m still held up pretty well and the bra doesn’t fall down my torso at all, it’s not the most attractive or comfortable look, and I end up with a lot of jiggling. This is, of course, largely ameliorated by using straps as a halter, single strap, or cross-back, which luckily is how I usually wear it. But it would still be nice if I had a strapless that’s equally plungey yet stiffer in order to really hold me in place.

The other problem with the Deco strapless is that the band is much tighter along the top and lower edge where it’s got the heavier elastic, resulting in itchy, red marks where it cuts in and what I affectionately call “phantom back fat” (i.e. there isn’t much fat there, but the way the fabric pinches in makes it look like rolls).

After a couple seasons of hemming and hawing about trying the Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless, I finally ordered it in two sizes when Figleaves had a coupon recently. I was hesitant to try the bra since it starts at a 30 back and I wear 28. Additionally, the last time I tried a Wonderbra was years ago and it wasn’t the best shape for me, nor was it the best quality.

But at about $50 (plus a coupon), the Ultimate Strapless is actually not horribly expensive, so I finally decided it was time to give it a try. Unfortunately, it didn’t really work out and I sent back both sizes, but it’s definitely a high-quality bra with amazing structure so I still recommend it for those who are the right shape.

First off, one of the features you may have read about is the “finger-like” structure inside the bra. The creators figured that since you get the best cleavage when you hold up your boobs with your hands, the construction should mimic hands. For some reason, I thought it would just be three strips of horizontal padding on the outer side of each cup’s interior. But it’s actually a hard piece of plastic that’s embedded within the bra. It’s like wide, flat, vertical boning on the outer side, with three flat, horizontal fingers connected to it perpendicularly, going toward the center of the cup.

It’s a real feat of engineering. It truly does feel like I’m holding my boobs up with my hands, and the cleavage is crazy, as if I were pushing my boobs up and together with my hands. Also, since it’s got all this construction inside the bra, it’s smooth and you can’t feel any underwire. I’m not even sure there’s actual wire in it, but it’s definitely just as strong and supportive as underwire, if not more so. After all the complaining about wanting internal padded wires (like Victoria’s Secret does so well), here it is!

As for the band, it’s wonderful. It’s much wider than a typical bra, almost a longline. And it’s evenly heavy and thick all over, so no phantom back fat. At first it seems odd that it only has two hooks in the back. You’d think that would provide less stability. But I actually liked this aspect, because it sits lower—you could definitely wear it with low-backed garments. Yet it still felt totally stable and didn’t move even when I jumped around.

So now we come to the problems. First off, while the 30 band was fine, my usual sister size of 30FF was too small in the cups and gave me quad-boob. The 30G seemed to be the appropriate volume, but then there was simply too much bra. The cups came up far too high under my arms. Not only was there tons of visible side-bra in a sleeveless top, but the cups were so tall that they were actually in my armpit and the meat of my arms was folding over the cups. Since I prefer not to post photos of myself in my skivvies, here’s a crude drawing I made to illustrate how it looked on me:

Note that the cleavage I have drawn here is totally accurate. I literally had that magical Y-shaped cleavage and my boobs were practically lifted up to my chin. It was amazing! I looked like a comic book character. I’m not even sure I want that much cleavage if I’m wearing a garment that’s skimpy enough to require a strapless bra, but that seems to be the only choice if it’s a plunge.

Lastly, from a three-quarter angle, I thought it looked a little funny. This was a minor complaint, not a deal-breaker, but it didn’t seem like there was enough of a sharp angle under my boobs. It was more like a graduated slope from the crest of my boob down to the band.

Aside from the cups being too much, there was just something off about the fit in general. With all the heavy construction, I couldn’t really tell what exactly the problem was, so unfortunately I can’t recommend a specific breast shape for this garment. You’ll just have to try it for yourself!

After the Ultimate Strapless failed to work out, I found Gossard’s Super EgoBoost strapless bra, which has a nice, thick band but more traditional underwire. Amazon UK sells some sizes for as low as 20GBP, which is about $31, or less than half the retail price of $69. I’ll follow up with its review when it arrives.

One day you think your bra will never die, and the next day it’s sliding around on the tightest hook. By the time we landed in Florida last month, my beige Fantasie 4520 had literally let me down. It wasn’t very imaginative of me, but I planned to stock up on $50 black and beige replacements the next day at Sea Cup and Up. Unfortunately, Sea Cup and Up didn’t carry my standby style. Fortunately, this gave me a chance to try other everyday bras.

I ended up purchasing the Elomi Rita. Before she handed it to me in the dressing room, Cheryl, the owner of Sea Cup and Up, warned me that it was an ugly bra. It’s funny, though, because when I have a choice of pretty, non-beige bras, I don’t mind choosing an ugly beige one.

I chose this beige bra for the following reasons:

1. Center pull straps–I like that I don’t have to pull the straps in a diagonal line from the outer edge of my breasts to the center of my shoulders to keep them from falling off.
2. Three-part construction. And the seams are barely visible from beneath a tee shirt.
3. Perfectly tacking center gore. Ever since some of you told me that you would never compromise on a center gore that tacks, I have been on the lookout for a bra that will do this for me, while also meeting the other four requirements.
4. Convertible to a racerback!

There was only one other flaw with this 34GG bra besides its boring look. It had too much room at the bottom of the cup, and the underwire extended far past my breast tissue on the side. I kept the bra with its tags on for a week while I tried to overlook these issues, and I took these before-and-after photos with my worn out Fantasie 4520 to convince myself to tear the tags off and just wear it already! The left photos are the Fantasie 4520, and the right photos are the Elomi Rita.

 It’s a nice difference, but it wasn’t enough of a difference to get me to accept the extra cup space that I knew would drive me crazy over time. So I exchanged it for the Elomi Isis Swim Bra (in 36GG) and Briefs.

Readers, I failed to follow my own advice to avoid black unless it “looks amazing on you or you absolutely can’t find anything else in your size”. I really wanted the navy set so that I could wear the bottoms with the Panache Nancy in 36H (below), but Sea Cup only carried them in black and purple.

I seriously considered the purple because I loved the idea of this Elomi Madeira Ruched Tankini top. Look how my boobs fit exactly into the spaces they’re supposed to without any boob bifurcation!!! But something about the overall look said “matronly” to me, so I passed on the purple.

Because the Elomi swim separates are so expensive, I agonized over whether to order the navy online (and on sale!), give in and get the purple, or settle on the black. After studying all the other bikinis and tankinis on the beach, I realized that there were a ton of colorful options that would match the black bottoms, including the ruched version of this Elomi Flora Flared Tankini top that I tried on at the store. Ignore the shorts if you can–I would love this as a dress if it were longer! The center drawstring lets you create a higher or deeper neckline.

I’ve since ordered the Elomi Flora Ruched Tankini top and several other non-Elomi tankini options from Bare Necessities, as well as the Freya Madame Butterfly bikini top from Town Shop that I told you about before. I’ll be trying them on with the Isis briefs and taking pictures soon.

For now, let me tell you what I think of the Elomi Isis Swim Bra and Briefs. I love them. When I first walked to the beach in them, I wondered if I would feel exposed, but I didn’t. I felt perfectly at ease walking in front of sunbathers, but the main thing is, I felt comfortable simply walking . . . and swimming . . . and making sand castles . . . and bending over to pick up seashells without spilling out.

The 36 band is snug on me (bikinis are one area where I don’t want to go too snug, even if I can fasten it, because I don’t want to make my extra cushioning any more obvious), the center gore tacks perfectly, there’s excellent lift and support, and there’s no hint of quadraboob. It being Elomi, of course there’s the issue of extra space in the bottom of the cup, which makes me wonder if I could have done just as well with the Panache Isobel that I wrote about earlier for $30 less from Figleaves.

Both have three-part cups, inner mesh for added support, and a simple clasp in back, although the Elomi has a leotard back, which has its advantages, although I’m not sure $30 worth of advantages.

As for the briefs, they balance my top, and they contain everything that I want contained. There is one construction feature that irks me considerably, however: the end of the elastic band is not sewn completely to the left side seam as it is on the right. This causes the elastic to roll a bit, but more than that, it concerns me that the bottoms will not last very long. I actually exchanged my first set of briefs for a new pair, and before leaving the store carefully felt the elastic to make sure it was connected. All seemed fine. Then I put them on and felt the same issue–an almost loose end of elastic on the left side. Did Sea Cup and Up receive a faulty lot, or are all Isis briefs constructed this way? I couldn’t be bothered to return them so close to our departure, but I am not impressed. It would be great if Elomi would respond with an explanation.

Finally, I bet you’ve wondered the same thing I did: can the Isis Swim Bra be used as an everyday bra??? Answer: Yes, with qualifications.

I wore it under this top and black camisole for an entire day.

As you can see, it performed beautifully, although minus the layers, the cup seams are highly visible. I discovered this when I tried on a thin tee shirt while shopping.

As for comfort, it was a dream until about 6:00 p.m. That’s when began to feel oppressed by the layers and couldn’t wait to take it off. (I was in air conditioning, so it had nothing to do with Florida’s heat.) I felt lifted and supported until the very end, but I realized it wouldn’t be a good idea to treat this as an everyday bra every day because there are no hooks in back to make it tighter when the band inevitably stretches after frequent use.

But for pulling a dress over it and running to the grocery store directly from the beach? I couldn’t ask for anything better. Whenever I’ve run to the store in my saggy Panache Geneva tankini, I’ve felt gross. When I went grocery shopping in my Elomi Isis, I blended in with the rest of the shoppers, whether they came from the beach or the office.

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How many of you wear or have worn Elomi? It was fun to discover that SweetNothings is also exploring Elomi bras, and you can get another perspective on Elomi’s swim pieces from FussyBusty–she got the blue swim bra and briefs so that she could wear the adorable flared Regatta over it.

We all know the hassle of bra-shopping online, but my wornout bras have made me so desperate that I went ahead and ordered online, hoping that my knowledge of the different bra brands and my recent swimsuit shopping would cut down on the need for too many returns and exchanges. No such luck. Out of all the bras, there’s only one that I would purchase, and even its center gore doesn’t tack.

Here’s a rundown from my least favorite to my favorite, with the advantages and disadvantages of each in case you’re also in the market for an everyday beige or black bra.

6. Cleo Juna 36H

Truth be told, I only chose this one because of how cute it looked in strawberry, which wasn’t even available in my size.

I knew from past experience that Cleo bands run tight, and the 36 was perfect. Plus it tacked. But there was way too much room at the top of the cups. And it looks pretty boring in beige (although that wouldn’t have stopped me from keeping it if it fit). Next time I try a Cleo, it will be a 36G and 36GG.

5. Rosa Faia Twin Firm 36H

I knew from my Anita sports bra that these bands run snug, and again the 36 was perfect. In my past life, I would have thought this bra was perfect, too! It really is super comfortable, and I like that it has an inner sling to keep your breasts more centered, and I like its center pull straps that are wonderfully cushioned. But the shape reminded me too much of my days in the Wacoal Bodysuede seamless . . . pretty matronly.

4. Chantelle Orsay 3-Part Cup Bra in 34H

I didn’t know that Chantelle made this style of bra without any lace in the cups, and I had high hopes for some perky three-part liftedness under tee-shirts.

Since last year I managed to fit a 32H in Chantelle, and I know the French like their bras “comfortable”, I ordered the 34 here, and the band was just right, even snug. (There’s a chance I would have been happy in a 36G, but the happiness would have run out in 3 months when the band stretched.)

I really wanted this bra to be the one because the fabric was so soft and lustrous. The center gore was respectably close to my sternum and there wasn’t any quadraboob. However, there was some space in the cup beneath my left breast, and there was some wrinkling along the wire to the side of my right breast, and truth be told, it didn’t quite encapsulate all of my breast tissue beneath my arm.

And it was just so . . . beige. I loved the profile that this bra gave me, but staring at the bra itself head on in the mirror was almost depressing!

3. Amoena Mia Sophia Simplex in 36G

Ali Cudby reviewed Amoena Mia on Hourglassy two years ago, but I never felt compelled to try it until I saw the Sophia. The purple embroidered irises might defeat the purpose of a nude bra under some garments, but if it fit, the prettiness would be worth the sacrifice.

Besides its looks, I also wanted this bra to fit for its comfort. The panel that holds the hooks is actually cushioned, so there wouldn’t be any break-in time with the band. The 36, by the way, was pretty snug on me, so my impression is that the bands run true to size. Normally, I wouldn’t care about the Comfort+ technology that’s supposed to make it cooler, but after the past few scorching days, I’d really like to wear something like this on the subway.

If only I didn’t know about scoop and swoop because then this bra would have fit! Sadly, once I did everything necessary to settle myself into it, there was quadraboob. Then I examined the size tag attached to it and discovered that Amoena’s 36G is actually a British 36F. Fortunately, they offer it up to an American H cup, so I’ll try the 36H when I return this one to Town Shop tomorrow.

2. Freya Lacey in 36GG

I have loved the Freya Lacey from afar for a long time, but I’ve never found it in stores in my size. Here was my opportunity!

When I first tried this on, I thought Lacey and I were going to be living together happily ever after. The center gore tacked perfectly, the cup edges lay flat, my breast tissue was completely encapsulated, and . . . I could fasten it on the tightest hook. Bummer. I knew that Freya bands are generous, but from the way the Freya 36 band bikini tops fit me, I thought this size could work.

It actually took a couple of tries for me to conclude that this bra was too big in general, so I have high hopes for the 34GG or 34H. The lift in the 36GG wasn’t as high as I’d like (more the “natural” look that other bloggers have described), but I’m hoping it’ll be higher in the right size.

For more reviews of this bra, check out Curvy Wordy’s Lacy review and Bras and Body Image’s Lacy review.

1. Chantelle Cachemire in Ebony in 34H

It looks like I’ve come full circle since writing about the Cachemire last year. I thought I’d never get over the blue that got away, but this deep chocolate brown with metallic and navy embroidery is GORGEOUS.

There’s a smidgeon of space between my sternum and the center gore, and there’s a little extra space between the base of my boobs and the underwires, but there’s no bubbling over, and the underwire encapsulates everything on the sides. This bra makes everything look the way I like it too–lifted and forward with a high profile that isn’t too pointy.

The only drawback? It will definitely take some wearing in. Oh how I wish the fabric were soft and the hooks panel padded like the Amoena Mia Sophia. Instead, it’s a little scratchy in back, and I’m definitely aware of pressure from the underwires.

Conclusion

Even though I say I want a basic everyday bra, it looks like I want a basic everyday bra with a little something extra, as my top 3 choices show.  I’m going to play around with the sizing in the Amoena Mia Sophia and the Freya Lacey, and I’m going to keep thinking about the Cachemire. And even though I’m desperate, I’ve actually been lucky enough to discover that my Fauve Lucia and my Prima Donna Deauville, each in 34G, are still able to support me through these lean times.

What do you look for in an everyday bra?

After three weeks of absence thanks to the move from hell (though aren’t they all?), I’ve got a stable of items to review. This week I’ll start out with the follow-up to my recent review of the Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless.

After Wonderbra’s innovative offering failed to work out, I ordered Gossard’s Super Egoboost Strapless from Amazon UK. It says on Amazon that it costs £20.80 – £39.95 depending on size, but for some reason the nude 30G that I ordered was only £17.33 when I added it to my cart. That made up for the awfully high shipping cost of £9.79 (about $15 US), for a total of about $44 US. Considering that the suggested retail price is $69, that’s positively a steal! And if it didn’t fit, I figured I’d be able to easily recoup my money by selling it online.

Unfortunately, it does not fit. I’ve tried Gossard bras in the past, and find them to fit much like Parfait—one cup and one band size small. As such, I ordered 30G. But the band was so outrageously tight that I literally could not close it. I had my boyfriend close it for me so I could at least assess the cups, and those fit much like the Deco—very round and uplifted, but a touch too shallow on me, leading the cups to fold over a little at the bottom.

Despite the band being unwearable, the bra still created some impressive cleavage—about halfway between the Deco and the Wonderbra Ultimate. Like the Wonderbra, this one has a rather thick band, almost like a longline, which I like since it helps it stay smooth instead of pinching in on the top and bottom edge where the elastic and silicon are located. Gossard’s fabric is not as thick as Wonderbra, though, so it still has a little of that pinchy edge feeling that Wonderbra lacks.

I’d like to try a 32FF, but don’t really want to order from overseas again just to try it out, especially since the cups weren’t a significant improvement over the Deco’s. Perhaps if I sell the 30G at cost . . . .

What’s your Holy Grail big bust item for lounging around the house? By the time my Bravissimo pyjama tops “with integrated support” arrived a couple of weeks ago, they were going to be my Holy Grail wardrobe solution. I was going to walk to the corner store, take out the garbage, and work at home in them, all the while feeling lifted, supported, and carefree.

Of course when an item of clothing reaches that status, it’s hard to measure up, and sadly, these tops didn’t. As you can see from the two photos on the left, the tops aren’t bad. They’re just not amazing. I didn’t like the shape that the blue top gave me, and I didn’t like the foam padding in either of them. I guess I was expecting something a little more like a sports bra.

It took ordering tops from across the Atlantic to figure out a solution available from the bra stores in my own town. Trying these tops made me wonder two things:

1. Why limit myself to foam wireless bras when I hate foam cups? and
2. Why limit myself to wearing the top that the wireless bra is connected to?

In other words, why not find a wire-free, foam-free bra that I can wear under any top? So when I was in Magic Corsets the other day, I asked to try a wireless bra and was given the Goddess Keira (style 6093) in 36G. That’s what you see on the right in the photos above and below.

I could immediately fasten the Keira on its tightest hook, so I asked to try a 34 instead. They didn’t have it in the Keira, but they had a 34G in another Goddess style that was okay, but not as comfortable. Since my goal in a wireless is comfort, I decided to keep the Keira, and it’s been great. However, it isn’t perfect either. I’ll go into more detail below.

First, here’s a closeup of the integrated bras in the Bravissimo pyjama tops. Interestingly, the blue one actually seems to fit better! Although I prefer the rounded shape that I get in the pink top, I look like I’m drooping over the band in the photo below because of the extra space in the cups . Both tops are in 34GG-H, but the 34F-G may have been better for me in the pink.

I’m wondering if the integration of the band into the back of the blue racerback gives it more strength to help the cups keep their shape. The pink band simply stretches around the back like a tankini top. Both have three columns of three rows of hooks, which is nice (although one of the hooks has already come off the blue one). By the way, I could fasten each on their tightest hooks immediately, so I’m glad I didn’t order a 36 band.

In case you’re curious, here is what the backs look like. I was afraid I’d look too squishy around the armholes of the racerback, but I think it looks fine.

Finally, here’s what I’ve learned about wearing a wire-free bra. Number one, I am the worst bra shopper in the world because I tripped up once again on American/UK sizing. But I do have an excuse–I had just been trying 36G Freyas and Fantasies in the store, so I assumed when the fitter gave me a 36G Goddess, it was the same thing. After all, Eveden owns Goddess, Freya, Fantasie and Elomi. But I was wrong. Take a look at the size tag that I only studied after removing the price tag.

This explains the side boobs that aren’t fully encapsulated by the cups and the lack of anything close to tacking by the center gore (although I never expect anything wireless to fully tack unless it’s a Cameo or Jeunique) . Given these details, plus the fact that the band isn’t tight, it’s pretty amazing how lifted I look, isn’t it?

I’m a lot more shaped and supported in the Goddess than when I go braless, and that’s the point. After wearing an underwire all day, I’m ready for a break at around 7 p.m., but I’m not ready to walk around the house without a bra. I just don’t like the look. I like the way I look and feel in the Goddess.

On the other hand, the Goddess Keira isn’t an all-day bra, even if I’m only working around the house. After a few hours, the band starts to stretch out, causing the gross feeling I get when a bra band is too loose and everything starts sliding around.

It looks like I have a new bra routine: underwires during the day, and wireless before bed. However, I know better than to think this is the routine for everyone. I had dinner with a master bra fitter last week who said her underwire bra is the last thing she takes off before going to bed, and that if your bra isn’t comfortable all day, then you may not be wearing the right size. I’ve heard this from others as well. I also know that wireless options are limited to non-existent for women with large cups and 32- bands. What have you found?

I’m a little late to the party here, but quite a while ago Parfait by Affinitas announced they’d be expanding the size range of some of their bras—the ever-popular Charlotte Padded Bra, the Sophia Wire Bra, and the Alexis Babydoll—to include a 28 band and cup sizes (UK) GG, H, HH, J, JJ, and K.

Since I find Parfait to run small in both the cup and the band, this was pretty exciting news. The Charlotte bra has long been one of my favorites, but after bumping up from a 28FF to G years ago (or a 30FF to 30G in Parfait), it wasn’t working quite right on me. It was small enough in the cup that it wasn’t particularly comfortable, so I eventually (and with great disappointment) resigned myself to not owning this gorgeous bra.

As soon as I received the press release about the new sizes in my inbox, I immediately reached out to Parfait to get myself a sample in a bigger cup. I had read in the blogosphere that the bands, which previously ran at least a size small (and in the case of Charlotte, I’d say nearly two bands small), would now be closer to “true to size.”

I asked Parfait about this and was told: “The sizing of the existing sizes will remain the same. When we expand sizes, we do not change the sizing. We add additional sizes based on the existing fit to offer a popular garment for additional customers.”

So I went with 30GG. I wondered if I ought to actually try a 32 since I found the 30 so tight, but really wanted to check out the new bigger cup size, so I stuck with 30.

It’s a good thing I did because this band is definitely looser than the 30 I had before. Previously, it was just over 24” flat and it stretched to just over 29”. Now it goes from just over 25” to just over 30”. As such, I still think of it as a size 28, but now it’s more of a true 28 instead of being closer to a size 26.

So the band is certainly an improvement even though the Parfait rep told me it’d be the same, but pretty much everything else about this bra is actually worse on me now than it was before.

Here are the other notable differences when you jump from 30G to GG:

1. There are four rows of hooks and eyes instead of three.
2. The straps are 2.5 cm wide (about an inch); previously I measured them at just 2 cm.
3. The gore height is 8.8 cm; previously 8.1 cm.
4. The wing height is 12 cm; previously 10.7 cm.
5. The wire length is 30 cm; previously 27.9 cm.

I know some ladies like the additional row of hooks and the extra-wide straps, but I personally hate them. It makes the bra so much bigger all over when all I wanted was bigger cups. The straps in particular look laughably clunky in my opinion.

Naturally, the gore height, wing height, and wire length will be bigger in a bigger cup size, but there is such a difference that I simply can’t wear the bra. It is digging into my arms so much that if I’m not standing perfectly upright with my shoulders thrown back, then my arms push the cup edges forward so they’re floating away from my body with empty space between the breast tissue and the cup.

It’s also incredibly uncomfortable. The straps start so far into my armpits that it feels like they’re going to saw off my arms. You can visibly see the straps curving in from my arms then back out and up to my shoulder. Here is my extremely slapdash Photoshop of what it looks like on me:

And as is so often the case for me, the wires are a little too wide and the cups a little too shallow at the base. I’m really disappointed, especially since the next two Charlotte colors—a dark blush and a bubblegum pink—are so gorgeous.

I always hope the depth will increase when I go in cup size, but so often it seems there’s just more width. What about projection?? My breasts do not wrap around the sides of my ribcage, they stick out.

I guess this is just another Parfait bra I can cross off my wish list. But knowing me (and knowing their vast array of styles), I’m going to keep trying them. After all, I adore my Arabella longline, and I’ve had my eye on their purple with pin dots Celine since I first saw it at the CurvExpo in February. As part of the Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, it should be coming out any day now!

After having a laughable time trying the provided bustier at David’s Bridal earlier this month, I decided I should get my bridal lingerie now so I can use it while trying on more wedding dresses. In “unusual” sizes, it’s a lot easier to pick (or alter) a dress to suit the undergarments than the other way around.

So when Figleaves put the Masquerade Hestia basque on sale for half off, I jumped at it, especially since the only sizes left were (and still are) 30FF and 30G. I knew that if the basque was successful, it would be in one of these two sizes; I would either take 30FF as the sister size to 28G since there are no basques in 28 band as far as I know, or 30G since often I need to size up with half-cup, vertical-seamed bras.

I was going to order both and return the one that doesn’t fit, but as funds are a little low right now, I really preferred to order just one. After consulting a forum on Facebook, I got answers about fit that were literally all over the place—some people said it runs big in the cups, some said small; some said it runs tiny in the band and that they sized up two numbers, others said it was true to size or big. So I ended up ordering 30FF and crossing my fingers.

Well for once I got lucky! It fits just about perfectly. It’s not too shallow in the cups or too wide in the wires. As usual, the wires are a little wider than I really need, but the only brand in which that isn’t the case is Comexim, so I take what I can get otherwise. The point is, there is no stabbing, no rubbing in my armpit, and the cups don’t wrap all the way around to my back, so the wire width is totally acceptable.

I do wish the far corner of the wires was a touch shorter, but that’s just because I’m concerned it may prove to be visible under a dress, not a comfort issue. (Though I suspect it wouldn’t be as supportive if that were the case.)

Speaking of support, I am so impressed! It really hoists me up, and in fact gives much more lift on me than it does the model in the above photos. It provides a bit of Ren Faire-style uplift, but without the extreme “cakes on a platter” look of a real corset.

It certainly does run quite small in the band, so I’m glad I ended up with a 30. With it being so tight and with so many hooks and eyes (I think there were 12?) and the lacing, you do need a second person to close it all. One problem to note with the lacing is that the lace hole panels are placed over the tightest set of hooks while the basque is not being worn. This means that when you’re wearing it on the loosest hooks (as you should when it’s new) and it’s being stretched on your body, there’s about 3 inches of space between each side of the laces and all the hooks are fully visible.

As I didn’t bother with the lacing when I tried the basque on, I’m concerned that the ribbon may actually prove to be too short with such a large gap. That’s easily remedied by simply buying a new piece of satin ribbon, but it’s something to keep in mind if you don’t have any craft stores in your area.

Now as for comfort, I basically want to wear this thing every single day. In a conversation with Darlene and Mia, I compared it to Thundershirts, the shirts for dogs that supposedly control their anxiety by exerting constant, gentle pressure. I feel so contained and comfortable—it’s like I’m getting a full-torso hug from my bra. (Maybe I should invest in some light corsets!)

The quality, too, is stellar. The front panels second from the center and the adjacent back panels are your standard polyamide/elastane mesh mix, but the rest of the panels include cotton (cotton!) and silk (silk!), two things that are rare among full-bust bras in my experience. Overall it feels and looks like moderately shiny satin. The boning seems to be made of similar material to underwires, so it maintains its shape well yet is flexible enough to not dig into your ribs.

As for the boning, the angled pieces are genius. They really enhance an hourglass silhouette and I bet would help create an hourglass shape on ladies with a more straight shape. They also look modern and sleek. While this garment does provide some shaping, it’s in no way “shapewear” like Spanx. It minimizes my tummy a little, but the part that extrudes the most, the area under my belly button, is pushing the basque out more than the basque is pushing me in. If I really wanted the appearance of a flat stomach, I would need to wear Spanx under the basque. And I think we all know I don’t care enough to do that. I want the freedom to eat and sit and dance on my wedding day!

The basque is quite long; even on my freakishly long torso it just reaches the top of my mid-rise bikini underwear, so I’ll have to carefully select panties to go with it. I don’t want bulk around the base of the basque, but I also don’t want to wear a thong or anything that will ride up in the back or be uncomfortable. I do not need to be extricating underwear from my butt while wearing a wedding dress!

One last note: Much to my pleasure, the color in real life is darker and more yellow-y than it appears in Figleaves’ photos. I think it looks very close to white online, but is more of a true ivory in real life. And thank goodness for that, because I do not find white flattering on my ghostly pallor at all!

I’ve mentioned before that I haven’t had any luck with Freya bras, but I still think that it is worth giving them a try, if only to see if changes have been made for G+ women. We must keep in mind that they cannot make changes quickly. It may take a couple years for them to manufacture and sell bras that work for us.

The Good: The bra is gorgeous. The pink stitching is a playful pop of color against the black, and there is just enough sheer material to turn up the sexy a bit. The band is especially comfortable while still being firm enough to provide great support.

The Bad: The cups have the same wonky, cone shape I’ve encountered in other Freya bras. Because my boobs aren’t naturally cone-shaped (are many women’s?), I had to lean over into the bra and then do some adjusting to get my breasts into the cup properly.

The Ugly: This bra IS NOT for full-on-top breasts. I’m sure someone will say that I need a larger cup. I don’t. My entire breasts fit into the cup. The problem is the band that runs parallel to, and directly below, the scalloped edge. This band seems to be placed here to reinforce the line of pink embroidery below the scalloped edge. I would gladly give up the reinforcement for a good fit.

(Bubble boob created by pressure from band)

(Lifting the band allowing breast to sit properly)

As a full-on-top woman, I have learned that if I see this in a bra (I see it fairly often), it will not work for me. It creates a stranger than usual four-boobed shape.

The quadra-band from the front.

The underside of the quadra-band.

If you are not full on top, you may want to give the Freya Arabella a try. As I said, it is very pretty and comfortable to boot. I, however, will not be keeping this one. This is not to say I have given up on Freya as a brand. They’re know for asking for feedback from their customers, which shows that they are at least willing to listen to us.

Quick bra review this week. I took home three bras from the Big Bust Clothing Swap last month, but they’re all different brands so I want to keep them separate. First up is the Freya Piper longline.

I loved this bra when I first saw it at Curve all the way back in February 2012, then liked it even more when they presented a bright blue one at Curve this year.

I was at an Eveden event recently and got another look at the blue Piper, but it was a more muted blue than I remembered and I decided maybe I didn’t love it quite as much as I had initially. Since the tan one started at only a 30 band and was from a previous season, I figured I would just not end up with one at all. But then Miss Underpinnings brought a tan piper in 30G to the swap, so I snatched it up.

Even though it’s a 30 band and I normally take a 28 in Freya, the fact that it’s a longline means it doesn’t ride up in back. So that part was successful. Additionally, I’ve always taken a cup size up in Freya’s padded half cups compared to their balcony bras, so the 30G (instead of my usual 28G) is just right. The cups are just a touch shallower than the brand’s balcony bras, but not enough that it bothers me.

As with most half-cups, it’s quite open on top, a boon to full-on-top women. It also creates a very rounded, perky, projected shape—my favorite silhouette.

The pattern, obviously, is darling. And I like the black straps and trim, which give it a bit of an edge so it’s not too sweet.

However, I do have one complaint, and unfortunately it’s a big one: the band does not stay down. Here’s what it looks like when I first put it on:

And here it is after a mere five minutes of walking around:

WTF Freya?? It’s so smooth and comfortable when I first put it on, but it pinches in terribly when it’s all bunched up. I find myself unfolding it all day long. Then I end up pulling it down on my body. Then I have to yank it back up to get the cups back into place. It’s so annoying!

Freya really needs to start adding vertical boning to the bands of their longlines. There’s no point in it being a longline if it’s just going to roll all the way up!

There’s also the issue of there being only two columns of hooks and eyes. There are six rows, which is great, but why on earth would they remove a column?? All their other bras have three columns, including the padded half-cups, which have the same cups as the longlines. I just don’t understand the logic here.

Unless Freya makes a design that I just can’t live without, I will not be buying any of their padded half-cup longlines until at least the rolling up band issue is fixed.

Yikes! I thought I published this from my phone last Friday at the vet’s office, but it’s going up today instead.  Leah’s review of an unmolded Parfait bra is extremely helpful for those of us considering Parfait’s cut and sew options.

Another bra review this week. This is one I purchased, not a find from the busty swap. It’s the Parfait by Affinitas Celine “wired” bra.

You may remember Celine from the February 2013 CurvExpo. Looking back, it was the one item I said I absolutely planned on buying. As such, I’m really glad that it (mostly) fits well.

It used to be that only Parfait’s padded/molded bras worked on me and the cut-and-sew ones I tried were just awful—completely unwearable. The cups were tiny and oddly shallow, like they were designed for flat breasts with no projection at all.

But the last few molded Parfaits I’ve tried have been similarly unwearable. The wires have been too wide, the cups too rigid and shallow, the gore not tacking at all. I’m still willing to try others, since I know all Parfait’s designs fit differently, but for the time being I think I’ve had enough.

Now it seems the wired ones are fitting me better. Luckily, in this case I actually prefer the look of the wired Celine over the molded one. The sheer lace is much more delicate and I like the triangular shape of the cups effected by the side slings.

Celine “wired bra.”

Celine “molded bra.”

As for fit, well there are some good and some not-so-good features on me.

The good: The cups are almost deep enough. There’s just a small amount of unfilled fabric at the base of the cup and the underwires are sitting where they should. Additionally, the gore tacks perfectly. In my experience this is something of an anomaly in Parfait bras, so I’m only too happy to report it. I feel really locked in. The wires are also a little more narrow than I usually find Parfait bras to run.

As for the bad, while those wires are comfortably narrow, they’re simply too long. The outside curves out at a much wider circumference than the inside half of the wires and they would be a lot better if they stopped an inch or inch and a half sooner than they do. The first few times I wore the bra, before it had broken in a bit, the wire on the right side uncomfortably poked me near the armpit all day and left me with a painful, almost raw, red mark when I finally took it off (kind of like a rug burn).

Those extra long outside wires also mean that the wings are quite tall. At the spot where the wire ends, it’s 10.5 centimeters. I measured a bunch of my Freya bras and they’re generally about 8.5 centimeters at the same spot, and the spot where the underwire ends on those is further toward the front (meaning less threat of peeking out of a sleeveless top or rubbing in my armpit when I move my arms around).

The last not-so-good feature before I finish up with a couple more good ones is that the band fits true to size. You’d think this was a good thing, except for the fact that I’m a size 28 and I purchased a 30G since Celine doesn’t come in 28. Parfait bands have always run small (and of course the cups run a size small as well). But this time I have to close it on the tightest hook right off the bat, and it still rides up a tiny bit in the center of the band. This was the same case in the new Charlotte, which does come in 28. So my guess is that starting with the Autumn/Winter 2013/14 collection, all the bands are perhaps running truer to size, if a little tight.

A maybe good/maybe bad thing, depending on your shape, is that while this bra gives excellent support, it doesn’t provide much lift. It’s not saggy by any means, but it’s certainly lacking oomph. Compounding this is the fact that it gives a somewhat east-west profile. But I feel that these issues are right for some ladies and wrong for others, so I hesitate to qualify them as “good” or “bad.”

To end on a positive note, three more good things about this bra are that (1) the lace on the cups is stretchy and even uses a stretchy clear strip along the edge of the lace to hold its shape, so there’s no digging in from a seam or a ribbon, making this a good choice for full-on-top breasts. (2) You gotta love those side slings. Even though they don’t stop the east-west look from happening, they contribute greatly to the “locked in” feeling I described above. And (3) the straps are a normal width apart in front (which for my narrow frame usually means they’re nearly falling off my shoulders), but they’re very close together in the back. Not as close as a racerback or anything, but I feel totally secure and have no desire to pull on the straps throughout the day.

Now that I’ve worn it a few times, it’s a very comfortable bra and will be great for days when I don’t want such a boobalicious profile.