Summertime requires some pretty light-coloured lingerie – at least if you go by the spring trends which include pastels every single year. Even if you are not a fan of pastels with your outerwear, it is refreshing to revise your lingerie collection every now and then with pieces that are a bit different from your regular wardrobe. Today we are reviewing the Ewa Bien “Ratri” in B230 which is beautiful summer-appropriate set for any fair gal out there. *Disclosure: This set was gifted to Jo by Ewa Bien. All opinions are our own!*
Design: The Ratri B230 is described as a push-up balconette, which I think is a Ewa Bien’s description for a regular padded balconette with one vertical seam right in the middle of the cup. This construction can be hard to get right, but it seems that Polish lingerie brands are masters of it. To be honest though, the one vertical seam does not help a lot when it comes to bigger sizes, so at least two seams are needed to form a better shape with say, FF-G+ sizes. However, Jo is wearing a Polish 65F which is a 30E in UK sizes, which looks great with even just one seam. The shape is very rounded, not rectangular at all like some bras with the same construction. The coverage is quite low, which is great for more open necklines – the true balconette style also creates a perfect Marie Antoinette cleavage which is the doing of the amazing uplift the bra offers.
The styling of the set is lovely – it’s a creamy yellowish beige that looks beautiful against the Finnish skin tone. However, it is not fully beige so under the whitest thinnest fabrics it might still show through! The embroidery is very delicate and has a nice rococo vibe to it. The bottoms are actually really cute too – even though they are made with a very practical Brazilian cut, they still manage to look very girly while the detailing is absolutely on-point, to say the least.
The Fit: As you may have already deducted from the pics above, the B230 was not the best fit for Jo’s breast shape. This is not the fault of the bra, it just wasn’t meant to be! The B230 is a rather shallow and wide balconette shape for a Polish brand, but then again, Polish are famous for trying to cater for multiple breast shapes, even within one brand. Jo likes her bras quite like me; moderately deep and with average-width wires. This balconette shape reminds me more of the regular “British” shape of bras – a bit too shallow and wide for most breast shapes. However, let’s not forget that there are people who definitely need these kinds of bras, so there is a market there.
The sizing with the B230 Ratri was pretty much on par with most Ewa Bien bras, if not a little on the smaller side with the cups. I would perhaps suggest sizing up in the cup if you are between sizes! The 65-band was quite loose for Jo, but that is understandable as her underbust measures around 26″ (so she is better off with a 28/ 60 band with most brands). She is wearing the bra in the middle set of hooks meaning a 60 band would have been a better choice with this bra. Unfortunately, Ewa Bien does not offer 60 bands quite yet, but let’s hope that is something they will consider in the future!
Comfort: As the fit of the bra is not the best for Jo, nor is the comfort aspect of it either. This is something that we like to preach here at 2COP – the right size AND the right style are crucial to one’s comfort when it comes to bras, so something that does not fit your body, will not likely be as comfortable as a bra with eg the right length and height of underwires. With the B230 Ratri it appeared to be exactly the wires that were the problem for Jo: they were cut too high and shaped wider, which meant they wouldn’t sit at the right spot for her. Jo is tiny, so she needs her cup height pretty low near the armpits to avoid chafing and with this particular style, the wires and the cup edge were just too high for her body.
If I could think of someone who the B230 would be perfect for, I would probably say someone who wears a bigger band size and small to average cup size, and someone who has shallower breast shape with a wide breast root. This someone could perhaps be one of our own guest bloggers, Miss T. Even though this is a balconette shape which are usually very open at the top, this particular style is actually quite closed at top, which is why it does not require a lot of fullness at the top part of the breasts. What I think suits everyone with this bra though are the straps – they are fully adjustable and detachable meaning you can make them work for a variety of body shapes and heights.
As said before, the true highlight of the set are the panties though. They are beautifully made and look amazing on Jo – they are also quite practical and have a seamless look at the back, if you don’t mind the little bow. The lace on the legs is placed well with just the right width and also with the softest stretch lace material that will adjust to your body, no matter its shape.
If you think this set could work for you, please check out Ewa Bien’s online store to make a purchase with them. The B230 Ratri goes up to H-cup with the smaller band sizes, so it’s actually quite full-bust friendly unless you have crossed the FF+ barrier like myself. The bra sets you back at 159 zl and the Brazilian briefs at 89 zl. If you are based in USA, the easiest way to order would probably be through Luxury Goddess, who offer a great selection of Polish brands for US customers. What do you think of the B230 Ratri? Let me know in the comments!
Two cakes on a plate 
Beautiful set, looks great!
Cheers
Hi! I’d like to now about the fit of the panties. Is it true to size or should I go up one size? I had sometimes problems with Comexim panties, the M size appeared more like a S size to me (and sometimes it is just right…!) It is quite hard to find information about Ewa Bien!
Oh I’m sorry, I forgot to mention it! They run a full size small so I would go up a size. My usual UK panty size is Small and I wear mostly Medium with all Polish brands – could probably go up to L with Ewa Bien though with some more restrictive materials! For reference, I have 40″ hips which are mostly butt.
I wear a 36D US size, 80D European, and I’ve never found another brand besides Ewa Bien that fits so perfectly. Although I’m sure opinions on this vary depending on breast shape and size, Polish brands truly do fit better than any other I’ve come across. The fit, the beautiful embroidery on the lingerie, the endless choice of colors, and extensive designs have made me absolutely fall in love with this brand. I auctioned off and gave away all my other bras as soon as I found this gem of a company. Aside from a few sexy Polish Axami bras, I do not plan on ever purchasing from anywhere else. They offer a large selection of current and past seasonal styles on their website. As a plus, many of the past seasonal designs are marked down tremendously. I’ve not had to alter my cup or band size to accommodate for the difference from US to European. I have had to size up to 36DD in Victoria’s Secret to prevent the bulging “third breast” bulge at the top of the cup, which in turn left extra baggy fabric with the larger cup size, while Ewa Bien fits like a glove. Many other balconettes I’ve tried also have a tendency to create a gap at the top of the cup that shows through my shirts, while both the padded and sheer cut of the Ewa Bien style fits beautifully. The push-up, plunge, and semi-soft styles fit equally as well. I’ve only found one company in the US that sells them, and for the price of the mark-up, it is less expensive for me to order several bras and panties at a time directly from Poland and pay for shipping to the US. I wear an American size XS/S in panties, and they also fit flawlessly. I was initially advised by the US distributor to order a size up, and the size M was giant. I don’t care much for the briefs, as the cut is a bit too thick and they look rather like granny panties. The tanga and thong both fit true to size. Perhaps it’s because I border on the XS side that I’ve not had to increase the size to equal the fit of American styles.