Lingerie Review: Katherine Hamilton Intimates “Louise” in 32GG

Many of you might remember me introducing you to Bosom Galore a couple of years back – Katy, the owner of the brand, has been super blogger-friendly from the get-go and thus the brand name spread through the lingerie blogosphere rapidly. Quite soon after the launch Katy decided to re-brand Bosom Galore and named it Katherine Hamilton Intimates, a brand with a stronger look and even more luxurious vibe to it. The relaunch of the brand took a while – but we all know that anything that’s good is worth the wait. A couple of months back Katy sent me a set from her new collection and I was delighted to see the brand had definitely grown into something bigger and better – the unsure teenager had become a strong independent woman. *Disclosure: This set was sent to me for review purposes by Katherine Hamilton Intimates. All opinions are my own!*

The Design: The first moment I saw Louise, I was sold. Who doesn’t like strappy designs? Well, I do! The idea behind the black strappy is not something particularly new, but I like how Louise does it is its own sophisticated simple way – there is only one strap going over the upper boobage and the magic of the bra is really the amazing shape and comfiness it provides.

The cups are constructed of three parts and they form a subtle plunge shape, even though the actual gore of the bra is on a balconette level. The centre gore doesn’t have any bows or ruffles on it which is why I don’t even mind it peeking from my shirt necklines. The cups are lightly padded but it is a cut-and-sew bra still, it provides a much better fit than most moulded padded bras. The shape with the Louise bra is also round and uplifted, which reminds me a bit of Ewa Michalak PL bras.

The Fit: I am always a bit skeptical when it comes to padded bras, for the reasons mentioned above; the padding usually tries to mold my breast tissue to the shape of the bra, not the other way around as it should be. With KH Intimates the road has been long and Katy has wanted to make everything on-point as her price tag is a bit higher than with some of the biggest full-bust brands. It’s definitely a luxury brand, so mishaps are a no-no.

The wait was long, but now it seems KH Intimates has got it right – the sizing seems pretty much on par with other UK brands with the exception that the Louise band seems to be running on the snugger side. I went for my second most used size 32GG and it is the perfect size for me. The cups run true-to-size and there is much more depth than with most other – especially new – British brands. The underwire reaches under my armpit so it’s a bit too wide for me, but this doesn’t cause me any discomfort. The centre gore tacks my sternum and the cups are deep enough at the bottom which prevent the cups from denting and collapsing under my breast tissue.

Comfort: When I first put the Louise on, the band was on the tighter side for 32 and reminded me more of a 30-band. However, it has since stretched out a bit and I can now comfortably wear the bra on the loosest set of hooks. I have even had this on for a whole night of dancing and partying and never once did I regret that choice! The materials are sleek on the outside but the lining inside the bra is 100% cotton as with the previous Bosom Galore bras – this is fantastic for us girls with skin conditions!  The straps are bit on the slippery side so I would perhaps think about the material choice on them, but otherwise the bra is pretty much spot-on when it comes to comfort.

I surprised myself with opting for the thong this time – as you know, I never ever wear thongs! However, the bra is a bit sexier so I figured it would be nice to have something skimpy as co-ordinates. I went for the size 12 and it fits me really well and I actually think it’s quite flattering too. You can never have too many strappy panties, I think!

The Louise set is available on the KH Intimates website – the bra retails for £78 and the thong costs £34. The size range is especially kind to those with a smaller band size – the band sizes start at UK 26! The whole size range with Louise bra is 26-36 D-HH and the panties UK 6-16. What do you think of KH Intimates and the Louise set? xx