Lingerie Review: Panache “Clara” in 32GG

My most recent review was of a Cleo basic “Marcie” which is something that Panache has been carrying for years now. Another newer model from the Panache core range has struck to me as well during the past few season, that is the Clara. I fell head over heels in love with the style when it first launched but it seemed that every time we were talking about reviews with Panache, it was sadly sold out in my size completely. This tells something about the popularity of the style among stockists and consumers alike – it is a fantastic basic full-cup style bra with a pretty icing on top of it. This season I was lucky enough to receive my first Clara sample in time, so today I bring you this beautiful festive style in the shade Heather.

The Design: The Clara is based on the older Panache classic Jasmine, which is another cult favourite among full-busted ladies like myself. The Clara has the same three piece cup construction as the Jasmine, but I think the side sling of the cups extends a bit further up towards the strap with the Clara style. This is part of the aesthetic differences of the two bras but I would believe it also gives the Clara its extra lift to the cups. The shape of the bra is very rounded and forward-projecting, which is something that I would always expect of a Panache or Cleo bra.

The style of the Clara is much more luxurious than Jasmine which is something I really like. True, you can never go wrong with a cute print and sleek materials but if you don’t mind a bit of lace showing through or just happen to wear thicker materials with your shirts, this is the bra that can bring your everyday to a whole next level. Personally I have always loved each and every colourway of the Clara (especially the emerald one!) but this Heather shade is something rather refreshing alongside of deep jewel tones – it is more delicate than its sisters and thus goes under lighter coloured tops as well. The materials of the bra are rather thin and stretchy, meaning it accommodates perfectly to my breast shape instead of trying to mold it to something its not.

The Fit: I went for the same size as with the Marcie, that is 32GG. I find it is much more comfier to go with the 32 bands these days as I own so many bras, I don’t really wear out the bands that much anymore. I like them to be comfy from the very first moment I put them on to avoid the long breaking-in period – I know, I’m a bad lingerie blogger! If you don’t buy tens of bras every year, I would suggest though to go for the firmer bands if you are between sizes, especially with Panache and Cleo, as their bands will loosen up even after a couple of wears.

The 32GG Clara runs similar to the Marcie, meaning pretty true-to-size in the band and generous in the cup. If you are between cup sizes I would suggest sizing down. I think I could have definitely been happy with 32G with either of the styles. The wires are pretty good on me, maybe just a tad wider, but they still feel quite a lot better than with Marcie. I can’t really put my finger on it, but the shape of the wires feels slightly more U-like, but perhaps I’m just imagining.

Overall, I am starting to think the Clara does suit me better than the Marcie, at least in my current size. I like how the bra hugs every curve of my body but I wish it would be just a little bit… less covering? If I could take just an inch off the height of the cup, this just might the perfect bra.

Comfort: The Clara is one of my most comfortable bras at the moment – it seemed they all came at the same time, Tutti Rouge Betty and Jessica and then this beauty (and I haven’t even told you about my latest Ewa Michalak bras). I am in lingerie heaven at the moment! Then if I could only get a pair of high-waisted panties with each bra, I would probably be in Nirvana 😉

The best features of Clara are its soft materials and sturdy feel. The three hooks and eyes at the back, the tacking gore and sturdy wide fully-adjustable shoulder straps. Sturdiness is the key to comfort when it comes to full-bust bras, but the bra also needs to feel lightweight to pass as an everyday garment. What a task for a single bra! But the Clara just manages to do it. The panties are rather comfy too, for low cut ones that is. You know how I feel about my granny panties… I think the gorgeous lace detailing and satin overlay would look even more amazing on a bigger surface – just saying! The materials are however on point with the panties as well and I have no trouble getting my booty in these (UK) size 12 pretties.

If you would like to try the Clara (30-38 D-J, 8-20), you can find it at Bravissimo for £32 for the bra and £15 for the classic brief. Not a bad deal for such a stunner set!

Lingerie Review: Cleo by Panache “Marcie” in 32GG

Who remembers my endless love for Marcie? This bra has a distinct cult reputation in the world of lingerie blogging and full bust industry. It was launched a few years ago and still goes strong in the Cleo collection, changing its colour every season. For a couple of years Panache was asked to deliver their customers a Marcie in basic colours; black and nude. Again, nude is not the same for everyone but this time, the shade was so perfect for me personally I really wanted to try it – and who knows, maybe we will get a chocolate coloured Marcie sometime soon! Here are my thoughts on this old favourite in my most recent size, 32GG. *This set was generously provided by Panache. All opinions are my own!*

The Design: I have always been a big fan of Marcie – it’s a cutesy style that is perfect for everyday wear with its flat embroidery and thin materials. The scalloped upper cups look adorable and give me a mermaid-y vibe, which is always a good thing I reckon. It’s very girly so not everyone’s cup of rum but I don’t mind the bows and dots now and then, as I am quite a versatile person when it comes to my bradrobe (obviously, haha!). The shade of beige is absolutely spot on for me, that is very pale, and I just wish Panache would make some more dark-coloured options for people with tanned, brown or black skin tones. To me though, it is the closest I can probably ever get to a skin-coloured bra!

Marcie’s cups are constructed of three pieces each, with one vertical and one horizontal seam forming a very classic balconette shape. The shape that is creates is super forward-projecting and rounded: something most lingerie bloggers have come to love from the very launch of Marcie.

The Fit: So what has changed since I last wore Marcie? Well, I think my size has changed since a bit; my body has probably a bit less fluff and a bit more muscle and my boobs have got a cup size bigger. I am now wearing a size 32GG whereas two summers back I wore a 30G, which was probably a cup size too small to begin with. To say the least, the 32GG feels quite a bit different, mostly because even two cup sizes can change the fit specs of a bra. Mostly the difference seems to be the wires which are a tad wider than what they would need to be for me. There is also a bit more empty space at the top of the cups which makes me wonder whether I should have tried 32G as well.

The cups are as deep as with the 30G which is definitely a good thing. I would say that they even so deep that you may be able to go down a cup size with this style, especially if you are in the upper end of the size range! The 32 band still fits me fairly well, even though I still think I could wear a 31 band with Panache if it existed. The Cleo bands are a bit tighter than with the Panache main line, which is why I feel the 32 band is still a better choice than the 30.

Comfort: I still love Marcie even though I think there may be some slight fit issues with the bigger cup sizes, such as the too wide underwires (that is for me, I know there is always someone who these would fit perfectly!). My only real gripe with this bra is the placement of the straps; as you can see, I have pulled them up on my shoulders so that they sit diagonally on my body, which is not the best thing regarding comfort. However, I am surprised how little this feature affects me and how well the straps stay up regardless. Nothing about this bra rubs me or pokes me so even though the fit itself is not perfect, I love how comfy and lightweight it feels during a full day at work.

The pants are cute as ever but as a vintage gal myself, I really wish they would start making them in a higher waisted version as well. These are super low cut so not the most comfortable choice for me personally. I know however that some gals adore the cut of these and I used to love it too, but ya know, tastes change. They are still nice cute everyday panties and I never say no to ruffles!

If you are interested in the beige Marcie set, you can find at Bravissimo (£27 + £14) and Bare Necessities which both ship internationally. The bra comes in sizes 28-38 B-J and the bottoms in XXS-XXL.

Lingerie Review: Rochella “Tattoo Butterfly” in 32GG

I recently wrote about a new DD+ brand Rochella which is a British middle-market brand with a good cause and a unique, more mature yet quirky aesthetics. I remember back in the day Miss Underpinnings used to talk about the lack of full-bust brands catering for the 30-something customer and I personally feel Rochella is the answer to that plea. The designs are suitable for any age but I think they do have more grown-up styles than eg Cleo and Curvy Kate, yet the styles are not “old” but a bit whimsical to maintain a fresh look. When interviewing the founder of the brand, Karen, she asked if I wanted to review one of her sets and of course I said yes! Today I am bringing you one of the first (if not the very first?) Rochella blog reviews out there, with their beautiful “Tattoo Butterfly” set.

The Design: I was instantly drawn to the Tattoo Butterfly set as it was something rather unique to me: I had never had a bra with butterflies on it and even though the idea sounded a bit juvenile to me, there is nothing too young and cute about this bra. The design is, in one word, STUNNING. I have actually always loved butterflies, I hate bugs in general, but I find butterflies to be the miracles of nature and each time I see one, it makes me so happy. Even though butterflies are usually depicted as super colourful with the shades of orange and yellow, I really enjoyed the teal and black combination of the set which makes it so much more sophisticated. Also the completely sheer upper panel of the bra is amazing, something not many brands have been brave enough to do.

The shape of the bra is something between the new Curvy Kate balconettes and perhaps a slight bit of Freya G+ balconettes. There is a tiny bit of point to the apex but there is still much more room at the top of the cup than eg with Freya. For a new brand, the shape is very good right from the start with enough uplift to avoid the downwards-7 effect, which can sometimes occur with three-part cup construction + the balconette style. The style is a true balconette but not a completely full-coverage one – this bra is very suitable for everyday wear and goes under most tops and dresses beautifully. I wear it regularly with my Pinup Girl Clothing peasant tops and the butterflies on the cup edge peek beautifully from the low neckline of the top.

The Fit: This is always the most interesting part of reviewing a new brand for you. When looking at the Rochella size chart, you can see that there are no 30 bands in sight, meaning I resulted in opting for my second most worn size, 32GG. I thought it might be a close shot as I am now leaning more towards 32 bands these days – however, British brands are infamous for being looser in the band than their Polish sisters. This was the case with Rochella as well; the 32 band was a size too big for me, but luckily it had four (!) sets of hooks and eyes to tighten it a bit. I am usually wearing it in the tightest or second tightest set of hooks, which is unfortunate as it shortens the lifespan of the bra a bit for me. The fit of the band is definitely on par with the likes of Curvy Kate and Freya, so if you are between band sizes, do size down.

The cups are a bit deeper than your usual British full-bust bra which is a huge upside for me personally – I find most British bras too shallow for my full bust and the Tattoo Butterfly fits me beautifully without any wrinkling at the bottom of the cups. Compared to its Polish counterparts the bra is not super forward-projecting but not as wide and splayed as eg Curvy Kate either. Also the wires are quite average in my opinion, the perfect medium between Polish and most British bras. The straps of the bra are quite long so take that into consideration if you are on the petite side! However, they are also fully-adjustable so there’s a lot of leeway to make them fit you the way you want.

Comfort: Overall the Rochella Tattoo Butterfly set is very comfortable – the materials feel high-quality (though I would be careful with the see-through mesh, it’s super thin and delicate!) and soft to touch. The outer layer is made of stretch satin and the lining out of polyester; I personally prefer cotton lining with my bras but I do feel this is another great option as I don’t feel it’s the kind of scratchy cheap polyester. The lining is a pretty lavender shade to show the support to gynaecology cancer survivors and sufferers – this makes sense as some of the profits go to a gynaecology cancer charity, which is awesome when we are talking about such a new brand.

The only thing that takes a bit away from the comfort factor of this set is that the straps are placed a bit too far apart for me and the cup edge comes up high enough in the armpit to chafe me while being more active. This has not prevented me from wearing this bra A LOT though, so I would say all in all the Rochella sets are not just pretty to look at, they are also quite comfy and very well-fitting. Also the panties get an A+ from me: I went for the size UK 10-12 and they fit me beautifully, I would even say they are one of my most flattering bottoms I own. The back of the briefs is made of super stretchy mesh so these are very butt-friendly and sexy at the same time.

The price point of Rochella is a bit higher than with most UK full-bust brands but that is kind of what the founder of the brand went for – better quality and a big size range (32-42 D-J) are key features with Rochella and I personally feel that £59 for a bra and £30 for the bottoms is a fair price for the pieces. Heck, the hardware on the front part of the straps is 18 ct gold! If you would like to give Rochella lingerie a try, I would suggest taking a look at their web shop, which you find here. They are also adding 30 bands this upcoming autumn so stay tuned for that if you are outside their size range at the moment! I am personally looking forward to trying something from the AW16 collection in 30H, which will be a sligthly better fit for me size-wise. xx

V.I.P. Lingerie: Review of Gossard “Temptation” in 32G

Hi everyone! How was your weekend? I had a fantastic one with some other bloggers from my hometown Oulu. I will not go into details yet but I promise a blog post about the night as it was so much fun and I have some pretty nice pics. Today I have another Gossard review for you and it’s one of my absolute favourite sets from Gossard (I think I say this everytime I write about Gossard?) – the Temptation. Temptation was released last month as a part of Gossard’s V.I.P. range and even before that I was super excited about the set as it includes some pretty badass eyelash-lace and a lovely deep suspender belt. The lovely folks at Gossard sent me the entire set in sizes 32G and Small and here are my thoughts about these lovelies.

The Design: This style is pretty unique to any full-bust bra I have ever tried; it’s a demi-cup bra meaning it only covers about half of my breasts. This may not be something that works for all sizes and shapes, but for my full-on-top breasts the look and fit is pretty stunning. The cups are constructed of two parts with a vertical seam going across the cup and making the breasts look super rounded. This bra also created my signature cleavage – two cakes on a plate! It’s a very “pushy” in-your-face kind of look but I love it as it’s not that well-achieved after you go past the G-cup barrier.

The overall look of the set is super sexy and looks as if someone had created a full-bust bra using the traditional aesthetics of a smaller cup lingerie – meaning pretty lace, fantastic half-cup cut and some gorgeous painting-like floral print. The whole look is so stunning and vintage-like I could simply die out of adoration. The deep suspender belt creates a lovely hourglass illusion and suits my pinup style very well whereas the brazilian is cut to be invisible under clothing if that’s the look you need to go for.

The Fit: This bra fits me pretty much like a dream. I decided to go up to size 32G instead of my regular Gossard size, 32FF. With other brands I am usually between 30GG and 30H right now. So I would still advice you to go up a band size and down a cup size with any Gossard style. However, if you are more full-on-top and in-between sizes like me, I would suggest taking the bigger cup size. I still fit fine into eg my Botanical bra even though it’s a 32FF. This is probably due to the demi-cup shape of Temptation and a size smaller would definitely lead to some spillage with my breast shape.

The band did not feature the gateway design this time so I would say it feels a bit more secure than your regular Gossard bra. The straps were quite thick but also widely placed and slippery so they tend to slip off my shoulders from time to time when combined with another slippery material. However, they are also fully-adjustable so that’s definitely a good thing!

Comfort: Even though the straps caused a bit of tricky situations when combined to eg a polyester dress, this bra is otherwise very comfortable. The wires are perfect again and I can’t praise Gossard more on their comfortable and high-quality co-ordinates. The lace doesn’t feel scratchy at all and even with my worst skin condition the bra felt pretty damn comfy on.

The suspender belt and shorts look fabulous but also feel good on. I really liked how the suspender belt flattered my tummy area and sucked some of it in to form a more streamlined look. However, this is not the most subtle piece of lingerie, so be aware that it does show through clingy clothing. Even though the look is very “bedroom” I think the suspender belt is also very wearable under eg vintage-style swing dresses as it is not too tight or restrictive and has high-quality metal parts that hold your stockings in place during everyday or evening wear. The panties were very appropriate for any outfit you can imagine; even though they do feature some lace the back part is seamless and looks overall great and flattering with or without clothes.

This set is priced a little higher unlike your usual Gossard lingerie; it’s part of the V.I.P. range so it’s definitely a bit more luxurious style with more exquisite details. In my opinion the whole assemble is so alluring and stunning I would pay the higher price tag for the quality and style one gets for the money. You can find the whole set on Gossard’s online store and the sizes go up to G-cup. There is also a plunge bra available up to D-cup if you are smaller-breasted and look for a more sheer look! The demi-cup bra costs £42 whereas the brazilian and the thong are sold for £24 and the waspie suspender belt for £54.

Hope you liked the review and if there is anything else you would like to know or just something you want to comment, please leave me a comment below! 😉 xx