SIL Tradeshow: Preview of Curvy Kate AW16 Collection

The whole full bust world loves Curvy Kate: it’s one of those brands that seems to cater to so many different tastes and breast shapes, and they also carry a tremendously big size range from D all the way up to K-cup (all styles below are up to K unless otherwise specified). As one of the biggest full-bust brands in the market, we made sure to visit the CK stand at the Salon International de la Lingerie. If you are intrigued to know what’s up with their AW16 collection, keep reading! (From tomorrow, I will be on a vacation for a week so I won’t be posting for a little while. So sorry for that!)

Princess in Blueberry, Ellace in Crimson, Dreamcatcher in Magenta, Atomic in Plum (up to J), Florence in Bowder Blue (up to J)

REVAMPED CLASSICS

The styles above are good old favourites that have been revised with new colour combinations – these styles include both the classic Curvy Kate non-padded balconettes as well as non-padded plunges such as the Atomic. I actually love Atomic: it reminds me a lot of the atomic prints that were popular in the 50’s. The plum shade is not a favourite for me unfortunately, but I do like the SS16 orange/pink version of it a lot! Another favourite from this lot is the new CK basic Ellace; it’s a balconette bra with lovely thin cup material and soft stretch lace to ensure the best fit for many different breast shapes.

Wild Cat in Leopard, Daydreamer in Floral Print & Daily Dream in Blueberry Mix

WHIMSICAL PRINTS

Curvy Kate loves their cutesy and wild prints and it’s no different this season! Both the Daily Dream and the Daydreamer are older styles with new young prints – to be honest, something a bit too juvenile for me personally. But I do see the potential with these prints as they would both be excellent choices for pre-teen and teen girls who want cute age-appropriate D+ bras. The Wild Cat on the other hand is a great everyday option for any fun and flirty gal out there – the print is very ‘Curvy Kate’ and the colour combo absolutely appropriate for autumn season.

Ellace in Latte, Smoothie Deluxe in Rose (up to J) & Smoothie Spirit in Latte (up to J)

NEW BASICS

I love how Curvy Kate has made their Smoothie bra range blossom: it reminds me a bit of Freya’s Deco range but still, the CK Smoothie styles seem to differ a bit more from each other, instead of just being different colourways. The Smoothie Deluxe is a nice more luxe, grown-up version of the original Smoothie; there is no leopard print but a beautiful soft lace on the bra band and completely smooth print-less cups that cater for a classic taste. The new Smoothie Spirit on the other hand is a new beige bra targeted for the younger CK customers who want less coverage and a cute everyday bra. Both of the styles feature a J-hook on straps to convert the bra to a racerback.

Vixen in Black/Almond (up to J), Belle in Blush/Black, Cabaret in Black/Blush (up to J) & Kitty in Merlot (up to J)

THE BOUDOIR PRINCESS

From the more sexy “Showgirl” (an old term but I still use it!) offering from Curvy Kate, I would say my personal favourites are the Belle and Kitty. Kitty is an older style that has been revamped with the Merlot colourway, which to me is absolutely gorgeous. I love that we see some more shades of burgundy this autumn as it is a bit neglected shade among all the Xmas reds and plums. This particular shade would go perfectly with ginger hair, which makes me even more eager to get my hands on it. The Belle is a completely new style with cute “tuxedo bows” at the centre gore and a beautiful colour combination of grey and blush pink, which makes this sexy style a tad more romantic.

How do you like the upcoming Curvy Kate collection? Which ones are your favourites? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Lingerie Review: Lepel “Lyla” in 36DD

Hi dear gals! March is already here and spring is around the corner – meaning some of us will be wearing lighter-coloured clothing and starting to reach for lighter-coloured bras as well (at least if your skin tone is light). Tis the season of women going on endless hunts of the perfect nude bra to wear under those crips white t-shirt and blouses – so we are bringing you an option for you pale babes out there! Today our guest reviewer will be the ever-so-lovely Miss T, who I asked to review something on the blog to bring more body diversity into 2COP’s array. Miss T is a gorgeous raven-haired gal who usually wears a UK 36DD-E and is giving you her thoughts about the Lepel “Lyla” in Beige today.

The Design: Lyla belongs to the basic offering of Lepel and comes in beige, black, white and French Navy colour. We thought about showing this beige option here on the 2COP as it is something that pale-toned women like ourselves would appreciate – it’s the perfect shade of pale beige for Miss T, not too pink, not too yellow but a creamy neutral shade. The styling of the Lyla is quite simple yet pretty with the smooth cups, cute bow at the front and some lace on the bra band to make the design more feminine. This was exactly what T was looking from her basic beige bra so she was very happy with the looks!

The shape of Lyla is a traditional Lepel moulded balconette which personally doesn’t suit me at all – I have tried the Lilly, which is a similar shape and unfortunately the fit wasn’t the best for someone with upper fullness. However, Miss T’s shape is quite different from mine; her breasts are more on the shallower side, meaning there is no need for super deep cups or narrow wires. The shape of the bra is very rounded yet natural and looks like a great affordable option for a beige t-shirt bra.

The Fit: With size, it is always a bit of hassle to come to a conclusion when the person hasn’t tried a specific brand before. Miss T had a little bit of experience with Lepel a couple of years back when she ordered the plunge Fiore from Figleaves – and sadly it didn’t fit at all size-wise! Her breast size hasn’t changed much in these years and with my experience of Lepel fitting tight in the band and big in the cup, we decided to go for a 36DD. Unfortuntely I did not remember that Lepel’s Lilly (Lyla’s printed sister) was a bit looser on the band so with Lyla as well, Miss T could have easily gone down to 34. This however, is a preference thing as well – I like my bands quite comfortable and T prefers hers very snug. The 36 is wearable but for longevity of the bra, the 34 might have been a better option.

The cups are quite the right size for Miss T, even though her left boob (which is usually the bigger one!) is bulging a tiny bit when standing up with a good posture. This is something that happens quite often with moulded bras – the bra doesn’t stretch or conform to your breast shape but tries to mould your breasts into the shape of the bra. Otherwise the cups fit quite nicely – the width and depth of the cups is pretty much perfect for Miss T and the coverage is low enough to be practical under most regular t-shirts and blouses.

Comfort: For comfort Lyla gets a clear A! This set is great for everyday wear and for long working days – the materials are super soft and smooth and the wires don’t chafe or poke Miss T at all. The straps are fully adjustable meaning it’s a great option for shorter girls as well. The straps do fall off the shoulders now and then so if you are very narrow, that might be something to think about. The band is quite stretchy which is something to think about fit-wise but is also a pro when you think about comfort – I personally prefer stretchy bands as they allow for more movement.

The bottoms are a size 18 and a bit too large for Miss T – usually Lepel bottoms run true to size but the Lyla briefs are made of very stretchy lace and Polyamide/Elastane combo so if you are between sizes, we would advice to size down. The rise is quite high so something Miss T prefers and finds comfortable for everyday wear. If you don’t like as much coverage, there is also the option of Brazilian brief which is perfect under the most skinniest jeans and pencil skirts!

The Lyla goes up to only E-cup so it’s a great option for more smaller and average-sized ladies – the size range also includes eg sizes 30B and 30C which are quite hard to find anywhere. This could definitely be a great first bra for a young girl, so take note moms! If you would like to order your own Lyla, you can do so on the Lepel online store. The balconette bra sets you back at affordable £24 and the briefs at £12. How cool is that?!

How are you preparing for spring? Do you see a shift in your bra preferences? Let me know in the comments!

Moda SS15 Lingerie Preview: After Eden & Signature

Hiya booboos, I’ve missed you! I started to think about what to write about next and realised I still had so many nice SS15 previews to do. I will also have some awesome reviews lined up for future, featuring some of my favourite brands such as Gossard, Kris Line, Avocado and Chantelle. Chantelle has never been featured on 2COP before so I am really happy to have their new full-bust line Superbe reviewed on the blog soon!

Today however, I will get back to my collection previews for next spring/summer season and I wanted to feature a brand that I have been eyeing for a while now. The brand in question is called After Eden and since they are launching their first full-bust line called Signature and I would love to introduce them to you as well!

From top to bottom: Brigitte, Toulouse, Florence, Lourdes & Anna

I had my first encounter with After Eden a couple of years ago in a local department store which still sells After Eden for their A-DD customers. I used to look at the lingerie longingly and just pass them like a defeated warrior, as they would obviously never fit me. As we browsed the Moda stands with Anna, I noticed After Eden and wanted to see what they had on offer. I was so excited to see they had finally extended their size range – not massively but a start is always a good thing and who knows how they might keep progressing. Many brands try their first full-bust line with a rather modest size range, usually going up to either F, FF or G. This does not help my poor boobies but is a great start and makes the lingerie more approachable to eg young people who don’t fit into their D’s anymore.

As you might have guessed by now, the new Signature line doesn’t carry a huge array of sizes, to be accurate they include UK sizes B to F, with band sizes ranging from 30 to 44. Signature is this way also targeted at fuller figured customers as their band sizes do go up to 44. I think there is definitely a market gap for this young full-figured customer so I will keep my fingers crossed that the line will do well and the After Eden team will extend the cup sizes even further!

The look of the collection is very age-appropriate and cute – I think the Signature customer would be someone in her very early twenties or even teens with a fuller figure/bust. The line is very padded-bra focused but there are still some lovely unpadded options as well. The colours are nice and juicy and the fit of the bras looks decent to me by first look, though I would be very interested to see the final product on one of my friends for example. Even though the lingerie feels a bit too cutesy and young to me, I found a favourite I would be glad to see in my size too – the lovely Toulouse with its moulded cups and lace overlay. Also the geometric prints look fun and great for everyday wear and the materials are well-chosen for a young customer.

Here are some of my favourites from the After Eden collection. Most bras go up to UK D-E and start with 30 band so this is definitely a brand for you smaller busted women out there! I can so see my lil sis wearing most of these bras and loving them to death. After Eden has created a lovely ss15 collection with an array of peachy and violet tones that will no doubt steal their young customer’s heart. I would have taken many of their styles to my collection in a heartbeat too, so if you fit into their size range, I would suggest you take a look at their offering.

What is great about After Eden is that their also offer the option of extra padding so whether you’d like a single, double or even triple boost, this is the brand to turn to. I have friends that are absolutely in love with a little extra padding and after you have crossed the C-cup barrier, it can be hard to find some extra oomph to add to your own boobs.

So this was it for this time, what do you think? Would you be willing to buy Signature or After Eden if it came in your size too? How does the new full-bust styles look? Let me know, I always appreciate the feedback 😉