SIL Tradeshow: Panache Favourites for AW16

I love Panache – they have been such a corner stone when building my bradrobe for these past five years and I have affectionate feelings for their Cleo non-padded balconettes (one of them which I reviewed a few days back, check it out here!). The Panache stand is also one of the highlights of my tradeshow visits as it is a huge collection which needs a lot attention. Usually, I tend to post each Panache sub-label as its own post but this time, I decided to share my very favourites from each range. If you are interested to see the whole collection, please head over to Bra and Body Image as she has it all covered! However, let’s jump into my favourites, as I would love to share some true gems with you.

PANACHE (main brand)

Top to bottom: Jasmine in Orchid + Rose Prints (up to K-cup), Elise in Praline (up to G), Ava in Pearl Grey (up to H), Thea in Black Floral (up to K), Clara in Heather + Slate/Teal (up to J)

Panache main line is quite well-known for its habbit of pushing out new prints and colourways of its original styles – with a few completely new additions, of course. I haven’t been too keen on the Jasmine prints since the very first navy/ floral print but now I think Panache has come up with something a bit more feminine and soft than the past animal and geometric prints – I am still a sucker for romance and for that taste, the new Jasmine prints cater very well for. My absolute favourite has to be the Orchid print as I love photo-realistic florals and the dark colourway of it which go perfectly well together for the AW16 season.You can also see the two fashion colours for this AW season with these prints – blue is still continuing to win the colour trend game and burgundy is now making its way to the full bust world along with other brownish red shades.

One of the new styles that kinda stole my heart was the Ava. I have been falling in love with grey lingerie over the past six months or so and I am so happy to see it as an option alongside of black and navy. Grey suits fair skin tones so well and looks lovely with ginger hair (hehe, biased much) and I am quite convinced the Ava’s non-padded plunge shape would be perfect as my bradrobe staple. The styling of it is nothing overtly vavavoom but I like its basic prettiness that speaks to the “Sunday-in-bed” side of me. Unsurprisingly I loved the Heather colourway of the Clara as well, as it’s such a gorgeous hue of grey-ish blue and with the pairing of yellow-ish cream the set is like straight out of Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe.

CLEO BY PANACHE

Top to bottom: The Breeze Longline in Geo Floral (up to H-cup), Hettie in Black/Pink (up to J), Kali in Black/Pink (up to J), Skye in Magenta/Lime (up to J), Marcie in Tangerine (up to J), Piper in Cobalt (up to J) and Della in Floral Print (up to J)

Cleo is the queen of bright and clashing colours and we were not disappointed this time either. I do feel that Cleo could almost go a bit more crazy with its design – I would love to see some more innovative prints which Cleo is so well-known for! The best designs within the Cleo range in my opinion are its boldest ones – the new floral printed Della (go and buy this bra now, it’s amazing!) and the new Piper longline. I adore the electric cobalt blue shade of the Piper and it combines perfectly an amazing fit and gorgeous looks while still remaining young and fresh. If I would have to pick just one set from the whole Panache AW16 offering, Piper would most definitely be it!

With Cleo collection, instead of teal and burgundy the Cleo collection features delicious magenta and brighter blue tones. As a pop of colour, we can see some tangerine and lime contrasts which are super appropriate for the early autumn season. How cute is that pumpkin shade Marcie? Again, the Breeze longline remains a favourite to me personally as it is still such a cute style with a great graphic autumn floral print.

PANACHE BLACK, SPORT & SCULPTRESSE

Top to bottom: Panache Black “Ardour” ja “Etta” (both up G-cup), Panache Non-Wired Sports Bra in Blue Marl (up to H), Sports Bra in Neon Pixel Print (up to J) & Sculptresse “Chi Chi” in Lace Print (up to HH)

The Panache Black, previous Masquerade range, is a rather small sub-label for Panache but for me, it’s one of their most interesting ranges. The size range is a bit smaller as well, which is a shame as these styles are truly stunning – for example, the new Etta design features a striking see-through stripe detail which I am a big fan of. Another favourite from the Black AW16 range is the basic Ardour style – it’s a grey t-shirt bra that would be an amazing option to some people who usually buy beige or black bras for their everyday bradrobe.

My favourite from the different options for the infamous Panache Sports bra was the Blue Marl as it something totally different than Panache has done before. The inspiration for this non-wired version of the classic sports bra came from the British Olympic team colours – what would be more appropriate for a British full-bust brand that makes an award-winning sports bra? What caught my eye from the Sculptresse collection was one of its original styles Chi Chi in this new Lace Print which reminds me of Snow White. This style will also be available in a dark brown Cappucino shade which will be an excellent nude shade for some women of colour!

How did you like the new Panache AW16 collection? Are you feeling the colours and prints? Let me know in the comments! xx

Sunday with Samanta: A225 “Hemaris” in 65J

Hello everyone and hope you are having a fabulous Sunday! Mine has been pretty good and I am now happily in bed ready to blog for you about my next Samanta venture – the Hemaris in A225. Hemaris is one of the Samanta best-sellers and belongs to the affordable “Young”-collection, which is – as the name suggests – targeted for young trendy women on budget. The Young -collection features more basic styles with simplistic yet hip lace and embroidery combined to an array of bright colours and fun prints. I received the Hemaris in the A225 cut which is specifically crafted for larger breasts and thus goes up to K-cup.

Design: When I first found out the lovely Marzena from Samanta had thought of Hemaris for me to try next, I wasn’t super excited about the set – however, the leopard print lace and the orange-y red turned out to be a fun combo for everyday wear and I did like the style when I saw it in flesh! The colour is a little warmer than your average red which makes it appropriate for this late summer we are now experiencing and also, looks nice on most skin tones, I think.

The A225 cut is a semi-soft style which is something Polish bra companies are famous for – and which really suits so many breast shapes especially if you are on the softer side! However, me and Marzena discussed some of the fit issues I encountered with the semi-soft construction, and we can both safely say this is not the best bra shape for me.The A225 Hemaris constructs of three cup pieces with a stretch lace on top to accommodate any a-symmetry and the style is overall a bit wider and deeper than most Samanta styles I have tried so far.

Fit: I got the Hemaris in my usual Samanta size which is 65J (translates roughly to UK 30GG). Usually Samanta has been very consistent with their sizing, but it seems that the semi-soft styles run a bit larger than their soft and padded bras which is why I could have easily done well in a 65I with the A225 shape. There is also something to my bust that does not co-operate with semi-soft styles at all (finally, a shape that does NOT work for me, haha!) – and when we discussed this with Marzena she instantly told me it is probably the density of my breasts. The A225 style is specifically designed for larger but also softer breasts and as mine are still very firm, the breast tissue does not conform to the semi-soft shape and fill it completely at the apex.

As you can see in the pictures, this style is also quite wide for me allover and thus is not the ideal look and fit I prefer. Even though I am not super narrow at my breast root, I do prefer bras that minimize the look of my boobs and makes them fit into tighter dresses when needed. However, I can imagine this bra shape being ideal for women who have lost some of their fullness and density and want to feel fuller and uplifted again! For example, if you have just breast-fed and are changing back to regular bras, this could be a great option for the fuller-busted lady.

Comfort: As fit and comfort usually go hand in hand, this was not the best of Samanta bras I have tried comfort-wise either. The materials were incredibly soft and well thought-out, but the construction with its wider cups and also, wider-placed straps did not suit me very well. I just recently found out that apparently, I am quite narrow at my shoulders and widely-placed straps are not the most comfortable for me and unfortunately, it seems that this particular bra is not very good match with my body shape. This is something many British and American women struggle as well when it comes to Polish bras – it seems Polish girls are a bit more broad-shouldered and want less coverage which leads for the bras to have wider strap-placement with Polish bras in general. I have given feedback about this particular matter to eg Avocado who are tackling the the issue at the very moment.

Usually though, Samanta bras have been nice and comfortable for me, so this time, is no doubt just one style that simply does not go well with my proportions and body type. However, if you are a bit wider than me all over (breast root- and shoulder-wise) you could find the A225 quite good for you needs. Also the size I take usually faces some problems as the small band and big cups are not the easiest combination to accommodate in every single bra style. However, for materials and overall feeling, Samanta always earns an A+ as they really make an effort to use the best quality laces and also the softest cotton lining in the bra cups. The M300 brazilian briefs are also a dream to wear as the stretch lace really accommodates your own body shape and leaves no bulges or seams on sight.

If you interested to try out the Hemaris, it is now on sale for a very good price of 32,30 e for the A225 bra and 13,70 e for the Brazilian brief. Do snatch them before they are completely gone!

What do you think of Hemaris in A225? Have any of you tried any semi-soft bras and how do you like the shape in general? Let me know in the comments!