Moda Lingerie Preview: Panache, Cleo & Sculptresse SS17

Panache SS17 is the last collection I will go through before I move on to the AW17 season! This is a huge collection so please keep reading 😉

PANACHE

Clara in Royal Blue (D-J cups), Thea in White Floral (D-K), Floris in Black Floral (D-K), Clara in Pink/Dove (D-J), Jasmine in White Abstract, Blue Blossom and Petal print (D-K)

Sandie in Cashmere (D-K), Elise in Powder Blue (D-G), Cari in Champagne (D-H) and Petra in Capuccino (D-H)

The Panache core collection was once again vast and rather true to Panache’s regular British style – lots of floral prints such as the Thea and Floris. These will no doubt appeal to the most loyal Panache fans who love their quirky colour combos and ditsy florals. I myself prefer a more watercolour-like look and was super satisfied to see the core style Jasmine in lovely pastel-y shades and bigger more blurred floral prints. The Abstract print is super fresh and I like the colour combination – it will suit Easter perfectly! The Clara is an old favourite of mine and I am again very pleased with the colour combination, besides, anything looks great in a shinier fabric with a lace on top of it! The really exciting part is that Clara now comes with a high-waisted knickers, which is a perfect luxurious addition to the line.

There weren’t that many completely new styles in the Panache core collection but the Petra and Sandie are both delightful additions to the collection. The Sandie is a much prettier set in flesh, so if you have a chance to try it in a store, please do so! The embroidery is absolutely beautiful and the colour will be perfect for many pale-skinned beauties in the summertime. If you have a deeper skin tone though, the Petra might be your cup of tea. It is a lightly-padded and well-constructed little beauty and would make a great staple for someone who is struggling to find full-bust sizes in a deep-enough skin tone. It’s still not very dark, but a good start for a British full-bust brand.

PANACHE BLACK

Etta in Navy (D-G), Aria in Navy/Nude (D-H), Ruby in Black (D-H), Quinn in Unpadded Balconette (D-K) and Strapless (D-G)

The Panache Black collection featured mostly core colours such as white, navy, black and beige, which has been the MO of the range since the very beginning. The focus is on the cuts and luxurious materials, which brings the price point up just a bit. The new styles – the Ruby and Quinn – were some of my personal favourites from the collection. I love the cut-outs where the cups meet the straps with Ruby and the bridal collection is stunning with its satins and golden hardware. I am however a bit disappointed that the strapless Quinn bra only goes up to G – but perhaps they’ll bring it up to H next season? A girl can hope! (hint hint, team Panache)

PANACHE SPORT

The Panache sports bra is again introduced in two prints and up to J-cup. My favourite from the two is the more abstract print with a salmon highlights at the neckline. This print would be amazing on matching sports tights! The cyber print is a bit odd and quirky but I can definitely see some people fancying it. The non-wired sports bras go up to H-cup and match the wired ones with their colour themes.

CLEO BY PANACHE

Hettie in Blue/Teal (D-J), Marcie in Navy (D-J), Mimi in Spot Print (D-H) and Minnie in Navy Multi Print (D-J)

Breeze in Floral Print (D-H), Skye in Violet Mix (D-J), Koko Spirit in Fuchsia (D-H), Kayla in White Multi Print (D-J)  and Piper in Acid Coral (D-J)

Cleo is again a pleasant sight: lovely prints and bright young colours. Again, navy is one of the core colours with this collection and I love the fact that there’s not a lot of black. Navy is a basic colour that compliments so many, which is why I prefer it over black, beige and white. Pink and coral were also very much on trend, and neons are making a subtle comeback this upcoming spring. The Piper in Acid Coral was absolutely stunning and perhaps, I will be able to try it this time as last season it was completely sold out!

There weren’t many new styles in the Cleo collection, apart from the padded plunge style Koko Spirit, which is a new version of the regular Koko style, transformed to be a bit more trendy and fashion-y. My personal favourite from the collection is the Minnie though – instead of the older polka dot prints, the Minnie is now available in a lovely more abstract multi print.  Another obvious favourite is the Breeze longline which manages to be a total stunner each season.

SCULPTRESSE

Flirtini in Floral Multi (D-H),  Candi in Cobalt (D-HH), Gina in Raspberry ( D-HH), Chi Chi in Palm Print (D-HH) and Sasha Multiway in Soft Pink (D-H)

Sculptresse, the plus size collection is yet again small yet sweet. Fortunately, there a couple of new styles that were introduced for this season: Gina and Sasha. The Gina is a regular non-padded balconette and the Sasha is supposed to be the ultimate basic bra: nude for Caucasian skin tones, made of light-weight spacer foam material and has a J-hook at the back to form a racerback if needed. The colours are bright and in line with the rest of the Panache collection – corals, blues and pinks to brighten up your spring.

 

PANACHE SWIM

Portofino in Petrol (D-K) and Anya Voyage in Navy (D-G)

Florentine Swimsuit and Bikini (D-G), Nina in Geo Print (D-G) and Britt Stripe in Red/White (D-H)

In the new Panache swim collection there were quite a few new styles, mostly in core colours and floral prints. Unfortunately, there weren’t that many styles that would please me per se, but I did find a couple which I really liked. My absolute favourite was the Florentine strapless swimsuit, which is a lovely vintage-y ensemble. The 50’s and 60’s vibe is still there, which is something I have enjoyed about the Panache Swim collections in the past as well. The Anya Voyage for example is the perfect 60’s Bond girl bikini, in my opinion!

CLEO SWIM

Gigi in Blue/Black (D-G), Avril in Palm Print (D-H), Lucille Tankini in Navy/White (D-H) and Isla in Tropical Orange (D-G)

The Cleo Swim collection was full of colour, palm prints and trendy shapes. I love the piping trend on the new Gigi style and am so disappointed it doesn’t come in my size! If I could wish something from the Panache design team, it would be more bigger cup sizes in especially in the Cleo Swim collection.

Tankinis haven’t been that much on trend recently, but there is one lovely option the collection and that is the Lucille. The colouring is quite classic but the shape is great for younger customers as well.

How did you like the new Panache spring collection? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Moda Lingerie & Swimwear SS15 Preview: Cleo & Cleo Swim by Panache

It’s quite a while since I posted the Panache Superbra preview for SS15 season and now it’s definitely time to move onto my favourite Panache sub-labels: Cleo and Cleo Swim. Cleo range is more targeted to younger women, I would say in their early 20’s or even in their late teen years, and this is why the brand appeals to me the most. Cleo collections are always full of colour and this season was no exception – there were plenty of candy floss and neon colours on show. The hottest shades for SS15 were definitely turquoise, neon orange, pink and electric blue. There were also a couple of nice basic options available – one being the awaited beige-toned Marcie. Let’s a dig a little deeper…

Marcie Nude, Marcie Magenta/Orange, Kali Coral, Kali Cobalt & Kira Floral Print

What I love most about Cleo is their lovely colours and of course, their unbeatable non-padded balconette bras. My love for Marcie goes way back to when I started wearing full-bust bras and I still have affectionate feelings for it. I loved what the Panache team did with Marcie this season; they took the design to a whole new level with an amazing colour-blocked version with a my favourite combo of pink and tangerine orange. The beige version of Marcie is also super pretty – it’s not an ugly shade of granny beige but more of light caramel tone with even lighter tones of beige making the embroidery pop out.

I also loved the new shades of the Kali, which is a brand new style for this AW14 season. I fell in love with the original Kali in Neon Yellow but these new shades of Cobal and Coral look equally as fabulous. Kali is supposed to be based on the previous Lucy style so if you love that bandless frame, keep your eyes out for this one!

Kali and Marcie are not the only Cleo balconettes in the collection, as there is an array of styles to look out for. For those who are especially interested in the new styles, there will be three of them – Kira, Phoebe and Erin. Erin is very close to the previous style Meg, meaning it’s a laminated style with the lovely rounded-shape cups. The set is a practical navy blue hue with a pop of pink and other colours in a form of a lovely water-colour print. Phoebe is another Lucy spin-off with a Barbie pink flower embroidery and a blush base. My favourite however, is the Kira (pictured above) that features a lovely painting-like floral print and a very spring-appropriate colour scheme of pink, mint green and blue.

    
Minnie Longline, Maddie Spot, Koko Mode & Koko Icon

Another strength of Cleo is their padded everyday styles. I bet many of you know Juna and Maddie including their spin-offs but there were a couple of styles I still want to introduce you to. First to mention, the amazing Minnie longline. Minnie started off as a regular laminated balconette bra but I am so glad Panache decided to add a cute little longline to the collection. This style will be available in this sky blue shade and up to H-cup so it’s definitely something that I look forward to trying (most of the longlines I’ve seen stop at DD or G)!

For those of you who prefer something a bit more basic styles, there’s a new line called Koko up for grabs. The Koko range introduces us to three different shapes – Mode, Icon and Flirty – which all have different characteristics and suit different purposes. The Koko Mode sports a fantastic neon orange shade with a saucy leopard lace overlay and a plunge shape. I would say the Mode is what it claims to be – the most fashion forward version of Koko. In addition to that the range features an everyday turquoise style Flirty and a strapless plunge Icon. The strapless especially looks intriguing, but unfortunately the style goes only up to G-cup. The other two go up to an H-cup.

The new Cleo Swim collection is super cute as well so excuse for not having enough pics of it! These styles pictured above are called Betty and Leena (a new style!) which I love because of all the yellowness. Also I adore the little cute hearts of Leena as they are nice twist to the classic polka dot print. In addition to yellow, there were a lot of pink and blue/navy tones this season, so can’t really complain here. I am super regretful about not taking a pic of the lovely Cassie which is a longline bikini! Longline bikini tops seem to be a big deal for SS15 so I can’t wait to try a few when they are launched.

Any favourites or any you didn’t like? I would love to know so leave me a comment below! Also you redditers there, you can leave me a comment directly to my comment box and I’ll be more likely to get back to you 😉 xx

Review of Cleo Swim “Betty” swimsuit in 32G

It’s Sunday again and I feel like time is flying when one is having a good time! However my boyfriend has situated himself on the couch to watch motocross races so I may as well take this little time to review something for you. I am going to start today’s review with a little story. When I was choosing for the swimsuit from Panache a few weeks ago it was a massive mess and I was a bad, bad blogger. I first opted for the size 30GG which is my usual size and when choosing a style to go with the size I wanted to try the sweet Betty swimsuit in hot pink shade. However, I changed my mind swiftly and asked instead a sister size 32G. Well, after changing my size preference I noticed that also the lovely Carmen was indeed available in this size and I reaaaaally wanted to try it so I emailed Panache to ask if they could send the Carmen in 32G instead. In the end, the lovely folks at Panache sent me BOTH Betty and Carmen (a link to my review) which means two reviews for you guys! I am so grateful and was super-eager to try how these two very different styles would suit me.

The Design: Betty is a more cute Cleo style and it really stood out to me when I browsed through the new Cleo Swim collection. I love pink (duh, just look at my hair) so I thought it would be a nice shade for me and my fair skin tone. The shade of pink is indeed flattering and the white dots keep the style simple and classy. Otherwise the colour-combo is almost too cutesy but looks nice when you are feeling a bit playful. The suit also goes nicely along with the Cleo’s pink version of the new Kaftan. To add up the girliness of this suit, Cleo has added some ruffles to the neckline and the bottom part of the suit as well. I really like the ruffles but I still prefer the more clean-cut look of Carmen – it’s definitely more grown-up and beach-suitable. 

The Betty features non-padded plunge cups which is something people might prefer to achieve a better fit. However, as I guessed when opting for the suit the balconette shape of Carmen is still my go-to choice. The shape the cups give me is quite rounded which I love about Cleo styles in general and they feature only one seam that runs diagonally across the cup. Even though the upper part is very plunging it still features a center gore that’s quite high and sturdy.

The Fit: I was a bit worried about the plunge neckline since it doesn’t tend to work on my body and boobs that well. The cups were quite deep all over which made it more easy to adjust my breast into the cups and there was no overspill whatsoever. In fact, the cups were almost too deep for me and did leave some wrinkling at the apex when poorly-adjusted. When adjusting and taking the suit for swim I didn’t notice any problems anymore so I guess you should always take a swimsuit for a test-run before judging. 

Betty runs about the same way Carmen did which meant the 32G was slightly too big for me in the body part of it. I could fasten the band to the tightest set of hooks so I could have definitely tried my normal 30GG. I am used to Cleo bands running pretty tightly so I would say both of the swimsuits I tried were more true-to-size in the band. To me, this is a good thing since customers can now buy their regular size without worrying about it being too tight. 

Comfort: First of all, I didn’t expect how tricky it is actually to get a wired swimsuit on – it definitely needs some more time and effort than a regular one. The wires tend to stab me a bit in the stomach when putting on the suit but I figured out the best way to put it on painlessly; just roll the upper part of the suit either inwards or outwards before putting it on. This way the wires behave more nicely and don’t stab you too much. Otherwise the swimsuit is quite comfortable and also the halterneck straps are not as thin and flimsy as with the Carmen swimsuit. I think this style is very well suited for gals with bigger breasts than mine since it gives more support than Carmen and is deeper in the cups.

The center gore of Betty is quite sturdy and comes quite high for a plunge neckline which may be an issue for some women. I first thought it was a bit too sturdy on my sternum but when I actually went swimming, it felt fine and I couldn’t even notice it. The body part of the suit was also very comfortable and I definitely could have gotten away with an even smaller size. 

All in all I really like the Betty but my heart still belongs to Carmen, as it’s more my own personal style and keeps me looking fresh with its colour scheme. However I would still recommend Betty more if you have a fuller shape than mine and want more sturdier support when swimming. 

This style is available in a great size range of 30-38 D-H and you can find it eg at Brastop for £46. How did you like the Betty compared to Carmen? Which one is your favourite? Let me know in the comments! xx

Disclosure: This swimsuit was generously gifted by Panache for review purposes. All opinions are my own.