Lingerie Review: Kris Line “Manuela” in 65H

Over the time, the two Kris Line reviews and my introduction post to the brand have been some of the most popular posts I have ever written. It is quite clear why, too – Kris Line is one of those Polish brands that are widely accessible through the likes of Brastop and Zulily with very reasonable pricing, which makes it a good first choice for testing Polish lingerie. For me, Kris Line has always held a special place in my heart – their wires are not narrow enough to poke me in my breast tissue and the designs are breathtakingly beautiful. Today, I am reviewing something that will be a continuity range for Kris Line starting from last summer and continuing at least to the next summer season. Let me introduce you to the beautiful Manuela! *This set was kindly gifted to me by Kris Line. All opinions are my own.*

Design: I chose the non-padded balconette Manuela but in true Kris Line style, this design comes in several bra and bottom options. I also received the complementing briefs to match my bra. Why I decided to opt for the non-padded bra with this style was because of the realization of the fact that this is the most popular bra style in my bradrobe and thus, it is the most practical everyday style for me. The bra cups are constructed of three pieces, one seam going diagonally and one going vertically, to form a very traditional and natural bust line. The bottom half of the cups is double-lined but the top part remains completely sheer.

The colour and styling of Manuela are absolutely breathtaking and I first fell in love with the sky blue hue and the detailed embroidery of the set. I am fan of blue lingerie in general as it suits my skin tone, eyes and hair colour pretty bang-on, but I am also a sucker for trends and this autumn, it is all about the blues. I was very happy how the styling turned out in flesh as well and the shade of the set, which is truly stunning.

Fit: As I had tried Kris Line soft cups before and found them to run a bit on the bigger side, I decided to size down to 65H this time. Kris Line sizing is quite unique but if you want to learn more about it, I would highly recommend taking a look at my previous post on the brand. According to the size chart I would be a 70H which is the size I went for last time and it fitted me pretty well in both the Deco-shape and their soft cup style. However, I have found the bands become a bit loose after a good amount of wears and decided I would go for 65 this time, just to give my bras a little more time to live. Also, I lost some weight after I first acquired my Kris Line bras about a year ago and I think I have gone about half a cup size down after that. This is why I chose to go down with my cup size as well this time, resulting in 65H as my best size with their soft cup style.

The 65 band feels nice and snug but not restrictive in any way, which is sometimes the result when gambling with your band size. However, I did not notice a significant difference to the 70 band so if you are between band sizes, I would suggest taking the smaller one, even just for longevity. The cups encase my breast tissue nicely and again, the wires are perfect for me as always with Kris Line. The straps are only half adjustable but that has not been a problem for me with this bra, however, I am 5″6 so definitely not petite. If you quite petite though, I would consider getting yourself some Strap Savers or skipping this style all together. Overall, the fit of the bra on me is spot-on and I have no gripes with it whatsoever!

Comfort: I love how comfy Kris Line bras are! If I would have to pick two of the most comfortable brands I wear on day-to-day basis, those would definitely be Kris Line and Gossard. Of course, no brand makes everything perfect to the last detail but these two brands keep rotating in my everyday bradrobe from day to day. I guess it’s a lot due to wiring and comfy bands – if you are pretty average breast root -wise like me, I think you would love Kris Line as well! They are a happy medium between the usual wide British wires and very narrow Polish wires. If Ewa Michalak is not your thang, definitely try KL instead!

When it comes to the panties, I would recommend taking your regular Polish size which is a medium for me. I usually wear a Small with most British brands so especially, if you are between sizes, do size up. I must say the Small is absolutely tiny with KL panties and still, the Medium is smaller than eg my Freya briefs in Small.

If you would like to try some Kris Line for yourself, I would highly recommend checking out Zulily for American customers and Brastop for.. well, basically everyone else 😀 The prices are usually very reasonable on these sites and you are sure to score a bargain!

How do you like Manuela? Also, how do you like the blue colour trend for this autumn? Let me know in the comments below! xx

Lingerie for a True Pinup – Review of Gossard “Retrolution” in 32G

This is a review that is long overdue and there is actually a rather good reason for it – I have been wearing the set all the freaking time. I am wearing my vintage repro clothing almost everyday so it’s not a surprise that the Gossard “Retrolution” is a perfect match for my style. Gossard was so kind to send me the whole set of the semi-soft balconette bra, brief and the waist cincher. The bra is actually now on sale for £18 so pay close attention to this review to find out whether it would be a good fit for you!

The Design: I have actually been drooling over this set for ages. I mean like seriously, when I first saw Miss Underpinnings and Le Curvy Kitten wearing it, I knew this would be my goal – to have my hands on this set one day, when I had the money or a miracle would happen (as I was and still am a poor student). Fast forward a couple of years and I have reached this bra goal and I am so happy I did. The set is all I expected it to be – quality materials, the perfect vintage shape without being too cone-bra-like and beautiful finishing touches like the rose gold metal parts.

I must warn you that this is not the bra for those gals who love the round shape of Cleo bras but perfect for any pinup girl out there who would like to test out the vintage shape without looking too out-there. The shape is a bit cone-y but not too much for my taste. The cups are semi-soft meaning the lower part of the cup is padded and the upper panel is soft. I love a good well-crafted semi soft any day and this is definitely one!

The Fit: This is probably one of the best-fitting semi-soft bras I have ever tried. It’s also a first bra with a padded lower half that doesn’t crease. Like, at all. The lower part of the cup is just deep enough for me to fit the bra perfectly. The upper part is a bit more closed at top than my other Gossard bras but it doesn’t lead up to any quad-boob so it’s not a problem at all. The wires hit me at the right point and the cetre core tacks nicely. All in all, this is probably my best-fitting Gossard bra of all times!

When it comes to sizing, this bra is consistent with other Gossard ranges. I opted for my regular size 32G and it feels spot-on. The band feels a little snug for a 32, as always, but there is a great improvement compared to my other Gossard bras – it has three hooks and eyes! The band feels so comfortable and supportive I cannot thank the Gossard team enough for making the band wider. The cups run larger than with other British brands so even if you are more full-on-top I would suggest sizing down. However, if you want to buy this bra, do it now. Gossard will not be carrying this style above E-cup starting from this spring season so if you see your size still available on their website, snatch it up asap!

The Comfort: I am impressed by the comfort of Gossard sets over and over again as I try new goodies from them. This is set is a favourite of mine for various reasons: it has a wider band, wider shoulder straps and great quality metal parts. The waist cincher includes suspenders but I have detached them as in the winter time I don’t really have a chance to wear stockings. However, the suspenders seems good quality too and the panties, both of them, are rather comfortable.

As the bra seems like a regular fit and comfort level for Gossard I will tell you more about the co-ordinates. First of all, both the brief and the cincher run a bit smaller than your regular Gossard co-ordinates so I would suggest sizing up if you are between sizes. The size Small I opted for felt a bit on the snug side but is still comfy enough to wear on a regular basis. The waist cincher is gorgeous but a little too short for me so if you have a long torso, keep that in mind. For someone a little more petite, the fit will be a lot better (I am 5’6). However, the waist cincher still does its job and flattens my stomach a bit as I do possess a little cookie pouch no matter how thin I am. The waist rolls down a bit as it’s too short for me so I cannot wear it without a belt to cover the seams on my waist but I usually wear it with my wiggle dresses which I like to wear with a belt anyway. The brief feels tiny at first but there’s still a fair amount of butt coverage so it’s a practical little number after all.

All in all the set is very pretty, well-fitting and comfortable. As I said before, I have been wearing this set a lot lately and with the co-ordinate options you can make it more versatile. If you would like to get Retrolution for yourself, you can find it on Gossard online store. The bra is still available in sizes 30-38 B-G so if there are any E+ sizes left, do consider them as when they’re gone, they really are gone!

How do you like the Retrolution set? Have you encountered any other pinup inspired lingerie sets you like? Let me know in the comments!
Suomeksi: Moikka kaikille! Tänään arvosteluun on päätynyt Gossardin “Retrolution” alusvaatesetti, johon kuuluu puolitopattu balconette-liivi, muotoilevat korkeavyötäröiset alushousut sekä tavalliset hipster-malliset alkkarit. Gossard ystävällisesti lähetti tämän setin minulle mutta mielipiteeni ovat luonnollisesti omiani!

Gossard on jo pitkään ollut lempparimerkkejäni mutta nyt perusmallistosta on löytynyt oikea helmi. Olen jo pitkään kuolannut tätä retroa settiä muiden blogeista ja nyt onneksi sain kokeilla sitä myös itse. Setti on kaiken kaikkiaan upea ja hyvin istuva ja harmikseni sen valmistaminen G-kuppiin asti lopetetaan tänä keväänä. Jos siis nyt löydät kokosi jostain, nakkaappa suorin tein ostoskoriin! Nyt keväällä rintsikoiden valmistamista jatketaan vain E-kuppiin asti. Liivit ovatkin Gossardin sivuilla alennuksessa joten ne saa reilulla parillakymmenellä eurolla omakseen 🙂

Kooltaan Retrolution rintaliivit istuvat samoin kuin muutkin Gossardin rintsikat – hyvä sääntö on siis ottaa isompi ympärys ja pienempi kuppi kuin normaalisti. Itse ostan yleensä kokoa 65H muilta brittiläisiltä merkeiltä mutta Gossardin kanssa 70G riittää hyvin. Retrolution on muutenkin yksi parhaiten istuvimmista seteistäni, sillä sen ympärys on tavallista leveämpi ja kuppien alaosassa on enemmän tilaa rintakudokselle. Kupin alaosaan ei siis muodostu minkäänlaisia ryppyjä vaikka malli on niiltä osin topattu! Yläosa on pehmeää pitsin ja mesh-kankaan yhdistelmää, joka toimii hyvin näin yläpainotteisilla rinnoilla.

Alaosat setistä ovat tosi nättejä mutta mitoitukseltaan hieman normaalia Gossardia pienemmät. Jos arvot kahden koon väliltä, kannattaa ottaa se suurempi vaihtoehto! Lisäksi korkeavyötäröiset muotoilevat alushousut on tarkoitettu melko lyhyelle keskivartalolle, joten tämä kannattaa ottaa ehdottamasti huomioon. 

Kaiken kaikkiaan Retrolution on mahtava alusvaatepilari kaikille retrofaneille ja pinup tytöille. Mitäs sinä tykkäsit? Jätähän alle kommenttia!