Lingerie Review: Maison Lejaby “Crystal” Padded Demi-Cup Bra in 32D

As summer has arrived in pretty much anywhere else but Finland, I decided it is time to introduce the perfect lightweight summer bra to you, my dear readers – The Crystal by Maison Lejaby. Now, I must warn you this little beauty only goes up to DD which is why our lovely 2COP guest blogger Jo will be introducing it. However, I thought it would be lovely to showcase some smaller/average-bust options on the blog as well! Here are our thoughts on the Maison Lejaby Premium Collection continuity style, Crystal. *This set was sent as a gift to Jo from Maison Lejaby. This does not affect her or my opinions on the set.*

Design: Crystal comes in various shades for each season, this ss15 season being the time for a lovely coral-like pink. As Jo is a bit on the paler side when it comes to skin tone (not as white as me though), the peachy colourway works as a pretty good “nude” on her too. The only thing that takes away from the practicality of the set, is the lace that is pretty prominent under very thin top materials. However, this feature can be used as an asset too – why not pair it with something a bit see-through for a night out with the girls?

The shape of the bra is rather pointy yet not very notable under regular t-shirts, especially a bit looser ones. The top panel of the bra is made of very light stretch lace which is amazing for any breast shape – particularly full-on-top boobs. Jo is more full on bottom, but rocks this style equally well. The coverage is pretty low meaning there might be some nipple (gasp!) showing through the lace (a feature neither of us is that scared of…). The star of the show however, are the lovely Swarovski crystals at centre gore, which add a nice feminine touch to the set.

Fit: As most Maison Lejaby styles do not carry 30 backs not even talking about 28’s, we decided to ask a size 32D for Jo. What can I say, who doesn’t compromise sometimes? (I know I do -naughty me!) As we knew Maison Lejaby runs large in the cup, we decided go for the D, which is technically a cup size smaller than Jo usually wears (meaning 30E/28F). The size guess was pretty much spot on! Even though the band is definitely a rather regular 32, it does not ride up Jo’s back as her bust is not particularly heavy. She does wear the band on the tightest hook which is by no means the best solution, but as I said, the fit is still reasonably good. Also the cups fit her really well with no gaping or bulging as the stretch lace is such a forgiving choice of material.

The wiring is a lot narrower than with British brands, which makes Maison Lejaby a good choice for Jo – she is rather petite all over with her bird’s bones so too wide/high/dense wires tend to poke her in the armpits and even her ribs. With Crystal the wire width and length seem to be spot-on which makes the bra a better fit for Jo despite the loose back band.

Comfort: As I conducted with my ML “Feline” set (click the link to read the review!), Jo came to the same conclusion with Crystal – Maison Lejaby knows how to make comfy lingerie. It is no wonder though, as they have been in the industry for so many years and clearly, some serious bra-making knowledge has tagged along since the 19th century. Everything from the materials to flexible wiring has been perfected to the very last detail which makes the higher price tag of the garments absolutely worth it.

Jo was also sent the size 1 knickers (translates to UK 8 and US 4) which finish off the set beautifully with the same amount of comfort and style that was put into the bra. The stretch lace is again there to save the day – these panties are great when you need something seamless! Also to praise the bra even more, the half-adjustable straps are just the right length for Jo who usually suffers from too long bra straps (petite ladies, take note!).

All in all, this set definitely scores an A+ when it comes to comfort – it is the perfect light-weight bra for hot summer weather and is equally great when lounging around at home.

If you would fancy to give the Crystal a try, it is sold at least on Amazon and House of Fraser for a reduced price. However, the style is a continuity range which will be available this autumn in Love Red colourway in addition to basic colours Black, Lily and Cashmere. What do you think of the Crystal? Let me know in the comments!

Lingerie Review: Gossard “Graceful” in 30DD

Back with a another review! I hope you excuse me for my long unintented hiatus – work and life happened. However, today I am coming for you with another Gossard review in collaboration with my lovely bff and guest blogger Jo! As unfortunately this ss15 collection of Gossard does not include that many ranges up G, we decided to take the chance of reviewing some smaller and average sizes although my blog is still obviously most about full-bust brands and products. However, I do see the need to represent the kind of smaller and average sizes A-DD on my blog as well, as I know many of my friends for example are in that size range and do follow my blog. This is where Gossard comes in: it’s a great brand to look for all of these size ranges though they don’t exactly profile themselves as full-bust or small-bust brand. Today we are reviewing the lovely “Graceful” set from Gossard, here modeled by Jo in 30DD and XS. *Disclosure: This set was sent to Jo for review purposes. All opinions are our own. Also, the Finnish translations will be on hold for some time now as I am super busy this month and still want to keep my posts regular! Sorry Finnish peeps, I will get back to you later!*

Design: When I showed Jo the Gossard catalog the Graceful was the first one that really pleased her eye. To be honest, it was the one that caught my eye as well – who could resist the pretty painting-like rose print and the longline construction? Unfortunately, Grace goes up to E cup only so it was something out of my reach. Don’t get depressed though even if you are a E-G lady – Gossard will be coming up with a brand new and steaming hot longline up to G this upcoming autumn. I am determined to get my hands on it so we’ll see how that works!

The Grace is a longline bra that can be converted to a strapless with detachable straps. It features a three-part cup construction and keyhole cutout detail on the centre gore which by the way does not work for everybody (= very soft breast tissue)! However, even as strapless the bra holds its shape and gives a slightly pointed vintage look but still a rather natural one to wear under any type of strapless dress or a top. If you wear a size A-E and aren’t wearing the fairest of dresses to your summer party, Grace could be an excellent choice under your party ensemble!

Fit: When it comes to strapless bras, the fit can be quite tricky to get right. This is why I was quite impressed with Grace – it gives Jo an uplifted look and a sturdy support to actually hold the breasts up without the band or the cups shifting down her torso. I remember when I wore a strapless to my matriculation party and finally shoved it in my handbag as it was so uncomfortable in a 34C which I used to wear back then. The Gossard “Grace” is a lovely option to those cheap H&M straplesses that in the end are no use at all – £34 price tag makes it an affordable choice but still a supporting one as the back sizes go down to sturdy 30s (see what I did there…). As the Gossard bands come up quite tight Jo can easily wear her Grace in the loosest hook even though she usually fits a 28 band. Sizing up in the band is definitely necessary, especially if you are between sizes!

The cups of the Graceful run a bit bigger than most British bras but with this particular style, the cups are also quite closed at top to keep the cups from tipping over when worn strapless. This causes Jo’s other boob to bulge over a tiny bit nevertheless not disturbingly so – the 30DD is still very much wearable. Jo’s breasts are quite full-on-bottom so if you have a lot of breast tissue on the top half of your boobs, I would not recommend this bra for you. However, it is a good bra for anyone drastically full-on-bottom and rather shallow as well.

 
Comfort: As the Graceful is made in a longline style with a rather wide back band (at least for Gossard as their bands are usually pretty narrow) the bra holds up the breasts effectively even worn as a strapless. This makes it a much more supportive choice which definitely holds up even after a few hours of wear. However, when the bra is worn with the straps, some problems arise: the straps are again very flimsy and long! To be honest, they are so long for Jo’s torso that she has thought about taking them in a bit. Keep this in mind if you are very short-torsoed and would like to wear the bra with the straps! If you are looking for a good strapless though, this does not matter and you can wear the bra comfortably without thinking about the falling straps.

The thong was sent to Jo in size Xs and fits her like a dream. I have always been a fan of Gossard thongs as they are made in such a way that even thong-haters like myself can wear them rather comfortably – the back part of the thong is made of a wider mesh strap that lays flat over the bum and looks seamless under tight-fitting jeans. Jo however is a great wearer of thongs so she usually doesn’t complain about these aspects anyway! The look of the thong is very flattering on her as per usual and it completes the set beautifully.

If you would fancy a Graceful set of your own, you can snatch it up on the Gossard online store for £34 for the bra and £14 for the thong. The range features a regular short as well and strapless cup-sized slip if you are more interested in pretty supportive loungewear. How do you feel about the Graceful set? Are you as excited as me about the new longline up to G (I will put up a pic of it later on here on the blog!)? Let me know in the comments! xx

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 😉