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!

The Best of the Best – Moda AW15 Lingerie Roundup

As we are already approaching Moda which is no more than a month away, I decided to put together a roundup post for you of my absolute favourite styles for this upcoming season, introduced last February at Moda. Me and luckily Jo as well are visiting Moda in August again and I want to share some of my faves before the new Moda posts start rolling again! I know I haven’t been as active with my new collection introductions lately but please forgive me, it has been a very busy spring with my new job and bachelor degree research (I am now finishing it up, it’s about body image & eating disorders). However, here are some brands and new AW15 styles that really impressed me a few months ago – I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Ambra Lingerie

Ambra is an Italian lingerie brand which still remains as a luxury-focused family business in the town of Alba (interestingly the home town of Nutella as well!). The silky garments are designed and produced by hand in Italy which makes Ambra an ethically-aware lingerie manufacturer and a supporter of local employment. Even though local production always takes the prices up a notch, I do believe the production process itself is something that needs to be considered when talking about real product value. Also, the Ambra lingerie is made mostly out of silk and high-end Italian lace which makes the garments look and feel gorgeous to the wearer. The size range is still rather small but they have introduced F-cups only recently and the way is up if the demand is there! I fell in love with the delicate style above, rocking a bold combo of gold and dark purple which is a rather unusual combination for next AW season.

Millesia

Millesia is a French brand founded in the 90’s and has since aimed to create feminine yet strong styles to please women’s luxury needs in the A-D category. Even though the brand is new to me personally, I was struck by its personality and strong sense of aesthetics. The new collection was a seducing combination of fine details, lace and bondage vibes which makes it look interesting even though we have seen the 50 shades style in lingerie for a couple of years now. The set above was one of the more clean-cut yet powerful styles of Millesia for next season and I sure would love to see it produced in bigger sizes as well.

Freya

The old Frey Frey and I were not the best of friends when I entered the full-bust world a few years back. Everyone else was raving about their fit but it turned out that my FOT boobs were not too happy in most of their bras so I left it to that and turned to the likes of Curvy Kate instead. However, recently the Freya designs have improved to the level that I am super intrigued to give them a go again, even just for the looks sake. This lovely little number is called Minx and it is available in various bra styles with a size range of D-G with plunge balconette and padded half-cup styles and GG-K in the balconette style. The pic above features the first-mentioned and I am in love with the key-hole detail at the gore!

Evollove

Evollove is a fairly new D-G brand with young-ish target market and reasonable prices. I have had the chance to try Evollove bras at the Mimi & You boutique I visited last time I was London and even though the brand goes “only” up to G, they are a great option for someone looking for fun everyday bras at budget. The style above is one of their amazing longlines which are a plenty compared to other British brands in the same size category. In addition to creating sassy youthful styles for women in their 20’s, it is also a great brand to look for age appropriate bras for young girls in their early teens – this brand knows how to do a good cute floral which is something that appeals to almost any tween + their moms 😉

Gossard

Oh mighty Gossard, you seem to seduce me every time and this time was no different. The good news is, they are also bringing back more up-to-G styles again! I am so smitten as last season of Gossard was a bit of disappointment for me size-wise. This time I will have a few lovely styles to choose from, including the Desire range pictured above. Longlines up to G? I’ll take it! Also, there seems to be a fair amount of high-waisted options and suspender belts on offer, which makes a true pinup gal like myself jump for joy. What seems to be the highlight of this upcoming season will however be the classic Gossard “Gypsy”-style, brought back from the 80’s to today and renewed. No doubt I will be trying that bad boy out!

Scantilly

As Curvy Kate’s new sub-label Scantilly has been splattered across the internet already, I settle with bringing you my favourite style from the collection: the Pounce. Even though the whole small collection was completely on-point and amazing, something in this leopard lover speaks to me with such volumes. Maybe it’s the suspender belt? I don’t know but heaven’s Lord this collection is something needed in the full-bust scene! It embraces the 50 shades trend so well with a sophisticated touch that I am only left swoon and hoping to get to try these beauties asap. The sizes go up to HH so small-ish compared to other CK styles but we can definitely expect bigger cups in the future!

Signature

Signature was first introduced on 2COP about a year ago when I encountered the brand at August 2014 Moda. The brand is a sub-label to After Eden which is already a rather well-known brand across Europe, including Finland where it is sold as a house-hold name in big department stores. As After Eden only goes up to DD, the brand has given birth to a new baby in both bigger band and cup sizes. The band sizes start at 32 and end at 44 which is a fair size range for such a new brand. Also, the cups are rumoured to run large which makes it a winner instantly! My fave from the collection was the snake-print “Grace” which comes in a lovely fashion-forward colour combo or petrol blue and black.

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All in all the AW15 season looks promising! I still have a couple of brands I want to go more in-depth with so if you wondered about the absence of Curvy Kate and Lepel in my post, stay tuned as they are being previewed very soon 😉 Have a lovely upcoming week everyone and do let me know which style appealed to you the most from this roundup!

Lingerie Review: Maison Lejaby “Féline” in 32G

You might remember me raving about Maison Lejaby a couple of months ago (click for my latest post on ML!) – when I last visited London I had the pleasure of trying on a few pieces at Mimi & You Lingerie boutique and I fell in love with their designs. During the same visit I did travel up to Birmingham where I had the chance to chat with Maison Lejaby’s UK & Ireland coordinator who introduced me even more to this lovely brand. Fast forward to today, I am now reviewing my first Maison Lejaby set here at 2COP. Maison Lejaby was so kind to send both me and Jo a set from their Elixir and Premium collections and today, I am reviewing the lovely Féline bra set from Maison Lejaby Elixir collection. Enjoy!

Design: To be honest, I was very nervous about Lejaby picking something for both of us and sending them to review as a complete mystery. I am a bit picky when it comes to my lingerie – there are some things I absolutely dislike so I was so anxious about getting something as a surprise. On the other hand, I do love surprises which made me very intrigued about the contents of my parcel. When it finally arrived in the post office and I ripped the packaging off I was so happy to be facing a set of sophisticated animal print in an unusual grey colour. Also the texture was lovely and unique – there were some bigger leopard spots at the top part of the cups which seem to raise ever-so-sligthly from the otherwise sleek fabric.

The construction of the bra is a very traditional plunge-balconette with a three-part cup and medium coverage. Féline gives me a decent amount of uplift and a very natural shape – this is a bra that I would recommend to anyone who wants something subtle under their clothes. It gives a rather rounded yet natural look and works well with most of my outfits.

The Fit: I asked for a size 32FF as this was the one that fitted me the best in another styles from Lejaby. However, as the parcel arrived I realized I had been sent a 32G instead of an FF so I was a bit nervous about the fit. These things happen sometimes when I get sent samples – someone accidentally sends me a wrong size and sometimes they fit, sometimes they don’t. In this case, the mistake was a blessing in disguise – the 32G fitted me super well! I do notice some slight gaping on my smaller boob but as we all know so well, the bra size should be opted by the size of one’s bigger boob. The unpadded style of the bra ensures though that the gaping in in no-way notable under shirts and dresses which makes it also a practical little number to wear for everyday. The 32G compares roughly to a regular, even large-ish British 32GG so this brand and particular bra run about a cup size or a cup size and a half bigger than usual!

As Maison Lejaby only makes 30-bands in a few styles, I was sent a bra with a 32 band instead. For a French brand, Maison Lejaby seems to be running very British when it comes to their bands – that is, very true-to-size. With my 30″ underbust measurement the band is in all honesty a bit loose but doesn’t ride up in the back even when worn in the loosest set of hooks. However, this may not be your sturdiest bras anyway – the materials are very stretchy meaning the whole ensemble is super comfy yet not the kind of to run a marathon with. In my opinion the band would be best for someone with a 32″ rib cage so on me, it is not the best size. However, I have worn this bra over the last couple of months each and every week so you can imagine how comfy it really is!

The underwires of Féline are a rather standard ones for a French brand – not as wide as with British bras but not as narrow as Polish. This works for me very well as my boobs are a very average width and don’t require super wide or narrow underwires.

Comfort: As mentioned before, the Féline is VERY comfortable and a stretchy little sucker. The band, the cups, the wiring and the straps are all made with comfort in mind – this makes the bra to adjust to your body and feel comfy when moving around. Even though this takes a bit away from the sturdyness of the bra it does give you a sense of not wearing one in the first place – which is something I aim for when I am at home chilling and still want to feel supported.

When it comes to the underwires, the Féline does a great job by staying low under the armpits to avoid any unpleasant chafing against your arms or pinching in the flesh under them. The wires are also just flexible enough to keep you comfy even riding a motorcycle, which some of you know to be my ultimate test for my bras (by the way, thank heavens for the mc season starting just now, I missed you Honda-babe <3). The straps can be quite stretchy as well but nothing near eg the Comexim “Irish Coffee” (click for the review!) I own. The straps are also rather long so if you are even slightly more on the petite side, this could cause you some problems. I have adjusted mine to the tightest they can go and this is the right length of straps for me with Féline.

I was also sent the Brazilian brief in size 2 to match my Féline bra. My bf is probably the biggest fan of Brazilians so he was happy and to be honest, for a Brazilian this panty is a rather comfortable little number. The size 2 is a french size which translates roughly to a UK size 10-12 (not sure though, enlighten me if I got it wrong!). The back of the Brazilian leaves a seamless finish so if you are a great jeans-wearer, this could be just the knicker style for you.

When it comes to getting your hands on Maison Lejaby, I would say your local brick and mortar boutiques and department stores are the best to look into. I tried to look for Féline online and found this one place where you can get your hands on it for a reduced price even. The online store is a french one called Les Dessous Chics but it translates mostly to English as well and sells Féline bra for a rather great price of 53,83€. Even though Maison Lejaby is a bit more in the luxury category both for quality and price, the course of the pound is horrendous to anyone who doesn’t live in UK. This actually takes the Maison Lejaby pretty close to its British rivals when it comes to € price and sometimes even a more affordable choice compared to other full-bust mid-priced bras.

How do you feel about Maison Lejaby? Have you tried them and if so, how do you find the quality and fit? I would love to know a second opinion to mine so let me know in the comments! xx

Guest Review of Chantelle “Superbe” Full-Bust Half-Cup Bra

A couple of months ago I received a very alluring invitation to a Chantelle Blogger’s Party which was all about their new “Superbe” full-bust line. I was so excited one of the most sophisticated brands in Europe had decided to make something for the full-bust customer and even though I did not make it to the party (for obvious reasons…) I was sent one of the bras to test out. I am still nowhere near their size range as a 30GG (the range stops at FF) but luckily, I do have my lovely friend Jo who is a very practical size of 30E/28F. Here are some thoughts on Chantelle’s full-bust half-cup bra, hope you like the review!

The Design: We both really liked the look of the bra: it’s very sophisticated, sexy, very “French”. The black on purple/blue make the bra look interesting but still practical and approachable to those who are not fans of bright colours. The lace looks lovely too and the whole bra is super chic. The cups are nice and low for a full-bust bra which makes the bra look even more attractive. The bra gives Jo a lovely naturally rounded look with a rather low profile. The bra construction could be a bit tricky with bigger cup sizes but luckily this style works quite well up to F-cup. The cups are constructed of two parts with a vertical seem in the middle and some extra support from side-support slings.

The Fit: When it comes to fit, new full-bust brands and sub-labels are always tricky as you never know how much work has gone into them, if the grading has been done properly and what the construction is going to be like. Even though the 30E is in the bottom end of full-bust spectrum, it’s still easy to see that Chantelle has a very long history of making bras and the fit looks rather good on Jo. The sizing was a bit of an issue for us though; we had no previous experience with Chantelle so we went for the size that we thought would probably do the best.

However, we found that the bra runs a little on the bigger side with the band and smaller side with the cups so we came to the conclusion that 28FF would have been the best size with this bra. The 30-band seems like something I would have gotten well on with as I am on the larger end of 30″ and sometimes need a 32 with tighter bands. Even though Jo is very full on bottom when it comes to her breasts, the left cup cut into her breast a bit which leads me to the conclusion the cups ran a bit on the smaller side. In the pictures we have hooked the bra to the tightest set of hooks and it’s still a tad loose. However, the cups have nice average-to-narrow sized wires and otherwise enough room for Jo’s projected breasts, which improves the fit tremendously.

Comfort: As the bra was not the right size to begin with, it’s really hard to say about the comfort aspect of this bra as with a too-loose band it’s never perfect. I have seen Jo wearing this bra though for a few times now (I totally know what underwear she is wearing when we see each other!) and seems like it’s doing its job pretty well! The materials of the set are very high-quality and look super luxurious. The wires hit Jo at the correct spot which is always a key to great comfort.

The centre core is quite high which can lead to less-than-perfect fit with very close-set breasts but as Jo’s pair is a bit more widely-set the core tacks nicely.However, wide and tall cores can also be a bit irritating and even stab you in the chest if you are a bit bony on your upper body. As Jo is pretty thin and doesn’t have that much flesh on her chest, she found the core to pinch her sternum a bit at first. She tried bending the wires as I had suggested her before with other bras as well (this is a rather common problem for her) and now the wires are much more comfy.

The panties of the set are a low-cut Brazilian-style shorts which I really liked. Unfortunately the size Small was a bit too roomy for Jo so I snatched the panties to myself. I find them to run true-to-size as I am now a solid size Small with most of my bottoms. However, if you are between sizes, I would suggest you to size down. The panties look super flattering and great quality and can be combined with a lot of other bras I own, so I am definitely not too sad that they didn’t fit Jo! 😀

The Superbe half-cup bra comes in sizes 30-40 D-F whereas the plunge and t-shirt styles go up to FF. You can find the set eg. at HerRoom. How do you like the new Superbe bra and would you be interested to try it in your size? Be sure to leave me a comment, I would love to know 🙂