Swimwear Review: Lilly & Lime “Stripe” Balconette Bikini in 32GG

Today I would like to introduce you to a new full-bust swimwear line, Lilly & Lime. Lilly & Lime hails from Australia where bikinis are teeny weeny and complexions tanned – but what if you don’t fit into that Aussie stereotype? It’s not a secret that curvy and busty women exist all around the globe and when it comes to a whole continent, Australian lingerie industry still offers very few full-bust bras and swimwear. This is why Lilly & Lime was founded in the first place – to offer cup sized swimwear up to HH-cup for Aussie ladies and women all around the world. Here’s a review of their Stripe balconette in 32GG and full briefs in AU 10.

The Design: Lilly & Lime create timeless classics that suit many tastes and can be mixed and matched together. Their pieces feature bold colours in classic prints such as floralS and stripes which create a great basic swim wardrobe for any D+ gal who enjoys going to the beach. I opted for the Stripe style as I think it’s a nice print and colour that can easily be combined with other swim separates as well. The colour is a very bright mid-blue which is an all-time swim colour favourite for us Finns!

L&L offer three basic swim top options which are the full-cup, underwired halter and the balconette. I have always been a fan of balconettes which made it easy for me to make my pick – there was also the chance of removing the balconette straps, which made my choice even more obvious. Nobody likes a tan line! The shape of the top is very rounded and the cups sport a three-piece cup construction. For such a new brand I am super impressed with the shape the bikini top provides and I am not the only one who has noticed this – there has been a plethora of Lilly & Lime reviews online recently and all have been saying the same thing! (Points for great blog marketing, L&L!)

The Fit: With new brands I have recently been vary about opting for my band size as I am right between bands at the moment. However, I do prefer my swim tops a bit looser to avoid back bulges which is why I went for size 32GG with Lilly & Lime as well and I think this was the right choice. I would say that the 32 band is pretty much on par with most British brands such as Panache, so I would suggest going for your regular Panache size. If there was an option of a 31 band, I would have wanted to try that as the 32 seems a tiny bit loose for me. I would probably not be comfy in a 30 band though, so this is definitely a better option for me.

The cups are exactly the right size for me and deep enough to fit me pretty much spot on. However, if I could change one thing, that would be the coverage: I prefer something a bit more sexy and even though I know it’s not what every full-busted girl wants, it’s something I prefer with my bikini tops. Being quite full-coverage though, the bikini remains super secure and thus very appropriate for some real swimming action. The underwires are great with this brand it seems as they are not nearly as wide as with most British full-bust brands. I would say they are a happy medium between Polish and British underwires, which suits me just perfectly.

Comfort: I don’t really have anything bad to say about these bikinis, do I! I put them through a proper test during my holiday in Split and wore them as underwear for a day when we went hiking in a national park and sat through some long hours in a sweaty car. I had no issues with either of the garments chafing or rubbing me in a nasty way and my only gripe is really with the panties being a tiny bit snug and low for their size.

I went for the panty size AU 10 which is pretty much the same size as UK 10 and US 6. The bottoms were smaller than I thought they would be but then again, I wear both UK 10 and 12 so it’s always a gamble which one is better for me. However, other bloggers had found the bottoms to be running on the small side as well. The fold-over style full briefs were not very high-waisted on me, but I did like the rise when folding the waist band up. If I would have folded it down, these would have looked a bit indecent on me, hehe! Perhaps another bottom style with a proper high waist next time, L&L?

All in all the Lily & Lime Stripe bikini set is something I would whole-heartedly recommend, especially if you like a more full-coverage bikini with a classic look. The sizes with the tops are 28-38 D-HH (yay for 28 bands!) and AU 8-18 for bottoms. The Stripe balconette top retails for 80 AUD and the fold-over bottoms for 30 AUD. If you buy a set it takes the total of your order above 100 AUD and gives you free shipping 😉

Moda Exhibition: Preview of Lepel & Charnos SS16 + Lepel London AW15 Collections

Ah, Lepel. You always manage to steal my heart somehow, whether it comes to new shapes, colours or prints, you are my one true love and this new SS16 season changes nothing. Yes, you did cheat me this time with not making my size in some of your most fabulous styles but I will forgive you as my love is unconditional.

Haha, that’s it for the love letter but strictly speaking, Lepel did up their anté again this season which always seems to surprise me as I definitely thought they could not have done better after this summer’s fabulous styles (such as the Minnie) – but they certainly did. I also feel like the summer season is always a bit stronger for Lepel – they do lovely summery prints on their core styles but also, their swim is the one that really impresses me time after time. This time, there was also one lovely surprise in store to make the new season a jackpot – a completely new range called Lepel London. To learn more about each of their range and my personal faves, keep reading! (All styles go up to G unless stated otherwise, also this is not the complete collection because that would have made a heck of a long post!)

LEPEL

  
Fiore Full-Cup, Fiore Plunge, Lilly Rosette, Daisy, Victoria Balconette, Victoria Moulded Plunge (up to F) & Matilda

The Lepel core collection consists of some of their oldies-but-goodies in new colourways but also some more recent additions to their basics such as Fiore. Personally I am always up for new cuts and shapes but this time, I was instantly smitten with the apple green shade of Fiore and will sure be giving this old lady (hehe) a try when the new colourways launch. Lepel had adopted lovingly the new orange/pink colour trend for SS16 which is actually one of my ultimate favourite combos of all time. The Victoria, another older style of Lepel, will be available in this candy-like combination next spring and I will be sure to get my hands on it!

The Lilly Rossette is a fun take on Lepel’s basic balconette bra and the fit is also revised this time, so I am intrigued to see how it does after some alterations. In fact, I am quite impressed with this specific style with Lepel, as it always comes in such vibrant and surprising prints for each season, this AW season including a fun strawberry print (a must-have for me!). When it comes to newer styles, the turquoise Daisy is a lovely plunge option for us fuller busted ladies as well and if the blue hue is not your thing, it will also be available in white. The lace of Daisy looks fresh and young and the style seems a good basic addition to accompany the older Fiore style.

CHARNOS

Violet (up to J), Sienna (up to J), Cherub & Bailey

As Steve (the very charming head of marketing at Lepel!) mentioned last time we went to Moda, Charnos and Lepel collections have started to become more alike, with some designs overlapping the collections a bit style-wise. This was even more clear with Charnos this time, with Sienna being the star of the show with it’s graphic jungle print and stunning colour combination of yellow, green and bluebell. I have personally never been a huge fan of Charnos but with the new younger prints and sexier shapes, I am definitely intrigued to try something from the collection. Also the materials seem very on point with this particular collection – I mean, who doesn’t love stretch lace? (We all know that I am a fan!)

Even though Charnos has now taken a bit younger approach to their collections, the shapes and styles remain mostly very classic and appropriate for a more mature taste. There are also some very popular trends shown in this SS16 collection, including what I call the “Marie Antoinette vibe” – think pale lace, ruffles and light-coloured wallpaper prints. The Bailey, which is a completely new style for Charnos, fits the bill exactly and is a lovely more romantic option for the Charnos fan, if the loud prints are not your cup of champagne. Also, who doesn’t love tassels?! Tassel panties, y’all, everyone should own a pair.

LEPEL SWIM
       
Sun Kiss, Riviera, Venice Beach, Surf Balconette & Bandeau (UK 8-16), Hawaii, Sunset (UK 8-18), Helena & Lagoon Bandeau (UK 8-18) + Swimsuit (UK 8-18)

With Lepel Swim, I always pretty much go “Come to Mama, all of you!” because DAMN these designs are awesome. I don’t even know where to start as there are literally so many favourites in this swim collection. There is something for everyone: sport luxe style, Tiki pinup style, fabulous prints and colours with some more solid & classic styles as well. What really hit me hard were the Surf and Venice Beach balconette bikini tops which were fantastically styled with some contrasting trims and summery colour combos. However, if I would pick something to suit my everyday style, I would go for the Hawaii bandeau bikini because OMG LITTLE TIKI PINUPS, can I just die??? This style could definitely do with a high-waisted bottom option as I can imagine many modern day pinup girls enjoying this print.

When talking about new shapes, Lepel Swim has now introduced a moulded triangle bikini top up to G which seems very promising from what I have seen of it. The specific style is called Riviera which comes in tankini and a mini-longline bikini top as well but the triangle top is a totally new innovation to me at least – or has anyone else heard of an unwired triangle bikini top up to G-cup? I don’t think so! Even though the style is quite basic to my taste as least, I would love to try out this little number just for the science – these tatas haven’t seen a triangle bikini in years! On the model though the style looked really nice and the shape was fairly rounded yet natural.

LEPEL LONDON
       
Claudia (up to DD), Paloma in Black and Red (up to D), Tiff in Orange and Baby Blue (up to D), Georgie longline & padded bra (up to D), Chelsea Diamond in Black and Turquoise and Tara (up to DD)

Now, if the Swim didn’t blow your mind, this certainly will. The Lepel London range is something that was created for this AW15 season in collaboration with ASOS to offer the Lepel customer something a bit more hip and young, trendy and sexy at the same time. The collection features a lot of key trends for the fall and upcoming spring season as well –  strappy styling, orange and blue tones, longline cuts and eyelash lace. Super-duper stunning, to say the least!

What really did put me off with the range was the cup sizes though – up to DD?! How dare you! I think I actually told Steve to fuck off at this point when I heard they wouldn’t be going up to G (yap, that professional I am…how awkward) BUT to my excitement, ASOS really pushed the brand with the size range and it will expand in the future. The SS16 collection of Lepel London will include F-cups and MAYBE, POSSIBLY the G-cups will be introduced later in AW16. I was kinda promised that. And team Lepel, I will literally murder you if that does not happen! (haha, JK…) Cause yes, that much of a fan I am of this collection.

What really stands out to me with this collection is how it takes all of the key trends and mixes them in with a great fit and affordable prices. These pieces are not supposed to be the “luxury” range of Lepel, but a more fun, on-trend version of their original style for the same price point. This makes it affordable to any uni student out there – even Jo, the goddess of saving herself, stated that she would buy some of the pieces from the collection in a heartbeat as with such a beautiful product and a low price – why not? If not for the necessity, then just for the fun.

How do you feel about the new Lepel collections? Are you as excited about Lepel London as me? I would love to hear your opinions, so let me know in the comments! xx