Lingerie Review: Cleo by Panache “Marcie” in 32GG

Who remembers my endless love for Marcie? This bra has a distinct cult reputation in the world of lingerie blogging and full bust industry. It was launched a few years ago and still goes strong in the Cleo collection, changing its colour every season. For a couple of years Panache was asked to deliver their customers a Marcie in basic colours; black and nude. Again, nude is not the same for everyone but this time, the shade was so perfect for me personally I really wanted to try it – and who knows, maybe we will get a chocolate coloured Marcie sometime soon! Here are my thoughts on this old favourite in my most recent size, 32GG. *This set was generously provided by Panache. All opinions are my own!*

The Design: I have always been a big fan of Marcie – it’s a cutesy style that is perfect for everyday wear with its flat embroidery and thin materials. The scalloped upper cups look adorable and give me a mermaid-y vibe, which is always a good thing I reckon. It’s very girly so not everyone’s cup of rum but I don’t mind the bows and dots now and then, as I am quite a versatile person when it comes to my bradrobe (obviously, haha!). The shade of beige is absolutely spot on for me, that is very pale, and I just wish Panache would make some more dark-coloured options for people with tanned, brown or black skin tones. To me though, it is the closest I can probably ever get to a skin-coloured bra!

Marcie’s cups are constructed of three pieces each, with one vertical and one horizontal seam forming a very classic balconette shape. The shape that is creates is super forward-projecting and rounded: something most lingerie bloggers have come to love from the very launch of Marcie.

The Fit: So what has changed since I last wore Marcie? Well, I think my size has changed since a bit; my body has probably a bit less fluff and a bit more muscle and my boobs have got a cup size bigger. I am now wearing a size 32GG whereas two summers back I wore a 30G, which was probably a cup size too small to begin with. To say the least, the 32GG feels quite a bit different, mostly because even two cup sizes can change the fit specs of a bra. Mostly the difference seems to be the wires which are a tad wider than what they would need to be for me. There is also a bit more empty space at the top of the cups which makes me wonder whether I should have tried 32G as well.

The cups are as deep as with the 30G which is definitely a good thing. I would say that they even so deep that you may be able to go down a cup size with this style, especially if you are in the upper end of the size range! The 32 band still fits me fairly well, even though I still think I could wear a 31 band with Panache if it existed. The Cleo bands are a bit tighter than with the Panache main line, which is why I feel the 32 band is still a better choice than the 30.

Comfort: I still love Marcie even though I think there may be some slight fit issues with the bigger cup sizes, such as the too wide underwires (that is for me, I know there is always someone who these would fit perfectly!). My only real gripe with this bra is the placement of the straps; as you can see, I have pulled them up on my shoulders so that they sit diagonally on my body, which is not the best thing regarding comfort. However, I am surprised how little this feature affects me and how well the straps stay up regardless. Nothing about this bra rubs me or pokes me so even though the fit itself is not perfect, I love how comfy and lightweight it feels during a full day at work.

The pants are cute as ever but as a vintage gal myself, I really wish they would start making them in a higher waisted version as well. These are super low cut so not the most comfortable choice for me personally. I know however that some gals adore the cut of these and I used to love it too, but ya know, tastes change. They are still nice cute everyday panties and I never say no to ruffles!

If you are interested in the beige Marcie set, you can find at Bravissimo (£27 + £14) and Bare Necessities which both ship internationally. The bra comes in sizes 28-38 B-J and the bottoms in XXS-XXL.

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