Late Summer Offerings from Signature by After Eden – Review of “Bilbao” & “Alicante” in 70G

Hi everyone! How are things on that side of the screen? I am all good just been extremely busy taking part in my first pinup pageant (which went decently, I was the 1st runner up!) and settling back to work. I must say, working with special needs kids can drain the life out of you at times. This is why I have been battling a lot with how to use my time between a full-time job, starting my uni work for this year, seeing friends and keeping up with my hobbies as well. Now everything is getting back to routine so I have more energy to blog again. Hope that makes you as happy as it makes me!

Today I will be bringing you a couple of lovely styles from the SS16 collection of Signature by After Eden, Bilbao and Alicante. The SS16 collection at Signature included two colour schemes, pink and blue which were kind of two different collections altogether. I wanted to introduce you to a set from both of these collections, so here goes! *These sets were generously provided by Signature. All opinions are our own.*

The Design: As per usual, Miss E will be assisting me with the review so be so kind to welcome her back to the blog! I picked out two sets that felt appropriate for her age and preferences (young, laid-back & fun!) and decided to go for Bilbao (the blue plunge bra) and Alicante (the pink strapless balconette). These styles are incredibly appropriate for summer – the first one being a great option under low cut tops and the other under strapless and spaghetti strap tops. The colours are light yet not too cutesy and pastel-y – the shades of pink and blue remain vibrant and look gorgeous against a tanned skin. These t-shirt bras are adorned with a moderate amount of lace and thus are perfect for everyday wear.

The profile of both of the bras is very rounded and looks a bit similar to most American bras, to be honest – American women are known to love rounded padded t-shirt bras which is why I am wondering whether Signature will be expanding their sales to other parts of the world in the future. These bras are also very appropriate for young girls in general – they are not overtly sexy or super-padded but have a lightly padded moulded cups that give you modesty and a nice shape under most of your clothes. The bra is also constructed to be supportive for a fuller bust as it includes both a wider band and sturdy fully-adjustable straps to give you a better overall fit.

The Fit: I asked for the samples in Miss E’s regular Signature bra size 70G (32F in UK sizes) but exchanged the bottom size from Medium to Small as she preferred a snugger fit. The Signature bras run a tiny bit large in the cup, which is why the bra cups are gaping a bit on E’s smaller boob. However, I would always advice to choose your bra size according to your bigger boob which is why I wouldn’t have gone smaller in the cup with these bras anyway. However, if there were an option of 65H, I would definitely give that one a try as Miss E is more of a 30 band than a 32. Signature makes very few 65/30 bands at the moment as they are targeting their full-figured customers more, which is a bit of shame on our behalf. Wearing the band on the second tightest set of hooks works pretty well for E though, so we are not complaining that much.

I would say Miss E is a full-allover shaped gal, which is why she would perhaps need a tad more space in the bottom part of the bra cups; this makes me think Signature would probably suit better someone who has more full-on-top boobs. However, the denting on the bottom of the cups (the so-called orange-in-a-glass phenomenon when your boobs can’t sit at the bottom of your cups as there is not enough space) is not super bad and in my opinion, isn’t even a crucial thing to note when talking about a fit of a bra. What does matter more, in my opinion, is how the wires sit on your body – as you can see, both of the bras tack Miss E’s sternum at the front and encase all her breast tissue, which is important when trying to avoid migrated breast tissue. With the Alicante the wires are significantly taller though, which is discussed more in the comfort section of this review.

Comfort: As with the very first review we ever did on Signature, there is significant difference in comfort level when it comes to these bras. Signature still has a challenge in front of them: how to make their balconette bras more comfortable and yet still supportive. The problem with Alicante is simple – the straps are placed way too widely on the shoulders and the underwires come too high up at the sides, which makes a non-working combination that rubs the heck out of your armpits. Personally, I think the strap placement could be fixed pretty easily, so maybe that could be something to consider in the design team. However, as a strapless, the Alicante works well and does its job without sliding down and rolling around.

The Bilbao on the other hand works well in all circumstances and stays comfortable during the day without the strap placement issue. Besides that, both of the bras are crafted lovingly from the softest materials, made with amazing supportive bands (with four sets of hooks and eyes I might add!) and easily adjusting straps. They work well for both plus size and more petite gals, as well as tall and short girls who benefit from the fully-adjustable straps. The panties are comfy and gorgeous as well and are great for everyday wear; even though they are not completely seamless, they are a nice basic pattern that gives them a flattering shape and a sturdy feel.

Both of these sets are ON SALE right now, so if you live in Netherlands, you can snatch the Alicante set up for a mere 31€ and the Bilbao set for 33,50€. If you live somewhere else, 4AllWomenLingerie ships worldwide and offers a wide selection of Signature! The sizes go from 70D to 100G, S-XXXL. How do you feel about molded t-shirt bras such as Alicante and Bilbao? Do you prefer non-padded bras like me? Let me know in the comments below! xx

2COP Is Turning 3! – Signature by After Eden Giveaway

My last giveaway is co-hosted with another new acquaintance on the lingerie front is Signature by After Eden. I was very excited to get to introduce them to you here at the blog a few months ago and now I am even more excited to let you know that there is a chance for you to win some of their lovely lingerie! I have to note though that is giveaway is more for my fuller figured ladies – the Signature size range is 65-100 D-G in EU sizes so 30-44 D-F in UK sizes. The 65 bands are rare but they do have some so even if you are more petite, feel free to enter. Also, you can always enter for a friend if you cannot fit into their size range yourself 🙂 Signature is generously gifting THREE sets of lingerie so there will be three different winners drawn to win a complementary lingerie. How cool is that?!

The prize is subject to availability. All giveaways are international and the winners will be contacted by email after the giveaway closes on the leap day, 12:oo GMT. Please check your spam folder in case you won! If my email isn’t replied after one week from contacting you, a new winner will be drawn. The link to the Rafflecopter widget is down below – please follow the instructions to enter!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b3aac76b16/?

Thank you so much for reading my blog and good luck in the raffle! xx

Lingerie Review: Signature “Ginger” in 32F

It has been a couple of months since we reviewed After Eden’s Signature range here at 2COP and I am happy to say that it was not the last time for us! Signature is a very promising new full-bust/full figure targeted brand which has only been going on for a couple of seasons now. Today we are reviewing a longline bra set from their AW15 collection, before completely diving into the SS16 season – also, take note about the style of this set as it might be the perfect ensemble for the upcoming Valentine’s Day!

Design: Ginger is a lovely young yet sexy style that comes in a very classic combination of black and red and a smooth moulded cup style. What I think is one of the biggest assets of Signature lingerie, is the cute and approachable styling that lures in the younger girls, who might not fit into the chain stores’ and Victoria’s Secret lingerie as they stop at DD. This effect would be even greater if the brand started making smaller band sizes, so hint hint, Signature! 😉

I picked this set up for Miss E completely out of blue – she had no idea what I had chosen for her but when I came to her doorstep around Christmas time, she was very pleased with my pick. The longline is still something that has been quite neglected by some DD+ brands (even though the AW16 will totally change the game!) and I am happy to see such a new brand making them for us fuller busted ladies. The cups are very rounded and smooth so Ginger could easily be worn under regular t-shirts without showing through. The band features four hooks and eyes so it’s not the widest longline ever but still enough to give the bra its distinctive look.

Fit: Even though Miss E’s best size with Signature would be closer to 65H (that is 30FF in UK sizes) we are both quite happy with the 70G (= UK 32F), especially when worn on the second tightest hooks. The band does not ride up but could be a bit sturdier to stay supportive for a few more months. The cups are just the right size for Miss E so there’s no spillage or gaping in sight! After seeing already three bras on my girl, I would say Signature runs on the generous side of true-to-size – Miss E is usually something between 30FF and 30G and all of her Signature bras have been just the right size (cup-wise) for her in the sister size of 30FF, that is 32F.

The wires are perfect for Miss E with the Ginger bra and she is also very happy to report that this time, the wires do not come too high up for her and there is no chafing near the armpit area whatsoever. As all different brands producing lingerie seem to sport a different underwire shape and size, I would say Signature’s wire seems to be the perfect medium between the very narrow Polish and the quite wide British ones. The depth of the cup is a bit too shallow for Miss E which you can see by looking at the root of the bra cups. There is a bit of empty space there but E gave me no complaints about it as the bra is so comfortable in general.

Comfort: Out of the three sets Miss E owns from Signature, this might be her most comfortable one yet! The materials of the set are very sleek and soft against the skin and the straps are placed in a nice spot where they won’t rub her armpit area and cause irritation. As you can see, the strap placement is much more centered than with the Grace and Sophia bras she tried earlier. That’s definitely a HUGE improvement! This time the straps are only half-adjustable so if you are more on the petite side, I would advice to skip this bra unfortunately – Miss E is quite tall so she had no problem but someone under 5’5 might find them too long for her height. The longline band features additional boning under the armpits to keep the band from flipping, but the boning is flexible enough not to poke E on the sides.

The Ginger set comes with two different co-ordinate options which are a regular shorts-style knickers and a thong. We went for the same size as last time, that is Medium, but thought about trying a Small next time, as especially the thong seems to be a bit big for Miss E. Bottoms-wise, I think Signature runs on the snugger side of true-to-size, yet not a full size smaller. The bottoms are the same smooth material as the bra so very wearable for everyday, whether it be under dresses or the tightest of jeans.

You can find Ginger on Signature’s online store, here (and it’s on sale, yay!). Signature ships only to Netherlands at the moment but if you are interested in stockists near to you, feel free to contact them via email or on social media!

Getting to Know Signature by After Eden – Review of “Sophia” and “Grace” in 32F

A couple of weeks back I wrote about the new After Eden sister-label which is created for fuller busted and also fuller figured girls. As I mentioned in my latest post about the brand, even though the range is targeted for girls with bigger band sizes as well, the brand does make their bands in 32 and even 30 in some styles. When the head of marketing for Signature and After Eden, Paul, contacted me and asked if I would like to try some of their lingerie, I jumped at the chance even though I knew I wouldn’t be in their size range exactly.

When the beautiful “Sophia” and “Grace” sets arrived at my door, I was so exacted I ripped the packaging open and was faced with two gorgeous bras accompanied with both briefs and thongs for both of them. I instantly tried on the bras with both fear and excitement – would they fit even though being a couple of cup sizes too small to begin with? I had indeed heard that Signature would run big so I was hopeful. Unfortunately, the bras came about two cup sizes too small for me, so I would have needed a 32G with them. Then something struck me – I had just bravangelized one very sweet and gorgeous young girl who would be perfect for both the brand and the size. Let me introduce to you: Miss E and Signature!

When it comes to Miss E’s regular bra size, she is usually something in the 30FF-G bra range and wears a 30G in Parfait “Charlotte”, for example. She is a very sporty young girl so she’s quite fit and small around her underbust area, meaning 30″ band is the best option for her in most bras. As Signature bras start usually at 32 (excluding their continuity style Anna which starts from 30) I was a bit hesitant if the bras would come up too big for her small frame, but luckily they fitted quite nicely. The Signature 32 bands seem to be quite snug, especially with the black flock print “Sophia” (49,99€), as it can be converted into a strapless. This particular bra also features some silicone strips going around the band, to keep the bra up when worn strapless.

The gorgeous snake-print “Grace” (44,99€) was a bit on the looser side compared to Sophia, so Miss E is wearing the bra in the second tightest set of hooks and eyes. Speaking of hooks and eyes, there is four sets of them on each bra which is absolutely amazing! The bands are pretty wide and thus supportive and they feature three hooks and eyes in each row. The metal parts of the Signature sets are done in such a beautiful way – they are gold in colour and look very expensive and luxurious taking into consideration how affordable these sets actually are.

The cup sizing is pretty similar to any other mainstream brands, if not a tiny bit more generous than eg with Freya or Curvy Kate. Signature uses EU-sizing as they are a Dutch brand, meaning the UK size 32F translates into 70G in their own size chart. As we know Miss E’s regular size is 30FF-G, the 32F is a sister size to 30FF, making me think these the cups are a bit bigger than a 30FF would normally be. This is great for E, as she is between FF and G in the first place.

As I tried these bras on myself, I noticed the cups are especially closed at top with Sophia – this happens quite often with strapless bras but it’s also a brand spesific thing; for example, Freya is great for full-on-bottom boobs, Cleo is great for full-on-top breasts. I would say E’s breasts are pretty full allover, meaning the fit of Signature is quite good for her (actually, most bras fit well with evenly-full breasts). There is no bulging or gaping and both of the bras fit smoothly.

When it comes to wiring, the underwires of Signature seem to be in line with most British brands – they are rather wide but not as much as with eg. Tutti Rouge. I would compare their wires to most Curvy Kate bras – great for people who need average to slightly wider wires. The Sophia and Grace are a bit different to each other in this sense as well – the Sophia is a bit wider when it comes to wires and also has a bit more widely-placed straps. E mentioned the straps right away went she put on the bra – they were chafing her armpits a bit. However, the bra is great for its strapless feature and is something that will probably be a good choice under a spagetti strap top which is something E wears from time to time. The straps are fully-adjustable with both bras which is always an asset for taller or more petite girls.

The centre gores are a bit wider as well with Signature, so if you are close-set, you might want to consider this. E seems to be pretty average-set with her breasts so there seems to be no issue with the gores and they are tacking her sternum pretty well. The Grace bra is a bit lower with its gore area and seems to be sporting a nice practical plunge balconette shape that is great for everyday, especially combined to the smooth t-shirt finish.

The materials and styling used with the Sophia and Grace sets feels and looks absolutely luxurious. The Grace set is finished with beautiful stretch lace that makes the panties so much more comfortable to wear – both the thong and the shorts leave a seamless finish and match the bra nicely. The bottoms are a bit higher than what E is used to but she seems pretty happy with them anyway – the rise is actually quite flattering and is something most women would find comfortable.

The Sophia is made of quite thick power mesh sorts of material which is adorned with a velvet-y like flock print. The basic black looks so amazing with the print and contrasting textures and is suitable under most clothing as the print is not too prominent, unless you are wearing something super thin.

All in all, we are both very impressed with Signature and I can safely say that it is a good option for young girls out there who are looking for their first full-bust bras. Signature is sold on their own website but unfortunately, they only ship to Netherlands at the moment. However, if you live somewhere else and want to give this brand a try, do let the brand know about it! I am sure they would be eager to hear enthusiasm from their international fans and let you know about any retailers near you 😉

Moda Lingerie & Show: Signature by After Eden SS15 Collection

When a new full-bust brand pops up on the market, I always get super excited – especially if the company has years of knowledge making comfy bras in core sizes. When I first saw Signature – After Eden’s sub label for fuller figures and busts – I was so excited and wanted to browse their stand at Moda thoroughly. Their stand is usually one of the nicest to visit anyway – last year it was bubbly, this year cheese which I am a great fan of (well who isn’t?). As we were having a taste of the snacks, we got to meet the brand’s head of marketing Paul, who runs the company’s marketing department from Netherlands, where After Eden was originally founded.

I thought showing you the new Signature Spring/Summer collection would be so appropriate because *drum roll* we are having some of their pieces reviewed here at 2COP soon! I am also introducing a new guest blogger of mine, miss E. But I won’t tell you any more just yet! However, let’s get into previewing the collection first!

 
From top to bottom: Sevilla, Anna & Granada

This ss16 collection is Signature’s third collection and thus, it is interesting to see how the fit of these garments actually is, as making sizes A-D is completely different from making sizes D-F. Yes, indeed, the collection only goes up to UK F-cup so far, but as we have seen with other brands such as Playful Promises, full bust sizes are extremely time consuming to create and also, a great risk for companies that are not used to making them. This is why most companies start small and then continue to expand their size range when the demand is big enough. However, this requires the products to get sold on their full price which can sometimes be really difficult in this financial situation we are in.

Oh well, let’s not talk about the grim details anymore! Where Signature still lacks in cup sizes, the bands sizes are quite generous for such a new brand. Most of their styles are intended for the fuller figure customer as well and the band sizes go up to 42-44 in even with F-cups Their classic style Anna, which comes in both padded and non-padded version, starts at 30 band which is a nice start to include smaller band sizes in the collection.

 
Top to bottom: Malaga, Barcelona & Balboa

The new summer collection consists of two colour schemes: daring pink and blue harmony – very appropriate considering those truly are the trend colours of the season in addition to bright oranges. The summer collection is a bit more girly and age appropriate compared to this autumn season but that means the collection is very approachable for girls who are perhaps plus size/ full-busted and want something pretty and comfy to wear on their everyday. I am happy that out new guest blogger is 18 yo which makes her the perfect reviewer for Signature (however, she will be wearing a 32F so not a plus size but a small band/big cup combo)!

One of my favourite sets from the collection is nothing basic or too girly though, and that is the amazing Malaga. Malaga takes on the contrasting trim trend which was mainly brought to the full bust market by Parfait. I love how the contrasting trimmings are combined to a lovely feminine lace and a delicious cotton candy shade. Also, I am big fan and collector of suspenders, even though I actually rarely wear them.

If you are interested to see the autumn collection for yourself and grab a few goodies, you can do so on the Signature website. The price range is around 40-50 € for the bras and 15-20 € for a pair of knickers so not bad at all! You can find the online store here.