Spring and summer are time for romance and weddings – shoutout to a fellow lingerie blogger Becky who married her boo a couple of weeks back! As I have probably never worn white lingerie since primary school and never really introduced you to bridal options in DD+ here on 2COP, maybe it was time I reviewed something plain white for your curvy bride-to-bes. When Parfait asked if I wanted to try something from their SS16 collection, I decided to give their Elissa range a try. Here’s how I liked the set…
The Design: On the Parfait website the Elissa longline is named as an unlined wired bralette; to me, bralette indicates a wireless bra which is why I’d rather call the piece a longline bra. This particular longline features six rows of hooks and eyes and four bones on the band; two at the front and two on the sides. This keeps the longline from flipping up and moving around and also gives the piece a bit of structure. The cups are constructed of three parts, one vertical and one horizontal seam. The shape of the bra is quite natural, so a bit pointy and goes very well under my vintage dresses.
The style of the bra is very pretty even though I am not a big fan of white lingerie. I chose this set so I could break my own boundaries and I do actually like it a lot – there is nothing too juvenile or basic about this set, it is sophisticated enough for bridal wear but also smooth enough to be worn on regular everyday basis. The lace on the band and the upper part of the cups is very beautiful and a tiny bit stretchy to maintain a pretty good fit.
The Fit: As most Parfait bras only go up to G-cup, I decided to opt for size 32G with Elissa and see how it goes. Usually 32G has been a pretty good success with Parfait and I was right again – the cups are a teeny tiny bit too small as my boobies are bulging just a bit over the cup edges. However, I would say this bra suits more full-on-bottom breast anyway, so maybe we were just not meant to be. You can also see a bit of wrinkling on the bottom part of the cups which I have no clear idea of where they came from. Maybe it’s a shape incompatibility issue? If you have ideas, please let me know in the comments! If I had the chance, I would have loved to try a 32GG with this bra to see if it would solve some of the fit problems.
The longline band of this bra is quite tight for a 32. I would say it stretches up to exactly 32″ so if you measure 32″ or 33″ I would suggest sizing up to 34. I can just about do this up but not on my own so that is definitely something to consider when opting for your size! The underwires are quite wide for me so if you are more wide-rooted this may be the bridal bra for you! However, I am not too bothered by the wires as they don’t rub me or chafe my armpits at all.
Comfort: My history with longlines is not the most smooth one – the ones that have been here from the start remember that infamous Fauve “Bronte” review where I complained about the bones on the bodice that rubbed and stabbed me all over my torso and armpits. Not a pleasant experience! Since then I have been hesitant to try longlines. I needn’t have worried this time though – the Elissa is a pretty comfy little number even with the four bones on the band. Sure, it will never be a comfortable as a bra without extra wiring but the bones don’t poke me all around like with Bronte. The materials are also quite soft and the lace does not cause any itching even when being so close to bare skin on the bottom half of the band. The straps are fully-adjustable so they suit many body types with ease.
I got the bikini brief bottoms with the set in size Small and I would say Parfait really knows how to make comfy panties. These run quite true-to-size but they have some give at the back because of the stretch lace. If I could suggest something to Parfait, I would ask them to make a deep suspender belt to match this set or perhaps a high-waisted panty with garters.
All in all I think this would be a fantastic set for any full-busted bride out there, if you don’t need a strapless bra under your dress. Longlines are usually a pretty good choice under a party dress anyway, as many women like the smoothing ability they have – I am looking at you ladies who are neurotic about back fat! If you would like to get yourself an Elissa set of your own it comes in sizes 30-40 D-G and S-2XL and you can find it on Kohl’s and Classic Shapewear . The longline bra retails for $54 and the bikini briefs for $25. What kind of lingerie did you wear/ are you planning to wear on your wedding day? Let me know in the comments! xx
Two cakes on a plate 