Category: Reviews

What Katie Did Corselette review

(Disclaimer; These items were sent to me free of charge for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, and as always, I’m 100% honest.)

When I was given the opportunity to try this corselette from What Katie Did I was initially apprehensive. Not because I didn’t love the design, it was more that I didn’t think it would fit me well. With a corselette you not only have to take into consideration your bra size, but also height, body length and proportion. It’s not often I seek out styles like this. I only own 3 or 4 items of lingerie with the inbuilt cups that have fitted my body well as well as bra size. I was willing to try out this style as I’d been tossing up between this style and the Merry Widow for some time now. I ordered the corselette in the 32DD, briefs in a size 10 and the stockings in the S/M.

This corselette has a few features that I’m really impressed about. Compared to my one other corselette I own, it is miles ahead in regards what is needed to make this a functional and beautiful piece of lingerie. The bra part of this style has fully adjustable straps and the cups are made up of 3 parts. The two lower parts of the bra are lightly padded to hold their shape, and the top part of the bra is the non stretch satin. The wire width is fairly standard, not to wide, not too narrow. Because of the style of cup construction, it fits very well! Much better than a corselette with inbuilt moulded cups. The six suspender straps are sewed on at a fixed length and are not adjustable. For me this isn’t an issue because of my height, but may be something to consider if you are on the shorter side. I always find with my vintage style lingerie, I need shorter stockings. You need to play around with different stocking length to find the perfect fit for these styles as having the right stockings on will help stop the girdle/corselette from rolling up or from stockings falling down. I find the stockings for What Katie Did in the S/M are the perfect length for me with these styles and they are just so easy and comfortable to wear! I forget that I’m wearing stockings and shapewear sometimes as I don’t have to adjust anything during the day. I know lots of people avoid wearing all in one styles because of bathroom issues, but it’s really as easy as unclasping the back two suspender clips and carrying on as normal.

Its all about that waist tape and smooth lines that create the perfect foundations for any dress.

The real standout detail of this style is the hook and eye closures! This may be a weird thing to get excited about normally but it makes it so much easier to wear! Not only is it easy to get on and off, by having the closures at the front it allows the back of this style to be higher and this results in the bra section fitting better. Basically the bra section acts like a normal bra would, its firm across the back and actually supports your boobs. There is also a swan hook in between the cups that is there so it can be fully undone from the front while keeping the bra cups functioning and comfortable. If hook and eyes sound like they would be uncomfortable, don’t worry, there is a modesty placket about 1.5cm wide that stops any flesh from spilling out and makes it super comfortable to wear. The most surprising aspect of this style is that it has a waist tape! its something I wasn’t really expecting to notice but it really cinches you in. It acts like the top of a girdle would but without the displaced flesh spilling out of the top.

If you are looking for the perfect foundations for a special event I would highly recommend this piece! Its perfect under wiggle dresses and it could easily be worn under certain styles of wedding dresses. I’m almost tempted to change my wedding dress just so I can wear this underneath. If you are looking for foundations that give the smoothest line under clothing then the corselette is for you. As much as I love a good girdle or suspender I find my displaced flesh around the stop of those items can be less than desirable sometimes.

The corselette retails for $139 AUD and is available in black and peach as shown here! The stockings I am wearing are the latte glamour seamed stockings and they retail for $15 AUD.

Have you tried the Corselette from WKD? let me know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!

June 14, 2017
Bettie Page Lingerie by Playful Promises

When I heard that Playful Promises would be doing an overwire bra in the Bettie Page collection I was over the moon with excitement. It’s a style that I’ve always wanted to wear, but could never really find. I missed out on the style that Dita Von Teese released and I was on the verge of ordering the cathedral bra from WKD in last year’s sale which is a similar concept but not quite the same. I ordered the Bettie Page Longline Overwire set while it was on Pre-order in February and it arrived at the start of May.

I ordered the bra in a 32DD, suspender in a size 8 and the brief in a size 10. The total cost of this set was $209 AUD. I usually wear a 30E in Playful Promises, but as this style didn’t come in their full size range, I sized up a band size and down a cup size. I decided on the longline style not only for its outfit and lingerie as outerwear potential but also as I thought it would have the best possibility of fitting.

You can see thanks to the sheer mesh that the suspender sits about 2 inches higher than the high waisted knickers.

My first impression on wearing this set was cute but not practical. The suspender is a good size but it’s made out of mostly very soft stretchy mesh. It does hold up my stockings all day and that is the most important part, but I feel in the long run it will stretch out. The high waisted undies are only mid-rise on myself and don’t match up height wise to the suspender. There are two types of people who wear suspenders and stockings. You either wear your undies under or over. I’m in the over camp. With this set I can’t wear the undies over the suspender no matter how hard i try. It looks ridiculous if I try and also it’s really uncomfortable as the cut isn’t right on both items to do this. As you can see in the photos the brief and suspender don’t work that well together. The bow on the undies becomes very squashed and bulky. I wouldn’t mind so much if perhaps the satin panels had been swapped with the mesh so it wouldn’t be as easily seen. If you know much about me, I love a practical set. I do know this set hasn’t been designed for everyday wear but I feel it lacks in certain aspects where it shouldn’t.

The spiral stitching and that point! ❤️

The bra is the reason I purchased the whole set. While I do love it, it doesn’t work that well on me. I find this 32 comes up quite big, by the end of the day it had almost completely fallen off and ended up digging into my waist where it came to rest. The cups are very shallow as well so if you are in between cup sizes I would recommend sizing up. If you have a smaller rib cage and are thinking of sister sizing up like myself, unfortunately this is not the style for you. Straight away I was wearing it as tight as it could be without it having any real staying power. I would say this style is better suited to someone who isn’t top heavy and has shallower breasts. Anyone that is top heavy will find the weight of the tissue presses down onto the bra, tipping it forward and this results in the bra sliding down.

I do really love this style, I guess I’m just upset after wanting it for so long that it is a less than perfect fit on me. The details that really stand out to me positively in this set are the cushions on the side boning to make it more comfortable to wear, the spiral stitching to give it a very 50’s silhouette and the metal components of the suspender are of high quality and feel robust. The two main elements of this design I would change is the mesh used and the bows. There needs to be a studier mesh in the bra and suspender as this would help with size and fit issues and the bows are too big/too many for my personal taste. For me this is defiantly a ‘fun’ style to wear every now and then. It’s one for the collection and the novelty of owning an overwire bra rather than something you could wear every day.

3 big bows and one very squashed one underneath.

What are your thoughts on this set? What has been your experience with overwire bras both vintage and reproduction?

May 19, 2017
Katherine Hamilton Intimates – Sophia set

September last year, I was looking at trying a different fuller bust brand. Just as I had made up my mind, a post from dontlook_lingerie appeared in my feed. I read her review on the Sophia set in white and it had me sold, KH intimates was the new fuller bust brand I needed to try! So it’s been well over 6 months since I made my initial purchase and you might be wondering why it’s taken so long to review. I have a lot of thoughts on this set and some issues…

After thoroughly consulting the size chart I ordered the bra in a 28F and the suspender in a Small and brief in size 10. The set arrived wrapped in tissue and in a beautiful box that’s perfect for storing your lingerie in. It’s these little details that set brands apart especially in the luxury market.

Its all in the details.

When it arrived I was impressed with the quality and presentation. When I tried on the bra I’d realised I’d ordered a size too small. I’m always in-between sizes so buying from a new brand can be risky. I decided to wear it a few times to see if it would give a little in the cups. Unfortunately it did not, so I put the set back in the box until I could save up the money to buy the bra in the 28FF. Finally that day came in January when there was a promotion, so I jumped at the chance. I ordered the 28FF and I was excited for it to arrive so I could finally get some wear out of the full set. A few days after I got the email saying it was shipped out, I received another email. This time it was a personal one from Katy saying that since my last order they had relabelled the sizing as they had feedback from customers saying that the bras were coming up small in the band and cup. So instead of the size range starting at a 26 band it now started from a 24. My original bra was now considered to be a 26F and the one I would be receiving would be the old size 30FF now labelled as a 28FF. If you are confused, don’t worry so was I. After I received my second bra, it fit quite well in the cups but was slightly too big in the band, but only by a bit. I sent that back in exchange for the newly sized 26FF or the old 28FF! I do agree that the sizing came up a smidge on the small side in cup and band, but I think changing sizes has added more confusion to buying bras online. A note in the size guide on the specific product would have helped as the fitting guide on the website gives a very broad option of sizes you could possibly be.

So after all that I’m still not sure if it fits perfectly. I think it’s down to how different it feels on compared to other bras I own in both a good and bad way. The upside of having tried 3 sizes in the same bra is that I can compare the difference of the sizes and how the style varies when you get above an F cup. Both the bras I have from KH intimates are considered to be a 26 band. My new bra at most would be a non-existent 27 band. It is too small to be labelled as a 28 but not small enough to be a 26. If it was a 26 it would not fit around me. My first bra feels like a true 28.

Top 26F, Bottom 26FF

The reason the bands feel so different even if they are technically the same band size, is because between the F and FF cups, the bra changes slightly to hold the extra weight. The hook and eye closures go from 2 to 3 and the band height increases to accommodate this. The elastics increase from 1.3cm to 1.5cm, bra straps from 1.3cm to 1.6cm. The gore is also almost a centimetre higher as well and this is the part that has given me a slight issue. Because the new bra is more ridged, it has taken a few wears to break in to be truly comfortable to wear all day.

My 2 year old niece approves of the ‘pretty flower’ lace used in this design.

I’m not going to go say much about the construction as it is very good and high quality as you would expect from this price bracket. The one thing that is important to mention is the cups have little to no stretch. So if you are used to buying bras that do, it might be hard finding your true size. For most of the month I can wear the 26FF happily. When it gets to that time right before my period and my boobs swell up like the rest of me it’s not happening. I need a 26G for those days! The only reason is flesh has nowhere to go but up and this causes a bulge over the top of the cup which is hard to do in a full cup bra!

The suspender and brief are comfortable and fit true to size. I was tempted to order the size 8 brief but I’m glad it didn’t as it uses the same lace as the bra and has little to no stretch. The back of the brief is made of beautiful soft mesh, so perfect if you are blessed in the booty department as the only stretch that is in the knickers is in the back.

So would I buy from this brand again? To be honest I’m not sure at this stage. The issue with sizing has put me off slightly as there is no way I could wear a 26 band and to have mine labeled as that irrates me. I know it’s unimportant but I feel like it’s vanity sizing. Apart from that KH intimates provides good luxury lingerie basics for petites and the smaller fuller bust customer. I like that they offer multiple choice of bottoms and a suspender which is surprisingly hard to find with bras that offer more support. The customer service was fantastic and they made the process for return very easy. I do think this brand is still finding their feet in the market and I’ll be watching closely to see what they bring out next. If I did purchase anything again soon it would defiantly be the high waist brief. Or maybe the full set in red? If I do purchase from them again I will be emailing customer service to triple check the sizing first!

Have you tried KH intimates? If so let me know your thoughts!

E. x

May 10, 2017
We Are Silent Arrow Girl You Rock Hi Waisted Knickers

I’ll forgive you if you haven’t heard of this brand before. It’s fairly new on the lingerie scene, only launching late 2016. I know a lot of people are wary of new brands, but the woman behind this label has many years experience in the industry.

Silent Arrow is a Melbourne based company that is focusing on the core size market. Unfortunately for me, I’m sized out of the bras. I’m a bit sad about this as the designs are pretty cool and completely affordable. But there are still the amazing undies and a super cool bodysuit that I’m seriously considering. Generally the sizes run from an Australian 8-14 with the occasional 16, s/m/l and then a few core bra sizes.

The Flawless Bra. $48 AUD

Kelly, the creator of We Are Silent Arrow, sent me the Girl You Rock undies as a gift. All opinions are my own and as usual, I’m 100% honest.

So what’s the fuss about this company I hear you asking? First of all, I love the name of these undies. In fact all items in the collection have amazing feel good names. I mean who won’t want to wear a bra that is legit called Hot AF? Second, every item purchased from them, they gift a pair of undies to women in need. Third, I love to support home-grown designers. It’s so rare to find a new company start off with wired bras so I’m very excited about this! I can count on my hand how many Australian brands are working with wired bras so it really sets them apart.

Girl You Rock Undies I received in a size 10 and they are a perfect fit. I was unsure what size to go for at first because as always I sit right in-between an 8 and a 10. With these undies in particular I could have gone either way as they are very soft and stretchy. They are made from the softest and lightest microfiber and mesh that you forget that you are wearing them. They are perfect for wearing under tight clothing as they don’t show a panty line like most briefs do. I was slightly concerned about the cut out feature on the hips. I usual try avoid this style as I’m a bit funny about my hips. I was totally surprised that these undies are super flattering and don’t create any weird bulges like I was expecting.

This style is classified as high-waisted, but personally I would call it a mid-rise brief unless you have a particularly short torso.The back of these briefs are quite full. The use of the sheer mesh helps bring down the granny factor that full briefs can be associated with. Trust me, there isn’t anything granny about these. The gusset is a good width, it’s not too wide like some other full briefs I own.

The back of these undies are made of a very soft sheer mesh.

They great thing about this collection is that you can mix and match easily to create your perfect set. Also they have the perfect T-shirt in their collection to show of the amazing bra that you are wearing. I’m always saying lingering designers should create a sympathetic capsule clothing collection so we can show off the lingerie as it was intended to be!

These undies will only set you back $24 AUD. You read that correctly. For only $24 one of the most comfortable undies can be yours. I’m hard pressed to think of any undies that comfortable at that price. Do yourself and your bum a favour and go check them out.

Happy shopping.

E. x

February 7, 2017
Parfait by Affinitas Charlotte

So this review is a bit overdue but I thought it may still be useful to some people and hopefully I will be trying the latest colourway of this style soon so I can compare the two! I purchased the dusty pink Charlotte set by Parfait by Affinitas from Large cup lingerie nearly 6 months ago and I have worn it quite a few times so I can give it an extra thorough review!

The bra I purchased in a 28F and the high Waisted brief in a size small. As some of you may know, I usually sit between a 28F and a 28FF. With this style in this particular colour I should have gone for a 28FF. I can only wear this bra on my smallest of days. I always teeter on the edge of buying the bigger cup size but always chicken out at the last-minute.

Not so flattering view of the back.

The 28F is an OK fit on me. The gore tacks well considering that the cups are quite shallow. The band is a good size 28, it’s not too big and it’s not too small. My main issue with this bra apart from the serious quad boob from being a size too small, is that despite reading a lot of reviews saying this bra was quite tall, I find it the opposite. I am taller than average but not by a lot and I do have a long torso and lower set boobs. So on me I find this bra too short/small on the sides. Contributing to this is also the strap placement. As a balconette style bra, I expected the straps to sit a tad wider on my shoulders. Perhaps in the smaller sizes the height has been scaled down as we don’t require as much support. Considering its less than perfect fit, it’s still surprisingly comfortable to wear. In fact whenever I can fit into it I find myself wearing it. As I’m writing this I’m thinking I should actually buy the 28FF and see if any of my issues will be fixed by wearing the right size.

The construction of this bra is better than I thought it would be. The straps are fully adjustable which is always a bonus. The moulded cups are made up of 3 parts and the satin side sling really helps give this shallow bra a bit of projection. Even though the cups are moulded, they are quite flexible. So if you aren’t used to wearing moulded cups this might be a good style to try first as its one of those bras that you can forget that you are wearing it. In this size the bra only has 2 rows of hook and eyes. I’d prefer 3 but two seems to do the job well enough. Also the width of the bra straps are ¾ of an inch. Again it’s enough, in the smaller sizes you don’t need more but I would prefer it.

Just a bit of room to move.

The briefs aren’t as well constructed as the bra, but they are still OK value for money. They do run very big in this colour I could have easily gotten a size XS or XXS if they made them in that size. While I do love the vintage vibe of this set with the contrasting black detailing, I find it very unflattering on my behind. I think it makes it look bigger, but not in a good bootylicious way. In real life the colour is a lot dustier compared to the product shots. In some of the shots it looks like a pale pink but don’t be fooled like I was. One thing I was concerned about was the colours running when washed as it is a fairly cheap set and it’s always a worry when you have the contrast black detailing against a lighter colour. I’m happy to report that no colours ran in the many rounds of washing it has endured.

The briefs are falling apart at the seams.

The bra retails for £33 and high-waisted briefs for £15 . If you purchase them from Large Cup Lingerie then the shipping is free! I think this is a really good price for a set like this considering I can wear it in the wrong size and still find in comfortable and workable. One issue I always have with fuller bust lingerie is that they very rarely manufacture matching suspenders. In this style I really thought they would, considering the whole pin-up vibe. Luckily its easy to mix and match with any black lingerie so my suspender from Coco’s Retro Closet works perfectly with this.

If you are thinking buying this set in this colour I would advise going up in the cup size and down in the high-waisted briefs.

Happy shopping!

E x

February 1, 2017
What Katie Did New and Improved Bullet Bra.

What Katie Did was kind of my first lingerie love. I can’t remember exactly how I came across them but it was pretty much love at first sight. The mix of vintage inspired lingerie and cool corsetry had me hooked and it’s an addiction I’m not planning on kicking soon. There has been some ups and downs with this love affair as there is with any. Fit issues mainly. But every season I find I reason to purchase something from WKD and it’s no different this time.

When I saw that there would be a curve bullet bra, I went straight to the website to pre-order. I’ve tried two of their bras in the past, but never the bullet bra. These bras have been good to me but there were always small things that could be improved.

So what I’m wearing now is the new and improved bullet bra! It’s still based off a vintage design, but it has been improved with modern pattern grading and technology to fit a wider scale of busts with a more accurate fit. Having never tried the original Bullet bra I can not compare the finer points. But the main difference? I’m wearing a 30E and all my other bras from WKD are a 32DD. This definitely feels more supportive and I find my boobs actually fit into the point of the bra, where’s before because of lack of depth in certain areas of the bra I couldn’t fit into it well enough. There wasn’t enough room around the point of the bra to actually get into it. Now it seems this problem has been fixed! At least in this particular bra.

The band is perfectly firm with little to no stretch. The straps are the perfect length for me. And best of all? This ain’t just a pretty bra, it’s fully functional and can support my boobies. I do get a few weird looks when I wear this bra, but it’s all part of the appeal, I feel like a 1950’s pin-up. The back is cut quite low which I prefer. It means it works under low back dresses but it doesn’t compromise on the support for this size. This bra doesn’t have any wires or boning, its purely made out of satin, elastic, hardware and stitching. I do find it comes up quite high under the arm, but because there is not boning or wires, it avoids the pain usually associated with that feature.

Because of the improved fit and design, this bra is far more comfortable than my previous ones. The straps no longer dig into my shoulders because the band is snug and the cups have stopped bunching up around my rib cage. It also goes with almost anything I put with it. It has the dramatic shape, but because of the black satin material it compliments much of my existing lingerie both modern and retro. If black isn’t your thing, there is also the Harlow bullet bra that comes in a glorious peach sateen.

Every time I look at the WKD website I’m astounded by how affordable the prices are. I know we all have differing opinions of what’s affordable but for a small independent company to continually produce new ranges in more and more sizes is fantastic. This bra cost me $50 AUD. there isn’t a physical store I can walk into and buy any bra in my size for that price (there might be one or 2 but I’d have to look really hard). To find a genuine vintage bullet bra anywhere near my size is even harder.

Its taken awhile for me to write and post this review as I’ve had mixed feelings about it. I really do love WKD and I hate to say anything negative but it would be dishonest if I didn’t. The problem is, I wouldn’t recommend wearing this bra for any long periods of time. I wore this for 16hrs one day and at the end of it, I had welts on my collarbones. It was partly caused by the straps being a smidge too tight, lots of movement throughout the day, but also where the strap has been sewn together. For me it just hits the wrong point, it’s not noticeable when I normally wear this bra but after 12hrs I could not not feel it. It’s just something to consider when purchasing this bra. The fit is great and it is comfortable to wear, just not for a long day. For me it now firmly sits in the wearable fashion items box.

Just a quick bit about the other WKD lingerie I’m wearing. The Maitresse Nouveau Knickers is a WKD size 10 which is meant to be an equivalent of a modern size 8. If find these very roomy. If you are in between sizes for this style, I would size down. Same with the 6 strap suspender belt. It stays in place no problem, but I like my suspenders to be tight so when they eventually stretch out I can still wear them.

Happy shopping!

E x

January 19, 2017
Real underwear

Bodysuits are one of the most versatile pieces you can have in your wardrobe. Finding a good one is near impossible. Right now the market is saturated with cheap, poorly made fashion items that won’t last past their first wash, that’s if you find one to fit you first! When Real Underwear contacted me a week ago and asked if I would like to try one of their products, I was hoping this style would be sent my way!

I received this seamless lace bodysuit in a size medium. That’s my ‘normal’ size I go for in bodysuits. I’m always trying to find a balance of long enough for the torso, big enough for the boobs, small enough for the waist. When I first tried it on I was so happy. It actually fits!!! Honestly I think I would fit a small better but I wasn’t willing to take that chance. My advice is take the size you normally wear in briefs. This knit fabric is very stretch so it can accommodate a lot of different body shapes. The fabric is very smooth and comfortable. I feel like this bodysuit could be used as dance-wear, lingerie as well as just regular clothing. It has that cross over appeal. The brand as a whole fits the need we have of our clothes to do more. I can see myself taking this piece on holidays as it’s very lightweight, easy to wash and a versatile piece to style.

Little love hearts in interesting places.

This style has hook and eye closures at the gusset. I much prefer the hook and eyes over the press studs, I find them less bulky and more comfortable. There are no itchy spots when I wear this and the binding doesn’t cut into my bum too much. I would say this bodysuit is seamless everywhere but on the binding. This is only really an issue if you plan on wearing it with a slinky silk skirt or something similar. The real winning part of this bodysuit is how the knit fabric is used to show just enough skin. I’ve seen similar bodysuits like this on the market, but they seem to show too much or not enough. I think this is the perfect balance of sheer and opaque, I could actually get away with not wearing a bra with this and not worrying about showing too much.

Soft bum problems

This company seems to be fairly new to selling direct to consumer as they have just launched their website. So far there are a few styles on the website but I’m hoping to see more in the near future. Everyone knows I love comfortable, practical underwear that still looks good. I think this company has done well to fill that void and I can’t wait to see what this small New York based company does next.

Seamless Lace bodysuit is available in sizes S-XL and colours jet black and faded parchment. It retails for $58 USD and is available to purchase on realunderwear.com

E. x

December 15, 2016
Review: Karine by Playful Promises

If you follow me on Instagram or have read all of my blog posts (well done you), you may have seen that I have a bit of Playful Promises in my collection. There is a reason I keep going back. It’s playful (the hints in the name), fun, affordable, comfortable and it’s easy to buy online. They now even have a loyalty program so the more you buy the more points you earn which results in money off for you! The Karine set has been kindly gifted to me by Play promises for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own and as usual I’m 100% honest.

I was beyond excited when this came in the mail the other day I may even have let out a squeal of delight. This style is right up my alley. Black and gold lace? Check! Matching suspender? Check! Interesting design features? Check! When I tried it on it seriously fit perfectly, that’s always a nice surprise.

The bra I received in a size 30E, and the suspender and knickers in an UK size 8. I was hoping that PP would continue doing 28 bands but I guess that they haven’t sold well enough to keep. I’m wearing my sister size and it fits perfectly in the cups and I’m wearing it on the tightest set of hook and eyes. The bra closes with 3 columns and 3 rows of hook and eyes and it feels very secure. The moulded cups are overlayed with the black and gold lace that continues up past the top of the cup. I love the effect of the lace on bare skin but do be warned if you’re nipples sit high, the metallic lace may cause irritation if you are particularly sensitive. My nipples sit quite high in this and while the lace isn’t itchy, I can feel that it’s there. I’m not sure what magic the pattern maker has weaved, but I love the shape of my boobs in this bra! I find plunge bras usually don’t work super well for me, flesh kind of just spills out if it’s soft. With this bra my boobs stay in place even when I bend over. I’ve found a few improvements in this style from their initial fullerbust collection. For one, the bra straps are thicker and plusher. Secondly the top of the bra isn’t as open so it works for those of us who are fuller on bottom or more evenly shaped. And lastly, they have used a wider and what appears to be stronger band elastic. All of this makes for a more wearable and longer lasting bra.

It’s all in the details.Thicker band elastic, Velvet bows, Gold tone suspender clips and the plush thicker straps.

The knickers are really cute with the skirted lace. The style of briefs isn’t my favourite, they appear to be super low-rise on myself. I would also say the front of the briefs are on the narrow side and in that respect they are very similar to the Tiah knickers from Kiss Kill. I generally go for something that sits higher but this style actually works really well with the suspender. The briefs are mostly composed of mesh so they are very comfortable and feel really light on. The suspender completes this set in my opinion. It makes it look better as a whole mainly because of the skirted lace. There has been improvements in the quality of the suspender as well. The fabrics used are a satin and there is also panels of mesh. The mesh used for this suspender is stronger than the mesh used in my previous suspenders from PP. There is also bones in this suspender which helps it stay up all day without being pulled down too much. The suspender straps are also longer in length this time. While that is an improvement, I’m a bit sad to see that they are skinnier as well. I feel it would match with the curve and fullerbust collection better with thicker straps. If you can only have one (because having both will increase the cost), being able to adjust the length of the straps is better.

Great contrast of delicate black and gold lace with the lush velvet bow.

To say I’m happy about this set would be an understatement! I’m seriously in love I can’t decide if I want to wear this all the time or save it for a special occasions. Thanks to small improvements from Playful Promises you can do just that! I think this set would be perfect for Christmas, it’s festive without being cheesy and clichéd.

The bra is $89 AUD, suspender $80 AUD and Briefs $45 AUD. While this isn’t cheap by most people’s standard it’s worth every penny. To have a set available is 3 different sizing categories is a tremendous feat that many huge lingerie companies have not accomplished. The quality and design have always been of a very high standard. Whats even better is seeing this company continually expanding their sizes ranges, improving fit and design all the while stay true to their aesthetic.

What do you guys think of this design and the improvements?

E. x

December 7, 2016
Review: Avocado Amber HTC Bra

Avocado is a brand I’m fairly new to. I’d only really started to hear about them earlier this year. Part of my late discovery may be due to the fact that I was placing myself very firmly in the core sizes camp and hadn’t started looking at other companies catering for different sizes. I made my first purchase from this company in August and it’s taken me this long to finally write a post about it! Better late than never…..

So after much deliberation between styles and sizes I decided on the Amber set. The bra I purchased in the HTC style is a 65F and the undies in the hipster shorts in a size small. It took me awhile to figure out what sizes I needed, as Avocado has its own method of sizing. This was also my first experience with a Polish bra company so I had no sphere of reference for the different cups and narrowness of wires. To get your size in Avocado you are told to measure your underbust tightly in centimetres. My measurement that I took was 68 cm. You are then told to deduct 5 from that number and then round to the nearest number as they are in increments of 5. So mine was 63 so I decided to round-up to 65 rather than down to 60. The next part is to find your cup size by wearing your best fitting bra and measuring loosely on your overbust. I measured in-between like I always do so I went for the bigger cup. It’s best to look at the size chart for yourself to work out what cups size you will take.

I eagerly opened the package when it arrived and the first thing I noticed was the smell. I don’t know what it is but I want to buy more lingerie from them so I can smell that beautiful scent again. It seriously blew me away! After that it then took me a few days to actually try on the lingerie. I convinced myself that it wouldn’t fit me, it looked so big in the cups! I didn’t want to try it to confirm the fact that after all my measuring I still had gotten it so wrong. I finally got over my bout of body dysmorphia and tried the set on. The fit is pretty much perfect and I was kicking myself for being so stupid and not putting this golden goodness on my body sooner. The colour is a warm gold which works really well with my skin tone. It works as a nude colour for me which isn’t actually what I was aiming for. I was going for a little more bling a little less beige. The colour aside, this style works really well under most clothes because of the half cup style and the combination of the smooth stain and embroidered fabric.

Where the beautiful strap detail just ends…

The cup is a standard 3 part cut and sew style. It feels very supportive on and it kind of just enhances my natural shape rather than changing it too much. The two main panels on each cup are lined with a fine mesh but there is no extra sling like I was expecting. The back of the band is mostly made up of a very soft and stretchy mesh. The frame of the bra is more of the embroided tulle on its own without any support fabric so it has the illusion of floating embroidery on the skin. The bra has 2 rows and 3 columns of hook and eyes and the straps adjust by 9 cms from the shortest to longest length. One thing that annoys me about this set is how the detail on the strap abruptly stops. I know it’s so you can adjust the straps but it just seems messy and avoidable. Another little detail is the centre front of the bra. It’s a very minor part of the bra, and it may not be on all of them, but once you see it you can’t unsee it. There is more mesh on one side of the bra than at the bottom of the gore. It’s a very minor detail and doesn’t affect the wearability of the bra at all, it’s just me being OCD.

Do you notice the variance at the gore?

I found this bra needed a few days to break it in. When I first started wearing it, I could feel it on. Not in an uncomfortable way, but you couldn’t forget that you were wearing it like an old favourite. Now it has been worn in enough I must say I think I should have ordered a 60G. The band fitted perfectly at first but now I wear it on the tightest hooks and I haven’t worn it more than 10 times. It really is crucial to measure yourself correctly!!!! Just before I started writing this I took my measurements again. I measured 65 cm tightly which puts me in firmly in the 60 band camp. If you measure in between band sizes, for this style I would go for the smaller one as it has stretched out fairly quickly. The bra is still very wearable and is still one of my better fitting ones, but next time hopefully I will have my size down pat. The wires are a good height, they don’t dig into my armpits but they aren’t as narrow as I was expecting. It always takes a few trial and errors to find your right size with a brand you haven’t tried before. It’s worth it though I would say as this is in my top 10 bra purchases this year. I’m not going to tell you out of how many because my friends and family reading this may have a heart attack.

The undies are a good fit but I was hoping they would sit a tad higher. In the campaign they seem to sit higher than what they do on me. They are very comfortable to wear and I love the design. It almost looks like you are wearing a thong but it’s just the illusion of the opaque material surrounded by the mesh. Overall a very cool design and a good fit, but next time I will be ordering the retro style undies so they sit above my hips.

The brief that looks like a thong.

This set worked out to be roughly $140 AUD. It definitely more than I would pay normally trying a brand for the first time, but in this case it was worth it. I’m trying to decide what style to get next, there is just too many good ones to choose from!

E. x

December 4, 2016