Lace and Haze

Tag: core size

  • Lounge underwear, behind the hype.

    Lounge underwear, behind the hype.

    All items in this review have been purchased by myself at full price. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

    If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I can be a bit of a… snob. It’s no secret that I prefer the luxury end of the lingerie spectrum not only because of design but because it’s usually more clear cut when it comes to ethical operating standards. The high street brands on the other hand tend to be a bit murky in that regard. I do however recognise that accessibility is a key issue; be that price, physical stores, fast shipping or easier to wear designs. Lounge Lingerie’s key strengths lay in its direct to consumer business model; prioritising fast shipping, trending styles and really embracing social media and the power of influencers.

    The back of the set can look quite messy.

    It’s a brand I’ve never tried until now (its been up and running for 7 years now) and I thought I would start with quite a striking set and definitely one of the sexiest styles they do. This is the Livia set. It is comprised of a wired bra with cut outs, a suspender belt that is more like a waspie/body piece, as well as a thong and garters. One thing I find interesting is that everything seems to come as sets, you can’t buy just a bra. Ease of shopping or is it obligated up selling?

    I ordered the bra in a size 36G (I’m a 32HH but the biggest cup they do is a G) and with the thong and suspender I had to order the same size so I got them in a XL. The garters appear to be one size. This set cost £100 and the shipping was free on orders over £40. I chose this set because I am a bigger body than what you see on Lounge’s Instagram and I thought the large straps would work well on my fame. Also we love a bit of bondage inspiration. So starting off, this set is not unique. You can find variations of this design on Amazon, Honey Bridette, Bluebella, Bordelle ect. It does make me wonder if this design was done in house or bought. Nothing at Lounge is particularly original or different but it is very approachable and eye catching.

    Quality of the metal components vs the suspender grips.

    The two things I was most concerned about when buying this product was the fit and the quality. It’s hard to tell too much about quality without long term wear (watch this space for updates) but first impressions seems like it’s actually quite good for the price point. No straps have been sewn twisted, no stray threads, all the hardware seems in good condition and generally no obvious flaws are present.

    Trying it on though is a different matter. The highlight of this set is the thong. It fits, it looks good and it works with the rest of the set. The garters come up small which makes me think they are a one-size-fits-all situation across their size range which is alarming.

    The bra, even though it’s basically my sister size, fits so so so bad. The wires feel like they are made for a 34DD (They come up small and are very flexible). The design of the bra is nice but it was disappointing how small the wires were and the lack of capacity in the cup. It’s obviously designed for a certain look and a certain consumer who wants the too small look. Or they just really don’t care about sizing but then why offer up to a G when it’s not..

    Don’t mind the under and over boob.

    But the worst part of this set was unfortunately the part that made me want to try it in the first place, the waspie. It was near impossible to put on by myself and and the grading was very off in my opinion. The use of very flexible materials up top, and then ridged material at the bottom, play a part in why this feels so out of proportion. My guess is that they fitted this on their smallest size and just graded up without testing because somehow the ribcage was enormous. This would make sense in the smallest size with it being a 24-26 inch waist and a 28-30 inch underband. The suspender straps are really wide which is fine but the suspender tabs used, and the way they have been tacked to the ribbon, makes it nearly impossible to attach them to stockings or the garters. If it wasn’t for the suspender straps I would have thought that I’d put on this piece upside down. The way that it fits, I could only suggest this piece likely to fit someone who is more of a triangle shape. Bigger underband yet hips and waist narrower.

    The mesh on this body piece is very soft and the elastics and metal components are quite heavy so it has already warped out of shape after a few hours of wear. The zip appears to be upside down. It zips from top to bottom not bottom to top. I’m above average in height and yet the zip tends to buckle on the back as if there is too much length.

    Overall I am disappointed in this set, I wouldn’t recommend wearing it outside of the house or count on getting too much wear out of it. Things I’d like to see change would be multiple sizing on the garters, getting better wires for the bra as well as adding in adjustability i.e. sliders on the bra band, suspender + thong, and perhaps a use of power mesh instead of a brief mesh on the suspender so the tension is more even to avoid warping.

    What are your thoughts on Lounge Underwear? Id love to hear from anyone who’s tried especially those from the top of the size range.

  • Lovehoney lingerie

    Lovehoney lingerie

    I don’t usually review cheaper lingerie. Maybe that’s me being a snob. I just don’t buy cheaper lingerie anymore. But when lovehoney approached me last year I was curious. Curious about the brand and about the quality. I will review them like I would any of my luxury purchases in the way of price vs what you get.

    So these products were sent to me free of charge but all opinions are my own as always.

    So Lovehoney is a brand I wouldn’t normally purchase from. Yes that’s me being a snob as well as I’m probably in a different place in my lingerie journey. It’s e-commerce site is functional and does the job, but it doesn’t have the cohesiveness and cleanness that I’ve come to expect. I totally understand why this is, it’s not a luxury brand so presentation isn’t as important.

    The packaging it comes in is just a plastic slip, again I expected this as it’s in a very accessible price range. As far as size ranges go it’s a pretty standard Small, Medium and large. They also have some plus size lingerie and that is available in 1x to 4x. The price range starts from around $10 up to $110 for a more detailed style.

    One thing to note is that they have e-commerce sites for Australia, America and Europe. The shipping within Australia is so fast! It’s the quickest I’ve ever come across so that really impressed me. I received the Parisienne set in wine size medium and the midnight soirée suspender body which is one size fits all scenario.

    I wasn’t sure at all how these sizes would work on me. The Parisienne set I thought the bra back would be huge but the cups workable and I thought the suspender knickers would fall down almost instantly I attached stockings. I was super surprised to find out that suspender knickers stayed up perfectly well with actual stockings, no need for stay ups.

    The bra is far too small in the cup and big in the back. I’d definitely say that the bra isn’t fuller cup friendly but it’s workable as a bedroom only piece as it was intended. All of lovehoney products are for bedroom use, I think all the lingerie is crotchless except for a few of the guest brands. This isn’t to say you can only wear it in the bedroom but for me I’d have to layer both the top and bottoms as not to expose myself during the day. The products are mostly made up of stretch lace which is super comfortable to wear as well as easier to fit to a range of body shapes and sizes.

    The all in one suspender body I love and everyone else must as well as it’s now sold out. It’s pretty much fully adjustable and the cups actually fit me!!!! I’m guessing that if you are an A or B cup in the smaller size range that this style won’t work all that well for you.

    I found this range to be the most visually interesting out of all the options. It’s actually pretty comfortable to wear as well. This style I have worn out and about and it’s held up quite well. I don’t think it would hold up to regular everyday wear but it performed well as an occasion piece. One thing that was irritating was the neck piece, particularly around the closure. The stitching was quite messy and therefore rough and it did cause a bit of discomfort throughout the day. It is detachable I discovered at the end of the day so next I might just wear the collar attached for photos.

    Every strap is adjustable.

    Overall I’m impressed with the quality at the price point. There sizing went as well as expected, it’s definitely for the core size customers. I do quite enjoy having separate lingerie for the bedroom I think they cater for it very well. Sturdy enough to wear all day but not overly expensive so as to not mind when it’s ripped off at night.

  • Lara Intimates, The Ava review.

    Lara Intimates, The Ava review.

    Lara has long been on my Wishlist of lingerie brands to try. Sadly for me and all my bigger busted babes, up until the end of last year they were only catering to the small back and core sized market. Luckily for me this brand took a chance and expanded their size range quite extensively so I was able to finally purchase something after browsing for a year.

    I purchased the Ava bra in the limited edition lilac in a 28G and the high waisted briefs in a small. I was tossing up between two styles for my first purchase from Lara. The other option I was seriously looking at was the wren bra.

    The main thing that first drew me to this brand is the fact that it is an ethical and sustainable brand. All products are made by a small team in their studio in London. The fabrics which they use are all dead stock fabrics that otherwise would go to landfills. They generally are only made to order with a few key items in stock and ready to ship. It may take longer for your order to arrive when it’s made just for you but this avoids having the issue of over stocking. When you see big clearances in fashion, it’s because they had to make enough to fill the shop floor, knowing most of it will go to clearance, then the outlets and if it never sells it gets incinerated or sent to landfill. Pretty wasteful way of producing right?

    I’m getting distracted here but the reason I love this business model apart from the obvious is that it makes us more considered consumers. You plan ahead, you save up and you avoid that instant gratification. If you really want it you can wait for it.

    So I’ve waited a long time for this set! It actually didn’t take long to make and be sent from London to Sydney, it was under 6 weeks. So here are my thoughts.

    For a brand that is only fairly new, my first impression of the quality was fantastic. Everything was very neat and tidy. I was surprised how light the mesh was. It literally felt like I wasn’t holding anything. The fabric against the skin was even better, like wearing nothing at all. The briefs are a dream to wear, I don’t have a bad word to say about them. The bralette I’m slightly disappointed in but I’ll tell you in full detail why.

    First of all I should have ordered a 28H. Lara intimates uses its own sizing system so it’s very important that you check your measurements and their sizing system before you order. It’s very easy to use and is one of the best online sizing calculators I’ve used. Technically I measure for a 28G in Lara but I think this style in particular came up small in the height of the cups for me as well as slightly in the cup width. I don’t find this style particular supportive even though the band fits well. It’s better than some bralettes I’ve tried but because the mesh is so soft it doesn’t have the uplift and support I would like. It’s great for lounging but after a full day of work and walking around I could tell it wasn’t going to be replacing my regular bras. One other slight issue I had was with the depth of the cups. There is no division or uplift. I’m sad to say I’ve had better luck with an off the rack bralette in a regular medium.

    It’s not a bad bralette, it’s just not what I was expecting. I would like to see more depth in the cup area, but as I’m not technically trained in lingerie pattern making I’m not even sure if that’s possible. Again if you are using dead stock fabric you don’t have as much choice with what materials you work with. The mesh is beautifully soft to wear but it lacks the support of a more ridged mesh.

    If I was to purchase again I’d definitely go for a different style. I think the straps are too narrow if you have a bigger bust to be truly comfortable. One plus side of the straps is that you can wear them normally or as a racer back. I know a lot of fuller busted babes look for thinner straps in bras so they can wear them easier with clothes. If you are one of those people, this is the bralette for you!

    I look forward to seeing how Lara intimates progresses. They have a lot of positive feed back from customers and I’d love nothing more than to see this brand do well.

  • Introducing Saint Rule

    Introducing Saint Rule

    Saint Rule is a brand new lingerie company out of Sydney. That isn’t a sentence I get to say a lot and I’m overly excited about it. Australia is a big country with a small population. For some unknown reason, Australians seem to really love Lingerie. Slowly but surely brands are appearing locally to quench the thirst of the local addicts. Saint rule is one of those brands and it has a very unique selling point.

    I spoke briefly with the designer about the brand as I was interested to know more about how ethical a luxury lingerie brand could be. The luxury market is quite secretive in all industries, most of the time selling smoke and mirrors at a premium price. You would think that luxury also means ethical but most of the time it’s just benefiting off that assumption without having to provide any evidence. As with anything luxury, Saint Rule has a very cohesive and well presented brand, giving enough information to encourage you to buy without tell you all the ins and outs of the business.

    I was curious to find out more so I asked Caitlin, the creative director of Saint Rule some questions regarding the ethics of her brand and here is what she had to say.

    Q. Your items are made in Vietnam, what was the reason you chose to manufacture there?

    A. Several reasons to be honest. I used to work for another Sydney based ladies RTW label which produced in Vietnam, so I’ve spent considerable time in Ho chi min city. So when I wanted to do my own thing after exploring Australian manufacturing and Chinese manufacturing I decide to go back to what I knew best and work with my colleagues in Vietnam. There are a few aspects to this. To do what I have done on this scale would not be possible in Australia at an reasonable price, and I struggled to find people with expertise I needed. I would also be importing my materials. Then at the opposite of that was meeting the minimum quantity orders for China- unless you have several thousand dollars this is not reachable for start up labels although it was something i looked into. You will notice a trend become more visible soon across the industry that a lot of manufacturing is leaving China and moving to Vietnam. I can see the incredible increase in work the tailors are taking on with new brands, particularly with an increase in British brands.

    One thing I pride myself on is that I learnt everything not to do working for other people. As a new brand I can dictate the ethical stance I take. I want to do everything “correct” from the beginning and continue as I started.

    In Vietnam the tailors I work with are 3 amazing women and their family companies. I have met every worker and visited every factory and work space. I know that they are good companies with good people run by women supporting women and their quality of life. They pay well above what we would call and award wage.

    Q. A lot of new brands are built on sustainability and ethical consumption these days, is that something you have done with your business or will it be something you slowly build into it? If so, what are you doing to make it more sustainable?

    A. All of my fabric sourcing is what’s considered stock fabric or what might be know by the term dead fabric. It’s basically the rolls of fabric disregarded or what excess is sold on to smaller brands rather than it being thrown out to waste. A lot of smaller brands do this firstly, to save money and have access to amazing fabrics at a reduced rate but it’s also a more ethical choice. There are parts of the lingerie materials you need like clips and straps and rings that unfortunately would never be dead stock, this is just referring to the materials like laces and silk blends used. In the pattern making process I’ve worked with the tailors to save as much fabric as possible, at times altering the position of the lace used to reduce wastage. Sometimes the smallest shift in design can have a big impact on fabric saving and wastage which was considered throughout. I am incredibly lucky that my main pattern maker chi van used to work for triumph and etam and left to start her own company. We happened to meet and she agreed to take a chance on my brand.

    I’ve also made a conscious effort to educate my customers on the correct care for their lingerie which is provided on the website. Also having lingerie bags with ever purchase to store their pieces safely emphasises the slower lifecycle of the pieces. I’m all about buying fewer excellent quality pieces rather than cheap fast fashion that the quality won’t last.

    In terms of delivery of production as much as we could we didn’t use plastic. We had paper separating styles where most factories would put each piece in plastic. We decided to just plastic line the box for weather purposes.we consciously save a lot of unnecessary plastic there too.

    This will be an area of continuous growth for a lot of the business but if your heart and mind are conscious of it and constantly considering and reviewing your practices each step we make the industry a better place. I feel this new generation of designers are actively trying to make the best choice possible as it is a flow on from our eduction and the state of the world. It’s something that I struggle with the decision to market on my website as I don’t think sustainability should be a marketing tool but an absolute necessity across the board. So I’m very happy to discuss it if anyone ever wishes to enquire into the ethics of my brand.

    Q—You have an impressive starting size range for a new brand, is there any plans to expand it in the future?  

    A— Thank you! I’ve wanted to start my brand for a long time. So when I did I knew the demand on the market and knew I wanted to do as many sizes as possible to start with. I used to work in Selfridges and brown Thomas overseas so have a good understanding of the demand in lingerie and the sellable sizes.  

    There are definitely plans to expand the size range hopefully in my next collection (sampling and production to begin in February 2019) we will increase the sizes of jersey pieces to include the size 4 and also I would love to increase to include the size 16 and cup scale in the wired bras but i will have to wait to when I can afford it. We have had a lot of interest in our D, DD and E cups and size 14 scale so it’s logical to expand to the 16 when possible. 

    Q-Without giving too much away, what are your plans for Saint Rule? Will you be stocked at any boutiques or will you remain selling direct to the consumer? 

    A- I have a working history in Selfridges London and Brown Thomas in Dublin in management and styling and this is my ultimate goal to have concessions within Selfridges and Brown Thomas and also have a global flagship boutique in Sydney. I would like to remain as exclusive as possible but would really like to show to a few ecommerce businesses the collections as well as the boutique 1 team. I would like to maintain a boutique feel to my brand, I plan on dropping smaller collections more often but the stock runs being quite small so when it’s gone it’s gone kind of thing.

    Thank you Caitlin!

    Review

    The Eden set was gifted to me by saint rule for the purpose of this review. I received the bra in a 32E and the briefs in a size small.

    These are pretty much my new favourite briefs. They are ultra high cut just the way I like them, but surprisingly not many brands do them as well. The front is comprised of a lace panel with an material that is in between a mesh and jersey for the back. They are so comfortable to wear and the waist band nips in my waist perfectly without it being uncomfortable. They are quite narrow at the front but that is my favourite element of the design.

    I sister sized to a 32E in this bra like I do with most of my bras. I usually wear a 28/30 band with varying cup sizes. Naturally the band is too big for me but it is wearable even though technically it’s 2 sizes too big. Because of the back design, it’s not too hard to have it taken in a few inches which is what I plan to do. Because the band isn’t as firm as I’d like, the cups gape slightly at the top. If you are a regular 32E this won’t be an issue it’s only if you are sister sizing up twice that it would be an issues. The cup construction is impeccable, but it is made for core sizes as it doesn’t have the reinforcement and power mesh that I’m used to. Again this won’t be an issue if you are actually in the size range and not being a tad sneaky like I have just because I love the design.

    They have also gifted me the Haze robe which is aptly named! It’s a silk viscose blend which is unusual to see in a robe but it just gives the silk a bit of stretch and weight. It has an internal tie as well as the external sash which is attached. The sleeves are full length but do feature a split. This makes it easy to wear when getting ready in the morning as I find I can use my hands without the sleeves getting in the way. It’s now my most worn robe and I’ve only had it a few weeks, it’s just that easy to wear.

    I truly love all the designs Saint Rule has out right now, I’m particularly partial to all the high cuts and bustiers. It’s like a better and more accessible vintage lingerie collection.

    Saint Rule is bringing something new to the Australian lingerie scene and I can’t wait to see what this brand will do next.

    Elly x