Celtcurls

This is another silky, satiny fabric, much like the Iona, which I also love. Delicate (flat & non-irritating) embroidery covers the cups, which have just a touch of stretch: enough to help the bra move with you & be comfy, but retain its great support.

Also, the straps, while being wideset, are just a tad more inward than the Iona or Arabella, totally eliminating that irritating cutting into the side of your underarm tissue that can happen with other balconettes. Toward the very end of the day, I can feel a little pressure from the end of the wires, which otherwise are nice & broadly shaped & - what I love most about Freya - not too high on the sides.

Updated on Jul 21, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

I loved the lightweight feel of this bra: the fame is small, & the sides don't come up high. But it is simply not comfortable. At all. The wires come up too high under the arm and dig in- & I'm 5'9", so I can't imagine how petite women could even wear it at all. The shape of the underwire itself is extremely narrow; a V-shape rather than a broad U. So if your breasts are not wide as mine are, it might work better for you. The shape it gives under clothing is a little frumpy, due to the diagonal seam being much lower across the breast than most brands.

Updated on May 25, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

I bought this at the same time as the 4510 T-shirt bra, which I bought in a 38E. The seamless smoothing bras in Fantasie are really all over the place in terms of sizing. I followed the sizing advice on both Her Room & Linda the Bra Lady - both advised going down in the band as it runs large, & up in the cup. This was accurate. I normally wear 38F in this brand, & the 36FF fit very well. Love the straps: perfect placement - set further out on the shoulder, but not as far as Freya, which are often too far out for me. And ... very comfy, perfect width.

Surprisingly, I liked it much better than the T-shirt version, which has much shorter wires. Usually, that's a good thing for me, but in this, the higher wires actually rested more comfortably under the arm. Gives a nice, rounded lifted shape. And I like the non-padded style. However, the wires are still a bit too narrow for me. I find Freya has a much broader wire, which fits my wide breasts well, but I don't care for the shape they give. Fantasie's more narrow wires start to irritate me after about 5 hours.
Read more
96 more words

Updated on Aug 19, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

An amazing amount of support for the lightest weight bra I've ever worn. It does run small. In Freya I'm 36GG. In this 38H (US). The band is firm & of a silken mesh that leaves Freya's in the dust. I really could use a cup size up, but sadly, this tops out at US H. I don't get actual double-bubble, just a slight swell above the cup that is not noticeable in clothing. Im also a 'full on top' shape, so if you're not, this may not be the case for you. The material molds so well to my shape that I am willing to call it ... 'close enough!'

The shape it gives is round & compact, which is welcome for the days I'm just tired of Freya's pointier more boosted silhouette. Zero giggle. The straps are well-designed, wide & scalloped with very light padding. If it peaks out from a blouse it looks like a very pretty lace-edged cami, so very work-appropriate. The pattern is gorgeous. I have beige because thats what was on sale on Amazon, so its pretty but subtle. A damask spiral swirl that is really dramatic in the red or silver & black color ways. This is at rare bra I would pay full price for.

Read more
103 more words

Updated on Mar 30, 2013 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

This is my favorite Freya style of the 4 that I own. I was surprised that the lace is not scratchy at all, the straps are softer than usual, & the cut of the cup is a bit fuller than the other plunges - kind of between that & a balcony, like a true 3/4 cup.

The wires are short at the sides - which I personally love, as I hate too-long wires that scrape under my arms (I'm looking at you, Panache). The cups are a little more generous than most Freyas & of course the band runs larger. I usually end up wishing I'd bought a ... 36G, as with the 38FF I always start out on the middle hook. But that size wasn't on eBay for a steal. So.

I have it black, which has a lovely periwinkle blue subtle pattern across the bottom cups & little rosettes at the gore. I wore this all day in comfort, as the cups are a lot broader than the balcony style Antoinette I have, & the material is far softer than the embroidered Mischa.
Read more
76 more words

Updated on Dec 09, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

One of the most comfy bras ever. The underwires are wrapped in foam, which extends around the sides of the cups, keeping things front & center & cushioning the wires even further. Bliss! The fabric is silky & stretchy, but very supportive; it molds to your body. The only thing I dislike about this style is that the wires come up higher than I prefer, both in the center gore & under the arms.

Updated on May 25, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

This bra IS comfy. I don't normally care for Bali, but it was on the sale rack for $6. It has an odd design flaw though: the firm but soft bra material is covered by an outer layer of silkier material - which is too loose & doesn't fit the under layer precisely, so you have this floating layer of wrinkles on top. I solved this by tucking the thin layer against the edges of the underwire (like you would a bottom bed sheet.)

The cups run a little large and give a very round, slightly flattened shape, as do most U.S. brands. The one thing they do that UK brands don't however, is cover the wire in a thin layer of foam which makes it 100 times more comfortable to wear.

Updated on Sep 10, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

I don't know how it's possible, but my boobs actually look -less- lifted in this bra, than they do when they're just bobbing about on their own. This is the most unattractive shape I've ever come across. A review on figleaves noted the 'downward droop' - & was she ever right! The cup fits. The band fits. The shaping of the seams & the fabric just create a less-than-zero support & shaping situation. I still can't get over that it's possible to look more droopy with a bra ON than off. It's an impressive feat, really. ~=o}

Updated on Jun 17, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

After learning from my wired demi version that the band on this bra runs very small (perhaps all Triumphs do?) - at least 2 sizes smaller than Freya or Fantasie - I went up a band & down a cup size, & this fits very well. It has a generous sized cup, with a gentle diagonal seam that gives a very lifted look, slightly pointy, but a lot more rounded than the wired demi version of this style.

I actually prefer this wirefree version. The only downside is that it came with very rigid side stays there were the most difficult to remove of any bra I've ever ... had. Which I supposed tells you how well-made it is, as those babies were anchored very securely right into the seam. It took nail scissors & seam ripper to remove them, but once I did, the bra become quiet comfortable. As with all the Amourette styles, it has very pretty scalloped lace all along the neckline & halfway up the straps, so if your bra peeks out, it gives the look of a nice camisole.
Read more
75 more words

Updated on May 25, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras

Good support for a wireless bra. The fabric is a unique flat stretch lace that will not show even under clingy T-shirt fabric; it is very cool in summer & reasonably comfy, but I'm ready to take it off at the end of an 8 hour day - by then it's starting to feel scratchy. The straps are totally rigid, so the only stretch comes from where they join the band, which is also made of the same flat lace fabric. I would have liked more stretch in the strap as this does cause it to ride up slightly in the back over the day.

The shape it gives is very rounded & slightly flattened, but not so much as with a minimizer.

Updated on May 25, 2011 Flag this

CeltCurls

150 reputation

55 bras