Dagobra

My oh my. These are some very wide cups. I don't think I've experienced this sensation since I wore my old three-sizes-too-big Curvy Kate Emily.

It's a very pretty bra. The Jade colourway is a lovely antique green with black vines and florals swirling across the three-part cups. There's wavy black lace on the top of the cups and bottom of the band, on the centre gore is a bow with another bow on top with little teardrop crystals hanging on the ribbons, and even the back closure has some nice detailing. The straps have a little bit of decoration, but honestly I wish there were more.

The gore doesn't ... lie flat, probably because of the wide gore and maybe also the wires. Since it's a longline, it's still rather supportive, and my boobs aren't attempting a jailbreak. The fabrics are soft and comfortable.

The quality feels a lot better than sister brand Freya's longlines. I've read that the lace at the bottom of the band flips up on some, but on me it doesn't, or at least it doesn't feel/look as bad as it does in my Freyas (which usually have the band sneaking up in between the wires and my IMF - it's a weird feeling)

I went up a size in this as it stops at a G cup and I've always wanted a 30GG in these styles. The band feels good, not too tight (important in longlines as it compresses a larger area of your ribcage and therefore your lungs), but it still stays put. The cups, as I mentioned, have sufficient volume, but are too wide. Why is it so hard for designers to make half cups for projected and narrow boobs?

One thing that's worth mentioning is the lack of more than 2 colums of eyes. I noticed there are 4, 5 and even 6 hook extenders cheap on Ebay, which I will be buying and adding to it.
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Updated on Oct 07, 2014 Flag this

I have some issues with the wires being pushed together and sometimes overlapping at the gore, not when I first put it on, but after wearing it for a while. The wires don't tack to my ribcage, probably because of the bandless style, the cups' width, my too projected boobs, or the too loose band. It also creeps down my torso because of the same reasons, creating an air pocket at the bottom of the cup, and spillage over the top of the cup. These are all things that appear after some time of wear, and especially when I'm moving around a lot, something which tends to happen ... more when I'm in a swimsuit (I'm not the laying-on-the-beach-tanning sort). This is a bra that would work well on people who are already friends with the Lucy family of bras, a cut that I'm largely incompatible with, or at least need a smaller than usual band in, to make it stay up properly. (Yay for narrow, projected boobs stuck on a tapered ribcage! Sigh.)

And a note on the appearance: very nice colour combination; aquas, pinks and yellows in an abstract watercoloury floral pattern, looks good on tanned and pale skin alike. Solid aqua for straps and the clasp at the back. So sad this doesn't fit me because it goes so well with my homemade swim shorts. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
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Updated on Oct 10, 2014 Flag this

This was my first bra I bought after finding out my true size. I've grown out of it, but I'll tell you what I remember of it.

The band is tight for a 30, and worked well on me as I measure in between two sizes. I normally wear 28's as I feel they're more supportive and when I buy 30's I always take the band in. I didn't have to do that with the Rebecca.

The cups are made of light, stretchy padding. It's soft and airy and thanks to the stretch I could still wear this well after settling in G cups. It's really more like an unpadded ... bra than, say, a Deco. The shape it gives is rounded and lifted, but not in an in-your-face kind of way.

It's a simple look, but the straps and band are adorned with small embroidered zig-zag squares. It's not something I'd wear for a date, but it's definitely a prettier version of the average everyday bra.

I would buy a new, larger cup size, but when trying this on in the shop I remember the 30G was too wide in the cups and I had some extra fabric flapping around the sides of my breasts.
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Updated on Jun 04, 2014 Flag this

Wow, these fabrics are soft. Baby butt soft. Baby cat butt soft. So nice.

Amazing vivid red colour, with a big, beautiful red bow and a strawberry charm in the middle. Sexy AND cute. And simple enough to not show under t-shirts. Yay!

I requested this to be made in a PL cut, because the SM is a disaster on me in every size, and I fear the S will be the same, so I'd rather throw a little extra money on a bra I pretty much know will fit, instead of chancing on something that maybe (probably) won't work at all. So, on to the details. It's a very ... low coverage bra, and I'll admit I'm not sure why the PL works on me, when plunges are normally the worst possible style for my breasts (second only to full cups). Somehow it manages to contain my relatively soft, centre heavy boobs without any spillage at the gore or anywhere else. The wires are still a hair wide, but they don't bother me at all, so in the "Fit" pile it goes. There's only the one point to knock down the score -- it holds up to light jumping or running, but when rocking out to anything heavier than Coldplay, the bra is pushed down and the gore pokes uncomfortably. Maybe narrowing the gore would help with this - or just staying away from wearing it when I know I will be taking part in any activity that involves a lot of boob bounce.
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Updated on Sep 15, 2014 Flag this

It's the same cut as Marcie/Melissa etc., but has the same issue as Millie, Ellis and some others, which is that the top mesh part of the cup is larger and looser than the bottom part, making my soft tissue pool up and out, creating an in-cup quadboob. I think firmer breasts would do better in this style because of this.

Anyway, the rest of the bra is great. The band is snug, wires are narrow, fits great, and the shape is round like most Cleos. Cleo balconettes are my solid rock to lean my boobs on when the bra winds are harsh and unkind. Admittedly, the wires and ... gore are a little too wide for my very narrow boobs, but it's not something I notice much, and it brings me no discomfort, even after a full day's wear.

The upper cup is a vivid pink chequered mesh, the bottom cup has a floral pattern in yellow, pink and teal on a blueish purple base, a pattern which continues on the front of the band. The shoulder straps and back of the band are a deep turquoise. I quite like the palette, but as so often I wanted the colours to be just a little bit different, maybe a warmer purple and a greener turquoise? It is pretty green, greener than most "green" "jade" or "emerald" bras (pfffft! They can never satisfy my need for green. I scoff at their feeble attempts)

Despite the boob pooling issue, it's a keeper. It's still cute and comfy and I like it enough to look past its minor failings. I can always adjust my boobs once every couple of hours, no big deal. I've encountered much, much worse in the bra world.
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Updated on Oct 06, 2014 Flag this

Fits well enough. The cups are wide but stretchy and not shallow, so it stays up well even when running and jumping (and swimming). I wouldn't play beach volleyball in it though. The cups have one vertical seam each, creating a nice, smooth but not entirely spherical, uplifted shape. I like it better than Freya's unpadded plunge bras. I feel fairly secure while on the beach, at most I get minor quadboob/centre spillage if I do any heavier activities involving a lot of boob shake. The pattern is kind of fun, brown base with pink, yellow and aqua lollipops or berries or something. Very hippie retro. I got it in a sale at Figleaves (£16.50!) and it was well worth the money. I wouldn't mind paying full price for a future replacement cut.

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Updated on Aug 14, 2014 Flag this

The Ellis was my first Cleo bra (because roses. I love roses), and boy am I glad to have it. It was a turning point for my braducation. After the Ellis, I got Melissa, Marcie, Bella, Lily and Meg, and now Cleo is my most reliable (and affordable) brand.

The fit is quite similar to Marcie, and especially its sister cut Melissa, with the one difference: the upper cup is a little too large/loose and wrinkles. I'm guessing it's more of a shape issue rather than one of size. I think it would work well on someone with a lot of upper fullness and maybe also a high peak. Still, the wrinkles lay flat and don't poke through tops, so it's not really a problem for me.

Weirdly enough, I can comfortably wear this in a 28 band, even though all my other Cleos are nice, snug and fit well in 30.

Updated on Aug 04, 2014 Flag this

The straps (which are only half-adjustable) come out in my armpits, which, with my broad shoulders, is a *very* rare thing. The wires are also a smidge too wide, leaving the cups empty at the sides and bottom-outer corner. I'm normally a 30G, but I'm glad I sized up as I have narrow and projected boobs. As it is now this bra is the wrong shape for me: there's both flattening/quadding and wrinkling at the top of the cups; a 30G would have been far too small. Ideally the Orla should have more immediate depth at the gore and along the wires, if it were to fit me ... better. The gore is also too high - my boobs get closer-set higher up, so the wires are pushed together at the top. The band feels very sturdy and firm - good for those inbetween sizes (go for the larger one if you want to breathe). I'm using a one-row extender while I break the bra in. Bending the wires (which I do to almost all of my bras anyway) made it more comfortable to wear. As for the look, it really is a gorgeous bra. The vanilla colour is perfect, much more flattering on my skintone than pure white bras. I want to call it 'Earl Grey custard' as it has the exact same colour as custard mixed with tea (which is delicious, by the by). The embroidery is darling, the whole bra looks very luxorious, and I feel super fancy wearing it.
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Updated on Jul 10, 2014 Flag this

I put this on right when I woke up this morning, and I haven't taken it off all day. It's a little tight in the band, but I'm hoping it will stretch out with wear. Right now I'm more comfortable wearing it with an extender (2 extra settings, about an inch added to the band). The HM cut has proven to be a bigger success than the SM styles - there's enough depth at the bottom, and there's not a hint of quadding, thanks to the open top. The wires are just a bit too wide, but it's not noticeable and I don't get stabbed in the ribs ... at all.

The embroidery is the exact same as on the Ewa Michalak Sm Summer Time (554), with a different colour palette (hot pink instead of apricot). The beige base is lighter than the Summertime and is an almost perfect skintone colour on me.

My one complaint would be that the big bows on the straps easily peek out of wide necklines and under tank top and dress straps. I'll probably remove them when I get the chance.
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Updated on Jul 29, 2014 Flag this

Very soft material all over. Doesn't pinch or itch anywhere. However, it's not a good fit for me, because the cups are too wide (sigh) and pull my breasts outwards to an east-west position. I also have issues with the bra wiggling down my torso because of the wide wires. Cup volume is good though, I find Lepels to run smaller than most UK brands. There's some empty fabric at the bottom of the cup, though I don't know whether it's because of a lack of projection, or if it's the shape of the wires. The straps are thin for a full-bust brand, and soft, too, and it feels almost like they're padded. The upper part of the cup is stretchy lace, and feels more forgiving than for example my Panache Jasmine, which never could accomodate size/fullness fluctuations for me. The colour is a very, very light blush kind of pink, perfect as a skin tone bra for ghosts and/or vampires, but it's possible that the coral accents will show through whites/light coloured tops.

Updated on Jul 18, 2014 Flag this