This bra was The One for me. When I put it on, I didn't have to wonder if I was okay with too-wide wires, or a weirdly angled band, or a little bit of quadding at the top. It was, and continues to be, The Perfect Fit.

You can definitely tell that the Anna Pardal bras are high quality when you hold one in your hands. The stitching is tight and the lace on top of the cups is very luxurious-feeling and doesn't crinkle or move separately from the foam cup (my Ewa Michalak S bra does this, and I'm not a fan). ... I'd compare the quality to that of Masquerade, and all up I paid about $95 AUD for this bra and the matching panties - the average Masquerade in a boutique store in Australia will go upwards of $100 AUD just for the bra. I'm very happy to pay this as full retail price for a set that is high quality and fits well (seriously, I am a grad student and will always buy cheap/bargain if I can get away with it), and would highly recommend saving up for one of Anna's bras if you need narrow wires and deep cups.

Prior to this bra I had never encountered wires that were narrow enough for me post-tissue migration - even the aforementioned Ewa S bra, which is my next best-fitting bra after this one, had wires that extended past where my tissue ended. The wires on this bra contain me perfectly with no extra room. The gore is a soft tack on me rather than firmly pressing onto my sternum, but I'm OK with this as it doesn't compromise the fit or support in any way and it's quite uncommon for gores to tack on me in any case. My male partner was actually the one to notice that this bra is the only one I own where there isn't any gapping near the straps. After thinking about this, I think this is possibly due to my very tall breast roots (the Comexim plunge cut, which this bra is constructed on, is known for having tall cups and a common modification to purchased bras in the large cup/small band size range, according to Anna, is a reduced cup). This feature of the construction, which apparently is at odds with so many other people who buy Comexim/Anna Pardal, seems to work very well for my (somewhat unusual) root height, which is nearly up to my collarbone. If you try this cut for the first time and have a very tall root like me, I'd definitely recommend trying the base design without any cup reduction.

I'd like to talk about the band as well. When choosing a size to order, I followed the advice of Erica from A Sophisticated Pair and went with a band and a cup up from my closest UK size (preferably Panache). I used to be a diehard Panache fan and wore 32H across the board in their styles, but have been leaning more towards needing a 30J after an increase in breast volume due to weight gain and a developing preference for firmer bands. I decided that I'd rather risk the band being too small than too big, so I ordered a 32J (up from 30J in Panache, equivalent to 70M in Comexim sizing - Anna Pardal bras have the sizes converted to their equivalent UK size). I didn't feel any discomfort from the band at all, and it sits in a much more comfortable spot on my back than my UK bras do (lower down, more perpendicular to the apex of my boobs as opposed to angled up). I think this is related to the cut of the band (the angle at which it's attached to the cups) as well as its firmness, and I love it!

To conclude: this bra was the nail in the coffin for UK bras, for me anyway. I probably won't be buying from any of the British brands again, just because Anna Pardal seems to 'get' my boobs and my body in a way no other brand ever has. I find the designs so much more appealing too, for both AP and Comexim - the big British brands seem to all swing between the extremes of 'too girly' or 'too matronly'.

Addendum: I should describe the fit of the panties too. I bought the 'tap pant' in a size 4, and I'm usually around 12/14 in UK panties. They come up a little higher on my tummy than I'm used to, stopping just shy of my belly button, but they seem to fit that way on Anna's model too, so I didn't mind too much. They're really soft and comfortable, and easy to take care of (I machine-wash mine in cold water). The elastic doesn't dig in around my hips at all, even though I've got more weight there now, and they have enough coverage around the crotch for me to be comfortable wearing them under jeans to work, etc. The back is see-through, though - I know a lot of CK customers didn't like this about their undies, and it's not obvious when you look at the pictures on the AP website - I think they only show photos from the front. They're not crazy sheer though - think the amount of transparency that some bra band mesh types have.
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http://drbralove.com/2015/05/14/lingerie-review-emeline/

Updated on Jul 19, 2015 Flag this

My boyfriend and I have both been away from the house we are renting for Christmas and have only recently come back, so I was just able to try on the Comexim bra he ordered me for a Christmas present today. He purchased the black Comexim Basic from Wellfitting.com - I told him the size I should be using their sizing system (32K - I am usually 32H/HH in Panache and Curvy Kate) and gave him some suggestions but also the freedom to pick out something he'd like.

Unfortunately it didn't fit, so I guess this confirms the rumours that I've heard about the Basic running ... about a cup small. The band felt quite firm as well, probably more like a 30 - so the 32K/70K in the Basic seems to run more like a UK 30H. I was sad that it didn't fit me, as it looks like a really attractive and well-made bra! The wires feel great, really firm and supportive, maybe on par with/a little firmer than Panache wires. This trial bra also confirmed my suspicions that Comexim's padded plunges are perfect for my shape - I have the 'omega' shape where my boobs are fuller and wider than the point where they are attached to my body, and also a pretty tall root - I have tissue reaching nearly to my collarbone. My breasts are additionally extremely close set, and the gore was perfect - no digging at all! The fit was nearly perfect on my smaller breast, so I could tell the shape was great - rounded and uplifted - and it gave a nice amount of cleavage without leaving me feeling jiggly like my Freya Deco Honey sometimes does.

I didn't get a chance to do any measurements - my boyfriend has packaged the bra up straight away to ship back for an exchange for a 32L/70L - but I wanted to write something that would hopefully help anyone who is thinking of ordering a Basic. I would definitely choose your larger band size if you are between two, or size up if you prefer a less firm band - although I usually prefer to wear 32s while measuring at 30, I will be ordering this in the 32L rather than a 34K from Wellfitting as I don't wish the band to stretch out and become too big for me, and also because the 32K felt firm but not uncomfortable. In the event that the band hurts me after extended wear as opposed to just trying on, I will use an extender.

I hope this is helpful to anyone thinking about trying the Basic despite not being able to provide measurements! I think it's a great bra and I'm looking forward to being able to wear it in the correct size for me.
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Black colorway

Updated on Jan 13, 2015 Flag this

This is still my best fitting bra even after about 5-6kg of weight gain (hoping to lose some of it this year)! I would class myself as having an even shape (halfway between FOB and FOT) but my boobs tend to behave more like FOT due to an extremely tall root - I have breast tissue up to the outer edge of my collarbone. This bra does a great job at accommodating this. Just about everything else I own at the moment cuts in or flattens me on top, but the Rhea doesn't. Even when I pull my shoulders back as far as I can ... go, the cup doesn't cut in at all on my larger side because it's just that open on top. I have some pretty noticeable asymmetry as well (between half and one cup size difference - the bigger boob is just a hair too big for 32HH/30J, the smaller can fit pretty neatly in 32H/30HH with only slight overspill). This is easy to accommodate in the Rhea - my shoulders are sized such that I can just wear the straps shorter on the smaller side and this takes care of any gapping.

The appearance of the Rhea is lovely, I hope it gets introduced again in the new Panache Black line! Aside from giving great 'tavern wench' cleavage, it's very comfy - the cups are lined with a cotton t-shirt type material. The antique colourway could also work as a skin tone for someone a bit darker than me. There are only two things I'd change about this bra - the centre gore and the band. I have extremely close-set breasts - it's very rare for a gore to tack firmly on me - and the gore on this Rhea is probably the narrowest of any bra I've tried, but it still doesn't rest flush against my sternum. It's very close, though! I think it would fit perfectly if the gore was just a centimetre or too lower - it finishes right at the spot where there is no space between my boobs at all. The band stays in place with wear, but feels too thin - I'd definitely appreciate the support of a 3-hook band. It doesn't have much in the way of give either, but that's just as well for me as I've been preferring 30-ish bands lately and Masquerade never made this in a 30HH.

For anyone thinking of snapping up one of these while they're still floating around, my advice would be to go for your larger size if you're between two band sizes, or if you prefer a looser band. The cup felt true to size to me, and I think you could also get away with a smaller one if you're FOT and between sizes.
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Antique Colourway colorway

Updated on Apr 15, 2015 Flag this

I picked up this bra from another user as an experiment to see how Avocado's bras fit me. I usually need a 30 band or a 32 in tighter-running Polish brands, so I expected that the band on this one would be too big for me, but wanted to see if it was OK in the cups - if so, I'd look at altering the band.

First off I'll talk about the quality of this bra - from the moment I got it out of the box, I could tell it was really well-made. The mesh and embroidery on the cups are clearly very sturdy ... but still soft to the touch and comfortable against my skin. The band is made out of a thick, almost neoprene-like material that feels very comfortable and supportive. If the band had been the right size for me it would have felt great! It doesn't have any of the annoying edging or tight elastic bits that so many British brands use in their bands. Appearance-wise, I like that the embroidery keeps this bra sheer without completely exposing nipple. It's very sophisticated-looking and an interesting twist on a basic black bra. The straps also have the intriguing feature of being split into three straps at the front, which is unusual. The only downside is that this means the straps aren't fully adjustable, making this bra possibly not the best choice for a more petite person.

The fit was unfortunately heart-breaking for me, because I could see the potential the bra had to be supportive and give a great shape on me. It was slightly too big in the cups for me - I'm wearing mostly 30J/32HHs at the moment, so I'd say that this bra fits somewhere in between a 34HH and a 36H. Interestingly, although this is bigger on me than my British bras, I get a lot less gaping near the straps in this (a fit issue which I have in virtually every British bra I own). Aside from the wrinkling indicating a too-big cup, I can tell this bra suits my shape very well. I am pretty narrow and projected - every bra I own except one (my Ewa Michalak S Musisztomiec) has wires that are too wide. This bra's cups were only too wide for me by virtue of the bra being too big, and accommodated my projected, tall-rooted, evenly full shape well.

The deal-breaker for me here was the centre gore. It did not remotely tack on me. Gores not tacking is an issue I have in pretty much every bra due to being extremely close-set, and is usually worse when the bra has a wider gore. In theory, this gore was narrow enough that the 'lack of tack' shouldn't have been too bad, but it refused to sit anywhere near my sternum. As a consequence, I felt unsupported in the bra, to an extent where I'd be unlikely to feel comfortable wearing it in public. I think this is due to a combination of a number of factors, the first of these being the too-big band - but pulling the band tighter didn't seem to alleviate the issue, and I started to see overflow at the centre. I think this bra had issues accommodating my centre fullness and also just didn't have firm enough wires for me. I feel confident saying this about the wires, as I've heard a number of bloggers mention that Avocado wires aren't particularly firm.

In conclusion, I feel that this bra would best suit someone with a projected, narrow shape who typically wears a 34HH/36H (depending on preference for firmness of band).
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on May 23, 2015 Flag this

I just received this in the mail after purchasing it from another Bratabase user. I already own a black Panache Sport in 32H which I have pretty much worn the bejeesus out of, since I like to use it as a t-shirt bra and also for jogging/walking my dog. The 32H is very slightly too small for me now - the cups don't contain my tissue at the top, although this is partly because I have very tall roots. I wanted to get a second Panache Sport and was interested in trying it in a cup up, so I grabbed this 34H knowing it would ... possibly be a bit too big in the band (note: at time of writing, Panache currently only makes this in D-H, although it's been confirmed that they will start making it in D-J in the near future).

My only other experience with a 34-banded sister size prior to this one was an Avocado Greta in 75K, which was a pretty spectacular fail on me mostly due to the massive band. I received the Greta after I paid for this bra and was subsequently worried that this one wouldn't fit. As it turned out, I was pleasantly surprised by the fit of the band - admittedly, I do have to do it up on the tightest hooks and it is still angled up a bit at the back, but I don't feel it moving with wear (I took it for a test run to work in the lab today). It's definitely wearable, even though I've been leaning more towards 30 bands rather than 32s lately. If it sees significant stretching with time, I'll consider taking the band in.

The cups definitely look better on me than the 32H cups. They still don't quite contain all my upper tissue like on the women who model the Panache Sport, but due to the aforementioned tall roots I don't think that's ever going to happen. The gore's too tall for me, but I don't find it uncomfortable - it doesn't brute-force its way onto my sternum to squish breast tissue, like some of Bravissimo's own-brand bras that I've tried. As always, the wires get an A+++ for comfort. The bottoms of the cups don't dig into my ribs at all (this is a problem that I have had with pretty much every bra I own, which I am pretty sure is due to the squishy tummy I am developing as a result of being in grad school https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> ). From Panache's marketing of this bra I believe the underwires are wrapped in silicon gel. I wish all bra wires were made like this! My boobs need the strong Panache wires, but without the digging in.

I have one fit issue that does bother me, and it's that the wings began to bite my armpits at the end of the day. This happened more on my smaller side, and has never happened in the 32H. This is probably a consequence of the bra technically being too wide and shallow for me, but I'm willing to deal with it.
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Updated on Jul 02, 2015 Flag this

When I kept getting quad-boob towards the end of the day in my 32H Cleo Lily, I decided to get this one on sale to see if the fit was improved. I also felt like the band on the 32H was a bit big and hoped that the 30J would rectify both issues.

Sadly I think the Lily is just not a good fit for tall boobs. I still get quadboob in this despite having extra room at the sides and wires that are too tall and poke me in the armpits. This also feels like it has a tad too much projection for ... me - it makes my boobs stick out from my body much more than usual. I stuck with it for a while because I found the swan print cute, but it has too many fit issues for me to feel justified in keeping it. The band did feel like a better fit on me, but I had to adjust the straps smaller so this one bit me hard under the arms.

The fabric of the cups seems to be equally firm to that of my 32H Lily in the Aqua/Pink colourway, but is much less nice and soft - the fabric feels more 'rigid'. I'm not sure if this is because of the print or not.
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Swan print colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jun 14, 2015 Flag this

I have a new best-fitting bra!

I've been having trouble fitting into all my usual bras lately - since I started graduate school, I've experienced some weight gain and also had a breast shape change at about the same time. I used to be very FOB, but I'm now more evenly full - however, due to having up-to-collarbone-tall breast roots they act more like very FOT boobs. Due to tissue moving back out of my armpits since being properly fitted, I've also been progressively getting more narrow - now to the point of having pretty well everything, including my narrower Cleos, have wires that are too wide. ... Since moving up a cup and down a band (from 32H in everything to 30J/32HH where the band runs small) I've also been struggling with cups biting me under the arms as well as borderline-too-wide strap placement. Lots of my bras that used to fit OK are now also too shallow for me.

I worked out before the weight gain that 70J would probably be the best size for me in Ewa Michalak's S cut, but was trigger-shy about trying one - 70J and 32H is a big size difference, and I was worried I'd go to the trouble of ordering from Poland for a bra that turned out to be too big for me. This style almost swayed me when it came out - I love green lingerie, but I couldn't justify spending the money at the time. I finally decided to take the plunge when I saw this one listed, despite not being sure if I'd now be too big for it.

I was very pleasantly surprised! First of all, the stock photo of the Musisztomiec doesn't do it justice - the green against the white, as well as the decorative crinkling of the green satiny strips on the white straps, just looks so much more vibrant and luxurious in person.

Fit-wise - it's almost perfect! I don't quad in it at all, and the wires are exactly the right width for me. The cup height under my arms is comfortable. The straps aren't positioned too wide on me, although I think someone with significantly narrower shoulders than me might have issues - my shoulders are about average in width. I get a really nice rounded, uplifted shape in this but it's not too in-your-face - for comparison, a couple of the bras I don't wear under certain shirts because they give me a bit too much oomph are my CHP Gazeta in 70HH and my Freya Deco Honey in 32GG. The other thing to comment on is the centre gore - anyone who's read any of my other Bratabase reviews knows that in pretty well every bra I own, my extremely close-set breasts push the centre gore away. I am close set to the extent that above a certain height, it is literally impossible for any gore to tack on me without sitting on breast tissue - at the closest point I have less than a millimetre of space between them.

This gore - almost tacks! It's low enough to avoid the point of them getting closer together further up my chest, but still leans away by a couple of millimetres - that is, it 'soft tacks'. I'm not sure if Ewas typically have wires that are a bit softer than Panache/Cleo, or if it's just because I have firm tissue and a lot of centre fullness/immediate projection near my sternum. However, I consider this a very minor fit issue, since again this happens in pretty much every bra I own (the aforementioned Deco being a notable exception, but I definitely wouldn't want to do labwork and run up and down stairs in my Deco all day...). The bra still feels comfortable and supportive.

I've tried as much as I can to give a helpful description of how the S cut fits on someone with my breast shape in my size range. If anyone reading this is thinking of buying one and has any questions, feel free to message me! Measurements will be up shortly, when I can stand to take it off my body.
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http://drbralove.com/2015/07/28/lingerie-review-s-musisztomiec/

Updated on Jul 28, 2015 Flag this

I'm rating this bra slightly lower for quality as when I first got it, some of the looped threads at the side of one strap have come out. However, I like it enough that this doesn't bother me.

This bra gives a really nice rounded shape and doesn't show a lot of cleavage without being 'a lot of bra'. For reference, I am FOB. I have it in the red-black colourway and my usual 32H appeared to be fine apart from some very minor quadboobing on my fuller side - however, I've heard from a few people that some of the older colourways ran ... a full cup smaller.

The gore doesn't quite lie flat, but this and the quadboobing are the only issues I've encountered with this bra and neither of these affect wear over the day or the appearance of the bra on me (with or without a shirt). When I first bought it the underwires cut into me a little but this seems to have softened over time. Band feels maybe slightly less tight than a standard Panache 32 but I wouldn't call this enough reason to wear a different size, and the lace overlay on the band is really lovely when so many other bras have decoration that stops at the cups.

In all, I think it's a real shame that Panache appears to have stopped making this one - it probably gives the best shape of any Panache bra I've tried.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Nov 04, 2014 Flag this

I own two Dreamcatchers at the moment, this one in the continuity Biscotti colourway and another one in the Petrol colourway. I found the two to fit similarly to the Romance I own in the same size, but this Biscotti one seemed to run slightly smaller than the Petrol. I could still wear both when I was a 32H with some adjusting of straps, so I don't think it runs small enough to need to size up if the other Dreamcatcher colourways fit all right. It's a very pretty basic bra.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jun 14, 2015 Flag this

I bought this bra way back when, before I'd been fitted properly (and before the weight gain AFTER I'd been fitted properly and subsequently gained two cup sizes)... For obvious reasons, I don't believe I can adequately review the fit. Back when my boobs could feasibly at least make it into the cups, I remember this model of bra being reasonably comfy, if (with hindsight) ill-fitting. This used to be my go-to - I had five of them in different colours, because it was the one bra that sort-of worked. Berlei seems to have decided to continue the prints on these to the wings, as well ... as on the inside of the wings (the part that lies against your skin and isn't visible during wear). This is an interesting contrast to all the full-bust bras I've tried, where only one extended the print on the cups to the wings and even then, left the insides of the wings plain (the CK Smoothie).

I have to also give Berlei credit for trying to make an extension onto their normal sizing system and resisting the urge to go for monster straps. This bra's got the thinnest straps of any that I own, so I can respect them trying to make something that won't be completely unwearable with tank tops, even though I can't wear this myself. The materials it's made with are also very soft and comfortable.

In short, although this bra is unwearable for me personally (I had a bit of a laugh trying it on), I am a fan of it on behalf of people who would actually be correctly fitted into its size range.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 28, 2015 Flag this