Ereshiy

NB: This bra is a prototype, and may not reflect the finished style for sale.

The Aubergine is a lightly padded plunge, similar to other Comexim/Anna Pardal plunges. It has a 3 part cup, fully adjustable straps and fastens with 4 rows of 3 columns of hooks. I got my bra with the reduced cup option.

I got the opportunity to try this style as when I emailed Anna of AP to ask about what I could get in the new extended size range, she said that I could try one of the new styles which they were still finalising if I wished to in exchange for offering feedback. The ... bra was ordered sight unseen, I only got to see fabric swatches, but I was happy to get a 'suprise' bra. I've been very impressed with Anna's communication and assistance throughout the whole process.

One thing I will say for anyone wanting to order from AP is that it cost me $30 US in shipping to get the bra posted to Australia. Anna said that she's looking into other carriers to reduce the cost, but at present, this is rather pricey.

The cups and band of the bra are made of a beige fabric overlaid by a purple (eggplant) stretch lace. There's green ribbon trimming the top of the cup and green bows. I love the colour of the lace and I think that it's a very subdued and sophisticated style. I'm not 100% on the green trim, though it does fit in with the model name of aubergine. My husband however said he thought the green trim was really striking. The ribbon trim creates the tiniest ripply edge on the upper cup, but I think that you'd need to have a very thin shirt for this to be visible under clothing.

The band is firm, but comfortable. It only stretches to about 71cm/28", which is okay for me who's on the bottom end of a 28 band, but I think that some people may wish to size up. I'd consider the fabric to be moderately stretchy (less firm than say Panache, but less stretchy than EM). The wires on the bra are comfortably narrow, and I think would be somewhere between Ewa Michalak and Kris Line in this size range in terms of width. The gore is the lowest which I've seen in any bra in this size range, making this more of a true plunge (I really don't feel like the PL cut truly acts like a plunge in upper cup sizes). The gore doesn't tack on me and floats slightly away from my sternum, but pushing it in doesn't really seem to cause overspill issues, and I think this is more because of my extremely close-set breasts than lack of volume.

The cups are rather empty on top, but my breasts are extremely short rooted, and I think this is more a height issue than that the cups are too deep. The measured depth in my opinion is misleading in terms of estimating cup size. The round shape means there's no really clear apex, and breast fullness is distributed over a taller area. The straps are also a bit too wide-set for me, although better than many other styles I've tried. I also find that for me, the cup is a little too tall on the outside and rubs against my armpit somewhat.

I feel like I'd get better support from the bra if the back band was wider/didn't have such a broad 'U' shape on it. I've become rather used to attaching 5-6 hooks to the rear of a bra when I alter it, and the 3 narrow spaced hooks feel like they're really only providing stability and 'pull' to the bottom 1/3 of the band.

Edit: I've found after owning this bra for some time that the cut isn't ideal. Because the gore doesn't tack and is very low, the bra is lacking in stability and the cups won't hold my breasts in place for extended wear, so they fall into the centre of the bra. As an incidental note, this particular fabric isn't especially colourfast, and the first few washes had it shedding surface dye. The bra hasn't really faded from this, but I would suggest washing it by itself the first few times. Overall, the shape and design is lovely, but I think this bra cut fails in assuming that even good size-specific grading will make fashionable cuts suitable for very large breasts.
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Updated on Oct 25, 2015 Flag this

This is my second attempt at sewing a bra, and my first attempt at using a self-drafted pattern. Basically, this was designed to be a test of my basic pattern to check the fit and comfort. The sizing is a best guess based on the stretched length of the band, and the fact that my pattern was based off the size 19 cup on Foundations Revealed, indicated to be the same as 28:19/30:18/32:17 etc.

This bra is wireless, and the band is a height which may possibly get the name longline from some companies, but this is by virtue of the fact that it has garment elastic on the ... lower hem instead of the usual blush hem elastic (the stuff you normally get on bras with the scalloped edges). Most of the materials are from a bra kit I purchased. The cups and cradle are made of a layer of apricot stretch lace and a layer of white non-stretch stabilising lining. The wings are made from two layers of powernet. The bra fastens with 4 rows of 3 columns of hooks and the straps are fully adjustable.

For the curious, I measure 73cm/28.5" under and 118cm/46.5" over my bust when wearing this bra.

The aesthetics of the kit tend to very feminine, but I think that I'd not mind buying a bra in apricot lace anyway. The apricot seems to be close enough to actually being a nude colour on my warm-toned fair skin. The kit was rated for 40DD-48C, and I had more than enough powernet to cut out two sets of wings with the extra hem for the elastic, but I wouldn't really want to make a much larger cup from the amount of cup materials provided. I feel like the bow included was ludicrously small (and I'm contemplating getting something else to put on the gore which won't look pointlessly tiny), but the size range it was designed for may not have this particular issue. A small complaint I'd have for these materials is that while the straps are nice and thick, firm and stable, the elastic designed for edging the bra isn't nearly as strong as the straps, so it's really stretched out in order for the straps to provide any lift. As there was heaps of strap, and I had to trim some off, I'd contemplate maybe using that instead to edge the upper part of the wing which extends down to the clasps if I was to use a similar kit in the future.

The basic pattern design came from the series of articles on Foundations Revealed, which show how to grade a bra block and also how to create a variety of styles of bras. If you have any interest in drafting your own bra patterns, I'd say this is an excellent resource.

I chose to go for a 2-piece cup with a vertical seam as I wanted it to be easy to make changes to the fit if required. This design choice is responsible for the super pointy/retro shape that the final product has. My husband hates it. I actually don't mind, and I think that if I had proper fitted non-stretch clothing (difficult to get if your bust is too large for full bust clothing :/), that this would look more uplifted than bizaare. Maybe a 50s style blouse or dress can be a future sewing project.

My pattern (of which I'd done a couple of cup mock-ups first to make alterations) seems to have provided a good fit. The only issue I had was that despite having thought I'd accounted for it, my breasts were too short for the original cups, so I ended up trimming a bit off the top of the cup. To give some sort of frame of reference, the cup is about 40cm deep around the deepest part, but vertical depth of the cup (length of the cup seam) is only 31.5 cm. This is actually the explanation of a lot of my fit problems with RTW bras. The wings are the right length and the cradle is a good fit.

The garment elastic on the bottom of the bra seems to have been a really good move, as unlike other wireless bras I've tried, it doesn't try to fold under and dig in from the weight of my breasts. The tradeoff is that it wasn't really possible to get equal tensioning on the top and bottom of the bra, and that plus the fact that there are no wires to provide stability throughout the wing (I played with boning the wings, but plastic boning just seemed to want to curl up like the wings do), means the upper part of the wing is a bit saggy. There's a small weird floaty bit between the cups, as they're cut so that they should fit when sitting flat, but obviously won't do that without wires, but the bra does sit flat at the top and bottom owing to the elastic. I think that's just going to be one of those things with wireless bras.

The stitching isn't perfect, but there's nothing too obviously wonky. I don't know if I'd feel happy selling a bra of this quality to someone else (I don't know if anyone would even want a super pointy cup like this, I realise they aren't the fashionable shape), but it's nice enough to wear.

Overall, this bra seems to be a good fit and very comfortable. I think it may get a bit of love as a house bra unless it causes my husband to take too many hits to his sanity score.

If I was to make a bra just like this again, I think I'd play with the relationship between the inner and outer cup a little to see if I can get a slightly more centred look for my breasts, instead of the faintly outward pointing shape with the almost flat plane on the outside. I also wouldn't use straight stitch on the casing for the elastic (oops!) as the garment isn't gathered but stretch. A short zig-zag would be a lot better if I want to include this feature.

Edit: Much to my devastation, after a couple of washes, the band in this bra has stretched phenomenally out to about 80cm stretched length, making it unwearably long. The wings are very short so I'm not sure if it will be possible to take in the band without ruining the shape of the bra. I'm guessing it must be something to do with the materials used. I may need to investigate some sturdier options for next time or aggressively prewash my fabric.
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Apricot colorway

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Updated on Feb 04, 2015 Flag this

The FB Bezowy is a fuller coverage balcony bra with a 4-piece cup, plus an extra small fabric triangle joining to the strap. The straps are fully adjustable and the bra fastens with 4 columns of 3 rows of hooks.

The FB cut has been especially designed for larger busts and this is reflected in some of the features of the bra. The bra is described as 'semi-soft' on the Ewa Michalak website, and the lower 3 sections of the cup (plus the triangle) seem to be made of the same sort of stretchy silky fabric used in BM cut bras fused with some kind of stabilising mesh. The ... upper cup section is made of a layer of decorative stretch lace with stretch mesh behind it to suit a variety of breast shapes and hold the upper part of the breast in. The lower section of the cup seems to mostly hold its own shape when pushed out. The straps are made of the fabric which I know from prior experience will warp and fold in on itself if left to its own devices, but the bra came with a set of silicone strap pads (these seem to just be standard commercially available pads but were included as part of the price). Hopefully these should prevent the painful folding of the straps during wear. The bottom of the bra where there'd usually be visible elastic sewn onto the cradle and wings instead appears to have a thicker and sturdier kind of elastic encased between two layers of fabric, probably to help prevent heavy breasts and round tummies from causing the elastic to roll under and dig in. The wires seem to be somewhat sturdier and taller than other bras from Ewa Michalak which I've tried, but are certainly not as firm and tall as those found in a Panache bra. All in all, I can see why this bra has a higher price point than other EM cuts with the high quality design features and specialised materials.

The appearance of the bra reminds me very much of the 75K - Ewa Michalak » Bm Bibi Bianka (532) which I own, only it's a peachy beige colour instead of white. It's a pretty design, but in my opinion not as beautiful as some of EM's other designs. The colour seems to be quite a good match to my skin tone (fair with warm undertones). It blends in just fine under a t-shirt (which is why I picked this colour).

Regarding the fit, I wasn't really sure what to expect as this is a brand new cut and there's very little information about it so far, but I can give my initial impressions. I chose this size because it was the smallest size available via the drop-down, and I didn't wish to purchase a bra I couldn't return if it was a very poor size. It's not terrible, but there's still some fit quirks.

To me, it seems as though the sizing on this bra fits in reasonably well with the BM cut (but as the overlap in sizing between the styles is very small, I cannot imagine this will be hugely helpful to most people). The band is quite firm, completely unlike the usual bands on EM bras, but as my ideal band size in EM seems to currently be a 65, the band does seem to not sit as firmly against my body as I'd like (I've indicated that the back rides up, but with me, it tends to be the front of the bra riding down).

My breasts are fairly narrow, roughly even in fullness, very full (which is problematic in the centre mostly) and extremely short rooted. The bra wrinkles quite a lot at the base of the cup, but the gore doesn't tack and I find that I have a slight bulge where the stretch lace joins the rest of the cup. The gore is a bit higher than I'd ideally like, but thankfully not so high as to be likely to protrude from a medium-height neckline. Despite the not tacking gore, I still cannot fill the upper corners of the cups. Based on the cup depth and height, I suspect that this bra is designed for a far more vertical distribution of breast tissue than my root height will allow, meaning that the base of the cup is too shallow for my breasts to get in, and my apex needs more depth than the centre of the cup allows.

The straps on the bra are too far apart, but this is sadly so normal for me that I've basically ceased to care. Slightly more irritating is the fact that the armpit of the bra comes up much too high for my small frame and high-set breasts, meaning that it rubs under my arm.The wires are a bit wider than I'd like, but don't appear to be painful.

I think that this bra cut probably would work better on someone with a larger frame size than myself and on someone who has a more average root height.

Edit: After some wear, I can say that this bra is definitely far more comfortable and supportive than other bras I have tried in this size range. I reduced the height of the cup, and I experimented with moving in the gore, but found that the extra space in the centre opened up the top of the cup too much so while I no longer bulged there, it compromised support and ended up reversing that alteration. The straps are weak and dig in by themselves, unless I loosen them off all the way, but with the included strap pads (which are great and I wear them with all my bras if my wardrobe allows), are quite comfortable and supportive at an appropriate length. The band design is amazingly comfortable, and unlike my other bras won't dig in during everyday activities (unless I really slouch). The cups are strong enough to hold everything up and don't distort even after a long day's wear. I think that this cut is well worth the higher price point and could be a good option for people in this size range with narrow-medium breast roots (it would be even better if you were a bit taller and broader than myself).
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Updated on Nov 27, 2015 Flag this

Molke bras are wireless bras which have been designed for nursing. The bra is made from a cotton elastane blend and has two connected cup 'slings' which would allow you to pull out one breast at a time if required for breast feeding while keeping the other breast supported, although there's no separation. It features a firm, elasticised band at the underbust. This is the 'Extremely Dark Navy' colourway, which is, unsurprisingly, a very dark navy throughout. My apologies for the low contrast on the images, it's quite hard to see the details of a bra with a dark colour. It's got wide straps and good coverage at ... the back, but with a fairly deep scoop so it would work with a variety of shirts. I would think that some people (definitely not me) would feel comfortable wearing this as a crop top.

The bra pulls on over your head, and I must say that I had my doubts that it was going to be feasible at my size, but with a bit of wiggling and by pulling each breast through one at a time, it was possible for me to put it on. I'd think that if you had limited mobility you may need some help. This also means that while I've observed due diligence with measuring stretched length of the band, I think that the actual figure may be a little larger when worn on the body. Thankfully it's much easier to take the bra off, and it was also a simple task to pull out and replace one breast at a time (if you wanted to breast feed in the bra).

The Molke sizes encompass a number of regular band/cup size combinations, and I'm just over the edge of the size chart for the Small - Mega (I'd estimate my reference size to be 30:19 or 28:20 after my weight gain over the past year or so). I contacted their customer service for support with my measurements, and this was the size suggested. My breasts are very close set, narrow rooted, very short rooted, even, with lots of projection all over, which is mostly a problem top centre. I've got a fair bit of cleavage in this style, especially as it gives lift but no separation. If there was a bigger cup size offered on the same band (Ultra?) in the future, I'd consider giving it a try as I am very close to spilling out, but the bra is quite comfortable as is. One small problem is that the weight of my breasts pulls the front of the bra down and the rear of the bra up, but I don't know that a smaller band size would correct this. The straps are not adjustable, though I may consider placing some darts in them to make the front section of the bra a little shorter to see if this will even out the band a bit.

I find that underwires are uncomfortable to wear for extended lengths of time as the sheer weight of my breasts means that regardless of bra design or underwire quality, it seems that the wires will dig into my torso and rub after a while, especially if I get sweaty. While I am not pregnant/nursing, this seemed like it may be a comfortable alternative for around the house. I was expecting only light support, but I'd honestly consider this to be a medium level of support, and miles better than the 'mystery ahh bra type thing, size M' which I own. It's very soft, not too high under the arms, and actually gives a pleasing enough shape that I'd consider wearing it out of the house under a t-shirt.

I'll add some more notes to my review after I've worn the bra for a while, but I'm exceedingly happy with this Molke and would consider purchasing more if they are available in my size and a colour which interests me (I saw some really great rainbow unicorn ones on their Facebook which I'd love to buy if they did another run).


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Updated on Nov 04, 2017 Flag this

The Szarotka is a balcony cut bra made of four parts in this size, with the upper cup made of a stretch lace. The lower cup is made of the decorative powernet together with a layer of non-stretch stabilising fabric. The straps are fully adjustable and it fastens with 3 rows of 3 columns of hooks.

I'd say that the stock photos are a reasonably accurate representation of the bra. It's mostly a black and pink floral print with lighter pink trimmings and stretch lace. I found that the contrasting pink and black made the chances of the bra showing through a t-shirt reasonably high, but I find the ... print quite cute.

I got this band size as I bought the bra NW/oT. It's *very* stretchy, as I was fully expecting the band around my shoulderblades with a 70cm snug ribcage, but while it's not perfectly parallel all the way around, it's still somewhat stable. You may want to consider going for your larger preferred band size in this model.

The bra cut reminds me of the Panache Jasmine somewhat, but the wires are considerably narrower, and a good match for my narrow roots. The stretch lace is definitely large breast magic, providing light coverage and support without digging in. I'm genuinely suprised, as I'd probably take a 60M or 65M in an S cut, so I was thinking I may be sized out, but if anything, the cups look almost a little too large on top. They are a bit tall for my high-set, short-rooted breasts though, so possibly shortening them a little will fix the issue. I fill the bottom of the cup just fine. The cup shape is a bit less rounded and uplifted than the S or PL cuts, but this puts less pressure on the base of the wires.

At least based on inital impressions, I'd warmly suggest this bra for people with large busts and narrow roots. The stretch lace also means that those with upper or lower fullness should be able to get a good fit in the cups.

Edit: After wearing the bra for some time, I can add some additional impressions to my review. I reduced the height of the cups slightly, and I also took in the band extensively (the band did seem to stretch out rather rapidly, necessitating a second reduction in length). It is to some extent a confusing bra, as I can't quite decide whether the bra is too small (I bulge a little in the centre), or too large in the cup (my breasts seem to sit a bit low and away from my chest). I also have a minor issue with the fact that the gore tacks in this bra, as my breasts are close-set to the point of touching so it lies on breast tissue. My biggest problem though is with the straps on this bra, which are woefully inadequate for the weight of my breasts, even with a firm band. They're not reinforced enough, and so they buckle and fold inwards, even when worn as loose as they can go. I have very high-set breasts and will often need to tighten straps most of the way, so this is clearly some sort of material issue. These straps aren't quite as bad as the ones in my 75K - Ewa Michalak » Bm Bibi Bianka (532) , but are still rather uncomfortable. I have experienced issues with EM straps in the past and think that maybe the choice of materials needs to be carefully considered for the large cup sizes. Aside from the straps, the bra is still comfortable and flattering to wear, and I should really just go and replace the bra straps with another pair out of my stash.
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Updated on May 22, 2015 Flag this

This is my first attempt at making a bra myself, and as such, isn't quite perfect.

It's a 3-part balcony cup, and the bra has fabric straps & 6 rows with 3 columns of hooks (the perks of making it myself). The bra cups are made from bonded cotton & simplex for extra support (the thickness seems to be half-way between a very light padded cup & most fabric cups), and the back is made from 2 layers of tricot powernet.

The bra was made from a pattern which was customised for my measurements, but I think that I may have grown since it was drawn up, as the cups ... seem to be a little small.

I'm really happy with having hooks all the way up the back of my bra. It makes the band extra supportive, and you don't have to worry about it flipping up unlike longlines, as the band has the wires to stabilise it.

I don't know how much wear I'll actually get from this, but I feel like I've learnt a lot & can hopefully create a better bra when I attempt to sew another one in the future.
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Updated on Nov 30, 2013 Flag this

The Jeunique J31 is a wireless bra with a 2-piece outer cup with a horizontal seam and an inner 'banderin' construction (this is what the manufacturers call it). It has fully adjustable straps, nursing clips on the straps and an inner sling as found in nursing bras. In this size it fastens with 3 rows of 5 columns of hooks.

I've really wanted to get my hands on one of these bras for years, but it seemed like every time I checked Ebay, cup sizes which would be at all close to my own or a sister size were all listed at like $90 USD or the postage to ... Australia would cost twice as much as sellers were asking for the bra. I was really thrilled to be able to purchase this from a Bratabase user for a better price as it provides support in a way which is so different from a conventional bra and I wanted to see how well it managed a very large bust.

Jeunique is a company which made bras based on patterns which were common in the 50s & 60s. Most of the bras around today seem to be old dead stock. My bra is tagged 1995, but it's definitely like new in terms of the material quality. Make no mistake about it, this is a very retro look! It reminds me a lot of the bra which I sewed myself 28M - Unknown Brand » Brabratory (42) although my construction was not nearly as strong and I used a vertical 2-part cup.

The J31 is the beige colourway, as each colourway made from Jeunique has its own model number. The lace and powernet is a medium beige with a warm tone. The cups are lined with a stabilising net underneath the lace. The straps and hooks are a slightly ligher beige. The nursing clips are beige plastic. There's a little embroidered floral decoration stitched on the top of the 'gore' area.

The banderin is super intriguing. It's a layer of very thick material which feels rather like plastic and comes about half-way up the bra. A retailer website said 'the banderin is made of an aerated plastic material with soft material on each side' but the actual bra care tag says '100% nylon lycra spandex' so I'm not entirely sure what it's made of. It's not like anything which I've seen before. This serves the purpose of shoring up the bottom and side of the cup and lifting the breasts to fill the full projection of the bra.

The lower part of the band is covered with fairly wide plush-backed elastic which has been folded over (about 1.5cm height on either side of the band) which creates a wide firm band area to sit flat against the chest. The top of the band has the regular sort of plush-backed lingerie elastic.

Onto the interesting part; the fit! I'm surprised about how much I really like some of the features of this bra which I was fully expecting to be mostly a curiosity, but it's not all positive. I picked this size 36KK based on the cup depth alone owing to lack of other info and knew that if I was happy with it I'd need to take in the band and perhaps make other alterations to better fit my frame size. The band on mine stretches to about 93cm (~37") which is pretty standard for a 36 band I think. It's much too big for me, but I can assess the cup fit if the bra is worn on the tightest hook. As this is a well-designed full cup bra, the straps are in a position where they stay on my shoulders comfortably. I repeat, the straps are in a position where they stay on my shoulders comfortably. Bras don't do that in my size range, especially as I am mostly obliged to sister size to get the cup volume I need. I think that I underestimated cup size a little, and may do better one cup size down, but some of that may just be that there's too much cup height, which is normal for my very short breast roots. It's actually pretty good guessing from numbers alone, though it's hard for me to tell exactly how the bra should fit as it's so unlike other bras I've tried. The straps also don't adjust short enough for my very small frame and high-set breasts, but on the plus side, the height of the bra cup at the side has been shaped well enough to not cut into my armpit. The cups are unfortunately too wide for me and I get quite a bit of gapping at the sides as the support there is very inflexible.

Putting the bra on involves a bit of leaning forward and wiggling plus a generous scoop to get everything lifted by the banderin and the apex of the cup filled. Once everything is in position though, it seems to stay there. Wearing this, I get simply phenomenal bust projection. To put this into perspective, I have a bust perimeter of about 107cm (42") wearing an Ewa Michalak FB, and this bra gives me a perimeter of about 118cm (46.5")! It's super pointy and amazing. I don't know if I have any clothes I can really wear it under because of this bar pajamas, and I don't know if I'd want to wear it out of the house even if I did, but I know that I'd definitely be ready for a 1950s dress-up party. I'm not sure that my husband can deal with this bra, he's clearly not as open to historical fashion trends as myself. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":D" /> The bottom of the cup doesn't wrinkle at all thanks to the banderin, and it also makes the centre of the bra sit very close to the chest (it doesn't tack since it's wireless, but it's not floating halfway off my chest either). I think in many regards, this bra is better at actual support than anything else which I've tried. The banderin feature is extremely effective and far more comfortable than underwires, which tend to dig in owing to the sheer weight of my breasts. I'm planning to perform some alterations on the bra so that it fits a little better and will add more notes to this review then.

Or if you don't want to read the whole review, a quick list of pros and cons

Pros
~Excellent support
~Straps are well positioned
~The shape!

Cons
~Lace looks (and well is) very dated
~High coverage won't work well with many modern outfits
~The shape!
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Updated on Mar 07, 2016 Flag this

BM Bibi Bianka has a 4 part balcony cut with the upper section being made of stretch lace. The straps are fully adjustable and it fastens with 4 rows of 3 columns of hooks.

The bra is quite pretty with the pearlescent white material and the small pearly pendant on the gore. Aesthetically, I don't think it's quite as nice as some of EM's other designs, but it's still up there compared to bras overall.

I've also tried the BM Szarotka, and I would say that compared to it, the stretch lace is thicker, but not quite as firm. My breasts are somewhat firm, but if you were softer ... on top, this may affect the fit.

I'm definitely a fan of the BM cut, and think it's a good option for people who want a lower gore, narrow wires, and have some upper fullness in their breasts in this size range.

This is a bra which Bratabase has marked as fitting for me, which is certainly no mean feat! The wires are suitably narrow, although they could be a smidge narrower, the cups are comfortably deep, and the band is comfortably snug on the tightest set of hooks, and I'd say this means it's quite a firm band, as my preferred stretched length is around 70cm.

I'd like to add a few caveats to this which aren't indicated by the fit criterion we use on the site. The cup is too tall, which is basically normal for me with my short rooted breasts, so there's empty space in the upper part of the cup, and the fabric comes up too high at the sides and so it rubs my armpits. Still, I could wear the bra as-is without any major issues.

Edit: After wearing the bra for some time, I can add some additional impressions to my review. I reduced the height of the cups slightly, and I also had to take the band in as despite initially being firm, the band quickly stretched out. It is to some extent a confusing bra, as I can't quite decide whether the bra is too small (I bulge a little in the centre), or too large in the cup (my breasts seem to sit a bit low and away from my chest). I also have a minor issue with the fact that the gore tacks in this bra, as my breasts are close-set to the point of touching so it lies on breast tissue. My biggest problem though is with the straps on this bra, which are woefully inadequate for the weight of my breasts, even with a firm band. They're not reinforced enough, and so they buckle and fold inwards, even when worn as loose as they can go. I have very high-set breasts and will often need to tighten straps most of the way, so this is clearly some sort of material issue. Aside from the straps, the bra is still comfortable and flattering to wear, and I should really just go and replace the bra straps with another pair out of my stash.
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White colorway

Updated on May 21, 2015 Flag this

Wow- this is a generous bra. To put this in perspective, I found that a 32J in most Cleo bras is a tad small in the cup, whereas this is spot on for me in cup volume. You may want to consider getting one-two cup sizes down from your normal Cleo size.

The bra is a three-piece balconette, with the cups made out of a very sturdy fabric- there's almost no give in it at all. There's a small bird charm in the centre to match the bird print fabric, which is a very nice touch. There's two rows of hooks in three columns on the fastening, which is ... normal for Cleo, although I certainly wouldn't say no to the extra stability of a third row, especially in the larger cup sizes. I'm not really a dark bra person, but I'm also a realist, and this bra was a pretty good fit so I'm sure I'll get used to the navy with red trim after a while.

The band is too long for me, and rides up a little even on the tightest hook (which is unsurprising, as I'd ideally wear a very snug 28 or 26 band). The straps are too wide-set, and will wander off my shoulders unless I use something like a racerback converter. The wires are a touch wide, and there's not quite enough immediate projection in the bra, leading to a bit of wrinkling around the bottom and side of the cups.

However, the shape it gives me is very centred- I have almost no breast tissue at my sides, which is unusual for a bra in this size. It's definitely a very uplifted shape, which some people may consider a bit pointy, but I think that I rather like it. The sturdy fabric is a plus for me, as it feels very supportive. I know some people with upper fullness have said that the bra cuts in on the top, and while my breasts are fuller on the top, they have a lot of projection for their height, and so this works quite well. I'd say it's a good bra for short boobs.

I'm planning to alter the band and the straps a little to improve the fit, and I'll add some more notes to this review after I've worn the bra for a while.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jun 11, 2013 Flag this

The Alana is a 3-part cup balcony bra, with fully adjustable straps and fastens with a closure with 3 rows of 3 columns of hooks. This bra is in the 'nude' colourway.

The lower part of the cup and the wings are made of a medium beige coloured opaque fabric, with the upper cup section made from a translucent beige coloured fabric with a geometric pattern on it. The embroidered pattern doesn't seem to show through shirts, and basically it's a pretty utilitarian design.

Whilst to my advantage in that it makes the bra run both firm and short, this bra has basically no wing! While at rest, there's only ... 4.5cm/1.5" between the outer edge of the wire channel and the outer edge of the strap attachment. This makes the bra function as having closer to what one would expect as a 28 band. To be honest though, this is a design flaw, and narrower wires together with a longer wing and a strap attachment point which is closer to the fastening would make the bra a better fit for anyone in this size range.

I suppose I shouldn't even expect anything else, but the straps are very wide-set and have to be angled in to sit on my shoulders. The attachment part is far too wide on both my front and my back.

I was sold this bra in the Bravissimo Oxford Circus store while on holidays. Whilst the fit is by no means perfect, and both myself and the salesperson agreed on this, trying a 32KK meant that I had quite a bit of gaping at the outer top of the cup and cutting in under my arms, whereas if I line my nipples up with the T-seam in this bra, I only ooze out of the cup slightly, and the quadding isn't visible under a shirt. If I fully scoop into the cups, they are visibly quite a bit too small. The cups are fairly closed on top, especially because there's a little seam tape on the top of the cup, but I've found because of the height, the cup doesn't directly dig into my evenly full breasts.

The bra is sturdy and the straps are stable and don't cut into my shoulders (unlike my EM bras where I've had to resort to compromising support a little and loosening the straps off all the way). Because the straps are too wide-set and the wires are too wide, it does create a point of pressure on the outside of my frame, making the bra uncomfortable to wear for more than a few hours at a time.

The shape is probably closest to the 'green' shape on me (uplifted apex, a little pointy), and the cup apex seems to be somewhat splayed owing to the wider gore and shallowness at the centre of the cup. It's not horribly weird under a shirt, and I have fairly low standards regarding shape, with comfort and support as higher priorities, so I don't mind too much. It's not a favourite though in this regard. I'd also love to see more attractive cup grading, the upper section of the cup is unflatteringly large (as usual). A line which is closer to horizontal with a deeper upper section would be more aesthetically pleasing.

I was a little surprised to see that there were a few loose threads where lines of stitching hadn't been finished correctly, and slightly uneven finish on the inside of the wing at the top edge. Everything seems to have been sewn correctly, it's just lacking a little polish which I've come to expect from mass-manufactured bras.

Overall, I guess I feel that this bra is not bad and wearable. It's not going to be a favourite of mine, but it's functional and nice to have some non EM styles in my rotation.
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Nude colorway

Updated on May 06, 2015 Flag this