Gemmy

I'm always on the hunt for bras that come in designs that don't resemble traditional bras. This solid black bra with mesh overlay and a colourful pattern definitely looks like it could be a not-bra. It is devoid of lace and bows and the seams don't scream HI NICE TO MEET YOU I AM GEMMY'S UNDERWEAR. Don't get me wrong, my favourite bras come in pastel colours and have bows on them, but sometimes a girl just needs some variety in her bra drawer. I first spotted Cleo Jessie Padded Balconnet Bra (7241) when stock levels were incredibly low. When I finally spotted a size within ... my acceptable range, I went for it. When I received the bra, I can say that I was satisfied with the look of it. I would be comfortable wearing this under a black semi-sheer top or one that let a bit of the design peek through since, you know, I like to live life on the wild side (no, I don't).

Onto the fit: the coverage is acceptable as is the fit of the wires and the overall feel of the bra. A 30G might have provided better cup volume and prevented the slight quadding that occurs after a couple hours of wear, but it doesn't bother me much. The band is fine but I would say I prefer the firmness of something like a Freya Deco Vibe Moulded Plunge Bra (1704). I don't wear my bands as tight as number might recommend as a personal preference (and my boobs say they are okay with that), but in exchange, I would want a band that is lower in elasticity. I don't want to wear a rubber band on around my torso. It's just not flattering https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" /> The straps are thinner than my Decos but I don't have a preference either way. The cups are foam and prevent the pokies from emerging in the winter time while at the same time easily compressed to fit under my winter coats (Yes. The threat of cold weather is a looming reality already for me where I live).

Bonus: the colourful pattern on the bra is really fun to look at. I like admiring all the circular stitches and try to imagine how they got a machine to stitch all those circles. I like to imagine they had a bunch of little sewing machines doing tiny circle stitches and birds were singing and woodland creatures were dancing. Most of my bra designs are in print and I know how that comes about, but as someone with nearly zero experience in sewing or clothing manufacturing (obvious), I'm both intrigued and in awe over technology. Much wow.
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Updated on Oct 21, 2016 Flag this

The CK Desire has a bunch of bad reviews, so you can imagine my enthusiasm when I received one in a Breakout Bras grab bag a while back. Having seen some very bad fits on user submitted pics, I expected my boobs to suffer a similar fate. The cut reminds me of the CK Elegance without all the silly swirly cup embellishments. For the record, I had the worst luck with the CK Elegance in 28GG.

First impressions: the bra itself looks pretty standard. It’s a multiway and potentially a strapless plunge (if you like taking big risks in life) with some pretty big goofy straps in ... a 28GG. Did they make the straps out of waistband elastic? Shit’s too wide to make me feel desirable. BOOM. See what I did there? https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" /> Another thing about these straps is how easily they come off the bra. If the bra is strapped on your shoulder, there’s enough strap tension there to keep those bad boys from self-detaching and making a quick dive for the floor. However, as soon as there’s any bit of slack or especially when you are pulling the straps over and onto your shoulder, some unknown force will send the straps flying off your bra leaving you no choice but to reattach them while wearing the bra.

Now on to shape. My, oh my. I do understand what other reviewers have noted; the cup design gives a very peculiar shape. Imagine your boob assumes a rounded teardrop shape in this 3 part cup bra. Now picture that the shape is round except for your inner boob where there’s a sharp corner running along the upper panel of the 3 part cup as if they shoved a ruler into this section of the bra. This look is no bueno for the following shapes: FOT, FOB, evenly full, shallow, projected, medium projection (did I miss any shapes?). Additionally, this bra also has a tendency to drag boobs to point east/west as if they recently got into an argument and are not on talking terms. You can see this effect mostly on my forward facing picture due to the telling shadows. I was probably having PMS boobs that week and was majorly overfilling the cups which appears to have countered a bit of the “ruler-lined” effect of this bra. Denser boobs will fare slightly better shape-wise in this bra, but you’d basically need to put a shot put ball in the cup if you wanted to round out that weird edge.

I didn’t like the bra.

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Ivory colorway

Updated on Jun 23, 2016 Flag this

If the original Deco didn't work out for you because the cup was too tall or it began to slack a bit on the bottom edge over time, this new Deco variant might be your thing. Everything about this bra is quite standard Deco in its own size range--the strap width, cup width, wire length, gore height all match up to the original style 28GG Deco I have in black. Where it differs, however, is cup height and cup thickness towards the edge of the cup. The Deco Vibe has a seam detail along the cup edge which gives it more structure than if the detail were not ... there to reinforce the molded cup edge. In addition to this, the cup edge itself remains the same thickness throughout instead of tapering off a bit thinner like it does in the original Deco. I personally find that the Vibe style fits me better than the original Deco. My roots are not short, but they are also not very long either. My tissue is also rather firm and often decides it is a non conformist, especially to moulded cup bras.

You might read some reviews suggesting that you may need to size up. I tend to think this recommendation would apply to certain breast shapes. For example, if you find that you are very full on top in the original Deco, you will definitely need to size up in the Deco Vibe. If, however, like me your upper roots just fit without gaping or quadding, you'll find that you can stick to your usual sized Deco for the Vibe.

The only potential downside of this bra is that it is just a bit more bulky than the previous Deco. If you were having troubles fitting your previous Deco under you favourite non-stretch top, there's no way you'll have better luck with the Deco Vibe. But maybe you want the extra oomph and pow under that stretchy fitted top, then get this bra https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" />
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Blush colorway

Updated on Jun 28, 2016 Flag this

So we meet again Curvy Kate. Not since my dalliance with some early CK models have I returned. Back then I was just beginning to buy bras in sizes outside the norm for North America. All I can say is that the early soft cup bras I had tried were kinda weird for my shape. I'm happy to report that I've had more luck with this particular shape. At a 28H in this style, I do feel the wires are about half a cm wide at the highest point and that the top of the bra cuts in a bit depending on my arm position. So it's not a homerun, by an means, but definitely an improvement for me. The only problem is actually the fact that I haven't weened myself off of lined and moulded cup bras. That and the gore is probably half an inch too high for my close set pair. Not the bra's fault at all as I have this problem with any bra that has a gore over 2.5 inches high.

Updated on Oct 21, 2016 Flag this

I first bought this bra in the black colourway and didn't actually think I'd like it in white. Boy was I wrong. The pink flowers are so vibrant and contrasts with the light grey line pattern on a soft white base. I love white bras, but they truly are impractical. Can’t wear them under dark clothing, and you can’t wear them under white shirts. Despite this, every detail of this bra makes me fall in love with it every time I see it peeking out from my bra drawer.

Pretties:
- the flowery cup pattern continues up the straps so that the straps look cute peeking out beneath tank ... tops
- there's soft lace detailing on the side panel which is see through! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_surprised.gif" alt=":O" />
- it's a longline without the pokey boning which makes it very comfortable like wearing a normal bra with a few extra hooks
- the back is plain and sheer which looks very romantic
- the cups are smooth to the touch and won’t snag or pill, similar to my Freya Piper Longline

Uglies:
-none

But fit-wise, it's at the very least one cup too small. You can see from my pics that the cups being too shallow in this size, are pushed away from my chest wall resulting in the wires siting on my boobs and making a cute little indent. It doesn’t hurt at all, but it could just be my blind love for this bra that’s remedied the pain.

I get a decent round shape under clothing and under medium thickness clothing, the quadboob goes undetected. The most important thing about this bra is that it makes me feel pretty while comfortable. That scores the highest marks in my books.

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White colorway

Updated on Feb 18, 2015 Flag this

Panache Tangos work on a specific shape. That shape not being my shape. I was looking for a simple, unpadded plunge bra with little projection to wear under work blouses. My last Tango was 28GG and cut terribly into my cleavage, so I ordered up to a 28H.

The problems that affected me in the 28GG returned with a vengeance in the 28H. Starting with the gore, it is a bit wide for my close set boobs. It's like the bra does not want my boobs touching AT ALL (I like a little bit of touching, it's more comfortable). Would not be a problem if there was less fullness in the centre.

The only thing I like about this bra is that the band is firm. There's very little upwards shifting when I move about. Unfortunately, the shape it gives me is unforgivable and I'll need to sell this to someone who is a Tango fan.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 27, 2015 Flag this

The fit of this bodysuit surprised me in a good way. Bodysuits usually present a fit issue due to the fact that we all have different torso lengths and body proportions. I'm just under 5'7, which is not on any extreme end of tall or short, but I do often wish there was about another inch of length-wise fabric in one pieces like bodysuits and rompers. However, the 30G - Panache » Confetti Thong Body (4075) fit my torso well enough. I've read some reviews that the bodysuit was too short in the torso and couldn't be done up in women who are a few inches ... shorter. Those reviewers did note that it could be because they were filling the bodysuit width-wise thereby taking up some fabric that would have been distributed to length. So it appears that this fit me not because it's a magic bodysuit, but rather because I got lucky with the proportions. There is a bit of puckering on the sides of the waist, but nothing that bothers me too much. The bra itself fit exactly as expected. It's provides a neutral shape (not pointy nor round) and feels pretty stable. It actually feels pretty awesome for an unlined bra. The only thing is I wish the gore didn't come up so high. I don't have enough space between my boobs to accommodate that gore https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" />
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Ivory colorway

Updated on Feb 03, 2016 Flag this

I love all my Decos. This recent addition is a welcome one in that it's such a bright and bold colour (jade). I also like that it's a 28GG, which I've discovered is my best fit in terms of their size offerings. 30G Decos ride up my back pretty badly causing some noticeable fit issues. I'm a sub 28, but I'm comfortable enough in 28 Decos to buy again in this size. The cup shape is identical to the Deco in black and beige, but the side panel material is thicker because of the layer of lace/mesh. I find this adds to the firmness of the band and reduces the amount of stretch (which I prefer).

Jade colorway

Updated on Jan 14, 2015 Flag this

Freya Deco models like the Spotlight and Vibe fit me better than the old version Decos without the trim along the cup edge. I find old Decos are very FOT friendly and my even fullness is just not enough to take advantage of all the vertical space in those cups. The Deco Spotlight is perfect in terms of vertical height and volume. If you have even breasts, you might find this to be a better fit than the regular Decos with no trim along the outer edge of the cup. Alternately, if you are FOT, you may find that the Spotlight cuts in creating quadroboob whereas regular Decos do not. The straps are as wide as other Decos of the same size, but are more ribbon-like both in thickness and appearance. The band is pretty much the same as other 30G Decos I own. The wires on this 30G fit like a dream.

Updated on Apr 05, 2016 Flag this

I decided to try this bra after trying the half cup version. The bra itself is very attractive and I'm a fan of the eyelash lace details. There is a charm in the centre that is a nice finishing touch, but it was not stitched on properly and came loose.

Fit-wise, it's not ideal for me. It's about 1-2 cups too small. I'm having problems filling the bottom of the cup because it's too shallow in this size. The wires are also too narrow and is sitting on some tissue at the sides. The gore is spacing is too wide for me and sitting on quite a bit ... of centre tissue. Sizing up to a 30G may help with some of these problems but likely not all.

Other specs to note: the straps are not fully adjustable but this is due to the lace detailing on the front part of the strap so it appears to be a good compromise, especially if you don't need to adjust it too much higher. The band can stretch quite a bit but it's a snug elastic. I've never worn this for longer than a few minutes to take pictures, so I can't comment on whether the band wills stretch out. If it's anything like the bands on my other Parfait bras, it won't easily lose its elasticity. The satin cups are more sophisticated than the fabric covering on my Decos.



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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jan 06, 2015 Flag this