Disclaimer:mostly huge rant. Would not recommend this bra to anyone unless you love to have your heart broken and feel full of regret and disappointment.


What can I say? I did it again. This model is a mess.
Extensive/comparative review of my (2-3) Dessous bras coming up tonight as long as weather stays nice enough for me to get some decent/accurate photos.


My 30E was too FoT, 30DD is a 34C and wrinkles at the gore, and this one perfectly encloses my inner and outer tissue, and is a true 28 band, but makes me quad like nothing I've ever tried. I am on my period, but I tried a bunch of other bras on and nothing fits me this way. The quad is reeeeally bad. I unscooped a little for the photos, and it was still bad. I mean, almost entire boob out of bra, bad. Wtf? Sister size up a band(erm 6") and I don't have this problem.


On a side note, there is bottom wrinkling in the photos, which I suspect is just from extending my arms to take pictures or not adjusting.
It wasn't wrinkling at all before.

I just wish this had worked. My 30DD cups were fine, and the original owner said this one had a TTS band, so I thought, "score! Finally found one that will work!"

Ugh.
And the sandy beige is the perfect nude color for me.
Claudette, why you no work???!?

Well, but I said this was the last colorway I'd try. There is a new one that is a similar beige with a pink I believe that I really liked, but no way in a million years am I ever dropping $60 on one of these bras.
If I find it for $5, maybe. At this rate that is around all I am willing to ever drop for one of these again. Simply because it's always a mystery and I may or may not get one worth more than that.

Firstly, the elastic on this one is a lot better than my "30DD", which is great, but then I have other fit issues.
But then the elastic on the mauve 30DD is so cheap, it actually reminds me of the broken elastic on a pair of underwear I purchased when I was about 12(about half my life ago) at the $1 store. No exaggeration, it is literally that cheap.
My mom has a tendency to hang on to clothes that I put in donate and throw away bags, I found that pair of undies, and the elastic was all stretched out, had no stretch left, falling apart. That was my immediate thought when I even just picked the 30DD out of the bag. I knew just holding it that something was wrong with the band.

No bra new from a manufacturer should ever feel that way. Especially something that is so expensive at original retail price.
If I had to guess how much these bras were brand new, I would place the mauve at around $5-10. Which I believe it dropped down to on sale, thankfully.
I would place the 28E and 30E at around $20-35.

Also just the general inconsistencies..would not ever recommend anyone paying the highest retail price for this, or anything over $15-20, unless you don't care about band stretchiness or possible cup inconsistencies as well. I feel like the Dessous is like Mystery Gum, and I hate that just as much.
It always looks good, but ends up awful.
Dessous is Mystery Gum.

It's going to take a lot for me to stay away from a 28F in this colorway because the sandy beige perfectly matches my skintone, and I love the navy; I love the look of the Dessous, as always. But I hate imagining ever spending another dime on one of these bras.
If I do find this in 28F, around $10, I might just to see just how inconsistent they are (for science, really), but I hate even imagining it. This model has been full of disappointment. I would probably end up with a 32 band that is too FoT in 28F. But that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't even make sense why a sister size doesn't have the same cup depth or shape or why, for instance, someone owning the same new colorway may not have the same band stretch as someone else, as I've now experienced with this one being TTS (a good thing) and the mauve being crazy stretchy while I've seen others TTS.
Ugh this bra.
It's like a good looking guy, full of promise but can't follow through on anything. Don't break your heart. Don't break your wallet. Don't break your boobs. Don't buy a Dessous.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 20, 2016 Flag this

• Show all comments (24)
• 3

  My sincere condolances. You are not alone in this - I feel the same. None fit me so far. What's even worse, I still keep looking...

• 1

  erispe The Dessous struggle. I will probably keep looking too. >_<
  Or at least to swap this out for 28F in the same color.
  It's just such a pretty bra. And would be so nice for summer.

  Makes me want to make my own bras even more. If I was better with my sewing machine, I would totally try for this design in a better fit.

• arent there a coupla ewa michalaks that look a lot like that?

• dbmamaz I'm not sure, but that would make me a happy lady if there are :)
  The Mgiełka kind of reminded me of a black Dessous. I meant to order one from them last year but missed out.

  I'm more a fan of the SM than 3D which would fit me, but comparatively, I'd assume the 3D would fit me a lot better than the Dessous has.

• 3

  Ladies Queequeg0925 and erispe I too have had my heart broken by this serial offender. I did contact Claudette a couple of years ago when I ordered 2 older colourways in the same size as each other and they were RIDICULOUSLY different, and I sent them a big ranty email with photos and measurements explaining how frustrating it is to find bras that fit and that this difficulty shouldn't extend to WITHIN one style....and Bok emailed me back and offered to replace the item I'd bought (it was from Brand Alley, a site with no returns) which she did for free. So maybe drop them an email with your frustrations? I was very pleased with how responsive they were. I know it's still a pain in the arse but I've written off Dessous and probably Claudette as a brand now as their inconsistencies are not just within Dessous. Maybe I should take my own advice and email again to moan about the EPIC fail I had with Bardot/Odette...bah. Oh no, the rant is contagious, haha! :-O

• 1

  Ladies Queequeg0925 and erispe I too have had my heart broken by this serial offender. I did contact Claudette a couple of years ago when I ordered 2 older colourways in the same size as each other and they were RIDICULOUSLY different, and I sent them a big ranty email with photos and measurements explaining how frustrating it is to find bras that fit and that this difficulty shouldn't extend to WITHIN one style....and Bok emailed me back and offered to replace the item I'd bought (it was from Brand Alley, a site with no returns) which she did for free. So maybe drop them an email with your frustrations? I was very pleased with how responsive they were. I know it's still a pain in the arse but I've written off Dessous and probably Claudette as a brand now as their inconsistencies are not just within Dessous. Maybe I should take my own advice and email again to moan about the EPIC fail I had with Bardot/Odette...bah. Oh no, the rant is contagious, haha! :-O

• 2

  Oh, yes, they are SMs which start at 30F, and the beige ones are both mostly sold out, there's only the pink one (with strappies)

• 2

  I also dislike the dessous inconsistency but I've only experienced them in different color ways and not huge differences like that. This does make a great nude for you. This color way was too light for me. I prefer to order Claudette only when I can make returns or if it's not a large investment. I felt like this color way ran a little smaller in the cup than most others.

• emsiepie I'm sorry that you've had issues with these too :( Thanks for letting me know about emailing them.
  I think I will try that actually. I'm not sure if I'll have luck having sister sizes, but the fact remains that sister sizes should only be different in the band.
  :(

  I just took photos for my comparison review and oh my goodness, I am not crazy. I considered that I may be :p They really are so different. The 30DD measures 8"(maybe give a little) in depth, while 28E is about 7.5-7.7" in depth. I didn't take other measurements yet besides comparing the gores, but that was enough for me.

  The wires are also very different. At the center gores, the one goes down further before curving, which explains why I get wrinkling in one towards the center but not the other. They are simply different shapes. The beige is more rounded and is also more demi shaped, which doesn't work for me, while the mauve is a full cup as advertised. That and depth ecplains the quad.
  Didn't imagine I would get as much proof as I did. I suspected that my 30DD may not even fit, but tried it on again and then took measurements and yeah, it does.

  That is really sad, but good to know that their other models have just as many issues. I suspect they have a big quality control problem(actually noticed the brand tag on the mauve isn't even fully sewn on), which is pretty off-putting, again considering that anyone can get a Comexim or could have gotten an AP at much higher quality for about the same price that Claudette starts their bras at. It's just good that they have had a lot of these for $10-15, though atm they are back at $19.99.

  I am sorry to compare everything to Comexim, but I just feel they are a perfect company to be modeled after.

• *explains

• Are the two color ways from different seasons? I misunderstood originally. I thought you'd meant sister sizes in the same color

• dbmamaz Aw darn :( I think I know which ones you are talking about. I was considering the beige/black. That was one amazing looking bra *_*

  @revisa Thank you :) I agree. The cups are very different from the other two Dessous bras I've owned.
  This one seems a little less coverage, by measurements and everything. Wires seem to be more narrow also.

  I'm not sure whether they're from the same season or not, but they are two different colors(beige/navy and mauve/black).
  On their website it says the beige is from Spring/Summer 2013, but nothing on the mauve. It has them both listed as "CD2000" but admittedly I have no idea what that means xD

• I too am on a quest for a beigey Claudette Dessous. They're so pretty :( I was totally going to buy this on reddit, but you beat me to it. Looks like it wouldn't fit me either though!

  If you keep searching, I was surprised at how well the "orange soda" color worked as a nude for me. It was just too big.

• This is how I feel about the American Tan Dessous. It is THE perfect shade of nude for me. But it's so small. :(

• annabellynn Aw, I'm sorry =( I'm considering keeping an eye out for this color in 28F used so I can make sure I'm getting a true 28 or almost 28 band, but I'm not sure. The cup shape in general might just not work for me. Part of me thinks I should just stop trying haha.

  Do you think you'd be looking for about the same size then since this one wouldn't work for you either? I have really no life right now, so I can keep an eye out for you also =)

  Prettyncharmeuse Aw, yeah it really sucks =(
  Such pretty bras and perfect, rare colors, but the fit.. >_<
  I hope someday it will be easier to find sheer bras(well, and non-sheer even) in various skin-tones. And that someone else will make a Dessous-like bra. =(

• Queequeg0925 i think if you do find a 28f, you may have the issue of the wires being too wide, or the cup coming up too high on the sides.

• Queequeg0925 Sure! I'm eying a gorgeous 28E that is beige and hot pink. Knowing the brand it could be a totally different fit than this colorway .. cause of season and whatnot. At least that's what I'm telling myself, haha. The seller that had it left until June though. 28F would probably be best for me, realistically. Maybe if you find one and it doesn't work, I'll buy it from you!

• Prettyncharmeuse Yeah, those are some of the things I was concerned about =( The cups on the 30DD are just a smidge wider and I believe that's what causes wrinkling in the center. If they're any wider it may also be painful.

  annabellynn Ok ! =) And yeah! I'll let you know if I find one and it doesn't work out. I honestly don't think I will have much luck with these at this rate, but I am not sure that I won't be able to resist trying if I find one haha Good luck if you end up with the beige and pink!

• 1

  Queequeg0925 thanks for this review. I think your ranting is completely justified. Most brands that aren't, say, at Prima Donna's price level have inconsistencies in fit, but what you've experienced with Claudette Dessous boggles the mind. The elastic quality is especially disappointing to hear about.

• 1

  Fellow Claudette sufferer here! After seeing the Claudette fishnet bra reviews from bloggers, and ordered the beige and pink colourway from Herroom. When I got it, which was quite quickly, the fit was not really good.. The size was ok, but the wires were very pokey because the rest of the cup didn't really do anything for the lift. Ok, it doesn't fit, that's not too bad. The problem is that after trying it on for maybe 20 minutes..the seams that connect the straps went half undone, on both sides, and the seam from the wire channel as well (?!)! Now there's no way to send it back, especially with all the stories regarding Herroom and returns.. Sigh.. Much quality..

• 2

  JulieCS thats really awful!

  My first was an American Tan / black (30F.) It fit well and lasted really well. I'd get a little in cup quadding as the day went on and couldn't wear it at the wrong time of the month but that had to do with my tissue instead of the bra. The second I had was a Seafoam / khaki. It was too shallow but fit for the 30 minutes it would stay in my imf. Then from here I got a 28G sandstone/navy. The cups were really too big so I didn't wear it much and the coloring was too light to be a nude for me too. And the band was loose but it was used and I don't know how used. I also have two paramours in 30F. The black fits beautifully and the garnet unfortunately is just a little too shallow. The black is .2" deeper. I tried a cool cotton the first season and I found the cups smaller and band bigger. I've also tried Bardot (fits in sister size of 32E) but it's too wide to be comfortably and the Sophia Icon (30FF) where I'd read about the shallow cups but sizing up one cup was not enough... But I'm on the cusp of being too big for 30fs in the others. I do find the cups more triangle shaped than they look on some of the models but I don't have a lot of firm upper fullness even though I have tall roots. Idk. I feel like Claudette hasn't been a bad brand at all but i think buying them somewhere like here is the best because you can get the actual measurements for each bra. I wish the dessous bra measurements on here could be broken into colors or seasons but I understand why they aren't.
  I'm not trying to minimize the issues people are bringing up here, but I'd hate for someone to write them off completely if it's a brand that could work for them because a lot of their bras are pretty cool and they've change the face of non matrix bras. Since they started I've seen a number of other companies start making similar looking bras. And the company is still a baby and hopefully working out the kinks.

• 3

  revisa one of the things I think will help (in terms of putting the Dessous on Bratabase) would be for people to add what color any it is that they have. The option is there, but a lot of people don't use it.
  

• 1

  I just wanted to add on that I totally understand your sadness at this bra. It seems like Claudette has quality control problems on the whole - with different color ways having entirely different fits and potentially different materials used altogether. The only Dessous that has been somewhat successful for me is that red/olive one I have listed, and even that, it really isn't that great: I realize that I just find the mesh they use scratchy/uncomfortable. I do think they'd benefit from better quality elastic.
  I feel your heartbreak. The Dessous has one of my favorite designs in the world - simple, clean, sophisticated - but the construction has made it basically unwearable. :'(

• learningaboutbras I know, I was so disappointed. Luckily the elastic in the sandstone/navy and black was better, but I've heard different from others.
  And yeah, I assume the original owner bought this on sale and I luckily bought my mauve on sale also. I'm just astonished with the original pricing. I got to thinking that perhaps they left their questionable ones for the sale bras, but I think that may be a bit of a risky thought and possibly overly optimistic. I haven't read through all the reviews, so I am really not sure. Just a thought that popped into my head.

  @JulieCS That is such a shame :( I was reading PetiteCollegiate's reviews on her Claudettes and saw that the one (don't remember about the others) had issues with the seams. And my mauve started pilling, which I find really odd. Most of my bras don't pill until I've had them past a year at least.

  @revisa I totally agree that buying their bras here is really the best decision. I didn't think to ask the person I bought my sandstone and navy from for the depth, since I assumed because the 30E was too big and the 30DD fit besides the band, that it'd fit.
  My mistake. Always always ask for the band, cup depth and width on these.
  I would also recommend always asking about where the seam lies and for cup height, as my sandstone and mauve are very different.
  I do also agree with you and Prettyncharmeuse that breaking these up into colors may be more helpful.
  Speaking of which I have to add the color for this!

  @kerniss It really is such a beautiful design. I'm sorry that you too have had problems with it :(
  I agree that it seems like they have some quality control issues. I'd really like to keep trying, but I think I'm going to wait for a few years before buying directly from them again and hopefully quality will be better.
  Also wanted to mention that the mesh on my 3 have been different as well! The black seemed the best quality, the mauve is very stiff and a little itchy, and the sandstone and navy is somewhere in between. I hope at the very least that they use the same materials for the same colorways, but I couldn't say myself.
  

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