This is my first Curvy Kate bra and I'm not too enthusiastic to try more. I love the style and the color but the fit is far from ideal. It looks slightly darker than in the pictures and the light blue is more pale.

It is hard to tell if the cups are the wrong shape or just a bit too small. It feels like they have less depth at the bottom which squishes my boobs to the center. So that the gore lifts away from my sternum and the stretch lace is getting stretched a lot. Overall the cup volume is like a 28E/F compared to my Cleo and Freya bras. There is no quadding or cutting in and the shape looks very round and lifted under clothes. But the cups feel pretty snug. I really feel the elastic ribbon at the top and I am sure it would be cutting in if my breast tissue wasn't super firm. There is also a noticeable amount of pressure at the sides where my boobs try to be wider then the bra allows them to be.

The wires are the same shape as the ones in the Cleo Marcie but not as stiff. Which makes them fit slightly wider but they don't poke me anywhere. The band could be tighter. I tried it on middle hook but this makes the wires too wide and the cups feel even smaller. I expected the light blue elastic at the bottom to be somewhat stiff (at least it looked stiff to me) but it is actually very soft and comfy.

I can't say much about the quality but the whole thing feels stretchier then my other bras. Which is also why think a 28FF would be too unsupportive in the cups. I am still keeping this one hoping that the cups will stretch out a little but also because it was quite cheap and the shape under clothes looks really nice.

--Edit--
I had the straps too short in the pictures which caused the band to ride up.
The cups fit better with an extender but then the straps are too wide set.

Updated on Feb 28, 2018 Flag this

• Show all comments (14)
• 1

  too bad its not comfortable - I think its lovely.

• 5

  I think it's definitely too small, that's why the upper cups feel tight and if you had softer tissue you'd be quadding everywhere. You'd be completely fine in a 28FF. Or better yet, a 30F. This poor band is too tight, straining and flattening the bottom of the cups. I often see your reviews and think you could get a much better fit from most of your bras by sizing up a cup and a band. If you prefer everything tight and too small, that's your perogative, but you won't get a "fit" and something comfortable that way.

• 3

  I also think it looks too small. I used to wear bras with the band tight and the cups small because I have short roots and I hated tall cups, but I had that slight bulge over the top of the armpit that I should have known was a sign of a too small cup. Because there was no room out front my boobs were being squished back into my armpits. This bra is a good example: http://bra.pe/XTbh/

• 1

  It looks lovely on you but I agree with the previous comments that it's probably too small. I can't imagine that the band is loose and riding up when it's creating the gap at the back. I've gotten that in some 28 bands that I've tried recently and it's so uncomfortable. Plus, if the gore is not laying against your sternum, is it possible that the cups are too small and pushing the gore away from your chest? It's a really lovely bra on you but I think that you can benefit with at least a larger cup size if you prefer a band that tight.

• 2

  Thank you for your input!

  I just tried it with an extender and loosened the straps, which were probably too short to begin with. Now the wires fit much better and there is less pressure on the lower part of the cups but the gore still doesn't tack and the extender also makes the straps too wide. So I will give this another try in a 30F and maybe 28FF hoping that the larger cup size won't make the wires too wide again.

  I probably have to accept the fact that bras with softer wires (like Freya and obviously Curvy Kate) cannot be worn this tight. But I do have a few 30E/F bras and they are still supportive enough for me to wear at home or for an "office only" workday. So there is probably still good use for this one in a 30F.

• 3

  aboobaccount I seem to recall you are the poster who wears bands as tight as possible due to sensory issues (a preference for the feeling of compression)? I would suggest trying longline bras, which usually feel and fit much firmer for the same band size compared to a standard bra. I think they might work better for you, providing that firm secure sensation without complicating the fit of the cups so much.

• Please be sure to let us know what other sizes you try and how they fit. Re: wide straps with extender...have you considered lengthening the straps and turn them into racer back? I think that the suggestion that wendybien has made with the longline is an interesting one and I would be curious to see how it works for you. I hope that you can get the right size in this bra and love it as much as lcl0706 and I do.

• 1

  wendybien

  I tried the Cleo Breeze (http://bra.pe/MFFz/) a few month ago but the cups were not the right shape and it was not comfortable while sitting down. Also my torso is a little V-shaped so the band was too tight at the top and too loose at the bottom. I like the Comexim Joy (http://bra.pe/MEvW/) but can't find it anywhere. The Freya Francis also looks nice and I already found a cheap one on eBay.

  For clarification
  I don't actually want to be compressed. I like it when a bra fits snug but the main reason I wear a 28F/FF is that my boobs feel more supported and less jiggling. I work as a network engineer in an automated warehouse. Meaning I often have run or climb ladders. And I absolutely hate the feeling of my boobs moving around. Or having to adjust my bra before rushing into some meeting. In a good 28 band like my Panache Georgia (http://bra.pe/XYON/) I can actually forget that I have boobs. I never have to adjust anything and the shape is much better then with some bulky sports bra. But I do switch into a 30F / 32E or even a bralette when I get home.

  @calluna
  I will keep you updated after giving my wallet a break from all the bra shopping. I just notice that I spend well over 200€ on bras in the last 3 months.
  

• 2

  Ya know I was thinking about your need for a lot of support/locked in boobs at work and wondered if you’d ever considered sports bras at work, like Panache Sport. Then I thought about Ewa and how you may really like her SF cut. I’ve never tried it, but the construction is such that your boobs shouldn’t budge all day. A tight band/too small cups isn’t going to offer more support, it’s just going to smash everything down. The SF in a proper size should really contain everything - it’s like a blend of her BM and FB models and available in your size range. Great depth at the wire and the bottom half of the cup is reinforced for added lift and jiggle protection. It’s going to do a lot more work in terms of holding the girls still than something like this CK or other UK bras that are often a single layer of mesh in our size range. If you do decide to spring for one I wouldn’t go smaller than a 65F, as her bands often run quite tight. I think your overall shape is going to be a good match for Ewa in the long run, specifically thinking of the S and SF cuts.

• 1

  lcl0706 great advice! I also think finding bands in your size with more hooks is a good idea. I feel more secure the wider the band. To that end I was going to suggest Curvy Kate Luxe. It's a strapless so it's made to keep everything in place and has a nice supportive band and firm cups. And you could also still wear it with the straps.

  Most other CK bras aren't going to be for you as they are softer than what you want and have more jiggly straps.

  Comexim longlines are also an idea, as are wired sports bras. Good luck!

• Except just in the previous comment she said "my Panache Georgia (http://bra.pe/XYON/) I can actually forget that I have boobs. I never have to adjust anything and the shape is much better then with some bulky sports bra. "

  so i guess she doesnt like sports bras.

• 1

  aboobaccount ohhh ok I see what you were talking about now. In our previous discussion I think it was more general and it sounded like you preferred a sense of secure compression around ribs instead. Now I see you are talking about the actual breasts, that's rather different. I used to teach university students and what with gesturing during lectures, leaning over to consult with student groups during projects, writing on the board and erasing the board in front of the class I definitely wanted my bras to be like armor so I know exactly what you are talking about!

  To keep the bust completely secure and minimize movement, really what is most needed is complete containment of the breast tissue. This means a design where the edge of the cup ends at or above the edge of the breast mass, i.e. a very, very full coverage bra. This does NOT have to be a sports bra btw. Some of my typical workday bras that provided industrial-strength secure fit when I was teaching are listed under my profile, I was much bigger then but you will see the style of bras: good old-fashioned full cups!. Prima Donna Deauville, the full cup Chantelle Rive Gauche are two examples. Don't be put off by the old lady appearance of these specific ones because it's not something you are forced to tolerate along with the containment--personally I like the retro touch, but if you prefer a more mainstream and modern appearance you can absolutely find the same bra construction and the same super-secure containment in styles with smooth fabrics.

  Anyway, although you will see fewer of the full-cup styles in your size range on this site, because in your size especially we have a strong majority of younger users who are typically more responsive to the marketing and design of moderate to lower-coverage bras, those bras are definitely out there.

  Tl;dr version it sounds like your ideal "work bras" would be the opposite of what you've been trying: full coverage, fairly deep/wide band, centered straps and an optimal shape match to ensure that you don't budge. These can definitely be found in non-sports designs and if you don't like the vintage/old lady full cup look, these do exist in minimalist designs as well! For a rounded shape it's best to try on but this can be obtained too.

• lcl0706, dbmamaz

  I tried the Shock Absorber Active (http://bra.pe/MBtR/) in a 30E (couldn't even close the 28F). It is very supportive but gives me a flat uniboob shape. But that is probably by design. I also have the Panache Sports bra in a 28F. The shape is not too bad. But it gets very warm and sweaty after a few hours. The same goes for the Freya Active (http://bra.pe/MCTk/).

  I like the EM SF-line you recommended, especially the Kobalt and the Trapez. Too bad the Royal Blue (http://bra.pe/MGYT/) seems to be discontinued. According to the EM site they all start at 30F. So I hope they run small.

  @cupandahalf
  I also like wider bands better. I totally don't get how Cleo bras only have two hooks even in very large cups sizes while Panache (same company) uses 3. Unfortunately I can't stand strapless bras. These silicon stripes on the band drive me nuts.

  @wendybien
  Thank you so much for the detailed response. I didn't try a real full cup bra yet. But I found that my most supportive bras in terms of breast movement are the ones with stiff wires and stronger fabric at least in the lower part of the cups. Maybe this is due to my super firm tissue: So if the bottom part of my breast can't budge the top won't move as well. I am still going to try a full cup bra. At work I really don't care how my bras look as long as they fit properly.

  Just out of curiosity: Did you find that you can wear a larger band size if the cups are more full coverage?

• 1

  aboobaccount well I can't say I experimented a great deal, but I'll say I experienced it from the opposite end--a LOWER coverage style makes it more necessary to err on the side of a tighter band for me. So in that sense yes I suppose I'd say full cup/full coverage does allow a very secure feeling without such a tight band. Prima Donna (if you should choose to try it) also runs rather tight in the bands in many models anyway. Re: nonstretch material, yes, for this type of workhorse full-containment bra, they tend to use only thick, robust, nonstretch materials--even what looks delicate in photos (lace or embroidered tulle) is typically nonstretch and quite tough. Rive Gauche is the exception, I found the materials effectively did have stretch, so perhaps not the best bet for you.

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