The Dessous makes me angry. Every time I see it listed in my bras I get upset that it was such a terrible awful absurdly ridiculous fit.
I wanted to love this bra. I wanted to buy it in every color and feel sexy and comfy and fun every day. Alas, it was not to be. Here's the story...(there is a tl;dr at the end)

The Claudette Dessous had a revival a while back (a few months before I got this bra). 1)Loveclaudette.com opened up their encore shope so people could buy older season Dessous's at superb discounts (I'm talking $10-20 for a brand new bra). 2) Its sheer. Sheer=sexy 3) OMG delightfully awesome-time color selection! Neon green! Purple! Teal! Peachy pink! 3) *AND MOST IMPORTANTLY* People were raving about how this bra fit projected boobs despite being shallow.

See, I have projected boobies. I love me some unlined freya mostest, followed by EM SM models, then EM S, Comexim, and Cleo. I have a want-hate relationship with Freya deco and half-cups due to their shallowness. All Parfait gores gape on me for the same reason. So when I saw reviews stating that the Dessous worked for projected boobs, I wanted it. I desired it. I needed it.

When Devil May Care Lingerie went out of business, it was a sign. They had two Claudette Dessous left, both in 28G. Most other reviews strongly recommended sizing down in the band due to stretchiness, and either suggested keeping your regular cup volume or going up one cup. Since I usually wear a 30F/FF, the 28G seemed like it would be a dream come true.

It was all lies.

First, the band is stupid small. This model (peacock colorway) only stretched to 27 inches, and even stretching that far pulled the super soft wires way wide. Second, even when wearing with an extender, the wires were way, way way too wide. Like halfway to my back wide (I like EM narrow bras). Third, there is no immediate projection, so I got wrinkling/empty space at the bottom of the cups no matter how I adjusted. Fourth: The gore soft tacked at best. It mostly just floated a hair or two above my chest. Fifth: Quadboob + top of cup wrinkling. Probably due to my shorter roots and center-heavy shape. Taller roots or a fot shape might have filled out the top of the cup without the quadding. Sixth (just because I'm on a role here): wide set straps in my armpits. Not enough to chafe, but enough to annoy.

Needless to say, a terrible, terrible fit on me, and I wanted to love it so badly.

tl;dr: Does ***NOT*** work for projected boobs. My projected, narrow-rooted, center-heavy, short rooted, even/fob, firm-ish boobs made a mockery of this bra.

Peacock colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 07, 2016 Flag this

• Show all comments (7)
• 2

  Ugh, this is why I haven't taken the plunge yet on the great deals on the Encore site. Worse yet, it seems different colorways and different years ALL fit entirely differently. And I don't have enough experience with either the brand nor this model to know which years/colorways fit one way or another. From what I've read (which is admittedly not much), the older ones. way down the bottom of the Encore site, have the most narrow wires and are better for those needing projection.

• ginganinja you're absolutely right. Just looking at the pictures, some are tall, some are short, some measurements show just how stretchy they are, while the ones I tried definitely weren't.

  I got my mom a dessous (she's a 34DD, a little empty and pendulous, so needs more immediate projection than most matrix brands offer) and she loves it! It makes me want to try them again, but I'm afraid of disappointment again...

• 1

  Dessous is not my friend either. Has very little projection near the gore, not an option for centre full projected shapes. If the wire width worked, there was not enough projection, when I went up in cup size, the cups ended up under my armpits... And I've seen and touched much better quality mesh. Not impressed so far.

• 1

  I decided the other day I wasn't going to buy anymore Dessous bras. As much as I love the way they look (on their models), they don't work with my shape. Fwiw, the only 2 Dessous thst I've come across that have any sort of projection have been the peacoat longline and the lipgloss snakeskin. That's it. I actually had to size down (get my actual size) in the snakeskin. I wanted to try the American tan in 30f, but I'm not going to place any orders. (I would if the shipping was free)

• 1

  I've tried 3 different colors and two difference sizes.... Unfortunately it seems at least season to season there has been some changes. I found the American tan to work great for me and I'm relatively projected but I had a seafoam green that was way too shallow. I wish on here the measurements were broken up by color or year. I have a paramour now and it's a little too shallow but I like. But after it settles down I get w little quading especially closer to the gore. I'm not willing to try them for full price at all but I'm willing to swap for them or get them from somewhere with free returns.

• P.s. Some of the bands are stretchy compared to a Cleo but not necessarily to a Freya

• 2

  I think it's mostly how they change their fit like every freaking season that's really maddening. I just got a sandstone & navy Dessous in 28G off BTB - the band easily stretches to 30 and the cups are very narrow and projected. Once I alter the band I'll really like the bra. But I know It's a total crapshoot with Dessous and that's why I won't be trying any more of them.

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