Lately I have been intrigued by all things Charlotte, since I revisited the fit of my Wild Pink Charlotte Padded Bra in 28E and found it to be better than I remember. I was never interested in the stock photos of the Charlotte Balconette version, but I saw some real photos of this bra in Peach and really liked the vintage look.

(I'll refer to the Charlotte Padded Bras as the Plunge and the Charlotte Balconette Bra as the Balconette)

I wasn't sure whether or not to heed the warnings that this runs a bit small, so I stuck with my normal sister size of 30DD. In hindsight, I think the 30E will be a better fit, so I am trying to get my hands on the larger size to compare. Regardless, the 30DD is a pretty good fit all around--the band is firm, and the cups do enclose my breasts entirely while giving me a nice rounded shape. I can just tell that the wires are a little bit small, the cup depth is a little bit shallow, and the height is a little bit short. In the past, when I was used to seeing myself in much smaller bras (30C/D range), I would've thought the fit was absolutely perfect!

Charlotte Balconette is constructed as an underwired bandeau, similar to the B. Tempt'd Ciao Bella, or the Masquerade Antoinette. However, those bras are made from soft, flexible foam, and Charlotte's cups are much more structured as they are made from the same firm foam as the normal Charlotte Plunge. This gives the cups a much rounded, structured appearance even when it's not worn, almost like a molded foam cup. The upper edge is slightly closed off, but it is much shorter on the Balconette than on the Plunge. The cup width and wires are very similar between the two bras, but this is much shallower and has a shorter cup height. So if the bottom cup of the Plunge fits you but the cups are too tall, give this a try. If the Plunge fits you throughout, you may want to start by sizing up.

The construction of the cups on both bras is very similar, as they are both 3 piece cups with a 2 piece bottom. Fullness on this bra is pretty evenly balanced. The outer cups and cradle are made from satin, the upper edge is matte chiffon, and black seams run up the entire vertical length of the cup for a corset-like appearance. I did not notice the seams much under clothing. The straps on this bra are thankfully not particularly wide-set, and the picot-edged satin straps are attached to the outer third of the cup right above the outermost black seam detail by a large black bow. I really like this detail and I think it contributes to the bra's overall vintage look. The band is firm powermesh, and fits TTS. Unfortunately the straps are not detachable, because I think this could make a great strapless bra! Instead, the fully-adjustable straps taper to a standard leotard back, and there are no additional trims.

This is a super gorgeous bra and looks much better in person than it does in pictures. I also have a Red Charlotte Plunge in my possession and think this style would look great in Red as well. I am happy with the 30DD but would like to try sizing up to the 30E to see if I can get a better fit, but I may just end up keeping this one as it's always good to have some bras that are a little larger and a little smaller in your collection for size fluctuations.

Peach colorway

Updated on Jun 09, 2020 Flag this

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