It has been done!!

After happily discovering that a bra that I had spent a lot of money on that didn't fit last year now fits (wow so long), I wanted to see how much better I could make it! It was great to have a 3 part foam with lace bra, but I really disliked the wide gore and east-west wide shape. How could I get it to how an *actual* plunge fit? And how could I stop the stupid arm gap?? Well, the answer seed simple yet scary... Cut it open and alter it!! Gasp!!!

So... I did it! After lots of hesitation, I started by removing ... the bow and taking the center gore in. Then, I carefully seam ripped off the upper elastic and strap elastic, cut down and over the armpit edge by about half an inch, then sewed it back up. And... It worked!! I am SO happy with the results. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> No more arm gap! My breasts are actually pulled closer together! There is the tiny issue of the raw edges of the gore digging into my sternum, but only hurts slightly after 12+ hours of wear, otherwise a non issue. I've had MUCH worse in ready to wear bras *cough*Marcie*cough* after just a couple of hours, so it works.

Yes, technially there is still some empty space on the sides of my breast, like a quarter of an inch, but... It fits comfortably! And I like the silhouette under clothing. I could always try adding a narrower plunge underwire... I just bought some for bras I'm making myself... Hmmmm

Powermesh in wings is WEAK as mentioned in very original review, so it's already really slack. Causes a bit of upward drag of shoulder blades, but not too badly. On 2nd hook. Could add another layer of powermesh like I always talk about but never actually do... Haha. This might be my running alterations/project bra. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_razz.gif" alt=":P" /> For now, the bra makes me happy, so much in fact I MIGHT just order another...

Hopefully this is helpful by showing that YES, you CAN alter those nitpicky parts of your bras you wish were just a liiiittle bit different. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> Thanks for reading!
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Fuchsia colorway

This bra's measurements have been altered

Altered straps, Gore narrowing, brought in straps 1/2 inch

Updated on Dec 03, 2018 Flag this

I'm not sure how much this bra would have been if it weren't on sale, but the 10 pounds I bought it for was definitely worth it. It's a very high quality bra and I expect this to last a long time. If I could change anything about it I would have the cup height shortened a little, and the wires be a bit narrower. But other than that I think it's a perfect fit.

Updated on Jul 20, 2016 Flag this

This bikini has a lovely, retro style with light foam padding. It's fairly full coverage, and narrow with a lot of apex projection. I would prefer a lower coverage top. Quality of this seems lovely, and the band and cups are true to size.

Like many full-busted ladies, I’m on an eternal quest to find the perfect swimsu

http://thepetitecollegiate.com/2016/05/21/boux-avenue-south-pacific-bikini-re...

Updated on May 28, 2016 Flag this

PetiteCollegiate

3149 reputation

112 bras

I got this bra send as a mistake, I actually ordered a wired bra from a different brand. I have no idea what model it is but it’s certainly the worst supporting bra I’ve ever tried on and that includes other wireless bras and bralettes in multiple band sizes too large. The band is tight enough that is should at least give some support but no I pass the pencil test in it if I don’t tighten the straps. While there’s nothing wrong with passing the pencil test out of a bra I will never wear a bra in which I do. To me that means a terrible fit or a terrible bra. To top it off it’s the most uncomfortable bra I’ve ever worn so I’d love to cast this bra in the deepest pits of hell.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jun 07, 2021 Flag this

This top is wonderfully made (especially for the cheap price). It has graduated push-up padding and thus is very shallow on the bottom. It's not a great technical fit, but I still love the way it looks. Great bikini for cleavage, and the underwires make it supportive enough that I'm not afraid of a nip-slip. Band runs a size small.

Full review (and how to turn a bra bikini into a halter bikini) on the blog! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

I review the Boux Avenue Boca Raton Stripe bikini top. A classically nautical pu

http://thepetitecollegiate.com/2016/07/05/boux-avenue-boca-raton-bikini/

Updated on Jul 05, 2016 Flag this

PetiteCollegiate

3149 reputation

112 bras

I got this bra thanks to a kind user on r/abrathatfits. I live in the US, and the shipping quote from Boux Avenue was rather high(~10 GBP I think). Also, I couldn't use Paypal to make a purchase via email. Hopefully in the future Boux Avenue will expand to make international sales a bit easier!

The intense, deep-blue color is absolutely gorgeous. The band and the cups are overlayed with floral laces. The hooks and clasps are not painted blue. Seems to me they are just bare metals and I think deep blue and silvery color complement each other well.

The band is on the tighter side. I measure around ... 26" UB and the band is pretty much perfect. The interior of the band is mesh, and the other side is lace. It is a straight-back bra.

The cups are thinly padded with single vertical seam. It reminds me of Cleo Juna, and the size of the cup is comparable to Juna in 28D (Strawberry color). Chloe has slightly wider gore and shorter wires. The cups fit shallow breasts pretty well. Bottom of the cups are of average projection in my opinion. Not too shallow, not too projected. Little bits of laces sticking out at the top of the cups don't sit flat against my chest. They just hang loose and it can be slightly annoying, but the loose laces don't show up all that much anyway so I don't really care too much.

The wires are rather short and there's a significant amount of room in the wire channels towards the armpits. This could be good for someone who has problems underwires coming up too high near the armpit. There is also a set of sidebones, although they are not wired. Not sure what they are made of, but they are some sort of rigid yet flexible strips.

Overall I think this bra runs true to size in cups and a bit small in band. It fits shallow breasts pretty well. With short wires it would have less problem of poking underarms. I haven't worn this with really thin shirts, but with normal short sleeve t-shirts, only seams are slightly visible.
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Cobalt blue colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Feb 11, 2015 Flag this

Con: I didn't know that Boux Avenue makes very tight bands, at least the few I own until now are very tight.
So this is actually too tight for me, although I'm normally wearing 30 and 28 backs.
I'm wearing this bra with an enhancement thingy.
With BouxAvenue 32 backs work a lot better for me.


BUT: Nevertheless this bra deserves praise.
It's beautiful, the fabric is incredibly soft and delicate and it looks gorgeous.
The wires don't poke and it looks great on smaller breasts.
If you don't need very deep but wide cups, this bra might be perfect for you.

The side support provides a beautiful round shape.

I love it in spite of having to wear it with this enhancement thingy! (sry, English isn't my first language and I can't find the right term https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" /> )

denocte

http://www.kurvendiskussionen.at/node/91

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on May 11, 2012 Flag this

denocte

219 reputation

38 bras

Although normally I'm a 30D I ordered this bra in 32C because it wasn't available in 30D. Best thing that could have happened, the bands run very tight! (You may also have a look at my other BouxAvenue "Greta" in 30D Review)

This bra is even softer than Greta. It's lightly padded and provides a great round shape.

The band didn't stretch out and the wires aren't poking anywhere.

As I already mentioned with the "Greta" bra, the bras are perfect for us who need broad wires and a little side support to bring the girls to the center!


The only Con:
But this halfcup is really "half" - the areolas tend to have a sneak peek once in a while.

(German) Review on the Antoinette bra by BouxAvenue - Deutsche Rezension zum Antoinette

http://www.kurvendiskussionen.at/node/90

Updated on May 11, 2012 Flag this

denocte

219 reputation

38 bras

This is a lovely, satiny red bra with removable decorative straps. I haven't figured out if I like it with or without the straps yet. The cups on this bra seem to hit right between the shallow/projected divide. It fits me really well, though I do have a tiny gap right next to the gore on my smaller side (right side). The cups are seamed, with one seam up the middle of the cup and one horizontally across the upper third. This appears to give the cups some lift. The band runs just a little tight on this one. Not enough ... to need sizing up, but I will be wearing this with an extender until it stretches out a bit. The black lace overlay is pleated at the bottom of the cup and is somewhat loose as it's only tacked down in a couple of spots along the top edge of the lace. It doesn't move around a lot, but I would imagine it would be a problem under tighter shirts. The wires seem to be just slightly wide. I usually need wider wires and they are just barely wide enough for me.

The straps are elastic that is covered in a satin casing. They are very comfortable and luxurious, but the back adjustable part is fairly short. I didn't have a problem with it, but I'm also somewhat short from shoulder to band. I really like the keyhole design at the gore. The long black decorative strap ties in the middle of the keyhole and then ties onto the rings where the straps meet the top of the cups. The picture on the website shows the ends being tied behind the neck, but the straps are long enough to go back to the center gore again and then go up around the neck. I'm sure there are more ways to creatively tie this strap (it's just one long strap), but I haven't had a chance to experiment with it yet. The strap is not elastic at all and tended to roll or twist a little, especially close to attachment points. Getting everything to lay flat and straight took a little bit of work initially.

Fun design, good fit, and pretty comfortable to wear. I'm glad I took a chance on this one. For those wanting to order from Boux Avenue, just an FYI for customers outside of the UK. You have to call their customer service number and order over the phone using a credit card. They will not take PayPal for international customers and they charge a flat rate of 10 pounds sterling for shipping. I'm in the U.S. and it took almost 3 weeks to get my order.
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Red Mix colorway

Updated on Oct 17, 2015 Flag this

This makes my chest feel like it's in a torture cage from the dark ages. The design is gorgeous, sure, but it's far too wide at the top for my narrow shoulders and the straps are nowhere near short enough. I feel like this was made for someone with a torso larger in breadth and height than my own. Annoyingly, this was one I was "fitted" into in the shop and the fitter insisted that it was fine (although she was fairly exasperated after putting me in at least 10 different bras, none of which fitted at all).

Updated on Sep 12, 2014 Flag this

Don't get it unless you're 100% willing to cope with a bit of minor irritance. For a medium/cheap bra, it's not bad. It's not amazing, but it won't make me tell everyone not to get it. Unless you dislike my cons, of course.

Band is true, cup is true

PRO
Decorative ribbon strap to cup attachment is a lot comfier than just a plain strap to cup attachment (pictures will be provided!)
Pretty lace in a modern way.
Firm, not flimsy cup padding.

CON
Support seam on the side of the bra rolls a bit, it never lies flat.
Decorative bow hides a hideous melted end of a strap that's sewn to these two ribbons. And this digs in. A lot. I'm quite tempted to take a pair of scissors to it, see if that would solve my problem.

THE REST
Apart from the cons, it's actually pretty comfy. Those darn cons brought down my comfort rating. It's probably considered a wide set bra, which suits me perfectly.

Updated on Jan 17, 2013 Flag this

Boux Avenue does not clearly advertise that the padding that is standard for this style bra is removed for FF and G cups - I believe F has it - and the shop assistants seemed unaware of it. Basically the smaller cup sizes have removeable inserts that sit in pockets in the sides of the bra, but for FF and G the option to have them or not is taken. It's not just that they don't come with inserts, it's that the pocket the inserts go inside of is completely removed.

I found this really annoying since it's one of their selling points that the padding helps bring breasts ... more towards the middle, which is exactly what I wanted, because I'm quite wide set. Not everyone FF-G hates padding (and not everyone below FF likes it also but at least they can just take it out in this bra). It also annoys me because I reckon this choice was made under the assumption that all FF-G cup wearers have very large breasts.

I feel like a comprimise would be to include the pockets on all sizes and then have the inserts sold separate, because I equally imagine someone who doesn't not want to use the inserts wouldn't appreciate accumulating a bunch over time.

Other than the grumpiness splurged above, I found the bra fairly comfortable althought the wires poke into my sternum a bit. Like I know I'm wearing it but it doesn't cause major discomfort.
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Updated on Jan 07, 2022 Flag this

I like the side profile, but don't buy this one secondhand. The person I bought it from listed it as NWOT and it definitely wasn't, haha.

This bra's measurements have been altered

I got it secondhand and the seller lied about the condition. It was a bit stretched and the washing label was unreadable.

Updated on Nov 05, 2020 Flag this

This bra runs very small. The brand Boux Avenue does tend to run small, in my experience, but this bra, the 30E - Boux Avenue » Phoebe Balconette Bra (101639) is just ridiculous. I have always experienced bras with a lot of padding being too small for me in the cups even when I go several cup sizes up but this bra is way too small everywhere, except the straps. Well it is a halter so its not exactly straps but the halter neck part is too long and the neck doesn't tighten small enough. It is a very cute bra, just definitely much smaller than what it says it is.

Pink Mix colorway

Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this

It's a cute bra. I really wanted this bra to fit me. I scooped and scooped & it's just not the right shape for me. The band is tight which is great since my UB is 25-26.

Lemon colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 25, 2018 Flag this

Edit: I overlapped the wire channels for the first/top inch of the gore and now the cups can hold all tissue and this bra fits close enough to perfectly.

Gore toooo wide for me
Band is nice and snug, is mesh and lace, has side boning
Cups moderately projected and open on top
Three part, t-seam cups
Thin (relatively) straps
Wires are FIRM.
Fits me except for the gore but that area looks easy to alter.
The pink colour and lace and total appearance looks soft and pretty

Light pink colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Sep 17, 2017 Flag this

Cups are too small. They give me quad boob and armpit fat. Band is very snug - a true 28. They dont make 28F. Material is kind of rough and itchy.

Updated on Apr 19, 2017 Flag this

I made an in-depth review of this bra on my blog https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

Fit of the bra:

Average projection overall, not much immediate depth. Not much room for centre fullness, and the cups are very open on top. Band is slightly on the snug side.
The strap attachment isn't well sewn so be wary if you need lots of support!

Quality: Materials seem quite cheap (love the metal hardware, though!) but not unsupportive. Lace is pretty scratchy, but bra otherwise comfortable.

Overall the fit was too poor and the straps too flimsy for me to keep.

http://hugsforyourjugs.blogspot.com/2016/08/boux-avenue-chloe-bra-and-shorts-...

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Aug 09, 2016 Flag this

hugsforyourjugs

317 reputation

10 bras

Pros: Beautiful bra, superb quality, great shape, excellent cup fit (although it's a bit too wide, it works? because I'm not 100% sure where my breast tissue ends) and the minimal padding gives SUCH good soft cleavage. A hit with the other half.

Cons: Band was too tight, considered wearing it with an extender, then for fun I decided to see if I could stretch it a little. It worked and now I can do it up, though it's still a bit tight. If you like your bras a bit looser, best to sister size up a band size in this one, and possibly in other Boux bras.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Oct 03, 2015 Flag this

This bra runs SO tight. Normally at a 30F/FF I couldn't even close the 30 band in this. I feel like this 32F was still a bit tight. The bra is beautiful though... just sized in an unusual way. Gave a nice shape but I could have perhaps gone up a cup size. I think a 32FF would have worked better.

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 02, 2015 Flag this