Narrow wire heaven! Both the Paramour and Dessous have THE narrowest wires I've ever encountered! This is awesome for me since my roots are vv narrow and bras always seem to have far too wide wires, encasing my ribs and back. The fabric that makes up most of the cups is super silky and soft, and the stretch mesh is equally soft https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

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Updated on Apr 07, 2015 Flag this

Why yes, I bought another Claudette Paramour. After the miserable failures that were the Gossard Glossies Moulded Bra (6271) and the Parfait By Affinitas Kelly Wire Bra (6702) , I'm so glad I did. It reinstated my faith in humanity and bra manufacturers. I'm convinced that this bra (at least for me) is the best bra on planet earth. It's got non-stretch lower segments in the cups and stretch mesh for the top section - ergo, supportive, and no gaping or quad-boobing at the top thanks to the stretch. Everything about it is comfortable. This is the ... second season this bra has been out (I bought last season's in black and garnet) and I do believe they've made some minor adjustments for the better. The shape is a tad more rounded than last season, and they tweaked the way the fabric is sewn together on the cups (last season's satin fabric shifts around a bit on top of the inner lining of the cup, whereas this season they seem to be sewn together and so give a smoother finish.)

I'm so glad that this springs colorways are light - my main complaint with the black and garnet was that they are my go-to bras, yet I can't wear them under light colored shirts. What was I supposed to do without my beloved Paramour? But now I have it in the seafoam colorway (which features navy blue accents on the bow, straps, and elastic) and now I can seriously wear it under anything. I'm also considering nabbing the light pink as well. Because, at this point, I'm basically fazing out all my other bras and stocking up on Paramours.
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Updated on Jul 25, 2013 Flag this

Gah, where to begin with this bra?

It is a very pretty bra with 3-part cups made of satin and mesh. The lower, satin part is not stretchy at all. The upper, mesh part, is very very very very stretchy.
The change in tension between the two makes for the worst in cup quadding yet for me. The band (which is made of the same mesh as cups, so very stretchy) runs loose, and the gore tacks perfectly on me. That's really all I can say in regards to how it fits on me.

Otherwise, the quality of the bra is superb, it has a lot of projection, very narrow and comfortable wires. The wires join at the gore which is fairly low compared to some other bras I've tried.

The garnet colourway is amazing.

Unfortunately, this bra is not a friend of very soft tissue like mine. I imagine on someone with firm tissue it would work very very well.

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Updated on Oct 10, 2018 Flag this

I have waited far too long to write this review. It's a lovely bra with a nice shape, good support and is very forgiving of fit issues and asymmetry. It's also really comfortable. So sad that Claudette is discontinued.....I wish they weren't... Thankfully another user was selling this. It is a size larger than I typically would buy, but I said to myself "Why not? They're DC'd and it may be my only chance to to get it!"
The straps on this bra feel softer than most "elastic" based straps. They're fully adjustable. They also have the annoying 'loop-de-loop' detail on the sides of the straps that ... I find annoying and unnecessary. It's not visible unless you're looking at it close up!!!! They are average width about a half and inch. I don't think they would be very aesthetically pleasing if they were much thicker.
This is a Claudette bra so the band is on the tight side for a 30 band. This is great for me since I require a 28 band. This bra was pre-owned so it's stretcher than a brand new one. 29" stretched band is still firm for a 30 band. So, I wear it on the tightest hook. Though I think it still has a good bit of life left in that elastic, Claudette always uses really firm high quality elastic. It's a bit thinner than I prefer, but it's plush and doesn't dig in in an unsightly way. Unlike Claudette Dessous, the mesh used on this bra band is soft and smooth. I do not believe it is power mesh, which explains why it is not quite as firm as other Claudette bras.
The wires are touching at the top of the gore and doesn't get too much wider towards the base of the gore. This is nice for me as pretty much all gore wires sit on my breast tissue. It still does with bra, but not as bad as some. Thankfully I am not very full there; so it is not very noticeable. As with all Claudette bra gores and my sternum, they dig in some. There is always a bit of room in the wire channel on Claudette bras; so I can push the wires down from the gore towards the outside of the cup. If it continues to bother me I can simply bend the wires away from sternum some. The wires are very firm, much like Panache/Cleo wires. This makes the bra very stable but can be uncomfortable for some. They are a bit wide for me. But due to how tall the wires are at the sides and the full coverage of the cups, this prevents my breasts from trying to escape after scooping and swooping.
Now onto the cups. This is a VERY full coverage, three piece cup. They're not lined and not padded. It appears to be one layer of a polyester-esque fabric that is smooth and comfortable against the breast. The fabric has little to no stretch and is thick enough to prevent most head lights from showing. The third, top section of the cup is made of what appears to be the same mesh that is used on the band. It is quite stretchy. Some of this stretchy-ness is reigned in by a strip of elastic following the outer line of the cup. This could dig into women with tall roots depending on how the cup happens to fit you. The elastic strip ensures a smooth line between my breast and the cup, even though the cups are in fact too big for me. As you can see in the pictures I have some wrinkling at the top of the cups, mostly on the mesh part. This bra would work very well for women with even full breasts. When I wear this bra under clothes, even tight clothes, the wrinkling is not noticeable.
The general shape of this bras cup is full and forgiving. I could see women with a lot of immediate projection not fitting this bra very well. It is a bit shallow at the wire. I think this bit of shallowness is supposed to lift and round the breast, which it does do. No pointy boobies here! And I have breasts that a bit conical with pointy nipples. Depending on how this bra ends up sitting on your breasts, FOT women may not get along well with this bra because of the elastic edging. All in all I think this bra could work for a wide variety of women with the fully encapsulating cups that give just enough lift and shape. I love the color too. Gorgeous.

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Updated on Jan 20, 2018 Flag this

i really like this bra! the color is a gorgeous deep wine red, the materials are comfortable (mesh and something silky feeling), and its very, *very* close to fitting. i would say its probably the closest fit ive found yet. and to top it off, i got in on sale on the claudette website with matching (also comfy) panties! ive had it for a little while now, but ive only worn in about 3 or 4 times.

i love that the straps arent too wide, finally! the band fit on the first hook right away, though they stretch quickly due to the thin mesh material its made of, and ... i not think the second hook is probably better. currently, on the first hook i can fit a fist underneath, but the band doesnt ride up, so im still good. the back is U shaped, and the band has 3 glorious hooks. the wires feel nice and narrow, though a little bit short on the underarms. ive marked them as fine however, because its honestly a tiny quibble and i want this bra as 'Fits' for recommendations.

for most bras, i shove the wires from the gore down (where theyre usually too tall and wide) so that they are taller in the underarms, and then its fine. for this bra, the gore area doesnt feel too wide or too tall, but i shove the wires anyway to get more armpit coverage. all that seems to happen is that i lose a little bit of lift, but eh. i generally quad towards the center of my breasts anyway (i think im center-full) so im not hugely concerned with not having the gore there because it would probably eventually irritate me. if i was any good at sewing, i would see about taking in the gore so that empty space went away, but the mesh makes me nervous.

i do get a little bit of wrinkling in the upper part of the ups, near the straps, and the mesh section feels like its a bit looser than its meant to be. given that i have very little upper fullness, im not surprised, and because the cups is stretchy i dont get any gaping so its not visible under shirts. i think it does mean i fill the cups out less, so my shape is much more of a natural tear drop than a round one, and i have some definite bounce while wearing this. that issue is one of the reasons i say this isnt perfect for me- i would like to feel more secure in the cups and more lifted. i dont think sizing down would help, because its more a shape issue than a size issue. i get this in nearly every 3 piece cup, and this one only works because of the stretch mesh. if it were another bra, like a freya 3 piece, i get a lot of cutting in along the top edge and huge empty space in the upper half of the cup.

my main issue is that it is *very* clear where my nipples are in this bra. i imagine some of that is because my apex isnt where the bra wants it, so my nipple is right at the seam between the mesh and the silk half, where it shifts around a bit (not irritating, but does make it a bit...peaky during wear). combined with the soft cup of this bra (not padded like freya half cups im used to), and it makes it where im not completely comfortable wearing this with a thin t shirt.

all that being said, this bra is hella comfy, and i probably going to get some more! now if only they made it in a nude...

UPDATE 4/18/17: this is a work bra for me now (aka an 'i dont mind if it gets ruined' bra). the band stretched pretty fast, so even on the tightest hooks it rides up a little after a few hours of work. it now measures 29 flat and easily stretches to 36. the material doesnt really hold me down much, so not a whole lot of support, and the too short wires at the side means some tissue escapes as the day goes on too. its not bad for work, since i moving around a lot and i dont mind readjusting or really care about shape, but i dont chose it when i want to go out or care about my appearance.
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Garnet colorway

Updated on Apr 18, 2017 Flag this

I really wanted to love this bra. I like it but it doesn't have enough immediate projection. Looks lovely when I first put it on but over the course of a half hour or so the wires are pushed down approximately a little more than a finger's width of empty fabric and I go from bubbling in the inner quadrant to quadding on the top and the band riding up slightly in the back. Wearing it on the second set of hooks helps stabilize the band and keeps the wires from sliding down quite as far. Surprisingly the Garnett almost acts as a nude under ... a lot of my shirts. The black trim can be a give away though. I bought two recently since the shipping was the same from encore and I'd read so many good things about them. Dessous is a pretty decent fit for me too but I don't find them comfortable enough to wear all day. I get in cup bubbling and on top as quadding as the day goes on. I'm wondering if there is any difference in projection between the colors. I've found there to be with Dessous. I think going up a size might be enough to get me the extra depth I need, but I'm concerned it might be too big then.

Adding update: I finally got around to trying the black one I bought at the same time- the depth is slightly deeper and it's enough that it fits well without quadding and slips down out of the imf considerably and noticeably less. It's still about the same amount too wide- unscientifically 1-1.5 fingers' worth which is about 3/4 of an inch.... Based on these measurements I do best in a bra for width around 4.5" but that is almost impossible to come by. I found the straps pretty scratchy at first but now they've soften after a couple wears
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Updated on May 03, 2016 Flag this

Im really surprised, as this one is sister size to 30E and there is big difference in the fitting between Paramour and Dessous. Theyre both closed on top, but this one fits almost perfect - minimal quadboobs but nothing major. The band is bit on the loose side - im closing in the middle and on the last hook with no problem. Wires very comfy, and material nice and soft. Also, i really like the dark red colour that looks very nice on my pale skin. would love to find fitting briefs!

dark red colorway

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Updated on Feb 16, 2016 Flag this

I really like this bra. The colour is very nice and the shape is nice and round. The top of the cup is much stretchier than my Claudette Dessous. The satin fabric looks wrinkly but the wires are in my IMF so there's nothing to be done about it. More coverage than the Dessous as well.

Updated on Feb 06, 2016 Flag this

Garnet color: This bra is stretchier in the cup mesh fabric than the black. The band is too big and I would need to size down. Softer and more luxurious than the Dessous, but a slightly more natural shape.

Updated on Apr 09, 2015 Flag this

Yes, I bought another Claudette Paramour. It is just SO COMFORTABLE. This time I went a cupsize up - in part for the variety in size (I fluctuate a lot with pms) and also because the red wasn't available in any other sizes! It is a really great color, more of a deep red than a bright one (they called it "garnet" - my birthstone!) and I love the black accents with the bow and straps. The wings and lower panels of the cups are a solid silky fabric that's very soft to the touch, and the top portion is a fine mesh, which ... is both sexy and super comfortable.

Let me sing the praises of this fit. I find that Claudette's wires are consistently pretty narrow, which is exactly what I need! After being so disappointed by other brands' wide wires and shallow cups, it's reassuring to know that some brands out there cater specifically to a narrow root and extra depth and projection. My only complaint with the fit, and it's very minor, is how high up the cup goes - I would definitely consider this a "full cup" style, not a demi or balconette. I don't have much fullness way up top by my collar bones, so there is a tiny bit of wrinkling. But, like I said, it's barely even a point against it since I love this bra in every other respect. Like the 32F, this bra has fully adjustable straps and a 3 hook closure in the back so the support is distributed very evenly across my back and there are no pressure spots.

I can't wait to get my hands on some of Claudette's newest bras!
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Updated on Apr 14, 2013 Flag this