WHEN WILL I LEARN THAT CLEO DOESN'T WORK FOR ME!? Ugh!

My stats: 27H ish, narrow+projected, tall roots, 5'3", close set, moderately FOT average root placement, VERY SENSITIVE SKIN.

Look:
This is the most adorable and patriotic bra ever, lol. It's ridiculously cute and gives a good and round shape.

Fit:
This bra is so uncomfortable! The material is rough, making a nicely snug and supportive bra a torture device (for me at least)! The gore hurts so bad! The straps are similarly rough and scratchy, plus they're too wide set and dig in my armpits. The cups are pretty wide, as is the gore, when combined with the terrible fabric, this makes the perfect medieval torture device in sheep's clothing. The upper cup cuts in while the mid-upper cup gapes. This bra has immediate projection up the wazoo, so it would've been perfect for me if they just used a higher quality fabric.

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Updated on May 21, 2021 Flag this

This is one of the cutest bras I've ever seen. I love the way it looks and from a distance I love the way it looks on. It feels good when I first put it on too. Really supportive feeling without looking like a grandma. I've attempted to wear it 2 times other than just trying it on. It hurts me REALLY badly right on either side of my breast bone on both sides. I mean to the point that I cut up a piece of really soft thick fabric and folded it there to try to make it bearable to go ... out with my husband wearing it. It didn't last a few hours and even with that cushion there, I took it off in the car on the way home and not for anything exciting lol. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" /> I even wonder if it is something that could be fixed by bending the wires at all if the bra fits otherwise. I do have a sort of prominent breast bone, so maybe this just won't work for me.

As for the cups, they feel like they fit. But when I look at them I'm just not so sure. The bottom of the cups look they fit to my untrained eye and so does the very top edge of the cup made of lace lays perfectly. So the part that is a problem is the seam right where the lace meets the rest of the cup almost seems like the lace should have been sewn a little tighter. I THINK that my breasts are "even" shaped but I could be wrong. I've thought about taking that part apart and sewing the lace more flat, but the gore pain has stopped me. I don't want to mess with it if it is just that the bra doesn't fit or work for me because then it wouldn't work for me or anyone else.

I bought this new from eBay, so no return.

Pros: Looks precious, playful, and flirty
Sturdy and supportive.
Straps are wide enough that they feel good on the shoulders.

Cons: Lace doesn't seem to match the rest of the cup in width. Maybe it is just poor craftsmanship on this particular bra that I got and usually it doesn't do that. Maybe there is nothing wrong with the seam and it just doesn't work for my breast shape or size. It just doesn't seem to look right in that spot.

Gore is really painful on my breast bone. It doesn't dig in anywhere else but it is significant and too painful to wear as-is.

The actual body of the cup has a sort of see through fine mesh material that overlays the cup the materials hate really is the cup and touches your breast. This material is loose and causes small wrinkles on mine when it is we worn and makes it look like the cup is wrinkled but it is only the lace on top. The cup itself under the lace is smoothe.

The wires MIGHT be a little too wide for me under the arm. It isn't uncomfortable and I didn't know until I took photos, but it looks like it is made for breasts that have more "meat" up under the arm than I do. It is weird because if I just touch my bare breast to see where it ends, I can feel it all the way to the middle of my armpit. Not in the pit, but in line with the middle of it if that makes sense.

This is one of the cutest bras I've ever seen.

I bought this new from eBay, so no return. I didn't feel like the fit was perfect when I tried it on, so since it was brand new I put it for sale on my local Craigslist for the price I paid total, hoping to avoid the hassle of shipping. It was the most bizarre experience of my bra life. The ad was flagged and removed and I asked why and was told that I was not really a woman selling a bra because a woman would know that a 28GG doesn't exist and that any bra would be measured using the metric system. AND this was a complaint by another woman. I finally convinced them I was a woman and it was a real bra so they stopped flagging it. That is when I got 2 different requests from men asking me to take photos in the bra and finishing the request off by saying, "I promis I'm not creepy." Um ok. Needless to say I decided to just try to make the bra work because trying to sell it drew out the crazies and I didn't want to go there anymore. Note to self: Never ever ever try to sell a bra on Craigslist again.
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Updated on Jan 11, 2015 Flag this

Pros:
-The length of the underwire worked really well for me. It didn't dig into my armpit despite how far back it is. I'm really surprised I actually like how wide this cup is on me. It makes me feel more secure. However, it does create a problem with the straps also being way too wide set for me. By a lot.
-The projection is great for my chest
-The gore height works really well for me which is odd because my Curvy Kate Daydreamer felt too high despite being shorter than this one.
-This band fits very comfortably even without an extender. I wore it all day without issue. I still balloon out ... as I do with all my bands because I got significant squish but it's not cutting off circulation.
-The bottom of this bra is very accommodating of my slightly FoB rounded chest
-Fabric is SO SOFT, it's really nice.
-Bottom cup comes up high enough to actually encase my nipples

Cons:
-Cup runs big . It fits me quite well on bottom but on top I get a bit of gaping. When my breasts swell it fills out though so it'd be a great period bra.
-Very wide set for me. I think with a minor dart and narrowing the center underwire channels, this will fit better
-My breasts go in two different directions the cups are so wide set. The edges of my breasts are wider than my ribcage when facing straight on. While I do have splayed breasts, this exaggerates the problem
-While the projection is wonderful, it almost comes off pointy coupled with how far set these cups are
-Gaping at the top where the lace is. I'm relatively even in fullness but I can't fill the top of this cup. But it's not uncomfortable and DOES fit well around my larger breast (I'm slightly uneven)
-The cut of the cup leading under the armpit is a little low in my opinion. I need better side support with how I squish but it's not uncomfortable
-The straps are WAY too wide-set for me. If I don't pull them in toward my neck (which gives more pressure and harms the support the straps offer the cup) they fall off my shoulders. I never considered I had narrow shoulders, but I am small in stature. Like, the straps go partially UNDER my armpit, it's just that wide set.
-I feel that this cup doesn't support me as well as I'd like. I think that's less the fault of the cup and more a fault of the wideness of the underwire and the fact I can't get proper lift with the straps due to their placement. On models this strap placement seems less balconette and more standard but on me it's wider than even a balconette strap placement would be.
-The straps are REALLY hard to adjust. I mean it means they'll stay in place but you have to risk hurting your nails to get the buckle slider to even move along the straps.


Fit Neutral/be aware:
-Short straps. They still work for me being only 5 ft tall but I think a taller person would struggle with the strap length.
-The separation of the breasts is quite extreme in this and coupled with the great projection..it can look odd under clothing. I dress very modestly with clothing that hangs off the body and if I didn't also wear a scarf covering my chest, my clothing would very prominently display the shape of my breasts in a way I would not enjoy. I can imagine for those who wear tighter clothing that could help push the breasts together more, this could look quite lovely.

My chest for reference: 28H is standard for me. I have settled borderline pendulous breasts with forward facing nipples. (When supported, my boob fat settles which can cause my upper breast to slightly deflate). Slightly FoB but relatively even in fullness. Slightly lower set breasts, wide roots (breat tissue starts under armpit). Splayed breasts slightly close set (nipped do not point in opposite directions, they are still front facing on my breasts due to the excess breast issue on the outer sides). High central and immediate projection when supported. Very squishy ribcage. Narrow shoulders. Barely 5'1" height.

This bra is by far the most comfortable I've tried in spite of the minor gore and strap issues. I plan to base more of my purchases based on the measurements of this bra given how comfortable it is in spite of the minor issues mentioned.
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Updated on Jun 28, 2020 Flag this

In my quest for a girly pink bra, I happened to come across the Cleo Marcie. I liked that the cups were unlined and the lace was strong while still being soft on my sensitive skin. Straps were not an issue in terms of length and comfort. The gore is a bit high for me and it does dig into my sternum and boob cleave, but I'm ok with that as long as I'm only wearing this bra for a few hours at work anyway. The only thing I'd like to see change is for more hooks in the back.

I bought this in both 28GG and 28H. In comparing the two, I found that the main difference was that the 28H cup was a bit deeper and wire length slightly longer. This made for better coverage on the sides of the bigger size. Furthermore, the band on the 28GG did measure bigger than the 28H, for some reason, but it was reason enough for me to finally decide to return the 28GG.

Candy pink colorway

Updated on Aug 11, 2014 Flag this

I love this bra - it feels snug but comfortable and it looks amazing.

I find the underwires are a little wide and travel towards my back and the cup is a little on the generous size: but not enough that I would drop down a cup size. I'm wearing a 28GG in this bra and I seem to be very consistently that size across all the Cleo range.

The straps are also quite wide set and I find this very flattering.

Did I mention this bra looks amazing?

I struggle with the Cleo panties range and have yet to buy a pair (I tend to find crotch length is too long in nearly everything except a hipster or boyleg style) but I was able to find a great match to the near opaque red mesh of the bra at my local Target. What a great set in red.

Highly recommend.

Updated on Dec 01, 2012 Flag this

The cups on this one are oddly large. But if that weren't the case, I think I might like it a lot. I think I'll try the next size down in this one if I can find it.

Nude colorway

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Updated on Jan 17, 2019 Flag this

The bra sometimes has a little gaping at the top, but during the times of month when I'm fuller the cups are completely filled. The placement of the straps seems to flatten my boobs on the side, pushing everything towards the center. This can look kind of awkward. The shape is not completely round but kind of flattened. Like a pushed against a wall effect. The band is also a tad loose on me and it did stretch out quickly (I'm wearing it on the tightest hooks almost everyday after about a month), but I'm closer to a 26 and I prefer very tight bands to help support ... my breasts. It could also be that I wear this bra everyday because it is the only one I have that fits me well (I've ordered two more, a Cleo Neve and a Tutti Rouge Betty both in 28GG, so we'll see how those go). The polka dots and lace are visible under very clingy fabrics and sometimes you can see a little nipple, which I guess is to be expected.

Other than those slight issues, the bra is great! It's extremely comfortable once it's broken in. But beware, this did have a break in time for me. When I first got it the gore poked me and left little blisters. That was probably a combination of me not being used to higher gores and that the bra was brand new. But now I LOVE my Marcie! The fabric is not itchy, nothing is poking, nothing is gaping, nothing is digging in, and only slight ride up. It's wonderful to have a bra that fits!
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Updated on Jul 04, 2014 Flag this

First time with a "correctly" sized bra, still not quite correct though, I think. The band is very tight, leaves red marks around my torso after a short time wearing it, but the fit is not uncomfortable. My main problem with this bra is that the straps rub too much in front of my arms. Not sure if that means I need to go up a cup size or just try a different style. Even with scoop and swoop, I still have "rolls" outside the straps. Cups are comfortable but lace shows through a t-shirt.

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Updated on Jan 14, 2014 Flag this

My favorite bra so far. I do have the in-cup quadboob thing going on, but I guess this is normal?? It doesn't seem to compromise the fit/support any.

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Updated on Nov 12, 2013 Flag this

This bra fits wonderfully when I'm in a luteal phase because my breasts swell and become much rounder. The rest of the month there's a little gaping on top due to my (conical?) shape. The wire is about an inch too wide, but I like that the high wings encapsulate all of the side/armpit tissue. Due to the color/seams/lace, I can't wear this one as much because it easily shows under most outfits. The gore is too high and/or wide at the top so it sits on breast tissue in the center. The band rides up a little, but I can't decide if it's too loose or my ribcage/posture is too slouched.

Updated on Jul 20, 2013 Flag this