Shape: round, projected, even, close set, on the narrow end of average root width.

I'm going to try a slightly different review format moving forward that highlights what I think are the most important fit characteristics of a particular bra right up front, so those skimming reviews will see the most relevant info first. Here goes!

THE TAKEAWAY: This is the t-shirt bra of my dreams, folks: a smooth silhouette under figure-hugging clothes WITHOUT the limitations (read: lack of immediate depth) of a molded cup. Want cakes on plate cleavage without going Polish? The Mimi excels for even to FoT shapes. It handles center fullness nicely, and the gore is ... not excessively wide or high. Wires run about average width. Band is stretchy. Consider sister sizing down for best fit.

DETAILS: In previous seasons, this bra came in not-so-appealing (to me) animal prints and I entirely dismissed it. With the AW16 rose print, I was willing to give it a shot - and I'm so glad I did! All of my bras are unlined, with the exception of the full-cup 30DD - Parfait By Affinitas » Charlotte Padded Bra (6901) , so this 3 part padded half cup is a brand new shape and experience for me. Um, IT'S AWESOME. Don't get me wrong, you will pry my perfectly fitting 28F - Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) from my cold, dead hands but having a nice, lightly padded bra to wear under t-shirts is a welcome change of pace. And did I mention the cakes on plate cleavage? I've yet to find a non-molded plunge that both fits AND gives me some cleavage (seems to be an either/or - I get NO cleavage with my unlined bras, and hella cleavage with my Cleo Neve, although it's wayyy too wide and shallow for me), but the Mimi fits the bill. It's not *crazy* cleavage, but it's there, and is a nice complement for v-neck tops.

This is a keeper. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that they're moving away from the animal prints moving forward - the blue polka dot print for SS17 is also cute and very wearable. If only they made this in a selection of nude tones, this could legitimately be a holy grail bra for a lot of people - I feel like it could sell like hotcakes, especially in the US, where unlined bras are not the first choice for most.
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Rose print colorway

Updated on Oct 25, 2016 Flag this

When I first heard about this bra, I was excited! Cleo finally did a padded, two-seamed halfcup again. Its cut is similar to the famous Masquerade Georgiana (5471) which is an awesome bra that fits well on so many different boob shapes.

So, let's compare these two.
First of all, it's noticable that Mimi has slightly more cup height than Georgiana. So, while Georgiana ran half a cup smaller for most, Mimi is true to size with regard to the cups.
The rest of the cup shape is nearly identical and also the wires are the same as the Georgiana's. (Side note: Mimi has exactly the same wire shape ... as used on the Cleo Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) type balconettes.)
The wires are as wide as the Cleo Juna Balconnet Bra (6461)'s but half an inch shorter at the center gore, and therefore less prone to digging into one's sternum. Excellent!

The band runs true to size, stretching to barely 30" in a 30 band. It is way tighter than the Cleo Juna's, and comparable to Cleos unpadded bras.

The cups are seamed, but the seams are flat and don't show through shirts. Also, I was delighted to notice that the top seam is completely visible under T-shirts. For me, Mimi totally works as a T-shirt bra.

It works even better than Cleo Maddie Moulded T-shirt Bra (7201) because the rim is not that pronounced and lays flat against the body.
Also, Mimi's cups offer more depth than Maddie and have more projection, in especially near the center gore. Mimi is noticably deeper than Maddie (but then Maddie is known to be a bra that runs *very* shallow and also smallish in the cups, so I'd consider Mimi average projected, comparable to Cleo Marcie).

Mimi's cups are kind of open on top, and can accomodate high roots quite well, but not as much that the rim would stick out under a T-shirt. (I have even fulness and this shape works for me. If you have more lower fulness or a teardrop shape, it might not work for you that well.)

I found the padding of the cups to be most similar to Masquerade halfcups (say, Georgiana or Masquerade Rhea (6121), Masquerade Angie Balconnet Bra (7171) or Masquerade Hestia (4541)). It's not as thick as the Maddie's or Cleo Juna's, but it feels more sturdy. It doesn't add much to your shape, but it keeps everything covered nicely.

Last but not least, some words about appearance.
Regular readers of my reviews know that I don't care much about how a bra *looks*, but how it *fits*.
Animal/leopard print is not everybody's cup of tea (I'm not thrilled about it either), but then Cleo currently only makes this shape in this kind of pattern, so considering that this bra is a very good fit on me, I can totally live with it.
I found the pattern to blend in surprisingly well under any type of dark clothing, and that's all I can ask for.

Last but not least, I tried this bra in 30E (my regular size) and 30F (because I suspected it would run as small as Georgiana), and since the cups are true to size, 30E fit me very well, but 30F was too big in all ways possible (wires, cup height and cup depth).

To sum up:
- True to size in the cups
- Firm/true to size band
- Same wires as Cleo Marcie and sister cuts
- Invisible under clothing, makes a great T-shirt bra for someone with even/upper fulness
- Average projection, in especially near the center gore
- Gives a very rounded, projected and centered shape
- Light padding
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orange animal colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 31, 2016 Flag this

Cleo Mimi is real surprise. It's narrower and more projected than usual half cups from British brands. However I would prefer full elastic straps and wider wings.
Read full review on my blog.

Polish half cup from UK

http://www.abracabra.cz/2017/01/cleo-mimi.html

Rose Print colorway

Updated on Jan 22, 2017 Flag this

AbracaBra

583 reputation

26 bras

My tl;dr review of the Cleo Mimi:

In one sentence: Mimi is a more projected sister version of the Masquerade Georgiana (5471).

(If you've never heard of Georgiana before - it is like a non-molded, two-seamed ancestor of the Cleo Maddie Moulded T-shirt Bra (7201) and it's very famous with people with wide root shallow boobs because it creates a super nice shape, fits many different shapes, and is very comfy).

So, this is no good news for people with very wide root shallow boobs, as they will probably not have enough immediate projection for Mimi, even if they found Juna or Georgiana a good fit.
But it's ... good news for everybody else.

I'm somewhere in the middle of the shallow - projected spectrum, and Mimi fits me super well. It fits very similar to CH and CHP shapes by Ewa Michalak. It creates a rounded, centered shape and it has just enough openness on top to accommodate my high roots as well (I wouldn't recommend it to people with much upper fulness (FoT) - Mimi requires some immediate projection at the bottom, and the cup rim might cut in on people who are very FoT).

Wire width is identical to Cleo Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831), but the wires don't dig into my ribcage, although the band is true to size and firm. They are slightly lower than the Cleo Juna Balconnet Bra (6461)'s. Very comfy.


(For a more detailed review, please refer to 30F - Cleo » Mimi (8091)).
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orange animal colorway

Updated on Aug 25, 2016 Flag this

This is a good projected bra that will work for an even to slightly Fot/ FoB shape!
I think this bra will work for many different shapes because its not heavily suited towards FoB or FoT shapes. It has good projection and some average immediate projection. I think the cups are a bit too tall for me (though I am not sure) because I have some gaping even though the bra isnt too big.
The design is very cute pretty and the bra is overall very comfortable. The quality is fine- its not comparable to polish bras but its still good. The wires are relatively narrow for UK standards. Straps are a little wide imo.

Updated on May 18, 2021 Flag this

A british 3 part half cup?! Sign me in! I used to look over Mimi but when it showed up for A/W 2016 dressing up in roses, I had to jump in! And boy, what a jump!

Full review here: http://www.myfashioninsiderblog.com/2016/10/lingerie-cleo-by-panache-mimi-autumn.html

If you've been following my Lingerie & Bra Fitting posts, it's probably n

http://www.myfashioninsiderblog.com/2016/10/lingerie-cleo-by-panache-mimi-aut...

rose print colorway

Updated on Oct 05, 2016 Flag this

Brallerina

1707 reputation

61 bras

This bra had been on my increasingly diminishing list of must-tries for months. My dream bra is a padded-to-molded balconette with minimal detailing or seams to show through shirts and ideally with narrowish (but not tall) wires. What few measurements were available on Bratabase seemed to confirm that this would be the case with Mimi. My pendulous, high-set boobs consistently strike out with Cleo's unlined bras (ugh, just awful, even the magical Lily that so many rave about). I got a pretty good fit with Neve, only the wires were wide too and the gore too low.

Sadly, I struck out again with this bra. I ordered a ... 32G because it was on sale even though my usual size is a 30G or 30GG depending on brand. 30G can run a little small in Cleo's molded options like Maddie (which is a total fail for me). This bra's measurements gave me the impression it would be rather shallow, so I would have thought my ideal size to be a 30GG. I'm not sure how accurate the measurements here are and will be adding mine soon. Since Cleo bands run tight for me, I figured 32G would be a fair option.

Keeping those size gymnastics in mind, this bra isn't right for me. While the wires are narrower than, say, a Freya half-cup, they are far too tall. Even though they don't really poke my armpits, they are very U-shaped. The cups are deep, not shallow like I thought. Fit wise, it seems like a cross between Cleo Juna Balconnet Bra (6461) and Cleo Maddie Moulded T-shirt Bra (7201) . It is more open on top than Maddie, but more molded than Juna, yet has the same U-shaped wires as Juna. Also like Juna, this bra only has partially adjustable straps, which is probably the only reason why it's not reaching my armpits: I can't fully get it into my IMF; at least not comfortably.

The main, glaring issue with this bra and why I will not be keeping it is that the cups are super tall. There is no place to measure cup height for Bratabase, but laying a soft tape measure from the top center edge of the cup along the curve of the cup to the base of the underwire channel (not including the band), this bra has 7" tall cups. At 5'1" with high-set and short roots, yet again I find myself wishing that I could order the "petite" version of this bra with a reduced cup height. Because of the tallness, I am literally getting a wall of bra that is empty at the top. My larger side does a little better. I am getting the most emptiness nearer to the gore. The cup is jutting out more there. This is also where my tissue wants to slide the more I wear it and move around. I am not sure if this is because it is probably 1/2 a cup size too big. A cup down might quad on the larger side. Because of this severe gaping, although the gore is quite tall, it doesn't support my breasts towards the center.

The gore: it is much taller than other balconettes I've tried, more like I would expect a true half-cup to have. I have a little space between my boobs so high gores don't really bother me, but the thickness of the underwires and channels in the center irritates my chest. It tacks hard at the top and floats at the bottom of the gore. I find it uncomfortable and would have had to bend it out if I'd kept it. I always get a little floating at the bottom due to a dip in my rib area, but never had a bra so uncomfortable at the top of the gore.

Band: I have to wear the 32G on the tightest hooks, so for this bra I would say the band runs TTS if not a little long. More like a Freya 32 than what I would have thought a Cleo 32 would be like.

Size: If I were to give his bra another chance, it would have to be in a 30G. But the cups being so tall and the partially adjustable straps pretty much rule it out, anyway. Now that I think about it, with all Cleo bras, lined and unlined, I am between a 30G and 30GG and the cups are always too tall. I may have to scratch this brand off of my list even though the styles are pretty cute.

Shape: As for the shape this bra gives, it is pretty true to the type of shape I think Cleo unlined bras give when they fit: more or less uplifted and central due to the narrower wires. There appears to be adequate immediate projection at the bottom of the cup, but not a whole lot. More than, say, 30G - Curvy Kate » Starlet Moulded Bra (CK2501) , and maybe a smidge more than 30G - Cleo » Maddie Moulded Balconnet T-shirt Bra (7091) , but less than a Cleo unlined.

Appearance: I cringed when I ordered it, but truth be told, I don't hate the leopard print. I like the minimal detail of the tiny scalloped edge and no other frilly bits. The material is soft and supple. The underwires are thick and hard, true to Cleo's usual, which I don't really like that much, but wouldn't be a deal breaker if they weren't the wrong shape/height/length.

Unless someone wants to gift me a Comexim this month, I will be waiting until next season's offerings come out to make any bra purchases. My to-try list is dwindling to next to nothing while my fail list grows. I'm so tired paying too much for bras that don't fit. My post office probably refers to me as the one who returns everything, and they wouldn't be wrong.

Bonus review note: This is the first bra I ordered from Amazon that didn't arrive damaged in the mail. They padded the cups out with paper. Maybe my complaints are having an effect?
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Dec 01, 2015 Flag this

letstalkaboutbras

1949 reputation

146 bras

I realize that this bra is discontinued but I just wanted to review how it fit for me. I snapped this up new at a great price so I thought I would try it.

This was close to working for me. The cups are narrow enough for me, immediate projection is good, and the gore is narrow too which works for me. The material is quite nice and this pattern is really pretty.

Sadly the cups are too tall for me. I get gapping at the top of the cups and the underwire digs into my armpits. The straps are too far apart for me too.
I wish I could get this altered but alas, I will be selling this. My ongoing search continues...

For reference, I believe I am FOB, short roots, centre full, narrow to average width

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jan 16, 2021 Flag this

My shape is low set, short and narrow rooted, soft.

This bra came to me from martka00 , so it has been worn before. It's still in great shape but the band is definitely too long for me, even on the tighest hooks. I tend to prefer bands that are about 28.5 stretched, but I was expecting that for this bra....so no surprizes really. The shape is rounded, and there is a fairly prominent lining along the cups upper edge that closes the top edge of the cup in next to the breast. It's not obvious under a shirt, but it may cut into tall breasts? ... Not sure...

The pattern is pretty cute (I prefer this pattern to the animal print anyways), and I got matching bottoms in size 10 UK. They fit perfectly, and my hips currently measure 91 cm up higher, and 98.5cm down lower around the biggest part of my bum.

The straps are only partially adjustable (not in front), and I have them fully extended here. The straps themselves are a bit thin and don't have a lot of give, so I find them pretty uncomfortable. I'm going to try this bra out, as I like the rounded shape it provides and I have no gaping, but the straps may be a deal braker for my sensitive neck/shoulder area, and especially with a band that is too big, I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle the pressure on my shoulders? Note that I am low set and have been wearing mostly 28FF, so this may not be a problem for a lot of people who need a 30" band and/or shorter straps.

Overall quality is good. The insides of the cups are soft cotton and outside is satiny, so hopefully no boob tents.
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191 more words

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Sep 30, 2020 Flag this

This bra is hard to review. Partly because I have wanted it for so long and partly because it’s not a great fit, despite the pictures. I’ve held off reviewing it for ages but I really want to get the pictures off my phone. Lol.

So this is one of the bras that I was always told that was narrow and projected like Polish bras. I must have a lemon. It’s 5.5” wide, which is not the end of the world, but I have a little bit of space between the wires and my roots. I could do with a 1/4” narrower. It’s also slipping out of my ... imf which is unusual. It does not look like it is shallow on me. Something about the fit is just weird.

My big breast fits fine but I’m getting empty space on the small side. I have not tried it with a top on to determine if it’s problematic or not yet, but I probably won’t, given the rest of the issues. Cup height seems ok but maybe a bit tall. But it’s got a bit of a closed edge, I think, so I don’t think I can go down a cup size. While I am comfortable with the loosest hooks, I get a better fit with the middle hooks. I’m not sure if I can get away with the 28 band. I think it’s dependent upon whether or not I am flaring or not.

So while the pictures look amazing, they are lying. I have tried the bra on several times, never removing the tags or putting clothes on overtop. I really love the look of this bra, and want so bad for it to work. I’m not sure if it’s worth trying a 30F in it.
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188 more words

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on May 01, 2020 Flag this