This was the first bra I ever bought that I really loved. I have bought 5 or more of these in various sizes and colors over the past six years. I was looking forward to getting this bra in my current size because I thought it fit me really well, but after trying it on I'm less than impressed! It still gives a nice shape and the band is very comfortable, but there is gaping on the underarm area I don't remember from before. I don't know if I'm getting better at finding bras that fit or if something is just off on this particular bra (Different from earlier colorways)? Either way, I'm much more pleased with the Cleo Skye I recently purchased and this one will have to be returned.
This bra fits me quite well. The band is TTS, so a smidge loose on me, but not too bad since the boning gives it stability. The cups are also TTS and a great fit for my short roots. The fabric on top wrinkles a tad, but not much.
I know some people have found the side wings to be annoyingly tall, but I didn't have an issue with them. I'm very low-set, though, so I may be the outlier, who knows. The color and the lace pattern are lovely.
Would you mind measuring this bra? I always trust your measurements and have been on the line about getting this beautiful long line.
LeProfessor my apologies, I forgot that I had a bunch of unmeasured bras on here. Measurements are up now. Nearly the same as for the cobalt colorway, much more consistent than some of Cleo's other bras. Also thanks for the compliment, I'm glad you find my measurements reliable :)
A good Cleo bra. Runs a bit loose in the band and a tiny bit big in the cups for a 30DD. I so wish it came in 28E, because it would fit me a lot better, but I can live with 30DD because it's so cute. The mesh is very soft and comfortable and the combination of the aqua and black is very attractive.
This bra is absolutely beautiful. The print is very vibrant. The structure of the longline is very comfortable. When I first got it it fit me well. For a molded bra it has a decent amount of space for projection and good lift, overall creates a nice rounded shape. However, it's pretty open on top, and my size or shape seems to have changed recently so now it gapes to much at the top for me. I also think it runs about a cup size large compared to other cleo/panache molded bras.
Old review: I am 26-27" UB -- 31" OB. I have shallow, even, and close breasts.
band is tight! The cups are also made of firm sturdy fabric so I get a supported, projected, centered, rounded shape. I fill the cups 98%. The 2% is looseness in the top portion of lacy bits.
**No longer fits after weight gain and increase in cup size.
About me: size 30FF/G or 32F/FF but most comfortable in 30G. Very projected, close set breasts with short and narrow roots. Even vertical fullness and center full. Best fitting bra is Cleo Lily in 30G.
After I got my 30G - Panache » Floris Balconnet Bra (7311) , another Marcie sister cut that ended up fitting pretty poorly, I was very worried about how the Pixie would fit. However, I can say that the Pixie is VERY different from Floris. My biggest problems with Floris were in cup quadding, the very stiff band, and the very long wire length. Pixie solves all of these problems, ...perhaps even a little too well!
Pixie has a very comfortable band that is snug but not to the extent where I need an extender. The wires are low and narrow, so while the gore goes into my tissue slightly on one side (like all non plunge bras) it actually lays flat. The wires are also short enough that I have no armpit poking. I have no quadding, but I actually have some slight wrinkling of the top mesh. I believe that this is caused by the straps being too wide for me, but I have very narrow shoulders so I have this problem with many bras, especially Cleo ones. The projection seems good, and this bra has very high lift.
It's not the perfect fit, but it's close and very comfortable. I also love the design and color of this bra, so in my eyes it's a keeper!
About me: size 30FF/G or 32F/FF but most comfortable in 30G. Very projected, close set breasts with short and narrow roots. Even vertical fullness and center full. Best fitting bra is Cleo Hettie in 30G.
I think that this is the one! I'm so sad that this bra is discontinued because it is my best fit yet! The gore is low enough that it actually tacks and only digs into my breast a little (I have this happen with pretty much anything that isn't a plunge, and my tissue is too soft and center full for plunges to really work on me). I don't have any quadding, ...and the cups give me a completely round and uplifted shape that reminds me of a grapefruit.
The only thing that I dislike about this bra is the color. The blue and pink are a just too cotton candy/bubblegum for me, so I'd like to dye this to a darker color if possible. I'm pretty young, but I've never been super girly (I prefer things that are more delicate and feminine) so this is just my preference. Read more 81 more words
Wonderful! You may fit Curvy Kate Daydreamer and Vegas, too. But, their aesthetics may not appeal either ;-) However, if you prefer narrower bands and narrower straps, Cleo is your brand.
Love4Pollinators Thanks for the recommendations! I've always had a problem with how CK bras look, but I actually like the Daydreamer a lot. I've been on the hunt for a yellow bra for a while now, so I'm hoping that one in my size will turn up.
http://bra.pe/MFv6/ Sometimes these models are confusing: Dreamcatcher comes in yellow, but Daydreaner does not....yet. Daydreamer has more center projection and narrower wires than Dreamcatcher.
Lily comes in difference prints too. There is a navy one with small parrots.
Bella and Ellis are very very similar shaped also to Lily
Love4Pollinators sorry, my reading comprehension is clearly not the best today. The daydreamer isn't too bad though. It's difficult to find bras like this, so I'll take what I can get.
revisa i actually just bought the parrot print lily and I'm waiting for it to arrive! I really like that print so I'm super excited. I have the Ellis in 32F and I like it, but it's a little too small so I'm trying to find a 32FF or 30G. I just got the Pixie (supposed to be similar to Ellis) in 30G today and I love it :) Is the Bella by Cleo?
Bella is by Cleo too. I'm trying to think which other ones I've tried that were very similar. My parrots lily has lasted forever
zygonsbzygons I have confused them several times myself and I cannot attribute the confusion to reading comprehension. ;-) The bra names cause identical "dream and sleep" associations which I have not yet rectified. Geez.
...It's really cute, but unfortunately it's just a bit too big. The cup size runs sort of large, and the gore is too wide compared to what I expected from a Cleo bra.There's some gapping at the top of the cup for me, but I ordered a cup size larger to accommodate the size difference because of my menstrual cycle. The underwires were somewhat tall. The fabric across the cups is sort of stiff, but might soften out over time. This bra has a sort of pointy shape too. The fabric wrinkled a bit as I couldn't quite fill it.
It looks like maybe the gore is pretty wide on this bra in general (1" is too wide for me!) and the wires a smidge wide for Cleo. That has been keeping me from trying it. I was also thinking about a 28F, but need a 9" cup depth...
Would you say it's more for full on bottom or full on top shapes?
letstalkaboutbras I may have measured incorrectly, but it's packaged in the bag again since I'm returning it back to Amazon. Yeah if that's the case then I'll have to go for others, cuz the space between my boobs when they're supported is quite small (smaller than not supported). Judging by the pictures I have it would fit FoB shapes more, I'm FoB and it fits me very well there. The wires were just generally too wide.
This bra in the dotted version is oddly difficult to find, even though it's fairly new. I like the rose print Mimi and so was keen to try the blue dotted one. I have one of each in the same size and they are not identical in pattern pieces. This blue dotted Mimi is definitely taller in the cups than the rose print one. Sadly though, that's as far as the difference goes. The blue Mimi doesn't hold any more volume. To me it seems to be smaller than it should be and as they don't make HH cups I can't try the next size up (I'm already one sister size up from my ideal). The rose Mimi, despite being a touch small, is comfortable to wear all day and hopefully this spotted one will be too, so I plan to keep it, but the size problem keeps it from being equal to the sadly discontinued flamingo print Darcy.
This bra is nothing fancy, and I like it. I have recently put on weight (I'm both currently unemployed and not the most active person) and as always, I needed a brand new bra to put me out of my quadboob misery. Cleo is my n°1 favorite brand, because it's the only one that gives me both good support, good shape and relative comfort (I mean: as much as a casual bra can be comfortable - not counting my other favorite sports bra by Panache) and not too much strap sliding because they didn't put them too far apart like other brands do (I'm looking at you Curvy Kate!).
I ...found this model online for a very attractive price, and the different fabric texture is a nice change from the normal smooth nylon-like one. The rest is as usual for a Cleo bra: it gives round shape, high-ish breasts, good support throughout the day (but some slight band chafing because I'm between sizes and don't know yet if I should close it at the 2nd or 3d hook), the fabric breaths well and is not irritating.
I like that they didn't go crazy with neon colors or patterns with this one, despite the still bright coral color. Someday maybe they'll make a bra in neutral colors for youngsters ? Maybe it's because I'm much closer to my thirties than my twenties that I feel the need for tamer (more tame?) lingerie https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
This is my first bra I've tried in my journey to find a bra that fits. I got size 28 D from the calculator, but this bra is way too tight in the band. Being new to bras, I can't really comment on much else, with one exception. This bra gives my breast a kind of strange shape - it pushes the tissue upwards, which gives a good, full look, but it leaves the sides of my boobs looking awkwardly flat. I will try to capture pictures of this. Otherwise it's a cute bra, I was really hoping it'd work for me, but I guess I'll have to try a band size up. About the band size: I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but this bra is a size 28D, however, the band's stretched maximum length is 27 inches. It sits at 22 inches un-stretched. I'm not sure if this is normal for a 28 band size, but I'm sure this contributes to why it feels so tight on me.
Did you ever figure out what caused that side flattening issue? I seem to get it more and more and I'm having trouble figuring it out. I thought it was lack of outer fullness causing it, but I have some bras with identical measurements that don't do it, so I don't know.
Cleo bras are known to have tighter bands then most. Most women feel that their new truly fitting bra feels tight, after all you have been wearing bras that have been 4 or more inches too big for you. Makes sense that the bra feels tight. Cleo bras also have projections and push the breast front and center of the chest. It does not look awkwardly flat on the side. It looks really nice. I would suggest trying a cup size up and see how that fits, a 28DD. Make sure you scoop and swoop your breasts into the cup. You are used to bras that push your breast tissue to the side of the body, which is why you think this one makes you look "flat", it's actually holding your breasts where they should be instead of flattening them to the sides. The bras band will also loosen up with wear and will stop feeling tight. Bras need to be broken in just like shoes and anything else. You also need to get used to the feeling of a firm, not loose, band.
After reading your your information, not just your review, I definitely think a 28DD will fix almost every problem you are having with the bra. Besides not being used to a truly fitting band, the cups beings too small is the number one reason why a band feels too tight. The cups are too short and the wires are too short and narrow, because the bra is too small.
this was my bra, a few transfers ago, and I had a similar shape issue with the cups, both in this one and the 30C. I think it might just be weird construction. the bra pushes all the breast tissue up and in, but leaves the outer sides looking weirdly smushed, especially right below the straps (even when they're loosened). It's hard to see from pictures but I know from my own experience that it looks much more bizarre and unnatural in person. It's definitely not just a matter of the cups having a projected shape. In my case, it looked like slight dents on the outsides of my boobs.
My shape: Projected, short rooted, even/functionally full on bottom, somewhat narrow, soft tissue.
I can't quite fill the tops of the cups, but I think a cup size down would be too small. The wires are too wide, and there doesn't seem to be enough immediate depth at the wire (or the emptiness there may be because the wires are too wide). Will be returning.
My shape: Projected, short rooted, even/functionally full on bottom, somewhat narrow, soft tissue.
I've been on a hunt for a Lily replacement (without stretch lace), and I've been curious about the Blake for a while. Unfortunately, because of the thinner/less rigid fabric, combined with my very soft tissue, I get in cup quad. If I had firmer tissue with a little more upper fullness, I think this bra would work better. Will be returning.
I've previously described my appreciation for the look and feel of the 32F - Cleo » Morgan Moulded Balconnet T-shirt Bra (9361) on my first try (too large). I stepped down from a 32F to a 30F and I LOVE IT! There is some quadding, but slight enough that I can live with it. Straps are a bit wider than perfect but I don't get any chafing. In my photos you can see that I had the band on the last set of hooks (and was spilling all over out the back). I don't know how it makes sense, but it now fits better (by feel/comfortably snug) on the first set (yay!). In the future perhaps I'll try an FF, but I don't think I have enough going on to go up an entire cup size.
Love the fit of this style bra. No other brands ever seem to have a center gore that lays flat. I have had a few of these, with care they can last more than a year. They do start out a bit stiff but a wash or two makes them comfy. I do wish they came in a few colors that were a bit less startling...for some reason, this particular one seems to cut into my pec muscles-adjusting the straps helps some with this. Have not had this difficulty with other Kali's, so do not know what the problem is....
I really like this bra and find it comfy. The back is very firm but doesnt dig in. I think it is quite shallow (althogh i am not good assessing such things). I get quite a bit of quad boob at the front and my breasts get squished together but i find it comfortable and very supportive anyway. Actually i know this probably sounds crazy but all my bras that i find most comfortable and supportive sit like this ie i seem to find them most comfortable when they are a fraction small and i get a bit of quad boob. For example the comexim and ewa bras are the same. I dont know if i am the only one who finds this? I sort of feel guilty admitting this as this site is to help find a true fit, and yet i am admitting that what i find most comfortable and most supportive are not perfect fits https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";)" />
Sincerely, I prefer the bra world when I was wearing a bra several sizes too small. A non-tacking gore is significantly more comfortable than the tacking gores that sit upon 1/3 of each breast because they don't have enough center projection. But, we each can tolerate some things and reject others. I'm just thankful you have comfortable bras :-)
Thanks for your comment. I am pleased i am not the only one :) I think the most important thing is just to find something that is comfortable. And what is comfortable for one person may not be comfortable for someone else.
Comfort is a key feature of fit. If you are more comfortable physically in bras that fit this way, it is because there is some other fit characteristic of the non-quadding bras that is NOT working, i.e. they're not actually a good fit. Can you describe in more detail what part of the bra or what aspect of fit is more comfortable in your slightly quadding bras?
Thanks wendybien. Well, i guess that the bras that fit this way i can put on and feel comfortable and not even think about or notice my bra all day! I am not playing with it, fidling with it, adjusting it. Wondering if i should make the straps tighter or looser to make it feel better or maybe put it on a tighter hook or looser or.... Ie this is what happens in other bras. But in Jude and other bras that fit like this, no :)
I guess they feel firm and my breasts feel supported. If i am running late for work and have to run a bit in these bras i could :) but in others, no....
I dont have a photo in jude. But here is a photo of me in another bra that fits similar (maybe in jude the quadding is worse, but this photo will still help illustrate). This is a 30e marks and spencer (although as it is a 30 i usually wear it on the middle or tightest hook) http://bra.pe/XTo7/pictures/ http:/bra.pe/XTo7/
And another example http:/bra.pe/XCDZ/
This one is a bit old, but shows the same thing. Infact i almost feel like the more quadding the more supportive and comfortable !!! A debenhams bra in 28ff http:/bra.pe/Xbh/
I then tried the larger size and found it uncomfortable and not as supportive http:/bra.pe/XBhy/
This one is a bit different because it isnt such a plunge shape but still there is quad boob. I didnt keep it but i remember it feeling really supportive so i keep thinking maybe i might buy it afterall http:/bra.pe/XVQ1/
And a previous experience with curvy kate (although this was a few years ago so i dont know if it would fit exactly the same now. And i think i heard that the fit/shape has recently been changed slightly??)
http:/bra.ra.pe/Xjm
I remember in the 28ff i thought it was supportive but too small. But then the 28g i no longer liked the shape, the look, wasnt as supportive http:/bra.pe/Xjn/
I recently tried some more curvy kate as i had heard that the shape of these were different and it seemed like it might actually fit.....but no. The quadding was fine but not as comfortable. You can see there is some wrinkling in the cup. This was a pretty good fit for me. Much closer to fitting than i usually find. But i know if i had kept it i would have been constantly adjusting the straps and fiddling to try and make it feel better. http:/bra.pe/XVQv/
Sorry for writing so much! But it would be amazing to figure out what could actually fit and be comfortable! As over the years i have bought and returned so many bras. Plus the draw full of bras i kept because it cost more to return than it was worth or i thought it almost fit or i liked it so i kept it even though it didnt fit etc etc. So a draw full of bras i dont like and dont wear. I am sure lots of people on this site relate to this ;)
ok so the feeling you describe is how a properly fitting bra should feel, so if your non-quadding bras do NOT provide that feeling of being secure and supported then they do not actually fit! Perhaps you've been wearing cups that are too large in overall volume? This can happen when someone has roots that are wider or taller than average, or is more projected than average, leading her to size up to a larger than optimal size to fit that one breast dimension that's greater than what bra cup designers had in mind. Other possible causes could be choosing cups that are too low-coverage to firmly support the entire breast mass, or a band that is too stretchy, too large or too thin.
Fits PERFECT! The band is not too snug and the cups are of ideal size and shape for me. Most importantly: it minimizes my unevenness. When I tried it on, I said to myself: "OMG, now I have to throw all my other bras away and get more Cleos of this size and cut!"
I believe Meg is a Lily-clone. Lily is discontinued now but you may still find it on Ebay (good luck, I can't find any 28 band Lilys anymore). I believe their replacement for this season is the Erin. Also, Tutti Rouge Nichole might be worth a look into if you can swing their shipping, although rumor has it the cups run big so maybe try a 28E.
Thx for the suggestions lcl0706 - was looking at e-bay the other day, missed a Lucy for a bargain price, thinking - oh I'll get it tomorrow... :( I like the Lily in agua/pink and probably will go for it.
This older Cleo model is beautifully detailed with gorgeous stitches on the fabric - but my first impression is that all this beautiful texture would never disappear under a shirt! It's much more textured than any of my other unlined bras. Unfortunately the fit is such a mess that I never got to evaluating how it will look under clothing.
This bra is slightly small for me, combined with a bit of a shape mismatch. Add my soft tissue to that and it turns into a disaster where each diagonal stitch is cutting into my tissue creating tiny bits of in-cup quad all over. The top seam barely cuts in, making the main problem all the tiny stitched details.
I would compare this bra possibly to Cleo Nyla, shape-wise. I think it is made for slightly more even shape and projection than bras like Marcie.
Skye was so much more comfortable for me, too. Thrilled you have her :-)