First impressions. I suspected this would run smaller like it's sibling cuts in other associated brands and stand vindicated. Going over a bunch of recently outgrown bras, I overlapped Jasmine and this replacement Alexis, hung them together in front of a bright window yesterday with the cup seams matched up- there is nearly no difference in their pattern shape at all. 30J Alexis (equal to 28JJ) is 1 size taller than my 28HH Jasmines, and an entire 1"-1.5" deeper which adjusting jasmine up 2 cups, should make it run a half a cup to a whole size larger than Jasmine while sitting lower. Mostly this ...cup space is somewhere in Alexis' outer 2 panels. It doesn't look as evenly full in shape as Jasmine, since the side control causes the cups to tilt inward to increase inner depth- jasmine didn't pull that one me (other head trips yes but not this one). What Alexis has that Jasmine & Chi Chi hasn't... is decently low necklines (or any necklines when one is high set or very short torsoe'd). Yay. So what does it do?
Day 1 wear. Totally in love with the height of the mini gore and plunge-balconette hybrid fit, holds everything in with some breathing room. Best of both worlds. There is a true stabilizing wing between the band and cups! At nearly 5.5" it is a tall wing, so naturally the wire feels oversized here albeit not digging at all which I'm chalking up to the band fitting me looser at 28.5" on the tightest hook. I'm highset and most of my breast is somewhere between my sides (very narrow over there) and just to the front of my shoulder (very wide upper body here) so a high enough wing to support- but not so high that it's forcing me to run around with my arms raised all day, is a big deal. I'm not mad at this strap placement. It could be better for petites; different attachment point to cup, some j hooks, a way shorter upper side panel, better angle, etc. The straps are cute but feel cheaper compared to those on my 30H Cleo Kayla. Not swimsuit cheap but not as good as Cleo's done in the past. Personally I'm finding the armscye and strap aren't terrible for my everything-in-the-same-place-at-once, ie, armpit/sideboob/shoulder region. This could be down to pure shoulder width or the sheer volume of cup space available below that in an area I don't often get it, preventing boob overflow and consequential pinching (Della was quite good at this too, in it's own weird way). Do not mistake volume for shape, it only so happens to not be lifting, folding and squishing my outer half to oblivion (a surprisingly frequent and painful occurrence as bras seem to believe all breasts are simply some type of heavy batter, meant to be poured into the cups & easily take the same shape, rather than cups built to suit their inherent form). Like earlier Cleo 3 piece halfcup shaping, Alexis side control panel is pretty much just a vague afterthought providing no depth nor making a real effort to hoist things UP AND AWAY forward, so typical shallowness on the outer side. You will not be finding much in the way of Ewa Michalak CHP open fullness here. The lower cup isn't for the bottom full so much as a generally wider rooted shape with even volume tapering up to apex, but it allows for a sort of 'relaxed seating' for a more projected shape to rest without vanishing into the depths of the cup. Being as I have a double helping of everything all at once at the wire to wide apex, the thin fabric is strained to accommodate without buckling and doing a pretty decent job of tolerating uncompressible tough tissue, allowing very little mobility when in motion which is like not having boobs at all, love that.
It's open keyhole gore is .5"- .75" wider than Jasmine's at the lower half, so the cups end up east-west and side set on me, wires sit on my lower inner breast (used to this with UK brands) which is squashed upward into the super stretchy lace that just clings for dear life... soon to cut in but oho not YET... swooping them out is to no avail, unlike comexim my inner area is once again compressed from a firm rounded shape into a weird flat triangle giving those lovely classic UK bra inverted trapezoid boobs we all love. I don't care for cleavage or vavavoom fluff at the gore for sex appeal, but wonder sometimes if it's possible not having bulging toward my shoulders that looks extra sideheavy like (___/\___) with that extra helping of boob flattener at the gore (usually also below). It makes me wonder why the seams aren't more curved, or more panels added to round out the shape better? For someone who isn't especially inner full I feel really gaslit every time I finally track down anything that is supposedly good for giving the girls some space there. Inner cup panel itself is basically the same cut and shape as the smaller sized Jasmine, so there's no improvement in depth there whatsoever. Guess they just scratched their heads as one does when solving a puzzle 'Hey toss me a lower cup piece that matches a 3" tall gore' 'Ok yeah no prob, here ya go' instead of asking themselves the bigger question of whether someone of fairly short and elongated 30J proportions is able to pinch themselves into that. I might have missed a fraction of an inch in measurement just at the wire, or a tiny difference in angle degree that would explain everything but like many of this company's offerings, same old thing. No fast moves. Trusty if nothing. So directly at the wire, outward to apex it appears to have only as much projection if not quite as much overall upper or inner fullness as the rather smaller 28HH Jasmine's inner panel. Wish they'd gone for a little bit more though. Pour one out for our homie, squished innertiddy.
Materials are so so silky, lightweight and fine which bodes well for summer; while Alexis feels invisible on a sweltering day I worry how things will go with swelling or higher humidity. It's cups upper elastic lace is very pretty and soft, no itchy seams to be seen anywhere at all. However this stretches about 50% while feeling like a whisper, barely noticeable which strikes me could feel pretty insecure for a taller breast. Clearly this is designed to forgive a multitude of design sins but it also comes with a price. On one hand I adore stretch lace above the cup and on the other I fear double quad and the crawling out with outgrowing- as usual for panache the lace fits generally tighter than I need, neither closed in nor open so we will all feel some way about this short-tight-stretchy bit before mumbling 'oh well, look at least the lace is pretty'. I'm not excited about the chore of removing the tiny strip of superfine slinky lingerie seam elastic under the stretch lace to make the cup more natural/spacious. It's almost like a 1/8" version of the typical foldover elastic sold and used everywhere, but... not a foldover, just what we attach to sergers when sewing stretchy delicates that need reinforcement. Like most panache offerings of late, the zigzag stitch attaching it is microscopic! This gives a 1.5mm ridged 'tunneling' effect along the elastic on the inside of the cup, when it's stretched it is more pronounced... Not sharp or rough but this lowers percentage of 'give' on top to maybe 25% so upper cup ease allowance is up to 8" before the quadmonster kicks in- taller roots or fuller inner breasts may get in the way here, as the cup is much shorter.
I'll have to set this aside and do some fiddly work to introduce the cups to one another by way of sewing the keyhole gore closed, improve the strap situation somehow. What else am I missing here. In 2024 Bratabase has sized me somewhere between 28J-JJ-K-KK sizing with only comexim 55N (too small having already sized out of 60O awhile ago) but branching out back from polish brands that have been scarce pickins makes the hunt for super short, immediately full, extra deep, short narrow gored bras has me kind of confused about listed sizes vs their actual sizes (so many oddly large small lettered cups lately! so much crazy pushup cone boobage!) Read more 1364 more words
This is a very pretty bra. Props to MamaPagan for sending it to me to try! I really like the color combination of royal blue with a black dot stretch lace overlay. This bra didn't fit me quite right. A couple of years ago I would have been happy with it, but now that i have been spoiled by polish bras I am awfully picky, haha. The bra is about one cup size too big, so it is a little loose at the top. It also doesn't have quite enough projection for me, and it wrinkles at the bottom. The gore is a bit taller than I like, and eventhough it isn't wide, I am so close set that my breasts try to force the wires closer together. I could try it in a 30hh, but it did not provide as much lift as I like, so I think that this is just a shape mismatch for me. Eventhough it wasn't perfect for me, I'm sure someone else will livd this beauty.
Wow- this is a generous bra. To put this in perspective, I found that a 32J in most Cleo bras is a tad small in the cup, whereas this is spot on for me in cup volume. You may want to consider getting one-two cup sizes down from your normal Cleo size.
The bra is a three-piece balconette, with the cups made out of a very sturdy fabric- there's almost no give in it at all. There's a small bird charm in the centre to match the bird print fabric, which is a very nice touch. There's two rows of hooks in three columns on the fastening, which is ...normal for Cleo, although I certainly wouldn't say no to the extra stability of a third row, especially in the larger cup sizes. I'm not really a dark bra person, but I'm also a realist, and this bra was a pretty good fit so I'm sure I'll get used to the navy with red trim after a while.
The band is too long for me, and rides up a little even on the tightest hook (which is unsurprising, as I'd ideally wear a very snug 28 or 26 band). The straps are too wide-set, and will wander off my shoulders unless I use something like a racerback converter. The wires are a touch wide, and there's not quite enough immediate projection in the bra, leading to a bit of wrinkling around the bottom and side of the cups.
However, the shape it gives me is very centred- I have almost no breast tissue at my sides, which is unusual for a bra in this size. It's definitely a very uplifted shape, which some people may consider a bit pointy, but I think that I rather like it. The sturdy fabric is a plus for me, as it feels very supportive. I know some people with upper fullness have said that the bra cuts in on the top, and while my breasts are fuller on the top, they have a lot of projection for their height, and so this works quite well. I'd say it's a good bra for short boobs.
I'm planning to alter the band and the straps a little to improve the fit, and I'll add some more notes to this review after I've worn the bra for a while. Read more 279 more words
The back band is quite stretchy and the cups are roomy. It could probably fit a 32HH fairly well, or even a 32J. I usually wear a 32H/HH, and the cups are just a bit too big, although the band fits perfectly.
This bra does have a good amount of projection. There is adjustable lace to conform to the bust shape above the bra, so would be good to accommodate for varying bust sizes.
It's a beautiful bra, but unfortunately, just doesn't work for me!
This is a really pretty bra. I like the color combination, and the details on the are really neat. there are little butterfly things on the top edge. The fit and shape just don't work for me. The lace is a little loose on the top, although if I scoop and swoop I also have a little bit of quadding where the bottom part meets the lace. This would be fine, but I also get a really weird shape. It flattens the bottom curve of my breast, then it comes to a rounded point in the nipple area. It's sort of a torpedo shape, but very flat. It is I think the only bra I have tried that my breasts actually sit in the bottom of with no empty space.
Sorry it did not work out. It is a difficult bra to fit. I had similar fit issues with Marcie. It also gave me in cup quadding and a very projected shape / torpedo shape.
i also feel the same way about the marcie, have u tried the Cleo Lucy Balconnet Bra (5851) ? i don't fit into the marcie, but the lucy fit's almost perfect. maybe you'd have luck with that one... it's discontinued, but u can still find them on the internet at discount/outlet places.
These measurements are for the yellow bra (as I also have a purple 30J but I found the measurements are slightly different). I have 5 Marcies now in various sizes. It's a tried and true style for projected FOT breasts. Nowadays, I prefer Polish bras, but the Marcie is still pretty great. Marcie is very projected and quite open on top, and is one of the few UK styles I've tried that actually allows for centre fullness, rather than only upper fullness. I almost find it too projected, as I like a natural more anchored cut. I bought the 30J a while ago and never wore it, as I ended up dropping down to about a 30H/HH so this cup is way too big for me now. This style is great if you have close set breasts but don't want to go for a plunge, because even though the centre gore seems high, it tacks really well sits flush against the sternum and is pretty narrow. The wires are pretty average width, though I need narrower.
When I kept getting quad-boob towards the end of the day in my 32H Cleo Lily, I decided to get this one on sale to see if the fit was improved. I also felt like the band on the 32H was a bit big and hoped that the 30J would rectify both issues.
Sadly I think the Lily is just not a good fit for tall boobs. I still get quadboob in this despite having extra room at the sides and wires that are too tall and poke me in the armpits. This also feels like it has a tad too much projection for ...me - it makes my boobs stick out from my body much more than usual. I stuck with it for a while because I found the swan print cute, but it has too many fit issues for me to feel justified in keeping it. The band did feel like a better fit on me, but I had to adjust the straps smaller so this one bit me hard under the arms.
The fabric of the cups seems to be equally firm to that of my 32H Lily in the Aqua/Pink colourway, but is much less nice and soft - the fabric feels more 'rigid'. I'm not sure if this is because of the print or not. Read more 122 more words
So the George 30J arrived yesterday and the first thing I thought was "I must fit into a 30JJ Jasmine".
But I ruled that out pretty fast since this bra was way too tight for me.
Anyhow: The wires ended up immediately in the right spot just before my shoulder blades. They went quite high which I like since I have a long torso. But they were too narrow in the bottom.
I do have at least two versions of orange in a glass in this bra, possibly even three;
The first is rib cage orange in a glass from he wires needing to wrap around my very curved ...body and huge root. The second is the typical orange in a glass received by wires being too narrow on the bottom. orange in a glass. All this makes me having a little hard time to determine whether it has too little cup volume in the bottom as well. I am still not sure about that. By boobs has a little migration going on from the bottom and they are extremely shallow in my absolute bottom and then they get bigger higher up. They tend to fold/bend themselves on that shallow migration which looks really weird and makes every bra look to big on me, even when it isn't.
So I don't know if it's the orange in a glass or the fact that I'm very high on chest (with a lot of migrated tissue trying to get back) that simply makes part of my boobs end up above the bra. But since they are so shallow I just look soft all over my chest instead of having two pair of defined boobs. But if you look at the pictures from the side you can kind of see how my boob above it simply is bigger than the cup.
The bra has a three section cup with a high placed apex. The bottom sections reaches 17 cm up in the middle just where the two bottom sections meets.
The outer section of the bottom is cut tighter in a very smart way so that it would almost seem as if the bra would have a side support panel. It just doesn't need it. The fabric is for a better word "firm". In no way harsh or uncomfortable, just very supportive. It's very lightweight, somewhat see through and I really like it.
All this provides a very up front and center look.
My version is the light pink and the color is absolutely superb combined with my peach skin color. And the the uplift is superb. Ohmy what a cleavage. If the later versions of Cleo works close as good as this one I'm a Cleo girl from now on.
I have a little hard time to determine if it's open on top or not since the bra is too small for me, but I would guess it's not since the upper section is very small and feels pretty tight compared to the high apex. But I may be wrong about this so don't take my word for it.
Over all this is a really good bra. I might kill to get my hands on a 32J so you better watch out, or help me find one. I want to keep this one, but I know it really is too small.
Of all the bras I've tried I think the bra this one resembles the most actually is Panache Sienna. But that's only because the apex is placed similar high and rounded. I definitely look forward to try more Cleo bras so I think Alexa and Zia is on my list. Maybe even Marcie.
****************************************************** Update June 4 2013: I have retried this bra. It's going to have its straps altered and it will become my cleavage bra. The shape is perfect and I have decided I will live with some slight cutting in on top. It's an occasion bra anyway and I will make it wearable now finally <3 Read more 557 more words
I can't find that thread, so here are some questions How did you close the band? I mean, the cutting in isn't severe, and it may be just the band pulling too tight. You may want to try this with an extender. Now, as for a lot of your boob being outside the cup - that is not uncommon with cleo if your tissue starts high on chest. Theese bras probide less coverage than what you are used to. I'm glad you like the shape, I like how it looks on you :))) You might actually try the lucy too, I know you don't miind altering the gore :)
Vee: The tightness comes from my needing the wires so far back. So that's why I always need sizing up. It looks way better in pics than in person. I cannot scope in this bra.
Cleo Natasha does run tight in the band. So maybe you want to size up in this. Also the cup size does run more “true to size” compared to past Cleo styles like the Alexa, Chloe or Meg which did run a bit big in the cup. It gives the very uplifted & round “Cleo-shape”.
The colours are more bright than on the pictures. Actually I did not like the print of this bra. I first thought it would be hideous but when I got it I changed my mind about it. It’s quite cute.
Too bad it was always a bit small on me (as some here call it: a “BrasIhate-fit”) And now it’s just too small. Also I really think I might could even size up 1 band size because the band is really tight.
4/5 hearts (usual Cleo quality – good shape – good uplift, I can’t say something negative about it)
So this bra is definitely mislabeled. I don't even know what size it "is" as opposed to what's on the label. Maybe 36J? Anyhow, I bought this from another user, figuring what the heck, I might as well try it. Um. That may not have been a very good idea!
This bra 100% does not fit me. Cups are much too small, wires jab me horribly on the sides. Aside from that, well, it's a pretty bra! It's quite lightweight, made of a light, soft mesh material. The base color is black, with little white dots on the cups, and blue and pink embroidery on the top cup section and ...along the center gore. It's really very cute.
It's a standard 3-section balconet cut, with small inner section, larger outer section (to which the straps are attached) , and small-ish upper section. The cups are unusually deep at the underwire for a bra of this seam-pattern. The vertical seam between sections measures 7.75"/20cm. I think the relative shapes and sizes of the different sections are a little different than most other bras with this cup shape, in a way that is better for me personally (or would be if it were big enough . . .) This is not a heavy-duty bra. The materials are light, the straps are thin, the band is thin and very stretchy and only has two hooks. The underwire is stronger than Freya/Fantasie but not as stiff/strong as Panache Tango. The wire shape is fairly U shaped, straight up and down on the sides. Interestingly, the wires are quite similar in width to my Panache Jasmine in 32K, althought slightly more straigh up and down, and slightly higher at the outside, but the Jasmine32K is mostly good, and this Cleo Lizzie digs in horribly. Read more 187 more words
I have narrow root breasts, which are close set, full on bottom and have very soft tissue. This bra is, for me, incredibly comfortable and I would happily wear it every day. However... it is not very supportive, and I will start to fall out of it if I'm not wearing a top with some negative ease/compression. Amazing with certain outfits, or as a home bra. The wires are a bit wide, but unlike most other bras with this problem, these ones don't seem to dig in.
As usual with Cleo, band is quite loose compared to say Freya and Curvy Kate where I will need a 32 to even do the band up - this one is immediately comfortable at a 30 and after a few of wears could go to a tighter hook.
It is the Parrot Bra!!!! I have been eyeing this bra for years, it makes me thing of vacations, margaritas, maybe even some Jimmy Buffet... I love the navy with pink in addition to the parrots. Thank you tons to the sweet summersunshine for sending it to me as a surprise with other bras (more reviews to come!).
This bra comes used, so keep that in mind future people who are looking at my measurements. For reference I am close set, full on bottom, with tall roots. This bra is a 30J, and as expected it is about 1 cup ...size too big on me.
This bra has comfortable straps, and is a light, breathable material. It seems like it would be a both flattering and comfortable bra. The gore is narrow enough for my close set breasts. The cups don't cut in to my armpits, which is also nice in this size range. I cannot tell if the cups are a bit wide, as this cup size is one size too big. This bra currently stretches to 31 inches. That is not ridiculous considering that it is used, and there are plenty of 30 inch bras that stretch to 32 inches new.
I am going to keep hoping that eventually I find a Parrot Bra in a 30HH, and I will wear it out to drink Margaritas! In the meantime hoping this beauty finds it's way to the perfect home so someone else can walk around feeling like they are wearing a tropical vacation. Read more 162 more words
Hettie 30J I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Hettie is an unpadded underwire balconette bra. While it comes in a variety of colors, the one I got was a black dot lace over cobalt blue. The color looks far better in person than photos show. The top is very stretchy.
The band measures 26” to a max of 33” with 2 hooks and 3 rows of eyes.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This ...measurement is: 12”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 15”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
The lining of this bra is looser than the outer lace, making a full fit not smooth like it should be. The top lace of the cups is super stretchy so you don’t get quad boob, and it works well for those with asymmetry as well as fluctuations in weight and hormones.
I love the look of this bra. The color is gorgeous, and I love the stretchy top. But the wires are painful both at the sternum and under the arms, digging at both places. Horrible painful red marks by the end of the day. The band is loose on me even on the tightest hooks, so it’s not due to the band being too tight. The cups fit nice and full so it’s not due to the cups being too big either. So disappointing as I really do love the look of this one.
The band fits much better on this one, the wires under my arms are too tall(I'm pretty short), the bottom of the cups have some wrinkling and the top is just big. Also I'm not a fan of the torpedoes it creates.
Love the shape that George used to give my boobs, the coveted elf shoe shape. Sadly no longer fits due to weight loss. If you get your hands on one in your size, try it. Comfort was meh, bad was tight on me but I was okay with it due to the awesome shape. This is not a stretchy bra. Fabric does not stretch at all.
Sorry it did not work out. It is a difficult bra to fit. I had similar fit issues with Marcie. It also gave me in cup quadding and a very projected shape / torpedo shape.