The Bella is very pretty and I really wish it fit properly.
The cups are too wide and end halfway into my armpits, though fortunately it doesn't pinch or rub there. The gore is too wide and high and doesn't properly fit my close-set breasts. The top of the gore actually turns sideways due to lack of space. The gore and cups being too wide creates a bit of an east/west appearance to my breasts, which I'm not too big a fan of. It doesn't pinch or rub anywhere and it's a pretty comfortable bra but it just doesn't fit me right.
These measurements are for the purple bra (as I also have a yellow 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. Nowaday,s 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.
Only worn for a few minutes to try on and review. Bought for $26.40 online (free shipping & returns) from Amazon.com after a 20% discount for signing up for their fashion news email in February 2014. Wires - The wire width was probably narrow enough, but a little narrower would be even better. The length/height of the wires didn't bother me. Comfort - The straps are wide-set enough to rub the front of my armpit, but it seems every bra does this, some worse than others. I can't tell if this would break in comfortably or just get worse with extended wear. Fit - The band is snug. ...The center gore does actually tacks! Not firmly - when I slouch, there is a small gap, but still, much better fit than most I've tried. The cup flares out a little on my smaller (right) side. There doesn't seem to be a fold or wrinkling in the bottom of the cups, which is also a better-than-usual fit. Both sides have empty space at the top corners where my armpit/boob crease is. Under clothing - Very nice round shape; the seams are noticeable under a clingy top. Overall - Although this bra seems so close to being a good fit, and I am tempted to keep it, I don't think it fits any better than the Cleo Bella I already have in 30J, and since that's not an ideal fit, I'd rather not spend the money on another bra I feel is uncomfortable to wear all day. I'd LOVE to find a bra that fits with straps that don't touch the front of my armpit! Read more 164 more words
Only worn for a few minutes to try on and review. Bought for $22.22 online (free shipping & returns) from Amazon.com after a 20% discount for signing up for their fashion news email in February 2014. Wires - The wire width felt too wide, and the length/height felt too high under the arms, but didn't actually poke. Comfort - The straps are set wider than I'd like and rub/cut into the front of my armpits uncomfortably. Fit - The band feels snug. The center gore does not tack. The cups "flare out" a little on my smaller (right) side at the top, but I don't think it's because it's ...too big...it may have to do with the scalloped edge. It isn't noticeable under clothing. The mesh top section puckers a little along the diagonal seam. There isn't a fold at the bottom of the cup, but there is wrinkling at the bottom on both sides. Both sides have a little bit of empty space at the top corners where my armpit/boob crease is. Under clothing - A nice rounded shape. The vertical seams are visible under a clingy top, but not too noticeable. Overall - The fit is off in the cups, and it's just not comfortable, so I'm going to return it. Read more 102 more words
I love this bra! It fits very much like my Cleo Marcie, except the straps are closer to my armpits (which is better than the Marcie). Cute shape, nice felt under the straps. The underwires are sturdy but don't poke. The wires are a bit wide, still, but that doesn't bother me as there is no overspill or anything. Good bra!
Only worn for a few minutes to try on and review. Bought for $18.10 online (free shipping & returns) from Amazon.com after a 20% discount for signing up for their fashion news email in February 2014. Wires - The wire width was probably narrow enough, but a little narrower would be even better. The length/height of the wires didn't bother me. Comfort - The straps are wide-set enough to rub the front of my armpit, but I'm used to this. If I keep this bra, I will try it with a racerback clip to see if it helps and update my review. Fit - The band ...feels just right! Very snug without being tight or constricting. The center gore does not quite tack at the top, but it's close enough for me. I wonder if it were a little narrower if it might tack completely. The top edge of the right cup (my smaller side) ripples a tiny bit, but not enough to bother me. There is a bit of a fold and some wrinkling at the bottom of the cup on both sides. I am OK with it given that the overall fit is the best I've had in an unlined bra. Both sides have a little bit of empty space at the top corners where my armpit/boob crease is. Under clothing - Very nice round shape; the seams are noticeable under a clingy top. Overall - I think I'm going to keep it! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":D" />
Update: After wearing a full day, the straps in my armpits are very irritating, plus they keep falling off my shoulders. My racerback clip is really inconvenient and difficult to use by myself, but I will update again after I try it. Also I find the fold/empty space at the bottom of the cups just gets worse; at the end of the day, the wire marks were about an inch below my IMF. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> I could also tell by the marks that the wires are too wide, but I'm not sure if that is tied to the wires being pushed down.
Update #2: The straps are too short to use the racerback clip with. Instead I adjusted the straps as short as they would go, and they didn't slip off my shoulders nearly as much. The straps rubbing on my arms/armpits isn't as bad as it was after the first day; it may have just needed some breaking in. It does still leave pink marks on my skin, though. The fact that the gore does not tack but the cups are filled makes me wonder if I need a larger cup size... and I still hate that the wires do not sit in my fold. While I still like this bra overall, now I'm on the hunt to find a bra that fits better! Read more 390 more words
Only worn for a few minutes to try on and review. Bought for $28.33 online (free shipping & returns) from asos.com in February 2014. Wires - Wide enough to reach nearly behind my arms, and tall but not uncomfortable under arms. I think the wires were so wide because I overstretched the band. Since the band doesn't continue under the wires, it is easier for them to be pulled and distorted. Comfort - Bandless, so wires sit directly on ribs, which is slightly uncomfortable but bearable. However, the wires seem to rub my sternum, causing irritation. Straps are wide-set enough to rub the ...front of my armpit, but I'm used to this. Fit - Band feels OK, but can be pulled a few inches away, and since I measure about 31 inches (comfortably snug), it is probably on the looser/stretchier side. (I measured the stretched band at 33.5 inches, but the wires seemed to get wider after stretching to only 29 inches.) The center gore does not tack. Cup cuts in a tiny bit on larger side and gapes a tiny bit on smaller side, but neither issue is visible under clothing. There is a fold at the bottom of the cup on both sides. Both sides have empty space at the top corners where my armpit/boob crease is. Under clothing - Very nice round shape; the seams are not completely invisible but not too noticeable. Overall - I'd like to find a bra with much narrower and deeper cups, and possibly lower cups where the strap meets the cup. Ideally the straps would be set close enough not to touch the front of my armpit. Read more 178 more words
It fits in all the right ways...I don't have any quadboob (a first for me in a while), it encloses all of my breast tissue, and it's pretty comfortable. The gore, though only .5 inches wide, is still too separated or too high for my non-separated boobs. Also, the wires are possibly a bit too wide on the sides.
The lace is stretchy on top, so this gives the bra a better fit for more shapes, but again, the wide cups cause my breasts to get pressed up against my chest, leaving those little creases between my breast and underarm in the front.
This was the bra I sent away to have a pattern based on, and it came back with some alterations. It now has 3 hooks instead of Cleo's usual 2, and the back has an extra layer of powernet for reinforcing, as well as padded straps. The band has also been slightly shortened.
Unfortunately, because my breasts had grown in between when I sent the bra away and when I received it, the cups are noticeably too small, which is a shame because the additional features seem like it would make the bra quite comfortable to wear.
This is probably my all-time favourite bra. The cut and appearance are amazing, the only problems I have are the wide strap placement and the loose band (more like a 32). Good for even fullness or FoT boobs, I think, as there's quite a bit of space above the apex that can be hard to fill. Fit me perfectly when I needed a 30JJ in most bras, or a 30J in Cleo's Alexa and Marcie.
This just about fit when I was wearing a 30JJ in most brands, and a 30J in Alexa/Olivia/Marcie. Truthfully, I wasn't fully scooping and I couldn't quite fill the bottom due to some orange-in-glass (too-small cups, not enough depth), and would have really needed a 30JJ. So I'd say to go for a cup up from Alexa/Olivia/Marcie size. This bra seems to work for a variety of breast types, both FoT and FoB.
Aside from needing a bigger cup, my main issues with this bra are the straps, gore and band. The straps are wideset, so they can irritate and slip off my shoulders a lot - not the best for narrow shoulders. The gore is quite wide, which is bad for my close-set boobs. Finally, the bra has a partial band rather than a full, so the wires stretch a lot more than they normally would, which makes the wide gore even worse, and the band runs about half a bandsize loose in the higher cup sizes. Not the best bra for close-set boobs or narrow shoulders.
This fit perfectly when I was a 30JJ in most brands. I found it to fit similarly to the Alexa, but with slightly smaller cups and a slightly tighter band. It gives a great, natural-but-round shape. I found the wires to be a decent width (not too wide) and the cup to be quite deep. Some people have issues filling the bra above the apex seam, which suggests this bra would work best for full-on-top or even boobs. The main issue I have with this bra is the strap placement, as they are fairly wide set and prone to slipping off my shoulders. That said, it is definitely a gorgeous bra and was always quite comfortable - I wish I still fit into it!
I haven't worn it out of the apartment yet and will update this review when I do, but so far I LOVE this bra. Love the look, both color and shape, very comfy (on first try at least), good projection, etc. Update ASAP!
Overall, I really love this bra, although I had to make some modifications to get there. I'm a 28, but since this doesn't come in 28JJ or K, I had to make do with a 30J (like pretty much everyone, I sized down on this bra, as the cups run large). So I've had to have the band taken in, but that's pretty par for the course for me. The other big thing is that the straps are too long and stretched quickly into being way too long. I had them taken in, but they didn't take in enough so I will have to ...have them taken in further. Something that I really don't like about this bra is that the adjuster tightens by moving away from the solid part of the band, so you can't cheat and push it up past the elastic, and most of the band is the solid, non-adjustable part. Anyway, /endrant. With the back in and with the straps short enough (I have been using a bra barrette, but it's uncomfortable), the bra is great.
The shape is gorgeous. I really like a round, projected, out-front look, and this delivers. It's not a plunge, but it has low enough coverage that I can wear it with most necklines, and I have gotten compliments from my lady friends about how it looks under several outfits. The wires are somewhat wider than I would like, but more narrow than most I've seen, so that is nice. I still get some poking, unfortunately. The quality seems very high, and I have worn it quite a few times now without any sign of wear on the bra itself. I could use a little more padding on the wires, but I'm not getting any significant discomfort.
I really wish they would make this bra in some basic colors (nude, black, white), as the color and print make it a limited wear bra for me, which is unfortunate, as the shape is great.
Conclusion: adjustments and all aside, I would definitely recommend this bra.
It is the best bra i ever have in my life.. i really love this bra.. first i bought it in red but later i bought 3 more colors in it... i dont know why but 30 J in lucy fits me all the ways perfect.....
I found the band very tight, I could hardly fasten it. It felt really unconfortable. I could only comfortably wear it with extender. So if you are between sizes, go for the bigger band size. (This might be a bra for all those who need a tight or below an 28 band) I wear ususally 30 bands in Cleo but I’ll need a 32 in this style. Also it runs generally a bit smaller than other Cleo bras I tried in this size. It gave me light quadraboob even when I wore it with an extender. It allows less room on top than Alexa or Meg. But overall I found it supportive and it gives great uplift and the “Cleo George shape”. The colours are a bit less bright than on the pictures from Bravissimo. I will definately try a 32J of this if I get the chance to.
