I really thought that I would hate this color and bought it purely for a size check but oh my God do I love this color! It's some seriously bright lime. It makes this bra so much more awesome. This was the first bra that I fell in love with in my proper size. The cups have the perfect amount of projection and width to encompass my side tissue that (hopefully) will migrate. If you like Cleo Lucy (which is great for FoB) then you'll love Cleo Kali. The wires don't poke and the band is snug, but my one complaint so far is the material is rather ...rough under my arms. I'm hoping with a few wears and washes it'll soften out.
Edit: After a few washes and wears the fabric has softened considerably. After analyzing the fit a bit more the band isn't quite tight enough for me. It's possible I need a bit more immediate projection and at least a 36 band on all my bras. The wires on this bra are much too wide for me which I didn't notice wire widths until recently and saw where the bra wire was leaving a mark versus where my root ended. The only other problem is because I have a bit of a belly, the material between the cups digs in a bit if I'm not sitting up properly. I guess it gives me a good reason to fix my posture though! As the day goes on I notice the straps begin to really irritate my armpits. I get this with the Jasmine too. The straps are just too wide for me, it's tolerable though.
Edit 2: This bra is no longer tolerable https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> With someone who doesn't need as much immediate projection and plays well with the Lucy would do well in this. Also, Cleo, please, please, please STAPH WITH THE WIDE STRAPS. Read more 215 more words
I recently ordered a Kali and can't wait for it to arrive. Your review really eased my mind. I put off trying Cleo for a long time due to the 2 hooks but once I found Lucy I fell in love. I tried to buy up discontinued colors in my size but had no luck. Other Cleo styles did not work well for me so I have high hopes that Kali will fit just like Lucy. Love, Love the color.
This mod was an experiment. Using hand-sewing, I shortened the band and padded the underwire ends with thick leather. The underwire feels narrow to me, but this may just be the widesettedness of the cups due to the too-large band.
The cups are too big at the outsides (mostly too wide). The projection is not too bad, and I can fill them in the middle and bottom. Molded foam cups aren't very amenable to tailoring, otherwise I'd have frankenbra'd them as well.
This is a 38G, but I am (probably) a 32H. Now modified, the band measures 31 unstretched and 37 stretched. For me, the band is still too loose.
A curiosity--an unsuccessful project, because the modifications couldn't make it fit. But it's a successful project because it showed me that a cup problem isn't fixed by padding the underwires or shortening the band. It's also successful because leather details and contrast top-stitching look siiick.
This bra's measurements have been altered
Altered band,
stitched thick leather to all underwire ends (at center gore and at wings)--am experiment to prevent painful digging/distribute pressure. Hand stitched a shortened band and decorative topstitching (by hand)
Bra photos can be deceiving...it looks like it fits but does it? I address some of the issues of upsizing in my blog post - why oh why only 2 hooks and such thin straps and a band that won't stretch anywhere near 38"? Ugh.
Great review. I'm a 28F, pendulous, short roots and very soft tissue and this bra fits me very similarly to you. That in-cup quad boob :(
Was the fit better with an extender?
Also the blue colorway definitely has a looser 38 band.
Ah I do not like extenders too much on this one as the band is too thin and the straps are too :(
Good to know letstalkaboutbras as you are on the other side of the band spectrum!
fabulouslyfullfigure I really wanted Hettie to fit. There hasn't been a colorway in that bra that I don't love! Yet I am struggling to find unlined bras that won't give me in cup quad with my very soft tissue. I love Cleo and Panache balconettes and Hettie would have actually worked for my short roots. The material overall is too stretchy and didn't give enough support :(
What about Ewa letstalkaboutbras ? Stretchy lace but has a second layer to add support...not sure what she does in your band size.
Ewa is the next adventure, for sure. I'm new to unlined bras and still have to learn all about the cuts.
I hope they work for you...crossing my fingers...of all the unlined I have tried, Ewa is great and so is Nessa.
I liked the Cleo Hettie so take this with salt (not coincidentally, I think I may be firmer than you, around maybe the middle of the road...? definitely softer than in ~my youth~ but Hettie didn't give me in-cup quad), but I would rec the BM if you like the concept. It goes up to 95H/100GG.
(I mean, it goes up to 100GG, but leaving it at that makes it sound like GG is the biggest cup letter offered, and it's not. 90HH, 85J, etc., are the top cup letters of their respective bands.)
rainbrasspetals I do have Ewa's BM as well and it's lovely! I try to branch from her brand but sometimes it's a miss but that's okay in the name of bra science ;)
First of all, I wish all bras were made with such strong fabric! I loved how firm the band fabric was.....except it runs small. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> I could barely get it fastened. It doesn't come any bigger, so I'm sized out.
The cup is projected for a half cup, tall, open on top and has room for center fullness. I gape and would probably risk trying a size down if this came in a 40 band.
The straps are pretty skinny for a full bust bra. It's so gorgeous, I wish it fit.
EDIT: Forgot to add..the gore from top to bottom of underwire is 4.5"
Well, it's a nice looking bra, and the alterations done by the last owner are good, but sadly it just doesn't have enough cup for me and rests painfully on my ribs
This bra's measurements have been altered
Altered band,
stitched thick leather to all underwire ends (at center gore and at wings)--am experiment to prevent painful digging/distribute pressure. Hand stitched a shortened band and decorative topstitching (by hand)
This is just too small all around for me. I tried it out based on a measurement search, but the band is probably two sizes too small, and likewise with the cup. It seemed to handle the projection at the bottom of my breasts just fine, though, and it's a super cute bra that I expect would be comfy and lovely in the right size. If only it came in my size!
This bra hits all of the points it's supposed to but there's something slightly off with the fit for me. My left breast is slightly larger so my guess is that the cup is a tad too small for the left breast but not the right. I don't have any quad boob, probably because of the stretch lace on top. Because the gore is so low and small it still tacks. This is a very cute bra and I love the lace and the color. The plunge is deep so it's not great for heavy activity but is comfy for lounging and mild activities.
I bought this on recommendation that it was a similar cut to the Cleo Marcie but a bit more closed on top. I found I couldn’t quite fill the upper stretch lace on Marcie in the same size, so thought the Blake would be THE BRA. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.
I found the band too stretchy and it rode up on my back. My comfortable measurement is closer to 40 so the Blake band definitely runs big. The centre gore sat flush, however the cups were loose pretty much all over and more so on top giving me not much uplift and a slight torpedo shape. Having further researched how to actually use Bratabase, I’m going to try a band and cup size down to see if that gives me a more supportive fit.
I really like the cerise colour and the geometric fabric. The straps are lined with a really soft fabric which I appreciate, I would love if Panache lined their wires with this stuff too.
I love this bra. Only negative thing I notice is that since the top of the cup is not stretch I can get a slight gaping at the top edge with some movements. Super minor to me, and the bra is sooo pretty!
Still not a perfect fit but one of the closest I have had. Definitely good for full on top breasts. I had a bit of room in the lace even though I am very FOT. Didn't show through shirts unless they were very thin and tight. I like how the bottom pretty much projected straight out - good for holding my breasts up without having to stuff it or tug on it all day, since the bottom of my breasts are basically just long but without a lot of tissue. I often have to wear it with an extender for comfort because although it is stretchy, I still should really be in a 40 band.
I am fairly certain I will love this bra once I attach an extender. I wish Cleo made bras in 40 bands, because that is probably what I truly need for now, but other than that they fit me so much better in the cup than bras I've tried from their parent brand Panache . Nice, narrowish underwire, narrow center gore, and great fit for my full-on-top FOT shape.
This one had a funny effect. The wires were on breast tissue on the outside, but there is also a gap at the top of the cup between the wire and the strap (could fit a ping pong ball in there). The lace didn't really lay flat. Top of the gore almost laid flat. Torpedo shaped. It felt like the top side near the strap was squishing breast as well as the entire center along the gore was compressing tissue as well. Did not like the way it looked at all. Scratchy as well.
All in all a pretty good fit, except for the centre gore not laying flat. Then again, I've never found a bra where it did, because my breasts are pretty close together. Comfortable. I'm not sure I'd call it a "t-shirt bra" per se, since the lace at the top comes away from my body. I might cut it off. Also, the moulded shape gives my breasts a bit of a squashed look.
I love, love, love this bra! It's so pretty. The embroidery, lace, and colors are to die for! This is the prettiest bra I have ever owned. It is comfortable and I can wear it a full day at work with no issues. The depth of the cup is a little too shallow for me so the underwire doesn't stay in my infra mammary fold but it is not uncomfortable and I plan to purchase this bra again as soon as I narrow down my size. It is wearable under most shirts. The sides of the bra and straps do show under tank tops but I don't care because it is nice to look at. The lace is not scratchy, I still feel supported even though the band is too big so I would say its a firm band.
The cups were waaaay to big for me, but otherwise I love this bra! It's so pretty and the strap seemed to fit just right. I would love to get ahold of this bra in the right size!
This bra fit beautifully in the band and straps, it felt very supportive. I also love the color and the lace. However, while I filled out the bottom of the cups just fine, the top gaped something awful. I'm exchanging for a 38FF, so I'll see if that fits any better,
I was excited to get this bra because it's so cute.
However, I was not excited about the fit of it. The cups in this size were obviously too small for me, as I had some nice quadboobing going on. The straps were also not adjustable enough (only half of the actual strap allows for adjustment), so it dug into my shoulders.
I also noticed that when I walked with the bra on, my boobs jiggled like a bowl of jello on a washing machine running spin cycle. It was insane!
The good part is the cups felt nice, though perhaps they were a bit too shallow for me, but I'm ...not entirely sure. The lace on the top was a nice detail
Under a shirt, this bra gave me a very odd looking sort of oval square shape that I did not like at all.
The band was comfortable, and the wire didn't poke me. However, the gore did not sit flat on my sternum, so I have no way of knowing if it would be uncomfortable.
The Juna is definitely a nice bra, and I would recommend it. I think I might try a size up in the cups and see how that goes. Read more 92 more words
I recently ordered a Kali and can't wait for it to arrive. Your review really eased my mind. I put off trying Cleo for a long time due to the 2 hooks but once I found Lucy I fell in love. I tried to buy up discontinued colors in my size but had no luck. Other Cleo styles did not work well for me so I have high hopes that Kali will fit just like Lucy. Love, Love the color.