Man, I think I have an irrational love for these Cleo balconnet-style bras. They're all so colorful with cute patterns. As soon as I saw a Zia Balconnet online I knew I had to have one. While the last Cleo balconnet I got was a Meg Balconnet in 28GG, I'm glad I did my research and got this in a 30 band. The Zia is known to be tight. I opted for 30FF because 30G was not available and, crap, it was on sale. I figured if the cups were ridiculous, I'd just return it.
And no kidding, when I first got it, ... I took one look at it and was like "Did I order a 28FF by accident?? SHITTTT D:" The band looked TINY. Nevertheless, I gave it a whirl. You can't judge everything on appearances because I had no problems fastening it. Finally, I get to use the outer hooks! No using the middle or first hooks right away with this baby.
But does it work with my boobs? Well, it makes them a little pointy, not like with the Meg, which gives a more rounded shape. But like the Meg, the bra attempts to place my stubbornly splayed breasts in a more front and center position. So, pointy breasts aside, it looks pretty decent under a t-shirt. The gore also doesn't come up so high, like in some unpadded models (Wacoal, I'm looking at you!). What I also like about this model (and other Cleos I have) is that it doesn't gouge out my armpits. It seems like the underwires on a lot of bras, especially once you get into the G range, decide to make themselves at home in my armpits. Or the straps get too wide set for my narrow shoulders. It is the curse of the slightly petite :'(
The fabric is stiff: stiff enough that the cups hold their shape and are not flimsy but not so stiff that they would be nasty and scratchy. The straps are rather thin at a half an inch. The lace top portions are soft enough.
There are some minor fitting issues that I feel have more to do with the shape of my breasts than anything else. The top part of the cups cut in a little bit. Were I more full on top, that fabric cutting in would really be an issue. It could be that 30G would have been a better option. I'm not giving up on this bra yet! But I probably won't be able to wear it when I'm close to my period.
Overall, I give this bra a thumbs up, despite the pointy boob action.
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Updated on Mar 16, 2013 Flag this
I take the same size for S as PL, however I've only tried one S and 2 PL som it might not be like this in every model and of course it may vary due to shape etc.