I've previously tried the Bravissimo Contour strapless in a 30J, which was laughably small on me, giving both overspill and absolutely no lift or shaping, so I wasn't expecting much from this bra. But, shock of the century, this actually fits me reasonably well (at least based on my quick try-on)! The band seems to run on the firm side (possibly slightly under 30 inches), so combined with the smaller-than-my-usual-size cups and the grippy silicone, it's a little hard to put on properly, and I can't fully scoop and swoop, so keep that in mind for my review.

My usual CK size is around a 30K (30JJ in Eden, ... 32J in Ritzy and Carmen), so I wasn't actually expecting this to work. As a strapless, this gives me an extremely round, nicely uplifted shape, despite technically being too small. I get minor overspill when worn strapless, which becomes much more obvious when I wear the straps (as the cups are lifted more). Being strapless, it's kind of like when you wear a too-small bra with loosened straps to hide it being too small - except in this case, the shape is still good. One problem I did notice was that the section of the band under the gore quickly rolled and flipped under itself. This wasn't particularly uncomfortable, and may be due to me wearing the wrong size, but I don't think it's how it should fit, and it could possibly lessen the bra's staying power.

The bottom of the cups are too shallow for me, and I get slight buckling there, as well as being unable to pull the bra right up into my root. However, this isn't really too bad, and is more cosmetic than anything. I also find the sides are slightly too short for me, and I feel like I'm not properly contained, though I think this is exacerbated by this bra sitting slightly too low on me. In 1-2 cups up, I imagine I would be able to fully scoop into the cups, pull the bra up slightly more, and hopefully rid of the overspill. Overall, though, it's much better than I was expecting, so I'm fairly happy with it. It's definitely a very solid bra, and one to try if you're in the size range (or possibly even for those just outside, if you need a strapless and can't find one).
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Updated on Oct 04, 2014 Flag this

brasandbodyimage

1043 reputation

88 bras

Tl;dr The most projected, narrow, strapless bra I've ever tried, and I've tried a few (VS, QT, Wonderbra, Neve, Deco, Deco shape, nameless others in stores).

Construction:
A nice, neutral beige. A little light on my tanned skin, but it would blend in on a lighter skinned person quite easily. The pinstripes on the band are adorably retro, as are the super cute little buttons and bow. (Seriously, I love little buttons on bras).
This bra has cut and sew foam cups. The foam is thick and sturdy (thicker than comexim), and the cup seams are reinforced with extra cozy material. The Luxe is seamed like a halfcup with two ... vertical seams. However, it is more full coverage. The cup curves up and over the breast instead of ending just beyond the apex like your average halfcup. Somehow (*magic*) this creates a very projected style. Yes, the bottom of the bra is shallow. I have yet to find a strapless bra that isn't shallow at the bottom. But the amount of apex projection and the narrow wires (5.3") make up for it tenfold.
In addition to all that, there is a sling on the inside of the cups to bring the boobs front and center. There is no east-west to speak of in this bra.

The wires are extremely firm - like Panache firm. I don't like them (but I also cry when I wear some panache bras for more than 10 minutes). I've worn this bra around the house for about half an hour before the wires killed me and I had to take it off. During that time, the bra never shifted (hooray!) and my boobs didn't move once - this bra is serious boob armor. If you can tolerate firm wires, I would highly recommend this bra.

Also, for those who care about cleavage - this bra has none - zip zero zilch. That could be because I have short roots and am FOB to even. A more FOT person might get some, but I had absolutely none (and I have very center full boobs to boot). If you like showing off cleavage, or if your strapless attire is plunging, this may not be the bra for you.

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nude colorway

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Updated on May 29, 2016 Flag this

The band ran too loose for me, and although now I realise I should have gone for a 30FF, the cup shape is incredibly rounded, projected and yet too closed for me at the neckline so it digs in. I adore the colour and the shape but it would only work for me if it was a half cup - right now its shape is more literal cup.

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Updated on Apr 16, 2015 Flag this

First impression upon removing from the package: Aw poo, this is so tiny

Band: Very snug. Couldn't fasten it myself, and my husband had to attach an extender to get it shut. Didn't even stretch to 32". Nice wide 4 hook closure though.

Cups: as this is a newer season CK, the wires are narrow-ish/average (narrower than old CK). Bottom of the cup was very shallow on me. My boobs immediately started pushing it down to find more room, so I couldn't jump around like I'd planned to test its stay-up-ness, but it did have wide silicone strips on the top and bottom of the wings/band. Seemed to flatten me ... out. Gore was fairly high. Didn't tack on me, partly from the cups not fitting and partly because I'm too close set. No cleavage in this bra. Top of the cups fit ok-ish without the straps, but once the straps were on they cut in.

Appearance: Pretty. not 'super fancy wow I need that now' pretty, but considering it's a basic bra, it has nice detailing.

Overall, if you want to try it, I'd recommend sizing up in the band, and possibly a cup unless you are shallow. If you're fairly/very projected or very close set, move along. 'this is not the bra you're looking for'
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Black colorway

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Updated on Feb 28, 2015 Flag this

My first try of a strapless bra that actually comes close my size. I was very curious about this. I don't really need a strapless bra but I was curious what it can do. (I gave up on wearing anything strapless ever in my life and I'm not unhappy about it. I like my short sleeves.) The bra is made of padded cups with vertical seams. There are no horizontal seams, it is sewn like I imagine a half cup would be sewn. Compared to a typical half-cup bra that would be quite low cut this bra is very tall. I think that is needed for support. The ... support comes from wires and compression of the cups. I think it actually does quite well with support. (Look at my side pic without the straps, it holds up my boobs just fine on it's own!) I find the band to be true to size and it feels firm and not very stretchy, which is very needed in a bra like this. I actually recommend this bra if you are looking for a decent strapless bra. It is not bad at all.

Why did it not work for me? Obviously the cups are too small. I get lots of cleavage aka overspill aka quadboob. I mean it looks not too bad if I want to wear the bra for cleavage but it felt uncomfortable. I also felt constricted because cups pushed my boobs flat to my chest. I think it is needed that the bra is tall and shallow for compression and support but it did not feel comfortable. It reminded me how I felt in the 32J - Panache Sport » Sports Bra (5021) another padded bra that was too small for me.
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Updated on Oct 01, 2019 Flag this

This bra was absolutely ridiculous on me. The band was so tight I could barely get it on my body, yet it kept sliding down my body every time I moved slightly, and the gore wasn’t touching my body. The straps weren’t long enough to hook in the back over my shoulders. The cups crushed the hell out of my boobs, and were not at all deep enough, leaving the lower 1/4 of the cup vacant while the rest of the fabric flattened my boobs against my body. The wires came up way too high in the front and under the arm, feeling super cage-y and stab-happy.

How did I commit a fit blunder this badly? How can I avoid doing this again? It feels like I made just about every possible mistake on this one.

Updated on Dec 12, 2018 Flag this

Right now, I'm between a 32-34 band but this 34 was definitely too loose. I'd recommend choosing the smaller band size if you are between sizes. The cups are extremely closed on top, so not a good choice for upper fullness. I'm FOT and this gave me epic quadboob. I jumped around a little to simulate movement and it almost fell off.

The material is soft and there are small strips of silicone along the upper and lower elastic of the band. There are also mesh side slings in each cup which are not as soft as the rest of the bra.

Overall, I imagine this could work for someone with wider, shallower, and more full on bottom breasts.

Biscotti colorway

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Updated on Apr 18, 2015 Flag this

While the fit of this bra is sigh-worthy, the construction is solid and keeps the horrific fit from ruining the practicality of this bra. The key to this bra's design is the vertical boning along the seams. Without it, this bra is just another wide, shallow strapless with an inward curve at the top that may be problematic for FOT shapes. The cups run small, but I don't know how much I'd recommend sizing up, since it is functional even with the gore a gaping 2" from my sternum. My very projected, firm-ish breasts pushed this entire bra forward at the top and my FOB shape ensures the ... underwires sit rather low. The boning keeps the whole cup from just flopping over (a la FOB boobs in the Deco strapless). My biggest complaint is the the forward tilt of the bra causes the bottom of the wires to dig into my ribs after a couple hours of wear. It's also rather high cut under the arms and at the gore, so it's not incredibly versatile. Sizing up in this would make the wires uselessly and uncomfortably wide for me, so I feel this is my best fit in my usual 30G.
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Updated on Sep 17, 2014 Flag this

I don't think a strapless bra exists for a narrow and projected shape? You can see this bra from the pictures just doesn't match my shape.

I can see why this bra is often recommended. It's about the price of a Polish bra (like about the same price as an Ewa Michalak from Levana bratique), but it's not the quality of a Polish bra.

I wish the band was wider, I think I would feel more secure.

The underwires are very narrow on the side, but the cups are very TALL: I think that's where a lot of the cup volume goes. I don't fill out the bottom ... of the cups, or the top corners.

The band is definitely small. I mean, I understand they have to do this to have the strapless bra stay up; I stretched the band to 29" and I can wear it with an extender.

I think I would probably have to make my own strapless bra for my shape. I know Ewa Michalak used to make a strapless bra, but not anymore.

The bottom of the cup does have cookie pockets, if one wants to add chicken cutlets, fyi.
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Biscotti colorway

Updated on Dec 05, 2021 Flag this

I have always been curious about this strapless bra, and I also need one recently after purchasing a really cute off-shoulder sweater. This bra seems to be available for usually £34-35 on several online retailers, but was on sale on Asos so I only paid about $27 for it, and only had to buy an extra dress (about $10) to enjoy free shipping. I had done a lot of research on this bra and while most reviews said that it's narrow, there was different opinion regarding its projection level and top fullness friendliness.

I will first comment on the appearance. I'm probably biased because I hate beige bras with ... a passion, lol. I really wanted a white (instead of black) strapless bra to wear under lighter clothes but only this color comes in 30E on Asos. Not surprisingly, I hate the appearance of this bra. It also looks like a half-finished piece because there is no extra fabric on top of the foam seamed cups. Still, I guess if this fits I would've kept it because a strapless bra is supposed to work more than look good.

My usual size is 28F(UK) and I've ordered a 30E because my previous experience with the Freya Deco Strapless was that the band was incredibly tight. The band does run snug on this one, at 29" stretched, so a 28 would be too tight on me.

My shape is projected, fuller on top and centre with tall and narrow roots, extremely close and low set with self-supporting and soft tissue. The first thing I noticed when putting on this bra was the extreme pain at the top of the wires under my armpit. I have narrow roots and have never had discomfort at this part of the wire, but this bra does this on me, probably because the wires are too narrow, even for my narrow roots. I also seem to be overflowing and gaping at the same time - when I put my arms down I have spillage near my armpits on both sides, but the cups gaps on my larger boob. I guess this means the cups are too shallow, especially for my larger side? I expected it to cut into my tall roots, but surprisingly the cups are open on top enough to contain my top fullness. The gore is was too high and wide for my centre-full and close-set breasts, so it creates a lot of discomfort and smooshes the centre of my breasts flat. So basically, nothing fits, my boobs aren't supported, and I will return this bra (thanks Asos for free returns!)

To conclude, I think this bra is moderately projected, but probably have more projection at the apex than near the wires. The wires are extremely narrow and the cups are pretty tall and open on top. The band is snug so consider sizing up.
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Biscotti colorway

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Updated on Mar 30, 2020 Flag this