I would tell them, first off, to BUY IT IN THE RIGHT BAND.
Just because it is there in the store, and just because it is pretty, doesn't give you any excuse to buy a band that is too loose on the widest set of hooks. Just because it fits at the middle or tightest settings is NOT a reason for purchasing it.
That is obviously all my fault, it is just incredibly difficult to find a 28 band where I am. Luckily, I have found a boutique that has 28s a plenty and will not be making purchases like this again where I am compromising with my breasts and ... the available selection.

On to the review:
Pros:
-This is a BEAUTIFUL bra. I mean, gorgeous. Lovely. In pretty much every way you hope your bra will be lovely.
-The band actually runs quite snug for a 30 (which is a pro for me and anyone else in a 28 that has trouble finding them)
-Is close enough to a "peach" to be worn discreetly under clothes
-The lace, with a proper fit, is invisible
-It seems pretty sturdy

Cons:
-The band is quite snug (pro and con, because if this is your true size you may have some mild discomfort at first as it stretches out)
-The top sheer lace could be of a sturdier construction, it's just so malleable from a bra that looks like it would be a supportive construction.
-The wires are TOO SHORT to effectively hold all of my breast tissue in the cups. They escape into the recesses of my armpits which simply will not do. I have to readjust the bra on occasion which isn't what I want to do. If this is an issue with the bra in the correct size and the wires just run short, this could be a huge potential issue. I have read CK's wires tend to run short.

I would recommend this to a friend if they were significantly smaller busted than I am and for whom rogue breast tissue isn't a problem. In something like a 28d I doubt the short wires would be as much of a problem as it is in an f and higher.
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Tigerlily/Rose colorway

Updated on Jan 16, 2015 Flag this

The bra is very pretty, it's what attracted me to it in the first place. Quality is pretty okay too, I guess. The comfort isn't great for me because I felt the underwires at my sternum and my sides digging into me. Not great for someone with short and narrow roots. Would suit taller roots or upper and center fullness. Which is a trend I'm noticing with curvy Kate bras.
Just too big for me before I altered it.

White Lace and mesh colorway

This bra's measurements have been altered

I reduced the height and cup depth. Used different underwires.

Updated on Jun 14, 2021 Flag this

A glance at the photos of me in this bra show that it's a clear failure.

For educational purposes though, I think this might be useful because it's a shape-mismatch issue more than anything else. I don't think a larger band would be supportive enough, so that couldn't be altered, and a larger cup size would be unlikely to fix the massive problems in the center and sides of the cup, and would probably make the wires longer and cups wider - which was a big problem for me.

When I went to write this review I first read the other reviews for this size and other ... low band/high cup sizes. I was all set to rant and rave about the ineffectiveness of Curvy Kate's designs for this size range, but then I saw that actually a lot of people seem to wear the princess quite comfortably. So, no ranting and raving https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> I can accept that something that doesn't work for me might be great for other people, though this bra was cute and inexpensive so I *wish* it had worked for me!

Shape incompatibilities:

- I have center fullness : CK Princess is very shallow at the center, the tissue that belongs there gets smushed up out of the cup and to the sides - both are uncomfortable. The majority of the projection in this bra is toward the outer edges of the
- My breasts are very "front and center" in their position on my chest - when I was looking at shape gallery pictures, the thing I noticed most is that almost all breasts in my size range naturally go outwards, at least a little bit, while mine are pendulus but all the tissue below my IMF is straight out and down : the Princess is designed for splayed breasts with roots that start further apart than mine and end much further out on the chest or under the arms than mine.
-I'm Full on Top: CK Princess most likely works for FoB shapes better - the top of the cups are very closed.
-While I've always considered myself to have more broad shoulders than most (especially among ladies wearing a 28 band!) I found the expected shoulder width much too wide, these straps practically fell right off my shoulders.
-Center gore is too wide, cups too far apart for close-set breasts
-Wires too long - for high set breasts the dig into armpits
-Wires too wide (part of being too long - there's no place else for them to go!) - Wide wires seem like a foundational issue that is always incompatible with my shape. If the wires on a bra point back towards my armpit instead of following the U shape of my breast root on the front of my torso, my breasts will inevitably be pushed to the sides. Since they don't like to be there, I wind up falling out of the cups because the center of my breasts have more dense tissue than the outer halves. The result is discomfort and lack of support (and also a pretty unattractive look!)


Compatibilities:
- I think my breasts are somewhat short rooted, or high set, and cups are sometimes too tall because of that. The curvy Kate Princess cups were almost too short! This might be a good fit for splayed, FoB, short-rooted gals!

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Tigerlily/Rose colorway

Updated on Nov 07, 2016 Flag this

Yuk, I think this bra is just not designed for my boobs, although it has a good quality.

My boobs are closeset, even and conical, with average width and slightly tall roots. I have a breast perimeter of 26-28 cm (depends on menstruation period and weight). However due to my conical shape, I actually need an unpadded bra with 24.5-25.5 cm in cup depth to give my boobs a little bit compression. I saw the interpolated cup depth of this bra is 25.2 cm so I bought it, but the fact is I am wrong.

The cup depth of the bra I've got is 26.8 cm. Only my nipples ... can attach to the fabric, so there is a lot of empty space in the cups, and the shape is also weird and pointy.

The sewing technique of the wire ends is same as Hunkemoller unpadded bras, but the wires are more stable and harder so the center gore doesn't twist when I scoop and swoop.

In my sight, the only highlight of this bra is the 3×3 closure. It makes my back looks beautiful and straight.

I plan to return it back without any sizing down later. I guess a 30F will be slightly too small for me.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 01, 2020 Flag this

This bra has to be one of the scratchiest bras I've ever worn. Wearing it outside on a hot day is like having your boobs set on fire. This size fits me better than the 30J, the top of the cups doesn't saw into my armpits like the larger band size does. The straps are still set too wide so it will rub on my tail of spence. This bra is also very wide and shallow, it gets pushed down on me almost immediately. The top of the cups are friendly to my sloping shape. The gore is also quite wide. I would only recommend this bra for people who do not have sensitive skin, do not need a lot of space at the wire, and do not have close set breasts.

Black colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Aug 20, 2017 Flag this

I bought this bra on eBay, and could not tell from the pictures exactly how beautiful it is. I thought it would be kind of plain, but the polka dots and the embroidery on the straps (so, they aren't fully adjustable for those who need it) add some unique qualities for the bra. This is not my grandma's white bra, and I feel amazing wearing it! I was concerned with the seams and the shape until I put a shirt on over - it gives a wonderful, uplifted shape under clothing. This is my first 30J bra (I actually got all four 30J Curvy Kates I ordered today ... - it's like christmas!!), and I think I have found my band size. In the past when I've tried 30 bands, they seemed to cut off my breathing a bit. Looking back, it is probably because the cup was never quite large enough. The center was a bit tight against my sternum, thanks to me being full in the middle, but I pushed the wires down the canal (there was a bit of room near the armpit) and now it is much more comfortable. I have only worn this a couple hours, not all day, but it is looking like the Princess will be one of my every-day favorites!
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Updated on Mar 24, 2012 Flag this

On me, this bra is very difficult to fit. I have the red in 30F, and it's too small. Then I have the white in 30FF, and it's slightly to big, but still a better fit than the red. So in my size, the Princess bra runs small in the cup. The back band fits well.

It gives a good shape under clothes, but I find it rather uncomfortable to wear, as it's very itchy. The white more so than the red, I think. I don't think washing helped that much on the issue. Also, the little (and very cute!) velvety polka dots take colours badly, so if you have the white version, don't wear it, as I've done, under dark coloured clothes, if you want it to retain its white freshness.

Updated on Aug 01, 2011 Flag this

Center full, close set, immediately projected, shallow apex projection, short-waisted, somewhat narrow

Flamingo is, perhaps, unusual among Princess colorways. What an unpleasant surprise: this is NOT a wide, shallow Curvy Kate. This 32G UK is only 5.5" wide and offers 11.25" of depth. This is a deep and narrow bra. Sigh. What happened to the wide, shallow model with the 6'+ wires? Enter expletives. Some of us are NOT "narrow." Growl.

Like a 30GG Florence I previously tried, 32G Princess wires require a disproportionate amount of band length when compared to smaller cup sizes. It is a bit bizarre and most assuredly a design miscalculation. From a physics perspective, ... this design characteristic creates fantastic cantilever support. Perhaps that is precisely why the band/wire proportion seems "off." On my 28' underbust, however, the wires pull over 6.3" wide. The cup distorts significantly, and it doesn't look like it fits at all. Adding an extender simply creates a much too loose band. Strange.

My prominent nipples are vividly visible above the lower part of the cup. And, my larger breast is torpedo-shaped because one wire sits on 1/2 its circumference. This is due to the standard .8" Curvy Kate gore. Admittedly, this is a typical experience for my close-set, center-full breasts. Wacoal is the singular manufacturer who has created a flexible, adjustable gore. You can view how this design change fits very close set breasts in the 34G photos: http://bra.pe/IiFF/ And, the same bra on less close-set breasts in 38G: http://bra.pe/IdHM/ Curvy Kate, we need solutions.

This bra, I purchased hoping I could easily alter for a summer gardening bra. Adding a wider wire will shallow the cup too much for me. Summer is such an uncomfortable season for this avid gardener with way-too-sensitive nipples who regularly encounters thorns and branches. Searching for a summer bra for my breast characteristics reminds me why I never wear wires: wired bras are not designed for my physique.

Although I have sensitive skin, the materials did not irritate my skin as others have reported. For this, I am very thankful.

The colorway is vivacious and smile-generatingly cute. Generally, I dislike pink and kitsch, but this colorway is fresh and quirky. Fun. The embroidered polka dots did show through, but it looks like a cute swimsuit. I did not find the show through offensive. And, the straps? Well, I'd love to show them off.

Three x three fasteners, .75" straps, soft materials, fun colorway, this bra has everything I prefer....excepting a 6"+ wire https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_wink.gif" alt=";-)" />


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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Mar 31, 2018 Flag this

Edit: I wore this bra for 10 hours today standing and sitting and walking and only remembered when I got home. Best. Bra. I. Own.

Fit: Less projected at apex, taller gore than my 40HH - Curvy Kate » Princess Balcony Bra (CK6001) in beige. More projected at apex, narrower wires than my 40HH - Curvy Kate » Portia Balcony Bra (CK4001). A fit that is compact, narrow, and has plenty of space for my full on top breasts without being droopy.

Comfort: Soft, supple, and stays in my IMF. No itchy laces. No scratchy fabrics. A win.

Style: I am a Russian doll. A delicate, slightly over the top, beautifully silly object in this bra. It combines two of my favorite colors, blue and red. I love it and I didn't think I would after the beige version.

Blueberry colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Aug 17, 2016 Flag this

Fit: This bra fits perfectly. The wires are nice and narrow and firm but not painful. I have no quadboob. By some magical forces, I have no gapping on my small size either. The shape is compact, round, and lovely. I feel gathered in rather than pushed out. At the same time it seems to have room at the bottom of the cup and the apex. The gore is short so I don't push it out, so I feel much more held together. I just generally feel lifted, enclosed, and rounded. I also have some hot but subtle cakes on ... a plate. This is my perfect breast look.

Look: I hate it. All the little dots and ribbons and embroidered lace are so precious. In the beige it suits my skin tone but because the cups are sheer I can't wear it under white shirts. The dots all show as well. I probably would like this better in a different color, but in beige it's pretty horrid. I really like minimalism, clean lines, and classic beauty. This is not that. I'm sure others love it however.

Comfort: It's pretty soft and comfortable. My only gripe is that the elastic in the band is narrow, but it is quite soft everywhere. I want to put it on and wear it.

I'm going to return it and get a different color. My breasts need to look that good every day.
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Beige colorway

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 05, 2016 Flag this