Ordering: I ordered from Levana Bratique online, and I can highly recommend them. I ordered a PL and a BM at the same time.
UK bra size: 40HH/40:12 This size: 100HH/44:11
Fit: Generally this bra was too tall and too small in the cup for my very short roots, long breasts, and extreme projection. The band was a perfect fit for me, stretching to about 42 inches, my loose rib cage measurement, which I like to have for comfort as I bend and sit. The PL cups were super narrow at 6.7 inches. In comparison the S cut in the same size was 7.1 inches and a little shallower. I ...know that common wisdom is that the Plunge is shallower and wider than the S cut but that was not borne out by my experience in this size. In comparison my Curvy Kate Cabaret Plunge, my best fitting plunge, measures 7.3 inches wide, so the PL is much much narrower than that.
The cups were too high for my small side, but if I used two cookies, conveniently provided in the cookie pockets at the bottom of the bra, I had fairly even breasts which hit at the right height, which makes sense to me as I have about 2 cup sizes difference between the small and large breast. This bra's depth was not enough. I usually take around an inch more depth, so I may have needed to go up at least another cup size. Because of the lack of projection and space, I had wrinkling and fold over at the bottom of the cup. However, the biggest problem was that this plunge had a very high gore, higher even than the S cut! Because of this the gore gaped terribly being pushed out by my center touching breasts because it was also too tall (I need a 4 inch high gore or lower). There was no quadding in this bra, probably because of the tall stiff cups, but my breasts were pushed back until there was a crease between my breast and my chest wall. This meant my breasts, which are long, were pushed back into a ball shape, but so tightly they were squished. This bra slid out of my IMF but not to the same degree as the S cut. I mainly attribute the slide to lack of projection and a non-tacking, destabilizingly high gore. If not for the lack of plunge in this bra, I might have considered ordering a 100HH and 100J to try the sizing on them.
Comfort: Besides the comfort issues related to fit (wires, tall wings, etc.) the fabrics and elastics used were very high quality and soft to the touch. Nothing itched or chafed. These were the most comfortable bras I’ve ever tried but for the fit issues.
Style: The look was very round, like a basketball, even more so than the Cleo Marcie, as the breasts were gathered to the chest. The fabrics were high quality, and everything was beautifully sewed and appealing. It had a beautiful tonal lace on top, which was quite elegant. My husband thought the lace on the PL was a little dowdy, but I liked it.
Ordering: I ordered from Levana Bratique online, and I can highly recommend them. I ordered a PL and a BM at the same time.
UK bra size: 40HH/40:12 This size: 100HH/44:11
Fit: Generally this bra was too tall and too small in the cup for my very short roots, long breasts, and extreme projection. The band was a perfect fit for me, stretching to about 42 inches, my loose rib cage measurement, which I like to have for comfort as I bend and sit. The S cups were quite narrow at 7.1 inches, but still fairly wide considering that the PL in the same size ...measured 6.7 inches. I know that common wisdom is that the Plunge is shallower and wider than the S cut but that was not borne out by my experience in this size. In comparison my Curvy Kate Princess, my best fitting balconnette, measures 7.3 inches wide.
The wings of the S were very high (almost 6 inches, when 5.5 or lower are the best fit for me) and the wires poked me terribly. The cups were too high for my small side, but if I used two cookies, conveniently provided in the cookie pockets at the bottom of the bra, I had fairly even breasts which hit at the right height, which makes sense to me as I have about 2 cup sizes difference between the small and large breast.
This bra's depth was not enough. I usually take around an inch more depth, so I may have needed to go up at least another cup size. However, I would not be able to do so in the S cut because the cups were so tall and the wings already cut in at this size. Because of the lack of projection and space, I had wrinkling and fold over at the bottom of the cup. The bra instantly slid an inch out of my IMF, due to the wires being pushed down by my armpits. The gore gaped terribly being pushed out by my center touching breasts because it was also too tall (I need a 4 inch high gore or lower). There was no quadding in this bra, probably because of the tall stiff cups, but my breasts were pushed back until there was a crease between my breast and my chest wall. This meant my breasts, which are long, were pushed back into a ball shape, but so tightly they were squished.
Comfort: Besides the comfort issues related to fit (wires, tall wings, etc.) the fabrics and elastics used were very high quality and soft to the touch. Nothing itched or chafed. These were the most comfortable bras I’ve ever tried but for the fit issues.
Style: The look was very round, like a basketball, even more so than the Cleo Marcie, as the breasts were gathered to the chest. The fabrics were high quality, and everything was beautifully sewed and appealing. I found the S the least attractive, with the lace on the front band sort of scraggily for some reason. Read more 418 more words
It's a really high quality, comfortable bra but I have an issue with the wires poking my underarms. Not sure if the wire comes up too high or if it gets pulled outwards. I haven't found my unicorn but this is probably one of my best fitting bras so far. I heard Ewa Michalak runs small and I'm definitely glad I got the 44 (100) band even though I'm usually a 40/42.
Good quality fabric and construction. The band is a lot tighter than Cacique bras in similar sizes, so maybe go up in band size or get an extender if you're used to lower-end bras. The three hook band was a surprise - I'm used to more hooks and a taller band in my size. Nice decorative touches. Wires are fairly narrow and short, which is good for me - no armpit poking.
