My previous experience with Fantasie wasn't that great: I felt the cups were too deep and the wires too narrow for my ...shape. However, I recently got a nice set of Fantasie swimwear and a quick in store try-on of a different model suggested not all might be lost. I read in reviews that this model is generally thought of as 'slightly minimising' which should work well for my shape so I decided to give it a shot ...
Bra description:
A simple, yet nice looking bra. The cups are completely plain and made out of moulded spacer knit of a slightly stiffer kind than the Chantelles I've come to love, yet nowhere near as stiff as 'regular' moulded foam. They come up quite high and are quite full coverage. The centre gore is also high, which I actually prefer in a bra. The cradle part of the band and front part of the straps are decorated with lace embroidered in a geometrical pattern, giving this otherwise plain bra a feminine yet modern touch. Small, 'straight' bows decorate the centre gore and the points where the cups connect to the straps. The wing parts of the band are made out of a completely opaque stretch material that looks a bit like swimwear lycra, but is much much firmer. The back closes with three sets of two hooks and eyes.
Bra fit:
Unfortunately this bra doesn't fit me. It actually is laughably big, even on my larger breast. The 32D version almost fits my larger breast, but it is way too roomy on my smaller breast. The cups of this model are clearly meant for someone with rounder, fuller breasts than I have. My breasts are conical and slightly shallow and just don't fill them out the way they should, especially towards the top. The wires in this 32DD are just perfect though, which just confirms my initial suspicions that Fantasie is too deep and narrow for me.
The band on this bra feel slightly looser than the band on the 32D. It does the same odd thing on me though: no matter what I do to the straps, it keeps angling upwards. Although I think I could size down in the band, it's not exactly 'riding up' -- it's the shape and design of the band that makes it LOOK as if it's riding up on me. My conclusion is that this band is designed with a slightly 'straighter' or simply less conical torso in mind. My torso is very very conical and I have this same problem in a number of bras, including the 30DD - Masquerade » Rhea (6121) that I love. It makes the band feel weird and uncomfortable and somewhat throws off the fit of the entire bra.
Conclusions:
A nice, simple everyday bra that I really really wish would fit me. Alas, as it doesn't even come close to fitting it will be returned to Bravissimo ASAP.
I’ve owned the reflect spacer for around 1 month and find it heavily in my rotation. It’s very comfortable, and the top of the cups are cut in a way that limits strap gap for my shorter roots. There is enough projection at the wires and less at the apex, which suits my shape. I also love the color and the pattern on the band! Overall I’ve been really happy with the Fantasie styles I’ve tried, for unlined the Fantasie Reflect Side Support Bra (FL101801) is one of my favorites as well.
———————— About my shape/fit: My recommended starting point was 32DD/E or 34D/DD. I teeter on the edge ...of both band size and cup size, depending on time of the month, brand, etc. I would describe my shape as horizontally center full, slightly wide set, lots of soft tissue from weight loss. I think I’m even fullness but functionally full on bottom. I have immediate projection that I need to accommodate, but overall I seem to be fairly shallow-average in terms of projection. My roots seem to be average-narrow and a bit short (at least in terms of filling out the tops of most cups) Read more 87 more words
This bra is good for more projected breasts, but the material of the bra is uncomfortably stiff, and the cup shape is less rounded and more pointed than I like. I'm returning this one.
The wires are too wide for me or are a shape mismatch, and the lace cuts in ever so slightly on the top of the larger breast. The fabric in the cups is firm/not stretchy (savw for the stretchy lace upper). It does a decent job of accommodating my need for immediate projection and doesn't wrinkle at the top, which usually happens due to how shallow/sloping my roots are up top. If the wire were a better fit on the outsides, it would be a pretty good fit. I'm not a big fan of how pointy I look in it, but I look pointy in most unlined seamed cups.
This bra is too big for me. I bought it based on the numbers, but I think this would work better for someone who has a fuller breast. THe apex is 9 inches deep unstretched, so I don't have enough compression to add support.
I would say this bra fits pretty well (I know it's not in my IMF!!!...and the cups are probably too wide), but the wires still felt like they were digging into my ribcage, which is a constant theme. Inside of band is also a bit scratchy. Otherwise a nice bra. Gives a bit of a torpedo shape. "True to size" for me. Band on the longer side for 32" compared to the other bras I've tried (cleo, panache, parfait, ck)
The cups look like their in your IMF to me, or maybe it's just because it's a bit too dark for me too see well. These wires are much more narrow than your Cleo Skyee. They may feel like their digging in because they're too narrow for you. But I think it looks beautiful on you and I love the natural shape it gives.
This is one of the better fitting bras I've tried on; however, the wires still felt like they were digging into my rib cage (which is a theme), and the inside of the band is somewhat scratchy. The cups themselves are not. One cup a little too big but passable. Nice bra. Gives a bit of a torpedo shape, as you can see.
These cups are a perfect fit for my wide-rooted, somewhat full-on-top breasts, with no gapping, wrinkling or empty space anywhere. It makes my breasts acceptably lifted and rounded, which is very rare for me in a 3-part seamed bra. The lace is super thin, soft and somewhat stretchy (which makes it super comfy), but it sadly got worn out fairly quickly, with small threads of lace sticking out of the cup. It's still perfectly wearable and doesn't seem to be falling apart, but it definitely stopped looking brand new within a week of wear. Even though the fabric is very thin, the seams are still somewhat visible through a regular tank top, but not so much that it bothers me (they do offer some nipple concealment). I had to shorten the band due to weight loss, and unfortunately I can't remember whether or not it fit true to size when I measured a 32.
I do not have enough center fullness to fill out this bra. This bra does not provide for my average projection and I think it's more fit for someone more even to FoT as the cups have the openness...reminiscent of a half cup - ish. This is a molded bra, but not super stiff. This bra came to me used, but it's in great shape!
This bra was advertised on Brastop as "Esme Balconette," but the cup fits more like a full cup. I couldn't fill it out, and honestly I don't think the style suits me anyway. Maybe it's just because it's a poor fit, but it looks like a stereotypical "granny bra" when I'm wearing it.
This bra is beautiful! I wish it fit better, but it gives my breasts a pointy bullet shape that I'm not a huge fan of. It's a comfortable bra (except I think the gore might be uncomfortable on me for long wears, perhaps a bit too high?). I tried temporarily adding some very thin swimsuit bikini top inserts, and it helped round out the bullet shape, so if that's a concern for you, adding some inserts yourself might be an option.
This is very pretty bra. It is amazing in the teal color! However, I seem to be between sizes on this one. I have both a 32E and and 32DD. The 32DD is just a little small in the cup. It doesn't quite cut me into a quad boob…but almost. The wire on the DD also doesn't quite come back far enough. I actually have a pinch mark on one of my breasts from the cup being just a little too small. Unfortunately, the E cup is just a bit too big and leaves extra material at the top of the cup near where the strap attaches. With both, the band is just too big. On the tightest hooks, I can pull the bra up over my breasts with minimal effort. If I thought there was a chance of it fitting me in a 30" band, I would try, but it just doesn't seem worth the hassle with the way the cup sizing seems to be, as far as my body is concerned.
This is the second of this model that I've owned. I bought this 32DD when I was transitioning down from a 32FF, and even though it didn't fit, my younger self thought an ill-fitting bra might make my boobs more noticeable with certain low cut tops. So I kept it. I think I've worn it 4-5 times in the 3 years I've had it.
This bra is more rigidly structured than some other moulded cups I own, and in the old 32FF model I had, it pushed my boobs straight and up and provided almost no bounce. My boobs looked voluminous from the side but more minimized than usual from a front angle. The current model (32DD) has way too much boob spilling out the side and top to have the same effect.
The quality of this bra is fantastic and supportive, though I'm not sure the shape is what I'm looking for at the moment - I feel it's a little unnatural - so I'm not sure if I'll get another one in my new size.
The cups look like their in your IMF to me, or maybe it's just because it's a bit too dark for me too see well. These wires are much more narrow than your Cleo Skyee. They may feel like their digging in because they're too narrow for you. But I think it looks beautiful on you and I love the natural shape it gives.