What I love about this bra: the fabric. It is everything! High quality feeling and looking. And so soft and silky. The band fabric is so nice too, not that usual stretchy thin mesh. Also this bra features something I have not seen on another bra before: there is some light padding where the bra-clasp is...so the hooks would not dig in. I also like the thick shoulder straps. There is no stretch in the top section of the Cups.
My shape: Center heavy soft pendulous boobs, rather narrow and tall roots, slightly full on top.
The problem with this bra is, that the wires are too wide on ...the sides. The cups are quite tall but I think that is to be expected on a bra like this. I had some slight wrinkling on top of the cup on my smaller boob. But I also think that these cups are quite tall but at the same time are not very roomy on top. If this bra had a stretch lace on top I could probably size down to 32HH and have wires that fit me better. I don't think it's a bad bra at all. I would totally wear it, if I had no other bra around, but I did not like that the shape was a bit east-west. I also got some digging in from the straps in the first 15 mins of wearing, that is not a good sign... I wonder if the Fantasie shape is not compatible with my boobs? Read more 145 more words
I ordered the Illusion mainly because I loved the color. The Willow colorway is a light, silvery green that is very pretty in person. The Illusion is a very full coverage cup, and is closed on top. The bra is a little big for me in a 32J usually, but it's perfect for days when my breasts are swollen.
My first ever Fantasie bra! Why did I avoid this brand for so long? I was under the impression that the bras are similar to Freya not very stable constructions and not supportive enough in large cup sizes.
The Camilla bra however is actually quite good! It also looks and feels very high quality. I love the wide shoulder straps, they are amazing. If only all bras in my size range had those! The bra is a 4 - part cup construction with a side support panel. The construction and look of the bra reminds me very much of my beloved Bravissimo English Rose bra.
The top section ...of the cups is not very stretchy but the edge of the cup is stretchy. Since the cups come up very tall, it does cover all my breast tissue and doesn't cut in. The wires are average for an UK bra, not very narrow and not extremely wide. The wires are sturdy but not as hard as on a Panache bra. The bra felt supportive and comfortable for the short time I was wearing it.
I don't know how it would hold up for a full day of wear. I also find the band a bit on the stretchier side for a 32 band. The bra is really a full coverage bra, I would call it a full cup bra with side support. I feel that the cups come a bit high under my arms and on the front, I think that with wear I could feel the shoulder straps cuttin into my arms.
I love the fabric on this bra, it's very soft smooth and silky feeling. The lace on the upper part of the cup is not itchy. I also really like the colors and the print. The turquoise blue / green color is amazing. I'm really impressed by the quality and want to try more bras of this brand! Read more 211 more words
So so so pretty!!! I find Fantasie bands stretchy too...but their prints are so lovely. Yayyy for the bra win.
I'm not gonna keep it I think :/ I'm sad letting it go but I ordered it from Zalando because they offer free / shipping and return and it is full retail price. I know older models of Fantasie are for 1/3 of this price on eBay so I'm gonna wait until it goes on sale.
Good move!! I do these things ALL the time
Yes my 2 favorite brands EM and Bravissimo never do really big discounts so I try to save on other brands as much as possible. I'm also not sure how supportive it will be for full day of wear. I used to have a few Freya bras back in the day and I always found them lacking in support.
Wow! Love that color and pattern on you. Beautiful and eye catching. I totally understand when you don’t want to pay full price. +1 for eBay shopping. Buy at a discount, and roll the savings over into more bras. :)
Fantasie was my go to brand for many years. Honestly, if my size hadn't changed (which lead me to Polish brands), I would still be wearing them faithfully. They really are a great brand!
I’ve been loving this bra since I saw it- the print is so me. Man I wish it came in a size that worked for me!
MamaPagan I'm really impressed with this bra, I thought that the Fantasie bras are as "weak" as Freya therefore I avoided them. But they are better (or have gotten better over the years?) I found a few on eBay for under 20£, I want to try more. I only look for the side support bra I think the cut has been the same over the years. I would avoid the traditional full cup like Belle because the shape reminds me of the Panache Tango.
The shoulder straps are so nice on this bra. I love how they have the thicker straps on the bigger cup sizes.
All my Fantasie bras were side support as well, so I can relate to that. Ten years of wearing them, never noticed a change in manufacturing of the style! The only reason I stopped wearing them was due to weight loss putting me below their band threshold and an increase in cup size.
MamaPagan thanks :) I think I'm gonna try some random Freya and Fantasie bras from eBay, they are too cheap to pass up. Too bad they don't go up to a K-cup.
You can find the latest catalogs for both Fantasie and Freya here:
While both brands offer up to a K cup, the models are limited, so knowing which model names to search for helps, making the catalogs super helpful!
cupandahalf > I wish it came in a size that worked for me!
Yes, I feel the same way... sized out for now. :\
MamaPagan Thanks! So many pretty bras. I really love some of their styles, I need some prints in my bra wardrobe! Some randomly stop at HH-cup instead of J. I wonder why?
Honestly I can only speculate as to why, but I do have my theories. 😄 It could be due to the styles-as they don't feel certain styles will be supportive enough for a cup over the HH marker. It could be due to lack of demand in the higher cup ranges, making them limit their expenses by only offering a few select models each season. It could be that they simply don't think there is a need for such sizes, as if the J+ cups are rare (or rarer than they really are.)
Yeah but why stop only 1 size before J? Like can you not do just that one size?! I get when they stop at G or H when a bra isn't supportive enough for bigger sizes.
alisa then they do J and those who wear K ask, "why can't they just go one more size?" I guess they draw a line where they do for a reason, whether that be construction, sales, etc.
Yes true … I used to be that person when I wore 32K. I should be am happy with the options I have now at my size. I mean there could be more but on the other side I cannot buy all the bras anyway.
Both Fantasie and Freya do to a K cup, it is just not all inclusive. Nothing above a J in a 28 band for Freya (Fantasie doesn't even do a 28 band) but a 30 band goes to a K for both, so stopping at the HH marker on some doesn't seem so odd when factoring in the additional 3 cups. Why they only offer 1-2 in the K each season (if any at all) is the head scratcher and what leads me to my assumptions/speculations noted above. :-/
Also I think that their main customer base is not the above J-cup crowd. So they don't offer much and otherwise it also does not attract many new customers since if there is only 1-2 models available in that size… if those don't work, you write off the brand. When I was a 34L I went to Bravissimo and just searched for my size. They had like 4-5 options. So I just bought another of my fave cut (Urban Rose / Darcy) when I needed a new bra. I also noticed that they sold out so quickly in all sizes above K! 34L usually was gone so fast... I never got one on sale, some sold out within 1-2 months. So I think they don't stock so many of these sizes. They know their customer base that well and stock accordingly. Could be the same with Fantasie.
Very possible, or they create their customer base by limiting their offerings. :-/ I requested expanded sizes a few times from them and received the general reply email "Thank You for your interest, we will consider your requests/suggestions for the future" form reply.
By limiting their offerings, they lessen the risk of loss/discounted sales.
Yet since Fantasie doesn't sell to customers direct, they will only make what their retail suppliers are willing to stock, regardless of what their customer's want, need, or wear.....
I also think that the customer base is created by the offerings. I never thought about Fantasie for years because I knew that most of their bras stop at H or J cup. The few models that come up to K-cup did never get popular and there are hardly any positive reviews here on Btb, so they did not sell too well.
I will keep this review rather short because I have an in depth review of the 32J - Fantasie » Illusion Side Support Bra (FL2982) in navy where I describe the fit and also how the bra wears out with time. So spoiler alert, this bra stretches and wears out rather quickly. After four months of regular wear I am about the retite the navy blue Illusion. The band on navy has stretched out by 3cm compared to this bra!
This beige bra I bought at the same time. Since this is currently my only beige bra in my collection I reserve this for occasions where my ...outfit requires to wear a beige bra. So I have not worn this as much as the navy one and it's still in good condition. There are some tiny differences between this and the navy blue one. First the part where the eyes for closure are sewn on is more padded on this. That's nice because sometimes if the fabric there is thin, the metal pieces can dig into your skin expecially if you wear your bands tight. Second this bra just runs a tiny bit smaller than the navy one in cup.
For now I will keep this beige bra and wear it as long as possible, it gives me just slight cutting in. I will definetly not repurchase any Illusion bras as the quality is lacking and they wear out quite quickly. Another down side for me is that I would best fit a 32JJ which they not make so the 32J was always a bit of a tricky fit. The bra is quite comfy and I still recommend if you are within the size range, just be aware that it migth wear out quite quickly esp. in larger sizes. Read more 191 more words
Fantasie Illusion is by far the best Fantasie bra I tried so far. Usually their shape - wide, and closed on top does not work for me. This bra is made of amazing fabric, very silky soft feeling but still sturdy. It's an everyday staple. It's like Tango is for Panache but better. The upper cup is made of thick stretchy fabric. It's completely different to the sometimes really flimsy delicate stretch laces on bras like Panache Jasmine or Andorra. The band is amazing, it's is made of thick woven material that stretches just in the right way. It's a very smoothing band. It's gold standard and ...all bands should be made like that.
my shape: narrow - medium wide tall root, full on top, center heavy and projected.
The fit: so it's not really perfect. But it's good enough I like to wear it. It's very comfortable and supportive. the wires are just the right width for me but wouldn't recommend if you need narrow wires. Cups are tall enough for my tall boobs. The stretchy top part does allow to scoop from top and keep the breast tissue inside. It gives a smooth round shape.
The sizing: Band is true to size. The cups however in my opinion run larger. If you follow me here, you see me struggle with 32K 32KK bras these days. This bra in 32J almost fits me! To be completely honest if it didn't have the stretchy fabric on top then there would be quadboob. My ideal size in this bra is currently 32JJ but I can make the 32J work. Sadly this bra stops at J-cup and I can't size up.
UPDATE : 4 months of wearing the bra regularly (twice a week) I have to say the quality isn't that great. At least if you have larger boobs keep in mind that this bra can wear out quickly. The band stretched out 2 cm, there are loose elastic threads coming out of the band and it feels less supportive. I still try to wear it occasionally but it isn't the same also now it's weaker the wires start to hurt me ... will have to retire this soon sadly. Read more 259 more words
This looks very supportive, and that colour is beautiful!
The Illusion looks good on you alisa . This blue reminds me of the "inside" of my cobalt blue Alana's. For some reason, the interior of my cobalt blue seems shinier than the outside
I have to retire this bra soon, it stretched out a lot and support isn't what it once was. It starts to hurt me at the wire even after 3 hours of wear :( Quality isn't that great I adjusted my review and lowered my quality rating to just okay. Might be better holding up on smaller boobs that put less strain of elastics.
Shame. Maybe it's because the fabric is so soft it doesn't hold up long. It felt so luxe when I tried it but I maybe the power mesh type of bras hold better than silky soft AF bras like this. :( why can't we have comfort and longevity :(
Todays band comparison with my barely worn beige one in the same size, almost 3cm shorter... :O that's insane stretch. I have old 34L bras by Bravissimo I worn heavily over a year and that band still feels like a 34!
I generally wear a 32J in Panache, Freya, and Curvy Kate bras, and I ordered this in a 32J in both black and sand. Once I adjusted the straps and swooped and scooped, this fit fairly well, although the gore doesn't quite tack. This is a side support bra, so it pushes all the breast tissue to the front and give a very projected look. I can wear this to work even under a T-shirt.
I find this bra to be amazingly comfortable, but I suspect that part of it is that its a somewhat sloppy fit? This is not a 'wow what support' kind of bra. It certainly holds my breasts higher than they are without a bra, and higher than with my old cotton Bare Necessities - and its almost as comfortable. But its not an 'oomph' bra.
Its hard to find bras in the 32J range that will handle my big size difference with grace. Jana's gore tilts, so that the gore is not against my chest on my bigger side, but it is against it on ...my smaller side. Of course, this gives my bigger size a little more room - this bra does not quad-boob it at all.
The wires are very weak. This is of course a big part of why the gore is so easily able to twist. But the wires are also rediculously wide . . . it goes way, way past the side of my breast. I mean, it almost goes entirely past my arm pit? For whatever reason, it does not poke me (I'm grateful!). It also is probably part of why I dont get quad-boob - my bigger boob just migrates further under my armpit. No scoop-and-swoop can possibly happen in this bra!
So, I'd say this is an iffy quality but comfortable bra. Boring visually, if not slightly ugly. The seams are minimal enough that they are not distracting under a t-shirt. I mean, you can see a line, but hey, everyone knows you are wearing a bra. Its not a big line, just a subtle one. There is a little bit of pointiness but it seems like you can only see it from just the right angle.
THIS IS A GREAT BRA. Wonderful support, and I got it on sale! I am so happy with this bra. I have had problems in the past finding bras that fit, but for once, this finally worked out. I was alarmed at my size, since I had lost weight, I figured my breasts would be smaller...but I just went down in band size, up a cup. It doesn't poke, its extremely comfortable, and super sexy! It didn't stretch out on the first wash, although my secret to keeping a great bra? Use a salad spinner (I also used specific bra detergent). The only con is, if you get it full price it can be super expensive, otherwise...GO FOR IT!
I have been to multiple bra fitters and the last one I went to uses this bra to measure you and when the pricey bra they sold me started flipping I went back and tried this. The wire poked through on me last year so I bought this one last September. The wire poked through the gore twice and the right underwire broke in half so now this bra is more thread than bra. I am currently looking to find a better fitting one because I don't like how the lois fits.
Fit was fine. The big problem was the band of fabric running from the strap to under the arm rubbed my arm/underarm. During just a few minute try on my skin was irritated.
I was fitted with this bra at a high end lingerie store. It was the best fit I have ever had. It comes slightly too far under my arms, but the rest is ok.
That is so pretty! I love the color. It looks great on you, sorry it didn't quite fit!