Fit: Fits tight in band, cups are true to size - equivalent in volume to UK 30HH/32H, maybe a bit roomy in cups. Deep and narrow. Too tight in band and too large in cups for me.
Construction: Bottom part of the bra has two sections and is padded, maybe a tiny bit thicker than the average Polish padded bra. The padding feels soft and is at least partially cotton. The outer side is a semi-matte stretch knit fabric, probably nylon (polyamide). The top section is a stretchy mesh with a very stretchy elasticated edge. Will probably conform to varying top fullness. Partial band construction. Gore has two layers, ...the bottom non-stretch, the top same nylon as the cups. Straps are thick, sturdy, fully adjustable. Gore is slightly wider than average to make room for attachment for the decorative detail. There are two positions on the straps - a tighter and a looser one, so it has a bit of leeway regarding tightness. This may also be why the straps are so thick - to make room for them. Side boning, band elastic is placed over the boning channels so they're covered on the inside and don't poke. The elastic used at the upper and lower edge is very soft, especially the lower edge - this is probably the nicest and softest elastic I have felt so far. Side wing material is a single layer of stretch mesh. Has three columns of hooks and eyes, and three rows.
Appearance: Black upon black, many different textures. I was mainly drawn to the obvious (but removable) decoration - a little reminiscent of a bat, or a moth, or a very abstracted floral motif. I was afraid that it would look a bit cheap - it is clearly machine embroidered lace but the quality is good and it doesn't have that weird shininess that some cheap lace has. The design is also abstract to the point of leaning towards elegance. I feel like recently I've started to appreciate thicker straps a lot more - they sometimes feel more proportional, like here. On promotional images you can see that they're thinner in smaller cup sizes but still quite thick and still convey a specific look. To me they feel powerful, intentional, and therefore to me confident and sexy. They are mostly matte apart from a slightly more shiny small triangle detail at the edges. Center gore and strap seams have small, almost modest and unobtrusive black bows. The gore and bottom part of the cups are covered in almost matte black fabric. The top section is a sheer matte mesh with a very slightly sparkly black elastic edging - again I really like the proportions here. I feel like the designer did a really good job with proportions when it comes to a bra with quite a few points of attention. The side wing is again something new - a less sheer stretch mesh with shiny half circle/moon details. Read more 385 more words
Renee is a pretty bra with nice contrasting colors (thank you Mandapandarawks for sending it to me!). I love the tiny daisies. I got this in two sizes and the larger is a better fit for me. It's a shallow, half padded cup with stretch lace at the top. As my usual, I have difficulty filling out the top lace but the bottom of the cup stays in my IMF. The straps are wide and a little wide set, but they stay in place. The band is very firm.
My shape: full on bottom, soft tissue, narrow shoulders/roots. (Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this to try out!) Appearance: Padded 3 part cup with dark gray fabric and tiny white little daisies with red centers all over. The lace top of the cup is white and stretchy, and the fabric is silky soft. The back part of the band is black? which is weird because it totally doesn't match. I can't comment on the fit, as it's not my size, unfortunately.
Renee Maxi 605M in 70L I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
The Renee Maxi is a semi soft bra with light foam lined bottom of cups and a very stretchy white lace on top. The pattern is a dark grey with little white daisies and red centers, and a black band in back. In comparison to the regular line Renee, which has the same cup pattern on the full band, the regular line Renee is prettier and more esthetically pleasing.
Renee was one of the first Gaia bras I tried. I fell in ...love with the stretchy lace tops which were far more accommodating than most bras I’ve tried that have a stiff lace. This stretchy lace is great for asymmetry, as well as hormonal and weight fluctuations, plus softer breast tissue.
The band that stretches from 26.25” to a max of 33.5” with 3 hooks and the standard three rows of eyes loops.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 11.5”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 14”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
I tried the Renee Maxi in 70K and 70L, as well as the Renee regular line in 65J, 65K, and 70J.
In comparison to the other Renee bras I tried, the Maxi cups run smaller than the regular line Renee, even though the cup sizes are larger. This seemed to be a general consistency with the Gaia Maxi line bras that I tried.
Paulette Maxi in 70L I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Paulette is a semi padded underwire balcony bra by Gaia. It has a light foam lining on the bottom of the cups for support, and sheer lace on top. The pattern/color is smooth heather red on bottom with red rose patterned lace tops. The center gore has the sheer lace as well. There are 3 parts to these cups.
The band measures 26” to a max of 33”, with 3 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops.
The straps are wide set. ...
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 11.25”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 13”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
Julianne Maxi in 70L I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
Julianne Maxi is a semi padded bra in black with yellow cream squiggly patterned lace over the whole cup. It has a light foam lining on the bottom of the cups. The lace is not stretchy, which usually makes the bra less accommodating than most. It has 4 parts to the cup compared to the typical 2 to 3 parts.
The band measures 25.5” to a max of 31.5”, with 3 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops.
Cup Depth as measured ...by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 12”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 13.25”
I feel these two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
Unlike most of Gaia’s Maxi line, the cups on this one are not as small, and while they lack stretch to them, the cup shape is altogether fuller than most Gaia Maxi bras. The Julianne is more accommodating than any of the other Gaia Maxis I tried. I cannot say if this is a rogue exception to the Gaia Maxi running small rule, or if I just happen to get a single bra that was made larger, all I know is the rest of the Gaia Maxi’s I tried all run smaller in the cup, with the 70L running smaller than the 70J in their regular line. Another positive oddity with the Julianne Maxi was the quality. While most of Gaia Maxi bras are less than ideal in regards to quality, the Julianne was actually very well made.
It’s lovely bra!