This review is for the Gaia Sandy Semi Soft, in 75H EU (34FF UK), color Pink. My ABTF size is 32G/GG or 34 FF/G UK. I previously tried this in a 70G and this review is almost identical: http://bra.pe/X4DN/
Band: * Seems TTS. Has 2 hooks by 3 columns.
Wires: * Very comfortable; very narrow at 5.5 inches wide in the 75FF.
Cups: * 3 part cup, balconette. The bottom has one vertical seam and has a very light/thin padding. The top is a continuation of the lace layer that's over the whole cup. The lace layer stretches horizontally but not vertically. The lace has an elastic edge at ...the neckline.
Straps: * The straps are fully adjustable.
Fabric: * The Pink color is very pale, almost white.
Hardware: * The hardware is matching pink.
About me: very close set (breasts touch), very narrow roots, very projected at the wire, full on bottom, short roots, soft tissue, significant rib flares, narrow shoulders.
FIT
* The band length was great for me; I'm a 32 or 34 and this didn't aggravate my rib flares (though I haven't worn it for much time yet). * The wires are narrow at this size. Comparable to my Ewa. * The gore tacked nicely. It was as narrow as it could be at .75 inches, but I'm going to try to overlay the wires. (I can wear a narrower cup so that should be fine.) * The cups are good for me and give great lift. They seem to be for even height and I have short roots, full on bottom, so there's a little gaping on top. I plan to sew the horizontal seam tighter to reduce the depth at the apex; it looked good with pins. * The straps are long enough but I'm quite short at 5'4". * The sides are a comfortable height for me.
OVERALL IMPRESSION * I'm keeping it! For such a low price I don't mind trying some alterations and I think it's a close enough fit that some small alterations will be just great. Read more 228 more words
Fits ribcage 27 (no, not especially well it doesn't) B. perimeter 11.5-12.5??? Stretched Band 32.0 Band Length 24.0 Stretch ratio 1.3 Cup width 5.5 Cup depth 11.0 to about 11.8 ease due to stretch lace upper cup attaches at bottom of gore Depth ratio 2.0 Wire length 12.0 Cup height 6.2 at foam halfcup to 8.0 tall with stretch lace overlay Cup separation 0.7 Gore height 3.7 Wing height 4.0 Strap width 0.7 Hooks 3
Being very short & high set, with wide oval boobs that need twice the depth at the cost of half the height therefore nothing ...actually fits....I'd gotten it into my head a year ago I needed to seek out something that could meet cheap, functional, soft yet sturdy, fitting without digging, unlikely to break on the first week of tough love... settled on adding Liv to yet another frustrated round of 'Can it fit? Without hurt???' purchases, with the haunting awareness of how quickly nothing can end up wearable overnight while orders easily taking their leisure 3+ weeks to arrive post holidays. Time to get ahead of the cursed curve.
For the most part this has worked out pretty well, my conflicting shape/size weirdness notwithstanding. After having had & worn Liv semi-regularly for heavier work & lounging about while saving my prized Prima Donnas and Empreintes for less trying times. I've come to the conclusion that this thing is more functionally just a 2 piece half cup with a cute delicate looking but tough stretchy lace overlay, better picked apart at the serged stitching that holds the overlay to the top hem of the 2 part halfcup underneath. Liv doesn't fit me like either of the other 2 brands, perhaps somewhat like a taller wider version of the Prima Donna Twist balconettes that have stretchy mesh overlay with 2 piece demi below.
My initial impressions were that it sat squarely between Freya & Comexim for fit, but not quite like either of those brands or any specific styles in particular. It's generally fuller than Comexim plunges therefore less petite friendly, but more minimizing than any Freya is capable of providing. Liv seems to hold me in by dint of it's height alone but possibly due to sister sizing up (oh the many joys of smallest band needs), cup generally felt oversized and underdeep at many times, and had a tendency to rest both on top of my breast while pulling breast toward the armpits despite reworking the wire, replacing the straps from being so widely set, and finally today gore and underwire channel surgery (wire popped out the front this week on the right side, booo). Despite all of this the gore was comfortable and never gouged or left glaring red marks high on my chest where tops often show. We'll see how newly needed gore repairs and bridge narrowing bring it up to snuff this weekend.
A year ago I could wear Liv during tender times when only trusty old Cleo Kayla (on her last legs of course) could do what needed to be done. As the months dragged on I'd throw Liv on during uncertain event's and adventures to bear the brunt of sweat, intermittent labor and long line waits, with the growing uncertainty of my life choices looming over the hours dragging by wishing I had more cup space with less wire or east-west discomfort, or what can best be described as 'that incessant urge to swoop & scoop back in or out of the cup every 5 minutes' to mitigate the constant growing ill-fitting nature of this specific shape.
I can basically only wear this at my least full time of the month and don't look forward to needing to replace Liv with yet another even harder to find larger size in probably what will be end up being a goose chase of comically hellish proportions, because we're now at an impasse between my decidedly even fuller at the root shape and Liv's likelyhood to be built taller & shallower in a larger cup, rather than deeper and more projected. Read more 588 more words
