This is one of the most beautiful bras I have ever seen. It sparks joy. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

I have been drooling over this for months, so when a boutique ran a 30% off promo for Cyber Monday, I snapped up one in my usual size. The sizing advice on the Katherine Hamilton page is oddly phrased, it is not clear if they are telling women to "go up a size" from their regular US size to end up in the equivalent UK size, or if they are saying to end up in a size up from your usual equivalent UK size. The way ... it is written is like it is giving different advice to US customers and everyone else. The few reviews I could find did not indicate that it ran particularly small, so I decided to go with my usual size. (32FF also seems to be the largest 32 band size carried by the boutique in this bra, so I would have had to sister size to get a larger cup.)

I am extremely pale, so the tulle does not blend into my skin, but it does not look bad, just no illusion of "only" embroidered cups. The internal side support sling is also obviously darker, very visible from the side. The rest of the embroidered cup blends a bit better, probably because the blue thread breaks up the beige expanse. The embroidery is not as obviously shimmering and two-toned in regular artificial light, but is still lovely. Between the embroidery and the darker (for me) mesh, my nipples and areola are not very visible. I generally wear nipple covers with unlined bras, but I do not think I will need to bother with them for this bra. I have rather prominent nipples, so it surprises me that there is little to no show-through. I still would not wear a tight or clingy shirt with this due to the embroidery.

The underwire is definitely shorter than average, which I find comfortable. If you need a lot of containment at the side, this may be problematic. The wires are a good width, I tend to prefer narrower wires. The gore is a bit high for my close-set breasts, and a bit wide, so I get one side twisting slightly and sitting on the breast. It is not necessarily uncomfortable (this happens in most non-plunge bras, so I am used to it), and it is not particularly noticeable visually, so I am prepared to put up with it. It is tacking and does not dig into my sternum. The band has 3 hooks in this size, the back band is a bit wider than in the pictures on the website (the model must be in a smaller size, as there are only 2 hooks), but it is not a massive difference.

Now for the bad news: the bra is a little too small. It is not quite projected enough at the wire, thanks to the tulle, you can SEE that the wire does not quite stay in my IMF. In addition, where the embroidered overlay is tacked onto the tulle "under-cup", I get a bit of in-cup quad-boob. It is not so obvious that it would show under a regular top or from a distance, but it is noticeable when I look down. It also exacerbates an apparent common problem with this bra. The overlay is sewn to the inner cup in a few places, and the tulle wrinkles/bubbles a bit between these spots. This happened on both sides, but was so bad on my left breast that I would actually classify it as defective. No matter how I pulled, arranged, tucked, or fluffed the bra and/or my breasts, the wrinkle/bubbles remained.

The boutique has a few bricks and mortar stores, so even though the bra was out of stock in my size online, I was able to track one down for an exchange. They had a 32FF and a 34FF, so I tried both to see how they fit. The wrinkle still existed in the "other" 32FF, but it was much less obvious. The wrinkling was least visible in the 34FF, but the tulle at the top was thisclose to being roomy, the frame was clearly too wide, and the band was too big. I could have worn it on the middle hooks or tighter, but I did not feel that the overall fit was better than the 32FF. I have a few more pounds to lose, so if I lose any fullness, the 34FF would be unwearable, whereas the 32FF might improve.

The saleswomen at the boutique said that the wrinkling/bubbling was a common problem with this bra (possibly with other Katherine Hamilton bras as well?), in multiple sizes. I do not know enough about sewing to know if it is a design flaw or a production technique flaw that could be fixed with different sized stitches or thread tension or something. There was enough of a difference between the two 32FF bras that I would advise trying on the bra before purchasing if possible, not just in multiple sizes, but multiples of the same size.

I suspect a 32G would either be perfect or slightly big up top (yay, full on bottom), based on the 34FF. My best fitting bras tend to be UK 32FFs, so the advice to go up a size from your usual UK size is likely good advice.

Caveats: I am full on bottom, somewhat soft-tissued, projected, slightly pendulous, close-set, inner fullness, need a lot of immediate projection. I have narrower roots. I am a bit deflated on top and have some looser skin. It is not super obvious, but likely affects fit slightly.
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Updated on Dec 17, 2019 Flag this