I bought my first Le Mystere Sophia Lace Bra a very long time ago randomly from Nordstrom Rack, and I have loved it ever since. At the time I was a 30D but thought I was a 30C, so this bra seemed to fit quite well before scooping. It gave a really nice rounded, lifted shape, and I was impressed by how TTS the 30 band was.
However, now I realize that this bra was always too small for me, since I was not a 30C at the time I purchased it. It does seem to run a half cup big, which is probably why I ... could get away with it. It is a plunge cut and the shape of the cup is somewhere between the Masquerade Alice and Ewa Michalak M, so it is designed for FOT shapes, and can accommodate more upper fullness, which is why I wasn't totally spilling out of the 30C despite it being too small.
Still, the wires on this were always a bit too narrow and short. As long as you are wearing the correct size or a slightly smaller size, even shallower on top shapes can wear this bra and not experience gapping at the top. As I found by sizing up to my current normal sister size of 30DD/E, however, wearing a slightly larger size is not suitable for shallower on top shapes and it will be unbelievably gappy, especially as the cups get wider and closer to the underarm area.
In addition, the bottom of the cup is quite shallow and there is not much immediate projection. Because of this, I believe there's a bit of a manufacturing issue when molding the foam for the cups, as on some of the Sophia bras, I've noticed a bit of a ridge where the bottom of the foam meets the wire, so that there is no room for the breasts to sit right against the wire. It is more prominent on some of the bras I have tried than others, so I don't think this is intentionally part of the design. On this particular bra the effect is quite minor, so I hadn't noticed it until now, though I've owned the bra for years and have never noticed it not fitting at the wire.
However, the bra is super pretty, and I just love the way it looks. This colorway, in Waterfall, actually looks a lot like the Masquerade Alice in Mineral Blue, both in color and in shape. The outer cup is covered with a layer of floral jacquard lace with a slight crossdye effect. The cradle and band are also fully covered in lace. I like that the band is actually made from mesh topped with lace, and has a proper wide bottom edge elastic, so it's not one of those flimsy lace bands that so many brands love to make. While it's narrow, it actually feels firm and supportive! The straps are narrow, but they do get a bit wider as sizing goes up. The front of the straps is covered with textured picot edged ribbon, while the adjustable portion at the back is plain satin. Fully adjustable straps would have been better, but the length of these isn't too bad. The only decoration is a lace bow at the gore with a small teardrop crystal charm.
I really wished that the 30DD/E bras worked for me, but it looks like I will need to hunt down a 30D to get my best fit in this style! Since I sized down to a 30D in the Masquerade Alice, I expect that the two bras to fit quite similarly in the same size.
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Waterfall colorway
Updated on Jun 19, 2020 Flag this