I first tried Charlotte 5 months ago in 30D when I was a true 28DD and shallower on top, and I remember hating the bra with a passion. However, since the 28E Charlotte frequently comes up in my Bratabase recommendations now that I am a fuller 28E, I decided to grab one on deep discount from Breakout Bras after checking that the measurements seemed to be reasonable.
My original review of Charlotte was quite harsh, and from what I remember, the bra was heavy, stiff, and fully covered in thick satin. It was a newer generation that I purchased from Nordstrom. However, the bra I ordered ... this time is the Wild Pink colorway from SS '14, and my understanding is that the bra's measurements have changed between the older ones and the new ones. The cups on this bra are mostly made from lightweight matte crepe, with an outer sling and cradle made from thick, heavy satin. The band is still powermesh and fits very snugly. The fabric of this bra feels much more comfortable than I remember, and it looks nice under clothing.
The band is nice and snug, and while the 30 band worked for me before, I prefer the 28. My challenge with this bra is that the outer cup height is taller in this style than in my other similar padded bras with similar measurements (like the Comexim Magic Plunge), and the fullest part of the cup is slightly higher. This means that the bra has more fullness on the outer upper cup than most of my other bras, which I have some trouble filling. In practice, this means the bra feels about half a cup large although the measurements would make it seem true to size.
My larger side is a full 28E, while my smaller side is a full 28DD. In most bras, the difference between both sides is manageable, but in this style it's really obvious. I marked this bra as fitting since it fits my larger side well, but when I move, I can see gapping at the upper cup of the smaller side. The seam is also pointier and more noticeable on the smaller side since there isn't enough tissue to fill it out. However, the bra was final sale, and I think it would be good to have a slightly larger bra for those times where hormones cause me to need a larger size than normal, so I don't have any regrets about keeping it. It gives me a really nice rounded shape under clothing, although anything too thin or tight may cause the seams to show.
I do have to dock points for both quality and comfort though, since the padding is much stiffer than what I'd consider comfortable, and the taller cup height near the arms can cause some chafing, especially combined with the wide-set straps that are too wide for my frame. In terms of quality, I think the fabric used could be much softer, the color matching between the cup fabric and cradle fabric could be better, and my bra came with a lot of random loose threads.
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Wild Pink colorway
Updated on Jun 07, 2020 Flag this
