If like me you're not a fan of moulded/padded bras the Divine is definitely worth a try as a t-shirt bra. The cups are made of sturdy floral lace which is shaped trough little darts at the centre gore and base of the cup, achieving a smooth round uplifted shape without any visible seams. This pale pink Prima Donna calls Venus is too light to work as a nude for me, but I imagine this could work for someone with pale skin. For me this is the perfect summer bra, cheerful, lightweight and seamfree.
I found this bra to have enough projection and deep cups. But consider: the gore is about 1'' wide and the cups are quite closed on top without any stretch. It worked for me as I'm wideset and FoB but I think the cut is not very forgiving shapewise. It has to match your shape just as it would be with a moulded bra.
This bra features the classic Prima Donna tree section side panel cut and is part of an continuity series that comes in different cuts and different seasonal colours. The cups are completely lined with a soft mesh an the lace on the upper cups is lined additionally with elastic band. The straps are only halfway adjustable. You could probably force the adjusters over the very flat trimming on the straps, but although I'm petite it wasn't necessary for me to try this.
The material is much softer and I feel somewhat more forgiving than those of the same cut Prima Donna Twist A ...La Folie Underwired Bra (0141121) I've tried before. The shape is therefore slightly rounder and less projected on this one, but nevertheless I feel well anchored throughout the day. The center gore is slightly broader too. I do not get the most perky and centered shape in this bra but it wears like an gentle breeze. I almost forget I'm wearing a bra. Overall a very comfortable high quality bra.
I've found the 65F/30E being my go to size in Prima Donna and Prima Donna Twist even if I usually go for a 30F in UK brands Like Panache, Cleo and Freya. The wires in these brands are slightly more U-shaped than the Panache ones and definitely more than those of my 30F - Freya » Ooh La La Plunge Balcony Bra (1481). Read more 142 more words
I got this on sale at 60% off at Zovo Lingerie in Seattle, which is why I ended up outside of my usual size. I was very pleasantly surprised that the Deauville fit me in the cup, as I am normally best off in a 32G instead of 30. In fact, it's a really good fit. The wires arguably fit me better on this one than on my Prima Donna Tamise Full Cup Bra (bigger Sizes) (016-2431) while the depth is perfect. (ETA: I later read on a specialty retailer's website that the Deauville is traditionally Prima Donna's deepest fitting ...bra--good to know!)
If you are like me and have a lot of immediate projection, here's a tip for this or other higher-end bras that use very heavy duty fabrics in full cup bras with no vertical seam for shaping: look for the little wrinkles right at the base of the cup, put your hand inside the cup and smooth the wrinkles out from the inside, as you scoop and swoop the breast tissue simultaneously. Voila! A rounder profile instead of the somewhat pointy one that can occur with this full cup shape.
This band is too tight for me brand new--it is just barely 29" fully stretched out. I can wear it comfortably enough and can fit 2-3 fingers underneath without any difficulty, but bands tend to ride down on my V shaped torso when very snug so I'm going to wear an extender to add about 1in. to the band length for the first couple months of the life of the bra, or until it has stretched to 30" or so.
I love the blue color and am very pleased to have found one, since it's a discontinued colorway! And it's great to know the Deauville is a good fit on me. Read more 204 more words
I own three bras in this model (two white and one scarlet); the oldest one was purchased in September 2008. The bras are handwashed. As of December 2009, all three bras are still in use and each is worn once every 5-6 days.
The bras were bought to fit on the loosest hook, but had to be moved to the second hook relatively quickly (after about a month or two). However, they have remained at the second hook ever since, and the elastic quality still seems good. I have noticed a slight widening of the fabric where the hooks are attached; it is 4.5 cm ...wide on the innermost hooks but 5 cm wide at the very end.
The underwires have remained in position and I have not noticed any pinching. The lace does not itch or scratch. I find the bra to be quite supportive.
The fabric seems to retain its colour reasonably well, although since this bra is, in my opinion, not especially attractive, that was not my main concern. Workmanship seems good; I have not had any loose threads.
In part because it is a full-cup bra, I have found that it works equally well during periods of breast swelling as well as the rest of the month.
The label for this bra is EU 80G, FR 95G, UK 36G and the cost was 79.95 EUR.
The size conversion EU80G=UK36G is incorrect. Correct conversion would be EU80G=UK36F. Not your fault though, I blame Primadonna for being lazy and not doing their homework.
However, it might also be a case of EU 80I=UK 36G, since these brands tend to use UK cupsizes even in what they call European sizes, more than the other way around.
Why would a Belgian company use UK sizes? Also, the only bra Primadonna makes in 80i is the Deauville. All other Primadona bras are only made up to EU-H, which is UK-FF, a fact that I and my UK-H cups mourn daily when looking at such pretty designs like the Primadonna Atlantis, Helsinki, Naboo and Amazone. :(
I can't say why the bra would have been labeled as such, only that that's what was written on it. I believe the 80G measurement was the correct one, based on my experiences with other bra brands at that time.
This is my fault! The site only does band conversions as they are straight forward (sort of). It does not do cup conversions. AAA entered 80G as her bra, but the site converted the band to 36 and kept the same cup.
This bra is EU Sizing that equals 36F in UK sizing according to the label. I usually wear 34G UK size. I thrifted this bra for a very low price almost new and it suprisingly fits me well. The cups are moulded and the material is very soft and luxurious. The quality is great. It gives me a uplifted round shape. The wires have the right width and the cups are tall enough. I don't have very heavy boobs anymore post reduction so I cannot say how supportive it is. Probably like medium support. I tried other Prima Donna bras in a store and my size in the ...unpadded ones is 75G but 80F in padded ones. The cups are very deep and I can't fill them in the larger size. The bra is comfortable enough to wear for a full day, gives a smooth shape even under the very thin tops and it just looks really good.
Update on my original review. I did not wear this bra in a few months and only got it out for summer to wear under light tops. It's not comfortable at all and the wires sat on my breast tissue. The cups are not wide enough for my boobs. The wires and moulding is super stiff and does not adjust to my shape therefore the breast tissue cannot be contained properly. Since the cups are very deep I thought it fits but it doesn't. The cup is too narrow and too deep. I will pass this on. Read more 146 more words
Thanks for the Prima Donna Divine review, alisa ! I love this brand. There aren't enough reviews of their bras, considering I want to buy more.
Congratulations on the reduction! I missed the news when you got it done. Hope it worked out as you planned.
learningaboutbras Sorry I must have missed this comment! I like how I can now try out a lot of new brands. I did not post about my reduction here. I don't know I kinda felt not comfortable posting it at the time. Years of body issues plus some incidents with creep messages here made me feel unsure about my account here and what I share on the internet. I'm very happy though with the result and it was the best decision.
OMG you got creep messages on Bratabase?! Eww. I hope you emailed JJ about them. He's good about running those people off.
How exciting you get to try a bunch of new-to-you brands!!! :-)
I bought this bra from a Bratabase bra transfer for a few reasons. First off , because it is a Prima Donna. Secondly, because it only cost $6! And last, because it might fit me if I use a bra extender. I am glad I did buy it because it does fit. With an extender it fits just fine! The only thing I don't like about it is the chocolate brown color it is. But I can live with that because it's a "Prima Donna for $6 !!" So anyway, This is a full coverage 3 part , cut and sew underwire bra. With almost 1" wide , non stretch straps. And 3 hooks in the back. The bottom part of the cups are brown and the upper is transparent with a flowery pattern on both. It is made of very soft material and is so comfy. A very well made , high quality bra. This modal has been discontinued. But from what I understand, there are other PM bras with similar features ect.
I love it! This is the bra I have been searching for. Great support and nice coverage. Center gore sits flush against my chest and wires are where they are supposed to be, and most of all, my breasts are front and center instead of being pushed horribly outwardly to the sides. Feels comfortable and the band doesn't slip/ride down when I sit. Wires don't poke my sides or (ugh) under my arms.
I also like the relatively non-frilly styling.
I had been professionally fitted just three weeks before I found this bra during a second fitting at a different store. This one was much better than the ...[many!] others I had tried on during the first fitting. I had tried brands like Panache , Curvy Kate , Freya , Elomi, etc.
I had to size up in the band from my usual 36 to a 38. The fitter who was helping me said that Prima Donnas run small in the band. I believe my ribcage measurement is 35" -- will double check later. I have *never* had to wear a 38 band before.
If I have any criticisms, the shape is just a tiny bit more pointy/torpedo than I would like. Read more 100 more words
I got this bra years ago; according to an old forum post of mine, it was my very first underwired bra, and I bought it in July 2011 while on a trip in Portland. I loved this bra. It was super comfortable and worked really well underneath most of my clothes. I cut off the floof on the shoulder straps, because I didn't like it. This made the straps fully adjustable and basically perfect. At some point I also cut off the tag, so I guess I'm guessing on the exact model of the bra. I was so sad when I outgrew this bra, and it doesn't fit now, either. I keep holding onto it, even though after daily wearing for a long time and it being years old, it's unlikely to do well even if my boobs shrink more in the future. But at the time, this was a great bra.
Primadonna is a high-quality brand and you can feel it in the materials. It is very comfortable. It works great for people who are bottom heavy and need both wide wires and deep cups. I do have quite a number of gripes with this bra though. First the price. This bra currently retails for around 80-90 EUR, which is at the current exchange rate around 120-140 USD. Second, the wires are soft. While this makes the bra very very comfortable to wear it can also cause the wires to get bent out of shape permanently. I am not sure about the wire width that I entered, bc when ...I had a chance to compare my bra to a new one of the same model I could see that the wire on the new bra was more narrow. The bent wires cause the band to stretch far more than it should, plus it pulls the cup flat. The final gripe I have is that it doesn't come in my size. The bra doesn't fit me quite right because it is several cupsizes too small. The sizing label reads 95 H (EU), 42 H (UK), 110 (FR). However this is a case where only the bandsize is converted, when you convert cupsize the true UK size is 42 FF. I wear a 40 H/42 GG with Panache and a 40 GG/42 G with Elomi, small wonder I the wire doesn't sit flat against my sternum.
Barely worn Prima Donna Madison. It was my mom’s but she had to have surgery right after she purchased this so couldn’t wear this type of bra anymore. Amazing shape and lift. One of Prima Donna’s best sellers. Stretchy and comfortable yet strong and supportive.
This bra is really comfortable, has a nice stretchy cup, feels very secure but not uncomfortably right. It also looks fantastic! It's the best everyday bra that I have.
Would love if measurements were added on all the bras posted. This helps others in the same size range when purchasing these bras or thinking about purchasing them. I am a 40 band but even a 30 measurement can help when considering the same bra :)
Would love if measurements were added on all the bras posted. This helps others in the same size range when purchasing these bras or thinking about purchasing them. I am a 40 band but even a 30 measurement can help when considering the same bra :)
Sorry, did not mean to post twice but my iPad decided it should for some reason lol
Love the overall color, pattern, and style. Band fits well, though only having one hook per row makes it feel less sturdy. It has held up well though! My one complaint is the overall shape. The cups aren't widely spaced but the contour really separates your breasts and points them outwards. They have a slightly conical shape to the cups as well. It's not too pronounced but compared to other bras these give me a little bit of torpedo boob! I do wear them a lot, although my main complaint is that the top of the cups come up quite high so it's not great with tanks or low-cut shirts.
I don't love molded, seam-free bras but this one is quite a find. For starters, it's actually deep, which is strange for molded bras, in my experience. Amazingly, this is accomplished by the use of strategically placed, very short darts at the centre gore and base of the cup. This allows for optimal contour but no visible seams. The fabric is very structured, producing excellent support despite soft(ish) wires (which generally I hate) and a narrow band (2 hooks). The support and lift are terrific. This is a much narrower and deeper Prima Donna than I've ever tried before. In general, I like Empreinte and do NOT like ...the fit of Prima Donna for my close-set, centre-projected, narrowish breasts. I'm never going to find this as sexy as a lace bra with seams, and I'm not super into the round boob look in its extreme incarnation (as we see it all over the place these days), but for under slim clothes, this is quite a good shape. It's pricey, though. I paid 165 CDN before tax. The straps are sleek looking, although they're actually 0.8" wide. They're also very comfortable, though firm. Read more 84 more words
Beautiful bra, lovely shade of lila, but sadly not for me anymore. It's just too small, much too small. I've rarely worn it ever. I let the bra lady convince me to buy it anyway even though it was quadboobing already, she convinced me that it wouldn't show under clothes but it always does of course and I was young&innocent&naive enough to believe her back then.
It really is super pretty and Prima Donna is a fine brand, although pricey.
Cute bra, perky shape, soft broad wire, great for wider set breasts. My not sit flat in the center on fuller women. Not great for women with softer tissue, better to try the fuller version. UNLESS you have high set breasts and wires tend to be too long for you.
Band fit snug, I usually wear a 34, I had to go up to a 36 in this one.
Hi, I do not have much experience in understanding what I need, but I have the same bra in a different size that would be absolutely perfect, but the wire really digs into one of the breasts under the armpit. Does it mean the wire is too short?
I was professionally fitted for this bra. I have only worn it 2 times over the course of about 4 days. So far I am extremely pleased, but will update when I have worn it more regularly over a longer period of time. I had been wearing very improperly fitting bras for some time, and was also mostly wearing padded bras, so this being the right size and a soft cup bra, it feel very different to me. It is very comfortable, though I did feel like the under wire comes a little high in the front, so it does poke me a little ...bit in the chest, but not to the point of being painful or extremely annoying, unless I am lying down on my side (I did not mark this as not fitting as I feel this is a fairly minor issue, I will change that if it gets worse) . It feels very supportive and holds my boobs up high. I am not used to the look of a soft cup bra, so I feel like it looks a little odd. It allows my boobs to look more pointy and natural than a padded bra, without looking flat or saggy.
When I first wore this bra, for about 3-5 hours at night, it felt very tight and almost uncomfortable. I then wore it the entire next day, 8-10 hours, and although it still felt a little tight it was very comfortable. I highly recommend wearing this bra for a few hours before wearing it for a whole day to give it a chance to wear in first.
I hope this helps for now, I will write more as I wear more! Read more 183 more words
I would like to point out that this bra is manufactured in the European sizing system. As a consequence the size is actually 85 G (EU), which converts to 38 F (UK). Also Primadonna bras have a tendency to run large in the cup, a tendency that gets stronger the lower the bandsize is.
Fits ribcage 27 B. perimeter 11.5 Stretched Band 31.0 Band Length 21.5 Stretch ratio 1.4 Cup width 5.5 Cup depth 10.5-11.5 Depth ratio 1.9 Wire length 12.0 Cup height 9.5 Cup separation 0.7 Gore height 3.6 Wing height 4.5 Strap width 0.9 Strap length 15 Hooks 2
Fairly thin, sleek, soft & sturdy textiles paired with industrial-strength stretch satin straps. Band is lightweight but resilient knit, finer weight than average hook & eye closure.
Cups are a fine medium weight knit outer, lined in slightly stretchy duoplex with a stretchy wide upper lace band. The side control is less based in flattening the outer breast and more of a 'Come ...now there's plenty of room for us all to get along, here now let's make you right at home- don't you prefer this forgiving centerfulness?' Gore appears taller than it truly is as the wires are closer-set and run parallel, band has a somewhat curved polish shaping.
All of this is quite agreeable to my sideheavy, FOB and generally PITA shape that runs twice as deep as it is high. I opted to go for straight sizing rather than down due to immobile tissue that dislikes being pushed about or squashed. Others may need to study their IMF and depth needs at length before deciding. I'd suggest just getting one's closest fit, and having any spare strap/height/band taken in by a tailor as this one is a 'seamless' wear that just embraces the curves.
Pity this isn't made in sub 30 sizes, as I want at least 5 more now, and will be looking into the plunge and long-line styles. Read more 165 more words
Thanks for the review! It's a really pretty bra and I like the idea of acting as a tee shirt bra without being moulded.