I have edited this review, please see note at the bottom beginning at "Edit:". I'm keeping the original review here just so that people can see what my initial thoughts were, even if I don't think it anymore.
This bra fits perfect, I mean perfect. I have it in a red colour. It gives nice cleavage.
The only thing about it is, it doesn't seem to have a centre gore so it doesn't tack to the sternum. Even though it IS an underwire bra. It just sort of... hovers? So you can't really use it as a guide to whether it fits. But ...anyway, it actually fits great. I think it's just this style - without a centre gore, it can't sit flat.
Also, if both my breasts were the same size as my leftie, I'd probably go up a cup size. It bulges just the slightest bit so a 30C would probably be a bit better. But since my leftie is smaller, and I find it really difficult to pad it up (my breasts are small and firm, so they don't really pad-up very well with cutlets or air pads or whatever), the fact that it fits my smaller boob fairly well makes it a winner. I think this bra, in particular, is very forgiving for asymmetry without needing to pad it. I think it's the lace over the top that smooths everything out.
It does not have as much push-up as the Isis but that's fine, it has a bit of pushup and moreso a push-together for cleavage! I love the lacy coverage and the plunge.
I have noticed that, whenever I try on other bras, 28 bands fit better in most brands (Curvy Kate, Cleo, Freya in particular) and 30 is too loose. But in TLBC bras, 30 fits best. So I believe TLBC size their bands almost an entire size small. I think they are trying to fit well to women who use the +4 measuring system and don't realize they shouldn't be adding inches. But anyway, this one fits good for me.
TLBC's bras are finnicky - some B cups fit me best and some C cups fit me best (all on a 30 band).
Update: After one week, I have to redact a lot of what I said about this bra before. I was wrong. This bra does not feel good and I cannot wear it for an entire day. I believe the problem is that, like I mentioned earlier, the gore (if you can call it a gore - it is more like a space between wires) does not tack, so the band does not contact the skin all the way around the ribs. This means that the pressure cannot be evenly distributed around my ribs, and I end up with the underwire digging into my ribs, at the very bottom-centre of each cup, right under my boob. Also, I have to take back what I said about the band being tight. It seems to just be the Isis which fits this way, not the Lucia. I've realized that this band is actually too big for me, even though I have the Isis in a 30B as well and the band on the Isis is VERY snug for a 30, even snugger than many 28s I've tried.
Note that Bratabase says that Isis does not fit me, and Lucia does. However, having had the Isis for over a month and having NO problems with it, it is very very comfortable, and having just recently returned the Lucia for not being day-wearable, I have to say that the Isis fits, and the Lucia does not. Read more 521 more words
This bra is definitely meant for narrow set breasts. It fits me very well, except for the sides, where I tend to "spill out." The lace makes this bra a bit harder to wear. I like to wear smooth low neck tank tops, and this bra shows through and the lace peeks out.
the lucia certainly does run small! the band was not comfortable, and even though the cups gapped a touch at the top, they were so narrow that i had borderline armpit fat/boob - even after sizing up. the worst part of the bra is that the pretty lace straps stick out from under every single tanktop i own. had to return it.
I really wanted to like this bra because it's the exact style I'm looking for. However, the straps/apex cut into my Tail of Spence/chest muscle, which makes the cups gape. Also, the bra has a weird box-like silhouette and the cups/gore are very narrow, despite being described as a bra for wide-set breasts.
Too padded for my taste. But The Little bra Company's bras are the only ones so far, of the 12 or so I've tried on, that have straps that feel like they're comfortably on my shoulders, supportive, but not tight, and not falling off.
I like this bra a lot, but the cups are far too small and provide very little coverage. When I swoop & scoop, my nipples are pretty much sitting above the cups. I wore this one all the time a few years ago and it is very comfortable and pretty. The lace doesn't show through unless you're wearing a very tight or thin shirt, but I will say that the strap design works best under t-shirts and not tank-tops, unless you don't mind really visible/apparent bra straps. I'm tempted to get it in a 30C because I liked it so much when I was smaller, but I'm not sure the cups will be deep enough.
I really wanted to like this one because it gives good cleavage and is a good convertible T-shirt option for petite women. However, the cups are WAY too small for me -- I think I would probably need a 30D which TLBC doesn't offer. I like that the straps are close together enough that the straps never fall off, but this is just not the bra for me.
Amazing cleavage & projection but really doesn't lie flat against my sternum and I get some gaping towards the center of the cups. My breasts definitely look 'good' in this bra, but I know it doesn't fit properly so I won't be keeping it. Band rides up a bit in the back for me, but I have been wearing it on the loosest setting because I knew it wasn't a keeper and didn't want to stretch it. Would be good for someone with more natural projection and less wide-set breasts.
Just wanted to comment and say that I think this bra does not have enough projection for you. What you are calling 'center gaping' looks to me the bras wires are sitting well bellow your IMF and if you were able to get the wires to sit directly under the breast it would force the cup away from your body or you would get major quaddage. It looks like your breasts are sitting in the middle of the cup as opposed to the bottom. ^.^
I got professionally fit into a 30B in this bra and even though the bra calculator put me at a 28DD. The band felt very tight compared to a 30" bra from Lula Lu petite. The cup fit very strange on me. I'm full on bottom with shallow breasts. The top gapped but the cups could not hold my breasts when I used the scoop and tuck method. My boobs would get creased and a fold developed on my sternum and my nipples would peek out over the top. The shape is also a bit more conical and pointy than I would like. The material however is very nice and soft. The straps would not stay put where I adjusted them, however. There is only one hook for the closure.
It sounds like the wires were way too narrow for you and the cup shape did not respect your natural tissue distribution, so your boobs wouldn't stay in. Are you looking for a better bra?
Good luck with your search. Almost all of the 30B bras I own have more room in the cups than this bra, going by the measurements.
wendybien Yes I am starting to look into 28DD,30D range for balconette type bras. I am still a bit skeptical of being able to fill such large cups so I might try ones in a 30C range if that is the case.
runs_with_scissors Thank you! I must admit it is a rather frustrating/expensive endeavor.
Some of the calculators put me in a 28DD as well. I have a bunch of new bras coming in the mail soon (I might attack my mail carrier tomorrow, lol) so maybe my fit experiences with those will be useful to you.
runs_with_scissors That would be awesome :) I have a few coming in soon as well so we can share our experiences!
Just a general PSA here, don't confuse "large" cups with projected ones. Many women with shallower breast shapes are CONVINCED they have tiny tiny tiny boobs when really they don't (including a certain blogger who shall remain nameless). So they basically never look at cups larger than B when in fact they need a C, D or DD--just a very wide shallow shape with wires that extend out to accommodate the slope of the sideboob, instead of a narrow projected cup shape.
I'm not saying this is necessarily you, but just throwing that out there. Many somehow seem not even to SEE the volume of their boob tissue that is located on the outer side of the breast--which is naturally where the fullest part will be on a lot of women in this size range. I think our culture must be too obsessed with cleavage or something--so many people think if you don't have any fullness at the center then your boobs are virtually flat. In fact you can have less than 1/2 inch tissue depth near the cleavage, but 2-2.5" depth at the outside of the boob that extends up higher than you'd think and that, yes, needs to be supported. I have actually sat down with friends and taken a marker to a profile photo of them in a bikini and outlined their actual breast mass and told them YO, ALL THIS IS YOUR BOOB! They were astonished. In their minds "my breast" was the 45% that was covered by ill-fitting and overly projected bra cups.
wendybien Those are really good points! I think what is a little daunting is finding those bras that do support a wider shape and for sideboob. I feel that a lot of bras seem to cater more for projected shapes. But I am finally (through some swaps) going to try some bigger cupped bras and hopefully I'll find one that fits me properly. I also agree and even admit to falling prey to our collective admiration of cleavage. Thank you for taking the time to give us all that info!
Oh, you're welcome, I'm severely addicting to both bras and giving advice, as anyone who hangs around here can tell you ;-) Good luck finding the right cup shape and size!
What's crazy is that when you do have a lot of Center fullness there's hardly any options for you. I have a theory that very large cup sizes are center full which probably gives the idea that your breasts are not large if they are not center full but it doesn't go both ways.
This is TLBC's most heavily padded push-up plunge, and I think it could be a great super-cleavage bra... for someone other than me.
I have super-soft breasts, and the push-up padding in this bra (there is a lot of it -- filling about 2/3 of the inside of the cup, and non-removable) just mashes my breast tissue rather than lifting the breast up and in. Thus, the space at the top of the cup where the breast is supposed to be displaced to remains completely empty.
This may be the last TLBC bra I try. As with others I have tried, the cups are just too narrow for me, and even if they were wider, the underwires are not long enough to encase my breast on the outside. Furthermore, I think the plunge shape shared by most of their bras is not ideal for my wide, shallow, semiconical breasts.
This would probably be a comfortable bra if it fit me right. The cups are soft and stretchy. The straps are narrow and fully adjustable, with a narrow one column hook closure in the back. Not a bra to wear if you're looking for nipple coverage.
Bought it, tried it on, realized it didn't fit, and stuck it in my drawer for the last year and a half. It still has its tags on and has never been worn for more than five minutes.
This bra fits nicely. The tightness can take some getting used to. It's push-up and gives me a bit of cleavage. Occasionally it feels like it might be bruising my left rib underneath my boob but other than that it really is comfortable after wearing it for half an hour. The straps are a little short. I am tall at 5'8 and have broad shoulders so that might be why.
Edit: After having this bra for over a month, I have to say it is the best-fitting, most comfortable bra I have ever tried, and by now I have tried quite a few more bras. It gives the best cleavage, too, which is a great plus. The gore tacks perfectly and, while I DO get very, very slight quad-boob on my leftie, my rightie is at least a cup size smaller, and it helps that the cup is closer to fitting on that one, so I feel more symmetrical.
This is my favourite bra of all time, even though it isn't in my "real" size (28D).
Just wanted to comment and say that I think this bra does not have enough projection for you. What you are calling 'center gaping' looks to me the bras wires are sitting well bellow your IMF and if you were able to get the wires to sit directly under the breast it would force the cup away from your body or you would get major quaddage. It looks like your breasts are sitting in the middle of the cup as opposed to the bottom. ^.^