The Curvy Kate Lifestyle is a bra I've had my eye on for a long time, but due to its high price, it took a while before I went ahead and ordered it. I originally started with my standard size of 30D, but I quickly found that this is far too small.
This style has a very short and shallow underwire, and I really prefer a long underwire to contain all my wide tissue, so I knew I definitely had to size up. The 30D could not contain all of my tissue on the sides, and the upper cup cut into my shallow roots badly. It ... was a major case of orange-in-a-glass. Thus, I'd recommend sizing up at least one size and potentially more. In size 30DD, I found this to be a very nice fit. Actually, in my opinion, this bra is almost identical to the Claudette Dessous, but in a much softer fabric and with a more minimalist aesthetic.
The Lifestyle Plunge has a 3 piece cut and sew cup, but these cups are made from single layer mesh, which I find to be rather unusual since most cups this thin are double lined. Other reviewers have said this isn't substantial enough for larger cup sizes, so that may be something to bear in mind. In my size, I don't think this will be an issue, and I find the cups to be exceptionally lightweight and comfortable. It would be amazing for sweaty summer days or travel to warm areas where you'd like your bra to dry quickly after washing. The mesh used for the cups is fairly rigid and decently soft, and I have no issues with the seams being scratchy as they are nicely finished.
The upper cup has a bit of decorative elastic, but actually the hem has very little stretch. Since I found this to to cut into my tissue in the smaller size, I'd imagine that it might not work for taller roots or FOT. Other than that, the only notable callout on the fit is that it gives a less lifted shape than bras with double layer mesh, like the Cleo Marcie. This is a much more natural and relaxed shape in comparison.
I found the band to be nice and TTS. It is a standard stretch mesh band with full elastic on the top and bottom, although I would've preferred wider elastic for the bottom. It does feel nice and firm so I don't see any issues with it stretching out. The straps are also wide elastic and fully adjustable.
The only thing I dislike about this bra is the hardware, which is all made of dyed-to-match plastic. It would've been more elevated with gold or rose gold hardware, in my opinion. I also don't like the motif of two interlocked circles, which is used as the center charm and the shoulder strap hardware. I know others like this detail and find it to be a modern and minimalist design, so maybe it's just personal taste. I would've preferred no decorative hardware and something more traditional, like the bows on Dessous.
Overall, I think if you like lightweight mesh bras and like the Dessous, you may have good luck with this one. Unlike the Dessous, all 4 bras I ordered measured relatively similarly and had no quality variations between the colors, making this a better choice IMO. Just watch out for sizing and size up at least a cup!
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Updated on Oct 31, 2019 Flag this
