I have a few Empreinte Irina Seamless Padded Very Plunge Bras now. This model has smooth, seamless, somewhat rigid cups, like the Freya Deco's. Irina Very Plunge's gore, however, is much lower than Freya Deco's. In fact, the gore is shorter and narrower than those in most so-called plunges, including all my Ewa Michalak PLs and 3Ds and my Prima Donna Perle Plunge.

Empreinte bras never have sharp edges anywhere. Much as I love my Ewa Michalak bras for their front and center shaping, I do get tired of the little cuts I get on my back from the pieces that contain hooks and eyes. Empreinte bras cost ... a lot, but the quality shows. Not only do these bras not hurt me, their bands, even when they aren't firm, somehow lever my breasts into position, providing excellent lift and shaping.

This Rouge Baiser color is my latest Irina Very Plunge. The Rouge Baiser Irina's band and cups seem smaller than in my previous Irina bras, which I have in these colors: Lilas, Nuit, and Brume Rosee. I bought all these bras new, so it's not that my previous Irinas were stretched out or distorted from use.

I sister sized to 32D in Irina after discovering the 30E cups go so high, my shoulders push the tops of the cups away from my body. I love the lower coverage of the 32D compared to the 30E. I should note, however, that Empreinte doesn't really sister size as we understand sister sizing from brands like Freya and Panache. In the words of the incomparable Kristin of K-Line:

Empreinte adjusts wire width for every bra size
(even sister sizes) so the wires on an
Empreinte 34F (for example) will be differently
proportioned than those on a 32G (which has
the same cup volume). This is because the brand
recognizes that when your back width
is smaller, your cup width probably is too.
And your breast height is probably shorter.
[https://line4line.blogspot.com/search?q=empreinte]

Now, what Kristin said in her post contradicts my experience with Irina's 32D vs 30E. My one 30E Irina Very Plunge, in the color Byzance, has much higher cups than the 32D in Lilas, Nuit, Brume Rosee, and Rouge Baiser. I don't know how to account for the contradiction, because Kristin is extremely savvy about bra fit. Like wendybien, Kristin has phenomenal bra troubleshooting skills. It's been a long time since I tried on my 30E Irina in Byzance. I'll have to try all my Irinas on and report back.

I've included pictures of the Empreinte Irina Full Briefs I also bought in Rouge Baiser. There are several styles of Empreinte panties: full brief, panty (lower rise brief), shorty, and thong. At least one retailer lists a Rio Brief, but I think that's what most other retailers call panty, which looks like a low rise bikini to me. I love Empreinte's full brief. It's not a retro, high waisted panty, but a medium-high bikini that reminds me of Fantasie's briefs. Most retro, high waisted panties go higher than my belly button, because I have less real estate to cover than retro panties expect. Medium high, full briefs almost reach my belly button. They make me feel secure. I wear skirts most days, and the sensation of panties slowly slipping down my body is suspense I do not need.

Fantasie started making their briefs lower rise in the last few years. I prefer their older, fuller coverage panties, as I prefer Empreinte's full briefs. Both are harder to find these days. I expect to wake up one day and find one or both styles discontinued, at which point I will froth at the mouth and complain to all you Bratabasers. Something for you to look forward to. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

I love the Rouge Baiser color. It's a lipstick red, a true red most accurately rendered in the photo of the front of the bra.


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Rouge Baiser colorway

Updated on Oct 15, 2018 Flag this