Freya Taylor and Bra Alterations

A bra I have had for quite a while is the Freya Taylor. Now, the smallest size the boutique had was a 30 band, so, being a little less savvy, I bought the bra in a 30DD (I was a cup size or two smaller then anyway). Anyway, as Freya bands are wont to do, the band stretched. So the Taylor went from being a size too big, on the stretchier side of a 30 band, to stretching to the large size of 33 inches, or a large 32 band. Despite the cleavage which Deco bras, and Deco variations (like the Taylor) are known for, the band made the whole thing too uncomfortable to wear, ie; I had to tighten the straps until they were painful to get proper 'butt-crack' cleavage, and the band was in my armpits.

Nevertheless, the bra is gorgeous! the colour is unlikely, black, caramel and brown, but surprisingly looks lovely together, expensive, luxurious and harmonious. The subtle stripes, and sheer fabric overlay on the cups, the velvet trim on the top of the cups and the adorable little mesh bows all contribute to making it look so pretty, expensive and retro. On the note of expensive, that bra cost me $90. Bra shopping locally, I guess.

I decided to salvage my poor, abandoned Taylor from the fate of my bottom drawer of uncomfortable lingerie, and took it to my Grandmas to use her sewing machine. It WOULD have taken 5 minutes, only the machine caught some cotton, and my grandmother and I spent half an hour fixing it, whereupon, as is her want, she just did the alteration for me. Basically, she took in two centimeters off each side of the bra, and then sewed the surplus fabric down. SO now the band measures only 29" stretched.

I cannot emphasize how comfortable it is now. I can hardly feel the bra on me all day, and my my tits looks smashing (did I just say that?). However, the bottom of the left seam sometimes digs into my bony rib cage. But whatever, now that the bra is wearable again, I can focus on the fit of the cups and straps. Predictably, by narrowing the band, the straps are a little too wide, and sometimes fall off my left shoulder, which, to be fair, happens with every bra on me. The wires are quite narrow, and I do have some side-boob, but I am still adequately fitting the sister size of a 28E. So saying, I might, in an alternate universe where I have enough money to buy more bras, try a 28F, or 26FF if it existed. Also, the cups come nowhere near my armpits, which is a blessing for my high-set breasts.

Here is the Taylor on me

In summary, I LOVE this bra, and highly recommend it, though maybe (if you are planning on wearing it for ages, and thus stretch the band) size down in the band and cup. You can buy it here: http://www.figleaves.com/uk/product/fra-aa4971/taylor-underwired-moulded-plunge-bra/

Xoxoxoxo,

Princess

Zia Spot by Cleo

I promised a review, and here it is. I ordered this one (not the panties) along with my nude Juna from Bravissimo a few weeks ago. It was so difficult to choose between all the purdy bras, and if I would have been a little less impatient, I could have waited until midyear sales and gotten more bras for the same price. As it was, I chose the Zia spot in 28F on the basis of 3 factors. 1, it was under 30 pounds. 2, it was my favourite colour, purple, and 3, I wanted to get a brand I had never tried before.

The colour is really nice in person, vibrant and fun, exactly how it looks in the picture. You get what you see, which is great. There is also a tiny charm on the gore. It is hardly noticeably,and you don't feel, see or hear a thing. I apologize for the lighting, the colours are being distorted by it!

In terms of fit, I pulled the thing out of the box...And held it up in dismay. The band looked too tight even for Kate Moss! Indeed, the first time I wore it, I felt chocked, the second I used an extender, the third it was tight...and after that it felt fine. It just needed a little stretching. First judgments girl, watch out!

Invariably,  the stretched-into-proper-shape band had problems too. Like most bras I have tried in 28, the band was too high on my back,  because my breasts are high, pulling the bra up higher, which feels a little irritating. Upon measuring, the stretched band was 29.2 inches, which is a tiny bit big for a 28 band, and certainy for my 27" ribcage.  The gore was fine, and the wings dug in a little at my armpits, but ^high boobs thing. Also, the lace on the cup, where it attachs to the actual cup itself,wrinkles slightly, which you can see a little in the photo. Fortunately, Boosaurus (http://www.boosaurus.com/2013/06/picture-tutorial-how-to-take-in-loose.html) has a tutorial n how to rectify this.

Shapewise, it was a tiny bit minimising, ie not the most projected (perhaps due to wrong size). The cup was VERY snug fitting, and cuts in a little. I am not gong to fault the bra for this. 1, its barely noticeable. 2, my breasts are full on top anyway, and 3, I am not 100% sure if a 28FF wouldn't have fitted better, so perhaps I am simply in a too small size. I also got the feeling that, in softer and more 'natural' shaped boobs, a slightly more natural shape is probably what the bra would have given.

All in all, I am not displeased wit the bra. Certainly, it is not perfect in some respects, but who gives? Its comfortable, well made, well priced and pretty!

Here are some lovely and artistic photos illustrating the fit and shape: