Tutti Rouge AW 13

My reaction when I found out that the Tutti Rouge Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was available online in its entirety: "Eeeep!"
Yes, I actually gasped and said 'Eep!' in a way that I though only fictional characters where capable of. I know that as far as a proactive bra blogger goes, any post on Tutti Rouge is a little late, given that they began their publicity campaigns months ago and the Lilliana and Betty have been available on Bravissimo (http://www.bravissimo.com/products/lingerie/brands/tutti-rouge/#/1) for ages.
I vaguely toyed with getting the Betty set when I got my Cleo bras from Bravissimo (not the Lilliana, as it is said to be a little flattening/natural in shape, and I am a fan of the bigger the better in terms of shape), but for no particular reason decided against it.

That was then. When I found out that the collection was on Asos (https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/tutti-rouge) my mind was blown. I swear, collectively, the Tutti Rouge stuff is just so gorgeous. With sizes 28-38DD-HH, they have a really large size range, and S-XL in knickers. I would prefer XS and XXS in knickers, just because you have DD+ knockers, doesn't always mean you have hips, such as in my hipless case, but perhaps they could work for me anyway in an S. Because yes, the knickers are so cute you just have to buy them. Skip to the bottom for pictures

Bras range from $43 to $53, and panties, thongs and suspenders from $15 to $29. The prices seem quite reasonable especially to a younger target audience such as myself. Shipping n Asos is $20 to the 'rest of the world', including Australia, where I live, which is steep, plus $3 for every extra item. Of course, this is comparable with Ewa Michalak, and a lot of things cost way to much to ship to this corner of the earth. Tutti Rouge is also available at http://www.celebrarlingerie.co.uk/ for only $13 dollars postage. Celebrar also has free UK postage ATM, but Celebrar doesn't carry all of the Tutti Rouge range, and none of the suspender belts, not that I would but suspender belts, not wearing stockings, but anyway,  points to consider.

Here is the Tutti Rouge stuff that I want. Especially seeing as it is my B'Day this moth, I might get them :)


I love the Franky set, especially because of the french knickers. It comes in this shade, and also Mint Green.


How cute is the Lottie set? The bras construction looks a little like the Betty.


This Birds of feather bra is nice, but why is the model n the wrong size?


How adorable is the Franky thong? Totally impractical, I mean, side ties? But I love it just the same


The betty set

Cleo Foray and Ewa Michalak lust list

After my little annoyance at my boobs (why you change sizes yet AGAIN?) I got over myself and went online to get new bras in my guesstimate size 28F. Assuming that I am still growing, not knowing my correct size for SURE and being kind of broke (I should stop harping on about that. Maybe just a savvy consumer. Environmentally conscious minimalist shopper. Whatever) I ordered two bras from Bravissimo, the Zia and the Juna, both by Cleo.

I think they are both going to work ok, but neither gave me an Ahhhhh moment. To be honest, the couple of Freya bras I own or have tried on have been more comfortable, just due to the fact that the bands are a little looser, making the gores more comfortable (less digging). This is making me reconsider the necessity for 28 bands for my 27 inch torso, I mean, comfort-wise band 30s are less gore-problematic, but still annoy me due to their shifting bands, and the fact that the cup is sometimes distorted over my too small frame. Also, Freya gores do not seem to come up as high. There are no boobs on my sternum, wire go away! You hurt my boniness!

What was right with the Juna:
The colour was just fine, too pink toned to be any kind of realistic nude, and too pale for me, but that shade could well suit some people, and it was still skin-coloured. The lace at the top of the cups was cute, it was well formed. It contained all my flesh (ughh, what a horrible word!), the wires and cups sitting just so.

But the bad:
Let me note that most of this stuff diminished with wear. It was noticeable the first day I wore it, and has been decreasing, with the exception of the shape the bra gives me. After a few washes and wears the bra should be fine. Ok. First off, the gore. WHY S HIGH??? At least in the 28  bands, for us with bony rib cages, make it lower! I could feel it as I breathed, or folded forward, but now he feeling is much less acute. Also, the seam between the top of the cup and the elastic is somewhat visible under clothing,but whatever, I really couldn't care. I wear a bra. You see the seams and are aware of the fact. BOOM. The tag was also a tiny bit itchy, but I will rip it out, so no biggie. The band felt fine, but angled up just a little, ie was not flush with the ground, which is a little odd. Other than that I can't fault the bra. Its a good everyday bra, which is what I wanted and got.

Construction, the half cup style did NOT work for my top heavy breasts. There is too much flesh above the top of the cups, without cleavage, just subtly there under my collar bones, and a little bulging, or disturbance of the nice, clean shape, above the rim of the cup. As I mentioned, the gore was too tall, and thus irksome. Perhaps I could have gone up a cup size. Coupled with the fit of he Zia I think I am a large 28F, small 28FF. Size established, I now want to buy ALL this stuff from Ewa Michalak!

Like:

The Satine. It is an S style with a tighter band, and looks good for everyday.\


The Onyx (PL) with matching panties, which are basic and black with cute detail. I just want a basic, well constructed Ewa bra.


Dammit,so cute WANTIT this Burek bra, but it starts at a 30F, and I may be sized out.


The Rokoko is gorgeous, and the matching panties have ruffles on the butt, but the set is REALLY expensive.


This 3D Lolitka bra, or the S bra n the same material. Unfortunately, they are both sold out in anything that could be my size.
I emailed the brand to ask about sizing, and reminded myself that I should really review my current EM set.

Back to the Juna. Shapewise, the look was projected, but not extremely so. It was not circular and blob like, like t-shirt bras, but a bit natural. The shape was fine. And there you have it!

I will be reviewing the second bra I got, the Zia, wen I can be bothered.

Xoxoxo, Princess

Freya Just Flew In Longline and changing sizes

Note: Blogger is messing up, and not letting me upload photos from my computer. When this fixes I will add my own photos. Until then things are going to be pretty text heavy.

Oh My God. Midyears have finished, the semester is over, mid year sales are on! I have bought SO MUCH STUFF! I have shopped so much that it makes me ashamed to admit how much. I am consequently poorer than ever, but ho hum. This post has been opened as such, because it is about my new Freya Longline, and my expanding boobs, my worst fears confirmed at Myer CBD, a main department store in the city, where I have spent too much time.

Caitlin Moran, British Feminist, says that boobs are a horribly inadequate word. Its true. Boobs, it sounds all comic and stupid, like they need a saxophone accompaniment, or to be attached to a comic, bouncing blond cartoon character. The imagery in Caitlin's own-I take no credit-from her book, How To Be a Woman. Breasts are too clinical, maybe for a staid politician, somewhere where cancer is found. Bust is euphemistic, and also sounds like 'break'. I just busted your stereo! Caitlin prefers tits, but I feel uncouth saying that. We shall see. Maybe I will just write 'mammary appendages', but I think that that would confuse even me. Tits/boobs/breasts/rack/whatever the subject of my writings shall be called aside, I digress.

Right, the Longline. There are a million reviews out there on the net of this bra, given that it was Freya's first 28 back longline bra, and longlines are hard to find a the best of times, especially for a D+ market. Longlines seem more supportive, firm and stable, given that wide band, and shake up ones bra-wardrobe. I would have loved the Just Flew In. There were SO many things right with it:

First, the colour is nice. I am obsessed with purple. It looks great on my skintone, and is FINALLY age appropriate for me among Freya bras, which I can find a little too serious and, well, old. Not too old, just sort of wise, and a little toned down. I also like the lace on the top of the cups. It isn't tight, and doesn't make the cup dig more than it already does on me, which is a sizing fault, not the bra's fault.
The band stretches to 28.5", which is very reasonable for it's size, but like some other Freya bras, it may stretch out more in time.
The band was really supportive, not too tight, maybe like a pair of jeans, and I could not feel the bra at all the whole day, except maybe I was aware of the gore sometimes.

And now for the bad. Obviously only having two rows of hooks, meaning it will become too big and thus obsolete too quickly. Also, the band at the front crinkled up, and probably needs some boning.
The cups also seemed very low, and like thew projected outward to the apext of my bust, but didnt then curve upward a little to contain it. See here the comparison of the Just Flew In's cups with the cups of the Freya Taylor, in 30DD, which have the same size.

The rest of the bad is my fault. Most of my bras are 30DD/Es, and the two bras I have previously ordered in a 28 both didn't fit, each for their own reasons. I had tried on the longline in person a few months ago in 30E, which was too big in the cup and the band, and so ordered 28E.

Either I grew a whole cup size since then, or a tighter band simply pulls the cup closer to my body. Whatever it is, the cup was waaaaay too small. Before swooping and scooping, my nipples are covered, and I have a fairly normal shape, with semi-subtle cleavage.

 However, I have side boob, and the wire is on my breast tissue. After swooping and scooping I had quadraboobing. My nipple was barely covered. I had cleavage that made me gasp. I'm a sucker, and its for the cleavage, beauty of the the design, and hope that my bra size will go down that I am keeping the bra.

Note also the quadraboobing and flattened shape under a t-shirt:

My bra size going down doesn't seem too happening, and this next part will be TMI, so stop reading if you wish. Firstly, I'm quite skinny, and my breasts are very firm, mostly tissue and not fat, so losing weight isn't going to make a difference. Also, that was how the bra fit between periods, when I am at my smallest. At that time, I was filling out my 30Es better that usual, and my 30DDs where looking strained, though of course, because the bands are not tight enough, I didn't get overflowing quadraboob. Now, a little before my period, I am overflowing from the longline like nobodies business, and the thing sometimes doesn't cover my nipples.

I went to Myer in the city, which only carries down to a 30 back, just to try a couple more 30Es and maybe 30Fs to see where my bra size actually is. Surprisingly, the fitter was very competent. Moulded plunge Pleasure state bras in 30E where nixed. They contained all my tissue, and the wires where fine, but gave me a flattened effect because they where being pulled around my narrow rib-cage and distorted. The Babes in the Wood balcony bra, by Freya, in 30F was a little generous, but not big in, the wires. I filled out the bottom of it, but not the top lace, and certainly didn't get cleavage like the model. It was obviously too big, but I wonder if trying a 28FF would pull the cup closer towards me, and would be a better size than a 28F at some times during the month, given just how small the Freya Just Flew In longline is in 28E. I am tring to decide what bras to order online in a 28F, given my expanding tits, but perhaps I will continue to grow further, rendering any new bras in a 28F obsolete. After all, breast growth doesn't cease till your early 20s.

So saying, here are some bras I would love to get:
The Cleo Juna in nude.

Tempt Me by Curvy Kate.

Princess by Curvy Kate, I mean, it is practically named for me!

Zia Spot bra by Cleo.


Xoxoxoxo, Princess