Cleo Lucille bikini

It’s coming up to summer now in Sydney, with some lovely hot days interspersed with ugly winter weather, and then bush-fires in the mountains, and then the heat, and then storms and rain. Typical. I have an aversion to clothing that I would not be able to run away from a murderer in, and my wireless bikini and one-piece, however pretty, fall into the I-wouldn’t-be-able-to-flee-in-this-without-clutching-my-heaving-bosom category.

I needed a wired bikini, and so I ordered the Cleo by Panache Lucille from the UK (http://www.panache-lingerie.com/us/cleo-swimwear/collection/21541953/Bandeau-bikini-top/), because buying a 28FF in a store locally (and trying it on first) would have been waaaay to expensive, and it is impossible to fit into a commercial wired bikini top.

Aesthetic wise, the bikini is young and kitsch. I would have preferred something a little more sophisticated, or boho, or pretty, but the Lucille was within my price range (actually, it was on sale), cute and inoffensive. The colours are clear and bright, and the nautical theme works, given that its swimwear. I am not a fan of the heart in the middle of the bikini, and may snap it off.

Gratuitous beach selfie

The bottoms are flattering, coming up high-ish, without being high waisted. They give no camel-toe, do not bunch in my butt-crack, gape, expose my butt-cheeks, or do anything undesirable, and I would say they run pretty true to size (I got a size 8).

Now for the bikini top. I ordered a 28FF, given that my size seems to have settled on the FF rather than the F side of the fence. When I took it out of the packet, it struck me that there was a lot of cup. Like, a LOT. The cups begin almost at the band. Also contributing to this impression is the smallness of the band. It was only 22 inches unstretched, 28 inches stretched, making it quite true to size, which is good.

Surprisingly, when on, the cups almost seemed too small. They were quite shallow, and though the wire sat fine on me, my high-set and full on top breasts spilled out a little, or at least, I got cleavage that looked a little funny from the side, sort of flattened and pushed up. I would not be able to go up a cup size, as the wires would have been too wide, and also have way too much coverage. When I lay down however, my boobs fall out the top, leaving the bottom of the cup a little empty. I would say that the Lucille might work for lower set/fuller on bottom boobs.

Sorry about the side-ways-ness

Under a t-shirt 

 That pushed up, flattened shape

From my bigger side.  

And my smaller

Support-wise, the Lucille is much better than any of my non-wired bikinis, I can walk and swim and cavort about without anxiously hoicking it up and worrying about nip-slips. I can’t run in without the top, exposed parts of my breasts jiggling, but whatever, it’s a bikini, not a sports bra.

Overall, I am happy with the bikini, and can’t wait to see what Cleo Swim comes out with next!

Xoxo

Gossip Girl Princess

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

Tutti Rouge

My package arrived! A beautiful, pink box from the UK. Unfortunately, I was away at the snow, skiing (lucky me!!!!!!!), so I only got my hands on it on Friday. I TORE the box open and pulled out:



The Frankie French knickers and bra in green, and:



The Lottie shorts and bra in Vanilla.

What is good about Tutti? Well, heaps really! The super large size range of the bras (28DD-38HH), and the firmness of the bands. In both bras, the bands lay parallel to the floor on my back, nice and low, and I have a 27" rib-cage. Also, the stuff is GORGEOUS. The fabrics are synthetic, but not cheap looking, and the
colours are so bright. The spots on the Lottie set are candy coloured, while the photo of the Frankie set does the colour no justice, it is a vibrant, aqua blue. The package arrived promptly (a week after it was sent. Considering I live at the end of the earth, that is fast indeed).

Unfortunately, despite all these pros, and the huge expectations that I had from the brand, I have to say that TR just didn't work for me.

Lottie Bra and Shorts:
I ordered this bra in a 28FF, given how snug 28Fs have been on me. The band was tight and firm, which was good. The heart shaped rings (what ARE they called) on the band where gorgeous. Beautiful. We have established. But MY GOD were the cups massive. The wires went into my armpits, and I would say they are quite wide, about 2 cms from my inframamary fold on the ides, and 1 cm on the bottom, so that the wire was resting on my ribs I got no cleavage, like the model, and it was uncomfortable. Its a shame, because DAMN I wanted that bra, but I shall be returning it.

The panties are gorgeous, all sheer at the back. Unfortunately the size S (which is the smallest, and the ones I bought) where too big. Please, just because I have big boobs DOES NOT MEAN my butt is equally well endowed. SO I would say that though I got a size bigger than my usual XS, the bottoms run large. I would take you guys a photo but mwaahahhaahahahaha I am wearing them ATM.

Frankie Bra and French Shorts:
Like the Lottie bra, I ordered this bra in 28FF. Though not a perfect fit, I have kept this bra. Like the Lottie, the wires were SO WIDE, especially for my breasts which have a narrowish root and are quite projected. SO there was winkling of the cup under the side  of my boobs (GOD I hate that word). Despite the wide wires, the cup lay flush to my skin, so I would not go down a size.The shape was a little flattened and pointy but it still looks fine, and I kind of like the shape, I man, there is something a little odd about the social cult of orb-like round breasts like we all just pop a crystal ball into our bras, and have plastic, nipple-less,shapeless boobs. The straps where also quite wide set, as you can see.

 Demonstrating a small band

 The shape

 And from the front

 In a singlet, also demonstrating the strap width,though admittedly I have small shoulders

 Wire widths and wrinkling. How good is the colour against my skin! I can't wait to see it with a summer tan.

Like the Lottie shorts, the Frankie french shorts are too big. Nevertheless, the are gorgeous. I love flirty little shorts (like the Miss Pip shorts I am wearing right now http://www.prettyinpink.com.au/sleepwear-and-loungewear/lounge-shorts-original-25), and they are waiting in my drawer to be worn.

Xoxoxoxooxoxooxxo, Princess

DD Atelier Amazonia Dress Review

Even though I am not 'the girl with big boobs', and seem to appear within a standard deviation of normal clothing sizes, I frequently find that size 6-8 dresses and tops, which fit my legs and waist and torso either distort unflattering over m bust, flatten me, or are very had to do up. After finding out about DD Atelier (http://dd-atelier.com/) on other blogs I went to check it out. A pretty, well made brand for those with bigger boobs but average waists. Tick!

I would say that I wholly approve of their manifesto: "Slim and curvy girls are beautiful. All they need are good fitting, fashionable clothes to accentuate their curves in all the right places." Indeed, hear hear! I am more of a fan f the classic, slightly vintage-y look, rather than this look, courtesy Tumblr. No, I don't hate it, or look bad in it, its just not my thing.



Anyway, the Amazonia dress from DD Atelier. Thank the Sweet Lord it was on sale, because DAMN it was still expensive. I ordered it, along with a plain grey shrug, which was nice and basic, to make sleeveless dresses a little more acceptable for my community. Here is the dress on the site's model:



From the side:



And the collar detailing:



The good? PLENTY of room in the bust area, in a size 70D. Maybe  little to roomy. But what would I know. I mean, a dress cut lower than my collar bones without any cleavage? When I got the dress out of the packet post-haste and put it on I was flabbergasted by how...big the bust seemed. From the front its a tiny bit roomy, but from the side its perfect, so I would say the dress runs a little big. The only weird thing about the dress were the armholes and sleeves. Why so tight?? Its a little hard to raise my arms or wave frantically at someone.

The waist is hitting under my boobs, on my rib cage, instead of my natural waist, like the model is demonstrating. I think this is pushing up some extra material into the bust area. Of course, this is no problem, it just looks different to the way the model is wearing the dress. The cause of this is probably my height and thus longer-than-average torso, as I am almost 5"9. Perhaps a longer torso would have helped. Had the waist been siting at my true waist, I cold have sized down to a 65F, but as  it was a 70D was the smallest size available, and works just fine!

I must admit that I am a horrible review, I nitpick way too much. Overall the dress is lovely, flattering and just a great item of clothing. My Grandma ad Great Grandparents complimented it, so that is a bonus, right? Below are pictures of the detailing and me in the dress. Oh the zip at the back is a little funny, it stops just under the collar, so you sort of have to wriggle out of the dress.

 The Sleeves

The Collar. Sorry about the blurriness

Xoxoxoxoxo, 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