Bravissimo have several halfcup bras available at the moment and after hearing lots of good things about the Parisian Plume I wanted to try it for myself.
It's available in Aqua (sale colour - yay!) and Blackberry in sizes 28-38 DD-HH. I ordered the 34HH Aqua:
Such a pretty colour! It's far more aqua in colour in real life than the Bravissimo pics show, which personally I prefer as it's a vibrant and flattering hue.
The padded halfcups are partially covered with the most gorgeous lavender, green and blue embroidery which incorporates peacock feathers and swirls. The cups are edged with delicate lavender lace and there are pretty green and blue bows on the central gore and the section where the straps meet the cups.
The straps are half adjustable and are very thick and comfortable. The band is pretty stretchy and fastens with three rows of three hooks and eyes.
As you can see from the photos above, this is not a style that suits me. The cups were far too shallow and small and I had terrible quadraboob. The band was so loose that I felt my breasts were escaping below - considering the fact they were already escaping over the tops of the cups this was quite some feat! I think I would need two band sizes smaller in order for this style to work for me and perhaps another two cups larger. Sadly this is not possible as HH is the largest cup available in the Parisian Plume.
I cannot fault Bravissimo on the quality of fabrics used in their lingerie. It is beautiful - so soft and feminine, but also it feels well-made and as if it would last a long time. However I must resign myself to the fact that their halfcup designs do not work for me. Such a pity, but fortunately for me I have the option of Ewa Michalak CH bras instead!
I have reviewed the Bravissimo Moulin Rose, Dotty Spot, Boudoir Beau and Rococo Charm bras on my blog.
For many years, I have been a fan of dyeing clothes. I think my dyeing days started years ago when I wanted a pair of solid black jeans. With my statistically extreme 'out-in-out' figure, I have always struggled to find jeans that (a) have a high enough rise, (b) fit me in the waist and don't gape at the back, (c) fit me in the leg, and (d) are a shape/style that I want. But jeans are a whole other post, so I'll stop there with that topic.
Suffice to say that I found it difficult to get a pair of jeans that met all my requirements AND came in a colour other than 'stonewash'. So, not to be defeated, I would buy several pairs of these jeans and use dye to make them different colours. Of course with dyeing you can't get the distressed effect that was sooooo trendy several years ago but at least this gave me options as to the colours I wore on my bottom half.
Since then, I have dyed many items of clothing. It gives me the freedom to pick styles and shapes that suit me, rather than basing my decision on the colour, as this is something that can easily be changed - dependant on the fabric, of course.
I usually use Dylon dyes. They have a wide range of colours available in machine and hand dyes and I tend to buy them either from eBay or my local Dunelm Mill as they are a good price here (currently £4.59 for a machine dye).
I'm not going to go into detail on how to dye clothing as there are great instructions included with Dylon dyes and various pages available on the internet. Instead, I am going to show you how using Dylon has given me some more wardrobe options with the Wallis and Dorothy Perkins dresses I bought recently.
I LOVE these dresses. The shape is ideal for me - fitted stretch jersey but nipped in at the waist - and they have a crossover at the bust so I can wear a vest underneath for modesty or go without if I want to have a little more on display. The length is also perfect; I am not a fan of my legs but the dress sits just about on my knee so I can wear leggings or thick tights for a very flattering effect.
I don't wish to sound big-headed but I have received no end of compliments when I have been wearing any one of these dresses. I even had a man approach me from behind as I was walking down my local high street to tell me that I was 'a very exciting young lady'. I was thrilled - I thought I was long past being described as 'young' ;-)
Unfortunately I've found it very difficult to take full-length photos of myself at home so here is a full-length picture of me in the Wallis blue dress so you can see how long it is:
Photo kindly supplied by the wonderful Diana at Fashion Loves Photos.
So, first of all we have the Wallis dresses.
These dresses were a bargain at £20 each in the sale so I scoured my local Wallis and BHS stores to find some more. I was thrilled to grab a couple of black ones, which will be great work staples, as well as some more in blue, green and leopard print.
I must at this point praise the superb customer service I received a few weeks ago in Wallis, Hempstead Valley. The ladies in that store were super helpful, wonderfully friendly and chatty and even put up with me flashing my Ewa Michalak PL Garden at them while I stood at the till (I was waxing lyrical about how great these bras are - as usual!). Thanks girls - I had so much fun with you all!
Here's the black dress:
Perfect! As you can see, it's easy to change its look by wearing a different vest underneath. I can also accessorise with different jewellery or wear colourful or patterned leggings or tights with it and it would look great.
So...what about the dresses I dyed.
I started off by dying a blue dress with Dylon's Dark Green Machine Dye.
I hoped that by mixing blue with green I would end up with a teal colour (my favourite!) ...sadly this wasn't the outcome but instead I have a dress in the most gorgeous deep bottle green shade. Fab!
Next, I dyed another blue dress with Dylon's Fabri Colour in Navy (available instore at Asda here for £3.99).
I was so thrilled with the colour of this dress! It's certainly navy, but rich and vibrant shade. Blue seems to really suit my complexion so this is a real winner. It's nice to have a dark coloured dress that isn't black, and again I can easily team a chunky belt with this to change the look.
Finally, for now at least, I used Dylon Machine Dye in Burlesque Red on a blue dress.
Wow! I have used Burlesque Red on many occasions before and it usually gives a beautiful, deep reddy burgundy colour. However, because the dress was originally blue, the blue and burgundy have mixed together to give the most wonderful purple - like the Dairy Milk wrapper! I was really thrilled when I saw how well this had turned out.
I had finally run out of the plain coloured dresses so I turned my attention to the leopard print dress in the same shape. I found a gorgeous Dylon Machine Dye called Tulip Red and knew it would look great.
Yes! This was exactly the look I wanted. Something bold and rich...and it looks terrific without a vest underneath! I was obviously in the mood for taking lots of photos at this point as I went to the trouble of adding a belt with this dress and taking some extra snaps - I think it works really well.
I was really excited that this dress now matched almost perfectly with my Ewa Michalak Panterka Czerwona lingerie:
So now I can wear my red animal print dress with my red animal print lingerie underneath!
I have three plain black Wallis dresses in my wardrobe and I am toying with the idea of using Dylon Pre-Dye on a couple of them to remove the black pigment and then having another go with Burlesque Red (as I love it so much and don't have a dress properly in this colour yet) and a different colour (probably a teal - I have emailed Dylon to ask what two colours I should mix to get teal). But I am nervous that something might go wrong...however I suppose the worst case scenario would be that the black wouldn't be completely removed at the Pre-Dye stage. In that case, I could simply buy a pack of black dye and go back to where I started. Hmm...could be a project for the weekends ahead!
Now, on to the Dorothy Perkins birdie dress I recently bought. I got two at the time so one will remain (for now anyway...I have visions of it being dyed to royal blue...) in its original form and the other I bought to dye. Again, I used Dylon's Tulip Red Machine Dye.
I was so pleased with how this dress came out. Red is another colour that seems to suit me well in lots of different shades so it's nice to have something else to choose from when I feel like having a crimson day. It does look fairly similar to my leopard dress in these pictures but the difference in pattern is more obvious in real life. And of course this dress is sleeveless so it's likely I'll wear it more in summer, or perhaps in spring and autumn with a shrug.
I enjoy dyeing so much and I hope this has come across in this post. It's exciting from start to finish - choosing the dye instore or on the internet, putting it into the washing machine and watching it start to mix together, opening the washing machine door at the end of the cycle to see what colour has developed, and waiting for the item to dry to see what the true colour is. And, for me at least, the most thrilling thing of all is knowing that I have got a uniquely-coloured item of clothing. Well, I suppose it's possible that someone else may have had the same idea as me with the same garment but pretty unlikely I would think!
Here are two pointers I'd like to give you if you're thinking of giving dyeing a go:
- Make sure you check your garment's fibre content before selecting your dye. Some fabrics will not absorb dyes like Dylon so a specialist dye may be needed.
- Remember that the thread will NOT dye, so you will be left with contrasting stitching. I see this as a good thing as it means the item of clothing will be a solid colour with different coloured edging...but it could prove an issue if you didn't want this. It can be a bit noticeable at times if the stitching has not been carried out tidily (see some of my photos above) but on the whole I am not bothered by this as the thing most people will notice is the colour of the garment, not the dodgy sewing :-)
So, do tell me: have I tempted you to dye?
I fully admit that I am not the most fashion-conscious person. I don't buy any newspapers or magazines (unless a weekly tv guide counts...) and don't spend time trawling the internet to find out what the latest trends are.
The most pertinent reason I don't do any of this is because, in the main at least, 'fashionable' clothes do not suit me. With a classic hourglass shape, I need clothes that define my figure, nip me in at the waist and are flattering across the bust. Many trendy clothes do not do this.
You may have seen my previous post showing the gorgeous dresses I recently bought from Wallis. I adore the shape of these dresses and have since bought several more.
Dorothy Perkins is a sister company to Wallis and both are owned by the Arcadia Group. This explains why DP and Wallis concessions can often be found in BHS, which is also owned by Arcadia. Furthermore, this explains why some of the items available in Wallis are similar to what's on offer in DP, and vice versa.
For me, this is a great thing. On a recent shopping trip to Ashford, I discovered in the BHS in County Square (which has such super-friendly and helpful staff) that Dorothy Perkins had a 'Birdie' dress available in a very similar shape to my Wallis dresses. Now, thanks to the work of other bloggers, I was aware that bird print is a very on-trend design right now. Until this point, I hadn't seen anything in this sort of pattern that I'd wanted to buy...but my trip to Ashford changed this.
I saw this dress and pretty much ran to the changing room to try it on.
This is a size 14. I have found with my Wallis dresses that actually the size 12 and even a 10 fit me better than the 14 but in this Dorothy Perkins dress the 14 was a pretty snug fit. However, it did everything I'd want it to do - encased my waist and clung to all of my curves. It cost £29.50 so I decided not to buy it there and then and instead wanted to see if I could find it on the website and buy it using an online discount code.
To my dismay, that evening I found that it was sold out on the website (which is why I can't link to it in this post). I was then really busy in my everyday life so didn't have time to visit a BHS or DP store on the high street for a few weeks in order to buy the dress. I gave up hope of ever finding one again.
Two weeks ago, I was in Uxbridge for the day and paid a visit to the Dorothy Perkins store in the Chimes shopping centre. To my amazement, I found not one but TWO 'Birdie' dresses...and even better they were on the sale rail, reduced to £17 each! It was simply meant to be. The only slight downside was that they were a size 16 rather than 14 but I decided that beggars can't be choosers so I snapped both of them up right away.
The 16 turned out to be an ok fit on me. It is slightly baggy around the waist but, as with my Wallis dresses, a belt can fix that and gives the dress a different look. It's possible that I could even take the waist in at some point if I felt brave enough.
I love how this dress has a 'faux' wrap look - the bust section crosses over and also there is an overlap in the skirt area, which gives a really feminine waterfall effect. The colours are beige, white/cream and black so I have lots of options as to what colour belt I can wear with it, or perhaps even go for a coloured belt for contrast - I think red or blue, for example, would look great. I could also add a shrug on a cooler day if wished.
The dress fitted perfectly under my arms in order for my bra not to be on display. It's nice to have a more or less sleeveless dress in this shape as it's something I know I will be grateful for on hot summer days.
I am wearing a vest underneath for modesty (as I do with pretty much all my clothes) but there is enough fabric for this not to be completely necessary if I wanted to show a bit more cleavage on a special occasion.
The soft lightweight jersey fabric has lots of stretch and is very comfortable to wear. I did chuckle when I saw how much larger the birds were on my derrière than the on the front of the dress but that's what you get when you have a large backside!
So, all in all, I am left a very happy customer. I have two of these dresses so am considering dyeing one of them - will let you know how I get on with that if I decide to do so.
My search to find a bra to wear around the house and at night in bed continues. I have come close a few times but still not found anything I am completely happy with - even nearly happy with, in fact.
I decided to give the Royce Impact Free Sports Bra a try as I saw it on Bravissimo and it looked like it might work for me.
This bra is available in white, black and grey marl but only the latter was available in the sizes I wanted to try at the time I was placing my order.
First of all, I tried on a 32K.
This bra was generally a good fit, with the band being completely spot on. The material is mainly cotton but also contains 19% polyester, so overall it should be cool and comfortable for sportswear and at night.
The bra fastens at the back with four rows of three hooks and eyes and there is a section of velcro to keep it secure. I think perhaps this velcro section was also added to cover up the fastening - I am not sure this is entirely necessary. The velcro caused me some discomfort and I think with extended wear, particularly if this bra was worn during exercise, it would have been quite irritating. The end of the section was already curled when I received the bra and I imagine it would only get worse over time. It made a fairly sophisticated bra look cheaper and like I had owned it for some time.
Unfortunately, the 32K was too small for me in the cup so I also tried a 34K:
This was a much better fit, although the cups were still a bit on the small side, and of course going up a back size meant that the band was too big for me.
The outside of the bra is covered in a grey marl material that was already wrinkled when I tried both bras on. It was most unfortunate and in some pictures it looks as though it could be a nipple poking through - not the look I am going for!
I found it disappointing that the rings used to connected the straps to the band at the back were oval/rectangular, rather than circular. As you can see from the photos above, these connectors tend to turn around and therefore affect the length of and support from the straps.
When I saw this bra on Bravissimo, my main concern was that it came up rather high on the chest and it might feel uncomfortable. I rarely wear clothing that covers my decolletage area and it did indeed feel very strange to me. I felt it would make me become hot if I wore this bra whilst doing sports or exercise. I also had a bit of quadraboob, although this was almost impossible to see due to the height of the front section.
As I have found with all the Royce bras I have tried so far, the cups were too shallow for me. My breasts met in the middle but it was very hard to adjust them due to the bra being so full-coverage. I don't think I would have found this very comfortable if worn for a prolonged period of time.
I seem to have pointed out a lot of negative things about this bra but despite all that, this is definitely among the best soft cup bras I have tried so far. It fits pretty well, looks good and gives great support. I seriously contemplated keeping it but due to the velcro at the back and the lack of breast separation, it's not a keeper for me, unfortunately.
You can read my other reviews of the soft cup bras I've tried here:
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/still-seeking-sleep-bra.html
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/my-quest-for-sleep-bra-panache-sophie.html
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/my-quest-for-sleep-bra-emma-jane.html
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/my-quest-for-sleep-bra-triumph-doreen.html
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/my-quest-for-sleep-bra-royce-charlotte.html
http://curvywordy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/my-quest-for-sleep-bra-royce-sadie.html
And there's more to come soon so stay tuned!
A little while ago I was fortunate enough to attend the Plus London 2 bloggers' meet. I had a super time and really enjoyed meeting fellow bloggers as well as having the chance to speak to the retailers who were there.
I was particularly excited to meet the ladies from Elomi Lingerie as this was a brand I had heard a lot about but never tried before. I knew that they aimed their ranges at women with fuller figures but I was concerned that everything available would be too full-coverage and mumsy for me. I was also not convinced that their bras would be able to give me sufficient comfort and support, as well as making me look and feel great. How wrong I was!
The Elomi ladies were offering everyone the chance to have a free fitting at the event and somehow my friend Mhairi and I ended up being seen first.
Without a tape measure in sight, we were each fitted by the lovely Suzanne into the Elomi Caitlyn - a black full cup bra which is available in sizes 34 & 36 in E-K cups, 38-42 in DD-K cups and 44 & 46 in DD-HH cups. The set is also available in Slate (dark grey), Nude and Pearl (white), and is coming soon in Peacock (a gorgeous teal colour - want!!).
I started off trying a 34J but it was too roomy in the cup for me so I ended up with a 34HH, which was a surprise as I usually take a bigger cup than this. We didn't have time to try on the matching briefs but I went with the XXL as I tend to like my undies to be on the loose side to avoid unsightly VPLs.
Now, the Caitlyn is not a design I would have necessarily chosen if I had been picking out styles from a lingerie catalogue or online. However, it is one of the comfiest sets I have ever worn!
The bra has lovely thick comfort straps which are fully adjustable and have only the minimum amount of stretch in them. They also have a very subtle pattern embroidered into them, which means that the adjusters can gain purchase when shortened so once you've got them to your desired length, they should stay there - it's so frustrating when straps 'unadjust' themselves and end up way too long part way through wearing! Finally, the straps are connected to the band at the back with large black plastic rings so there is nothing to dig in and the rings will turn with you as you move (unlike when an oval-shaped clip is used, which can slant and even end up lengthways, making the straps too long and causing discomfort, as well as not looking very nice).
The Caitlyn has a higher centre gore than I am used to but it was by no means uncomfortable. There is a cute bow on this section, as well as on the part where the straps meet the tops of the cups.
The bottom half of the cups is made from an incredibly soft satin-like material that feels very elegant and expensive. The top half is made from a thick black lace which has a floral/tulip pattern embroidered on it. The cups are not open at the top but instead are edged with some very soft-backed material. In the 34HH there are three lower sections and one upper lace section in each cup, which gives a great rounded shape. The section that goes around the side of the breast reaches all the way to the strap, meaning that the maximum support possible is available - great news, especially for those of us with larger, heavier boobs.
The band is made from a stretchy black mesh fabric and fastens at the back with three rows of three hooks and eyes. The bottoms of the cups do not form the bottom of the band at the front - as with many bras - but instead there is extra band area along the bottom, which adds to the comfort of this bra.
I am really impressed with the number of steps Elomi has taken to make this an extremely comfortable bra. It is obvious that a huge amount of thought has gone into this, yet they have not skimped on the design and look of the set either.
The briefs are super-comfortable too. I found the XXL to generally be the right size for me, although the waist dug in a little despite the material having a slightly voluminous fit. I would be interested to see what the XL was like for comparison.
If I could, I would have taken this bra in a 32 band as I think it would last me longer, but as it is the 34 is fine and I can wear it on the second hooks for now. I think I prefer to have cups with slightly narrower wires and deeper cups as the Caitlyn tends to push my breasts out to the side a little. I don't think this would be the case for someone with wider breasts than me but as I am accustomed to wearing bras with narrower wires I do notice the difference.
While it's not something I could wear with a low-cut top, I am very happy to wear the Caitlyn bra around the house as a weekend bra and also out and about when wearing something with a higher neck.
(Photo by kind permission of Sarah Price.)
After my fitting with Suzanne, I got to spend a few minutes talking to the lovely Katie, who talked me through their range of lingerie and swimwear. She explained how Elomi are part of the Eveden lingerie group, whose brands include Fantasie, Fauve, Freya, Freya Active, Huit 8 and Goddess, as well as Elomi. We talked about different fits and styles and she described how each brand is targeting a different area of the lingerie market, with Elomi focusing on ladies who require a larger band but still want to have stylish and appealing lingerie.
As well as the many gorgeous options currently available - including the retro Betty and seductive Ophelia - there are lots of new Elomi designs and styles coming up in the months ahead and I am sure they will be well received by all curvy ladies. I can certainly recommend them for comfort, practicality, style and quality. Make sure you keep checking their website for the latest news!
