Unveiling the Ewa Michalak Nina Top: The ultimate sleep bra for (as yet) unmatched bust comfort. Read my detailed review of the top in size 34KK/75KK.
I can’t believe it has been two years since I last blogged about my quest to find a sleep bra. If you’re not already familiar with my mission, allow me to explain what I’m talking about.
I long for a bra/top that is comfortable enough to wear in bed at night, but that is also supportive enough to wear around the house during the day. When I am at home for the day I usually wear a t-shirt or casual top and pyjama bottoms, and go without a bra. Most times, this is perfectly comfortable for me, but there are instances when I wish I had something soft and supportive to wear to help keep my breasts in check.
I have tried a number of options since starting my blog, including sports bras, non-wired bras, and even nursing bras (NB: If you’d like to read my previous reviews they are listed at the end of this post). A few have come close to meeting my requirements but I haven’t yet managed to discover the holy grail.
I was therefore super excited when I saw that Polish lingerie brand Ewa Michalak were bringing out their own version of a sleep/house bra: the Ewa Michalak Nina Top.
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
The Ewa Michalak Nina Top described on the Ewa Michalak website as an ‘unpadded top without underwires’. It looked just the ticket for me, and so when Ewa Michalak offered to send me one to review I naturally jumped at the chance.
I was advised by the wonderful EM customer support team to try the Ewa Michalak Nina Top in my usual bra size, and as this is currently around 34KK/75KK, this is the size I asked for.
The Ewa Michalak Nina Top is made from very soft fabrics, making it extremely comfortable to wear. The front comprises three panels on each side, which are contoured to allow for the shape of the breasts. The edges of each section are covered with pale pink ribbon, giving the top a pretty appearance. The top and bottom edges have a delicate-looking trim along them, and there is a pale pink bow at the top of each ‘cup’ where the strap connects.
The back of the Ewa Michalak Nina Top is made from a stretchy black polka dot lace fabric, and there is another pale pink bow at the bottom centre of the back. The pink straps are fully adjustable and they do not fold over or dig in. The sides of the top do come up quite high into my armpits but I do not find this uncomfortable at all.
In complete contrast to all other Ewa Michalak bras, the Ewa Michalak Nina Top fastens at the front, but it uses a line of familiar hooks and eyes. It’s really easy to do up; I wrap the top around myself and fasten the bottom hook, and then work my way up until all the hooks and eyes are closed. There is only one row of hooks and eyes, and for me this is a negative point as I would have liked the chance to be able to tighten or loosen the top at various points.
For me, I found that the band on the Ewa Michalak Nina Top was rather loose, so I would have liked to have tried a size down. Alternatively, if the top had been made with more than one row of hooks and eyes, I would have been able to move to a tighter setting, but unfortunately this was not an option available to me.
Overall, I think the cup size of the Ewa Michalak Nina Top was about right for day to day wear. I do find that I need to readjust my breasts if I’m moving around a lot and especially when leaning over, but for the most part my boobs seem to stay in place fairly well. However, when I wore the bra to bed one night, I woke up the next day to find my boobs were spilling out all over the place. I am not sure whether a larger cup or tighter band or perhaps even both would be the best option to solve this issue.
I think it’s safe to say that most of the other house/sleep bras I’ve tried have not been the prettiest of lingerie, but the Ewa Michalak Nina Top is different in that respect. It looks really great, especially when teamed with some sexy knickers, hold-ups, and killer heels.
In this instance, I have teamed the Ewa Michalak Nina Top with my black Prague Lady Microfiber Opaque Hold-ups from The Big Tights Company and black platform stiletto heels from Primark.
I have also donned these ruffled frilly knickers from Yummy Bee, which come in three colours (black, red, and white) and are perfect for wearing with bras where you don’t have the proper matching bottoms. I am wearing the size 18-20 here, but wish I’d sized up to 22-24 as these panties definitely come up small. Nonetheless, I think they work perfectly well with the Ewa Michalak Nina Top.
Being a non-wired bra top, the Ewa Michalak Nina Top does not separate the breasts at all. I found I sometimes experienced some between-boob sweat when wearing the top, depending on what I was doing whilst wearing it.
The Ewa Michalak Nina Top is longer in length than my other EM bras, and I really like this feature. I wonder if Ewa will ever make long-line bras, and by that I don’t mean the ones made by brands such as Freya, as these are only a fraction longer than their regular bras, but instead bras that have bands that are long enough to reach my waist. I shall live in hope! If this is something you would like to see too please say so in the comments!
It’s important to note that the Ewa Michalak Nina Top is not designed to lift the bust or give amazing cleavage, but instead it is intended to be used on its own as a sleep bra or worn over the top of a regular bra to provide compression and stability to the breasts during sports or training.
Although I haven’t worn the Ewa Michalak Nina Top over a bra during any physical activities, I did try wearing it over my PL Laguna bra to see if it did indeed provide additional support.
As you can see from these photos, my bust appears more lifted than in the previous ones, and this is of course because I am wearing an underwired bra underneath the Ewa Michalak Nina Top. My breasts also look more compressed, as seen by the quadboob effect in some of the photos. This could be minimised by wearing both the bra and the Nina Top in a larger cup size.
I have to say, though, when wearing the Ewa Michalak Nina Top over my bra I didn’t feel constricted, but it certainly felt more supportive. I jumped up and down a bit and ran back and forth a few times and my large boobs felt very secure. As I can’t find a properly fitted sports bra in my size, I think the Nina Top would be a very decent alternative. Great news for all of us larged-boobed ladies!
Overall, I am impressed with the Ewa Michalak Nina Top and it is probably my best try so far for a house/sleep bra, and definitely for a ‘sort-of’ sports bra. However, I would like to try it in a smaller band size to see if that solves the issues I experienced with my breasts moving around when wearing the top to bed.
As promised, here’s a list of my other blog posts where I have reviewed potential candidates for my house/sleep bra vacancy. Please remember that these posts were written at least two years ago and my bra size has changed quite a bit since then, but I hope these reviews will prove useful nonetheless.
A range of non-wired bras from Fashion World
Emma Jane Non-Wired Maternity Bra
Royce Impact Free Non-Wired Sports Bra
The Nina Top is no longer available but Ewa Michalak have a wide range of non-wired bra-sized tops available here.
I have been waiting for you to review this before I bought it and at last here it is on your blog! Although it was not 100% perfect for you i think it looks great and you have convinced me to buy one. Your sizing tips are very useful thank you x
Great to hear this was a useful post, thanks so much for your kind words. I hope you like the top as much as I do!
Do they have this in a 42 L ? If so I'll take two!! I can’t find my size anywhere so this is my only hope. Thanks for reviewing it!
I don't know – if you click the link to the item you will be able to see the available sizes from the drop down list. If your size is not there you can email them to see if they can make it for you.
How do you know what size you would need if the sizes are different? I'm conceived to buy one, it looks so good on you. I hope it is comfortable. Best regards from Sweden.
They have a size calculator on the website, so you can try using that. However, in my case I am roughly the same size in Ewa Michalak as I am in UK bras (although as there aren't many in my size it's hard for me to be 100% sure on that).
This looks great on, i love the pretty details. I don't wear a bra for bed, taking it off as soon as I get in the house is my favourite part of my day haha. xxx
Aha, well it may be that you're wearing the wrong bra size, like many women! If a bra fits correctly it shouldn't irritate you so there is no desperation to take it off as soon as you get home. We'll have to go bra shopping one day!
Ohh- I thought I was the only one in search of a sleep bra! I'm out if luck too, at the moment I'm wearing a Nike sports bra which keeps my girls still at night but has no support walking around for long periods 🙁
May be worth buying this one for walking around, and sticking to your sports bra for sleeping as it seems to work for that purpose.
This looks great and I love the frilly knickers you have paired it with, such a classic look! Love your blog, you do such thorough reviews. Gemma x
Thanks Gemma. I've found over time that full length photos are as important as the close-ups in order for readers to get a really good idea of how something might work for them. On occasion I don't have matching bottoms for bras so I have to come up with an alternative, and these frilly briefs seemed to be just the ticket in this instance.
It has such a pretty colour combination! Your review is brilliant, so much detail. I haven’t found another blog that is as thorough as yours. I really trust your write ups and opinion’s. Thank you.
I'm unsure of sizing as I'm usually 52ff, how do I know what size to order? Can anyone advise please? I really want to order one asap. Thankyou.
Ugh why is it so impossible to find a decent sleep bra? I have tried soo many things, & wasted sooo much money 🙁 The panache padded support camisole (like the bravissimo one,which I think panache manufacture) is the best for me so far – with reservations – & it's too hot for summer. Please keep up your noble quest – I really appreciate it.You look the bomb girl! xxx
My favorite sleep bra used to be the Breast Nest. It gives you no lift but along with that there’s no sweat. Alas like prolonged interaction with any allergens the material irritated me after wearing it for a while. Now I’m back to Decent Exposures. It’s not pretty at all but it’s super comfortable. I find I have to go down a band size or two and down two cup sizes in that brand. The 34L should have fit due to the size chart. Instead I fit the 32H prior to my breast reduction. Now that one is two cup sizes too large so I likely wear the 32E or 32F in their brand now. The lined fabrics do get pretty good support to wear during the day. Well as good as a wire free one can. They offer many customization options like front closure, pockets for extra coverage or prosthetics , nursing flaps, and a loose band for those who don’t like tightness. Plus they make everything in all the sizes. I can actually get a strapless bra from there. They offer a scoop back and racerback ones as well. I can see where I’d need all three. From wearing the Breast Nest though I sometimes do go bra less. It looks better way with some of my tops and dresses. There are also sleepwear that comes with built in support.