Tag Archives: Curvy Kate

Review: “Marcie” by Cleo and “Emily” by Curvy Kate

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I’m really trying to shift my shopping habits to support smaller retailers, but I confess that when Figleaves sends me a discount code, I usually bite.  I’m trying to pinch pennies wherever I can, and I also really need new bras, so Figleaves’ timing was much appreciated.  After a lot of deliberating (everyone and their mother have released some fantastic colors for Fall), I chose the “Marcie” set by Cleo and the “Emily” by Curvy Kate in this season’s deep blue color.

I’ve been wanting to try a Curvy Kate (non-Showgirl) style for a while now.  I really like the brand: I like the sense of fun they bring to the full-bust market, I like the body-and-boob positivity, and I love the new, grown-up blue (Midnight/Blush) color for Fall.  Cleo, meanwhile, is quickly turning into my favorite brand.  I find the fit is more consistent than Freya, and their unlined balconette bras suit my shape almost perfectly: the bottom of the cup is never baggy, the wires sit flush, the bands are nice and firm, and the straps don’t slip.  Some women find that Panache bras have painful underwires, but I’ve never had that issue with Cleo.  I think it would be a great brand to offer to a full-busted teenager, as some of the styles are sweet, fun, and youthful, but I don’t think Cleo is exclusively for the under-20 set.  Who doesn’t want to add a note of sexy playfulness to her lingerie drawer?

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“Emily” by Curvy Kate.  Available in Midnight/Blush, Black, Beige, and White.  Sizes 28-40 D-K.

Emily first: The bra is really, really beautiful, especially considering that it’s kind of a “basic” bra.  I love the vibrant blue, which is kind of a cross between navy and royal blue, and the contrasting embroidery is a very pale sepia-pink that’s quite lovely.  Mine had a few stray threads on the cups, but the seams are all secure.  The bottom of the center gore features a small eyelet ruffle, which is very pretty and feminine, and happily it doesn’t continue all the way around the cups, as sometimes details like this can rub and irritate the skin directly under the breast.  My size features three sets of three hooks and eyes in the back and fully-adjustable straps.  The band is true-to-size, and it fits very smoothly.  With some bras I’ve found that the band’s outer edges don’t stretch evenly with the rest of the band, which means the top or bottom of the band pinches and digs in while the fabric of the band itself stretches lazily.  With this bra, the stretch is more consistent throughout the band as a whole, which is both more flattering (if you’re squishy, as many of us are) and more comfortable.  I had heard that some women prefer to try a cup size up in Curvy Kate bras, and since I’m kind of between sizes right now I went with the larger cup size.

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The picture above is a better representation of the color, but this one shows off the details a bit better. Pretty!

My experience with Emily is proof that even if the size is technically correct, sometimes a bra’s shape isn’t 100% perfect for you.  The center gore is a bit higher than I’ve found with some balconette bras, and the cups are also cut higher, so to me it feels a bit like a cross between a balconette and a full-cup bra.  A fuller cup is great for support, but it does run the risk of showing under some necklines.  My breast tissue is fully encapsulated in the cup and the band sits firm and horizontal on the loosest hooks, but the darned center front won’t sit completely flush against my sternum.  Generally your first step in that situation would be to try a cup size bigger.  However, I already have a bit of extra space in the bottom of the cup, and a cup size bigger would probably just be too big.  So what does it mean, when a size is technically correct, but you can’t tick all your good fit checkboxes (in this case, the center gore) in good conscience?  It means that your size is fine, but the fit just may not be there.  See why it’s a good idea not to get too hung up on the size on the tag?  Sometimes the bra just isn’t your soulmate.  Emily is super comfortable, but the cups probably aren’t a perfect match for my breasts.  There’s also a chance that the center gore is a bit wider than on some other bras.  It might be great for women whose breasts sit further apart from each other than mine do, but there’s currently no room between my boobs for that gore.  Even though the cut isn’t absolutely perfect, I’m considering keeping the bra, and here’s why: it’s crazily comfortable, I like the shape it gives me, which is a bit lower-profile and less in-your-face than some bras, the support is fabulous, I love the color, and I suspect that I can alter the center gore so that it’s narrower and will fit my shape better.

CK sizes its briefs in UK sizes 8-22.  I’m between sizes in skirts and pants right now, and I went with my smaller size when ordering my knickers, which was a good call (reminder: my hips and rear are narrower in proportion to my bust.  If you have fuller hips or a fuller rear, you may need to choose your size differently).  I really like that the waistband doesn’t dig, and the gorgeous embroidery and smooth fabric are just as lovely here as they are on the bra, but the briefs are a bit lower-cut than I’d like, and between the low cut and the looser waistband I worry they might ride down throughout the day.  My obsession with matching lingerie sets is making me hesitate about keeping both parts of a set I’m only 94% sold on, but I’m definitely going to look closer at the bra to see what an alteration to the center gore might accomplish.  Decisions, decisions.

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“Marcie” by Cleo.  Available in Red.  Sizes 28-38 D-J.

On to the Marcie:  I first saw this set in one of Invest in Your Chest’s A/W 2012 preview posts (she has also reviewed Marcie, so check her out if you’d like to see some IRL pictures), and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.  It’s always hard to try to figure out how a bra will fit you compared to how it fits a model, but I suspected that, given my success with similar Cleo bras in the past, this shape would suit me.  The color sure does!  A bright, cheerful, cherry red, with sheer mesh embroidery on the top of the cups and swiss dots (oh look, dots, we are all astonished I love them) on the main part of the cups.  My size closes with three sets of two hooks and eyes, and the straps are fully adjustable.  These straps deserve extra mention: not only are they fully adjustable, but they’re lined with a soft, slightly fuzzy fabric that won’t rub your shoulders raw, and the top side of the strap is ribbed, to ensure that once the strap is adjusted to the right place, it won’t slip.  That is a really nice touch, especially considering that fuller busts can be, you know, heavier busts.

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Ruffled. Freaking. Knickers. Love ‘em. The bows look a bit purple in this picture, but they’re definitely navy in real life.

And yep, this shape is my shape.  I love it, I love it, I love it.  Again, I’m between cup sizes, and I went for the larger one.  The band is firmer than the CK Emily, and when I first put the bra on I thought the cups were too big.  TEACHABLE MOMENT: It’s super, super important to wiggle and shimmy and adjust and reposition and bounce around and stretch your arms up over your head when you’re trying on a new bra, especially if your breast tissue is soft.  Once I did my trying-on dance, my breasts settled into the cups, and I realized the fit was perfect.  I don’t know what wizardry the Cleo team uses, but their unlined balconettes are magical.  The wires sit directly against my ribcage under my breasts with no excess fabric or digging, the center gore is flat against my sternum, there’s no wire poking into my armpit, and the construction of the cup gives gloriously rounded, uplifted boobs.  This isn’t a cleavage-y bra, but it gives an extremely sexy shape nonetheless, and it really elongates the torso and slims the waist, since the bust is so perky and uplifted.  I wore the bra today under a jersey dress, and even though there are seams and embroidery on the cup, which I know some people shy away from, it’s practically invisible.  Marcie, darling, I love you.

The Marcie briefs are also completely flipping adorable.  Ruffles, dots, bows: I’m there.  I went for my smaller size, which was again the right decision.  They’re a little lower-cut than I’d like, but that’s an old song at this point, and they’re too darned cute and comfy for me to care.

I took Marcie out pole dancing tonight.  She held up beautifully.

Emily is available at Butterfly Collection, Linda’s, Figleaves, HerRoom, and Bare Necessities.  Older colors on sale at BraStop and on eBay.

Marcie is available at Nordstrom, Bravissimo, Figleaves, Bare Necessities, and HerRoom.

As a fun P.S., it looks like Cleo has great faith in Marcie, as Invest in Your Chest previewed a new electric blue color to debut for Spring 2013!

*N.B.  Unless otherwise specified, any item I review here at Sweet Nothings is something I picked out and bought for myself.  I do not have sponsors, and I do not use affiliate links.  All opinions are entirely my own.

Clothing Your Curves: Suggestions for Fuller Bums, Part 2: Knickers Edition

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In addition to sharing their favorite clothes shopping secrets, my blog buddies all graciously got personal with me and shared some knicker preferences.  The incredible surge in lingerie brands and sizes in the last five years means that there are lots of choices in terms of styles (bikinis, hipsters, cheeky boyshorts, thongs, g-strings, high-waisted briefs, tap shorts, etc.), and while that’s great, it still seems like there hasn’t been much discussion about how to approach fitting these garments.  For example, sometimes a woman tries on one brand of thong, and if the rise isn’t right (the waist rides up too high or is too low to fit comfortably), she’ll write off thongs entirely.  Sometimes a woman finds a bra she loves but hates the coordinating pieces that come with it.  In response to situations like this, some brands, like Freya, have stepped up in recent years and begun offering multiple styles per range.

“Gem” in blue by Freya. Half-cup bra and high-waisted brief pictured.

For example, the new season style “Gem” will offer a half-cup bra up to an F-cup, a balconette bra up to a K-cup, a Brazilian brief, a short, and a high-waisted brief, all in two different colors.  It gives the customer a lot of variety to choose from so that she can purchase the range she likes in the styles that suit her best (I, for example, desperately want the balconette bra and the high-waisted brief in either color), but it can be a burden on retailers.  Erica discusses the issue of briefs and matching sets in this post, and I particularly enjoyed reading her replies in the comments about why matching briefs can be so expensive, and how it can be very, very hard for boutiques to calculate their inventory.   This, in turn, can make it hard for shoppers to have the opportunity to try on all the styles available to find the ones to suit them best.  There’s also such a strong focus on bra-fitting in the general lingerie world that by the time that’s taken care of, knickers can seem like an afterthought.

There’s nothing wrong with knickers being an afterthought, of course!  Nothing at all.  I know lots of women who put their time and energy into selecting bras that best suit their shape, tastes, and style, and who then prefer to buy multi-packs of basic cotton underwear.  These women feel pretty and comfortable, so they should keep on keeping on.  (For some great recommendations on basic knickers for different shapes, check out Braless in Brasil’s knickers post).  However, I remember the first time I had a matching set of underwear (after I’d graduated from college), and I felt so womanly, sophisticated, decadent, pretty, and sexy.  It was like a little treat to myself, after years of thinking I wasn’t allowed to have pretty underwear (really).  For me, finding the right bra opened up the world of lingerie sets.  For women with curvier bums and fuller hips who are looking for some good knickers to make their lingerie sets complete, here are some suggestions.

Curvy Kate

“Emily” bra and brief in Midnight/Blush by Curvy Kate. Also available in beige, black, and white (other colors may be available on sale).

Several bloggers responded that they’d had good luck with Curvy Kate, in particular the briefs for the “Emily” and “Princess” ranges.

“Princess” short in black.

The way CK cut the top of their briefs leads to less digging into the hips, and the rise is better than some other companies’, coming up higher in the back so that the briefs aren’t falling off the bum.  (Bravissimo, for example, who really changed the game in the full-bust bra world, has some work to do with their knickers.  They cut their (own brand) briefs very, very low in my limited experience, and several times it has made me unwilling to commit to overseas shipping, for fear of needing to return the order.  I’d love to see some high-waisted briefs, or even highER-waisted briefs, to go with their lovely bras.)  Curvy Kate in general offers a good range of knicker styles, including briefs, thongs, high-waisted briefs, and shorts with detachable suspenders, so you should be able to try your favorite styles.  I’m also happy to recommend Curvy Kate because of their generous range of sizes (28-40 D-K), and because they’re becoming more and more widely available in North America.  Figleaves (which is also running a competition on Facebook to win a Curvy Kate set), HerRoom, Bare Necessities, Linda’s, A Sophisticated Pair, and Butterfly Collection all carry Curvy Kate, as do many smaller boutiques.

Parfait

“Charlotte” High Waist Brief in Red, in sizes XS-2XL

Their high-waisted retro briefs are to die for.  Check out Invest in Your Chest’s and Sophia’s reviews to see some curvy girls rocking the “Charlotte” range.

Elomi and Freya

I’ve already fessed up to the fact that I don’t have a pronounced waist-to-hip ratio, and that my underwear shopping tends to be fairly straightforward and painless.  I would still be remiss not to say that I have loved almost every single Freya brief I’ve ever worn.  I love the design and details of my Cleo by Panache sets, but the briefs are incredibly hit or miss with me.  Freya’s bikini-style briefs and high-waisted briefs are always winners (their thongs though . . . yikes).  Elomi, Freya’s sister brand for fuller figures, also offers a beautiful range of knicker styles, and their designs just keep getting better and better.

“Betty” ruched brief by Elomi. Available in sizes M-4XL.

“Patsy” ruffled brief by Freya. Also available in black. Sizes XS-XL.

“Taylor” high-waisted brief by Freya. Available in sizes XS-XL.

Hips and Curves

Caged Back Lace Panty. Available in multiple colors in sizes 1X-4X.

Can we talk about how hot those panties are?  They’re SUPER HOT, y’all.  They’d look dynamite with your favorite black bra and hold ups.

Embroidered Lace Front Brief. Available in sizes 8-14 (is this how panties are sized?) in black, white, and red.

Stretch Lace Boyshorts. Available in sizes 1/2X.

Curveturiere

Curveturiere will launch their full catalogue online on September 10.  All knickers will be available in sizes XS-3X in a huge range of styles and colors, including high-waisted briefs, bikinis, and thongs.  Check out this photo from Curve NV for a glimpse at some of the colors:

Their ranges are designed to mix and match to suit each customer’s personal taste.  I’m really looking forward to hearing fit feedback once the brand is available for purchase.

By Baby’s Rules shared with me a good general, curve-friendly construction tip: ruched back seams.  I like a good ruched back seam because it’s sexy, but she pointed out that it can also help the brief fit better to the wearer’s shape, so it’s definitely a design feature to look out for if you have a curvier bum.

The high-waist brief I saw at the Curveturiere preview party, the late and lamented (by me) “Pollyanna” range by Freya, and the lovely “Paris” briefs by Miss Mandalay all share this design feature.

“Pollyanna” brief by Freya. The “Faye” style is supposed to be the same as Pollyanna, except it’s NOT AND I HATE IT. RIP Pollyanna. You were my first favorite bra.

“Paris” brief in hot pink. I had a rotten time getting a good picture of it, but there’s a vertical elasticized seam running up the back of the briefs. I adore these briefs. When the black “Paris” set is available later this year I might totally cave and purchase it.

Etsy

I’ve highlighted some Etsy sellers before.  So, yes, sometimes Etsy is full of nonsense.  Sometimes Etsy is full of INSANELY GORGEOUS UNDERWEAR.  Here are pictures/links to some of my favorite sellers (I’ve deliberately selected items made of natural or eco-friendly fibers):

“Phoenix Lights Garter Short” by ClareBare. Black Bamboo Jersey, available in sizes S, M, L, or to custom measurements.

Bamboo High Rise Panties with Lace Trim by sandmaidensleepwear. Available in multiple colors, sizes XS-XL or custom measurements.

Organic Cotton High Rise Lingerie Knickers by sandmaidensleepwear. Available in multiple colors, sizes XS-XL or custom measurements.

Panties with Pink Heart by knickerocker. Available in S, M, L, or XL. Not organic, but oh-so-cute.

Here’s the cool thing about Etsy sellers: sure, you might pay more than you will at Target.  Sure, you may not be able to find a matching bra.  But some of these sellers are incredibly awesome people.  If you see something super close to want you want, but maybe not in your size or color choice, you can contact the seller directly and ask them about it.  Ask them if they’ll make you a custom-sized pair.  Ask them about how well they’ll fit your bum/hips.  Explain to them that you have this one bra you love but you can’t find a good knicker to match, and if they’d be willing to make a custom size for you.  I know that Knickerocker has taken on a custom-knickers-to-match-a-bra order before, so what have you got to lose?

I hope you find these suggestions helpful!  Again, a huge thanks to A Sophisticated Pair, Braless in Brasil, Curvy Wordy, Fuller Figure Fuller Bust, and By Baby’s Rules for their help with knickers recommendations.  If you have any questions or other recommendations, please let me know!