Lingerie Shop Along: Part and Parcel (A)

I was going to wait till every parcel had arrived to write this. I was going to entice you with my parcel-joy, my anticipation (the before) and then the outcome of the trying on (the after). But, having received 2 parcels (a bit less than half of my full batch of goodies) today, and having tried them on before writing about the anticipation part (what? I have impulse-control issues), I'm going to give the account in phases.

So far I've received (see photos in this post):

• The extra undies to complement sets I already own (Freya Lacey thong and Miss Mandalay Paris thong)
• The wild card purchases: Royce soft cup lounge bra and the Panache Cami

On Receiving the Parcels:

• First off, know that most of the lingerie vendors (all that I've tried) send their wares discreetly-packaged.
• Of course, lying here feeling miserable, getting these parcels was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me. In truth, my fave thing about online shopping is getting presents by mail. Weird how what I love and loathe about online shopping both concern shipping.
• I ripped open the box (Figleaves) and plastic envelope (LCL) with abandon, but being careful not to harm anything.
• First thought on the undies: Yeehaw! These are perfect. 
• First thought on Royce bra: Um, it comes in a box. That can't be good. And the size on the box is not the size I ordered (30 back size vs 32). Remember, a smaller back size also means a smaller cup size.
• First thought on Panache cami: This thing is freakin' huge.

The Try On:

• Freya Lacey: Awesome fit. Cute as can be. The end.

• Miss Mandalay Paris: Now, there wasn't such an element of surprise with the Freya undies, but I could only source the Miss Mandalay thong in XL. Usually I order thongs in UK brands in a size L because I don't like it when they dig in. I prefer slightly large over fitted. In other styles of underwear, I tend order a medium unless I read that the sizes fit very large or very small. Anyway you slice it, XL ain't my size. But Miss Mandalay undies do fit small so I took a chance. The outcome: Excellent fit. All round success.

• Royce Bra: I thought I was ordering the 32. Alas, I clicked on the 30. May I suggest you triple check your check-out queue before pressing buy? OK, when I put on a snug 30" band size, I understand how people say they feel constricted by their bras. Keep in mind my under bust size is 29.5". Technically, by "new standards", I should be wearing a 30 back. But this one, particularly, is EXTRA tight. Though I have some 30s (looser band models), in general I prefer a snug 32. I want to be able to fit 2 fingers under the back band and still feel like I can breathe in. (Katy: There you go. I'm not as hardcore as everyone says I am :-)) Furthermore, the cup size, in a 30 band, is equivalent to one size smaller than the 32. Between these 2 things, the bra is definitely too small. But there's a real silver lining. In the right size, I can tell it will be a) very comfortable and b) quite uplifting. It may not even squash boobs together the way other unwired bras tend to (to be seen).  At the bottom of this post you'll see my next steps.

• Panache Cami: Ha! OMG, what a disaster. Laughable disaster. Irritating, to be sure, but not unhappy-making. First off, all of the cups of this cami are mega-padded. Like, good luck finding your boobs in there. Secondly, the band and cups are INSANELY big. Like, I'd need to go down a back size (to a 30) and down 2 cup sizes to approximate fit. And then this thing would still be padded to hell. How do I know? Cuz after trying it on, I used the online chat feature on Figleaves (something I've done before with success) to ask all kinds of questions about both items (Royce bra and Panache cami), to determine how best to proceed.

The Outcome

Overall, with items received so far, this hasn't worked out too terribly. The undies are a win. The wild card purchases will require me to return those items at my own cost (and the cami is bulky, so it may cost more than usual). The Royce bra, I'll exchange for one in the 32, the cami for a refund.

I learned that the padded bra cami is NOT for me. I don't like padding, especially puff-ball padding. I think the sizing is really off. The cami itself was a dull black thing I could get anywhere.

I'm optimistic about the Royce. I can tell it will be comfortable in the right size. Furthermore, I asked the online chat SA about differences in sizes between one cup and the next and determined that I really can't size up a cup in this (on top of the size up that the 32 back will provide). It's so supportive I can easily wear it out (though it's cotton-ness would make it a bit sticky under some clothes). It gives a nice shape on the pointy end of the spectrum (the one I prefer). It's not ugly - nor is it fabulous. It's just what it proclaims to be.

Am I utterly thrilled with these outcomes to date? No. It's pretty unusual for me to buy 2 items and have to send them both back. But I acknowledged, before I purchased, that each was a long shot, so I was mentally prepared. They might both have been dead losses. As it is, when the new Royce is delivered (no charge for re-shipping new size), I will have a new sort of bra to entertain myself with (and to help others when they ask me for reviews).

Now this leads me to a slight concern about certain items in my next order. I ordered the Gem bra and my staple one cup size larger than I usually do (re: rationale from this post). It appears I may not be in the cup-size up-size category, despite my original thoughts. I may just have ordered a couple of small-fitting bras recently, in my regular size. The Fantasie beige bra is, apparently, a very large fit in the cups. I may well have bought my previous versions with this knowledge. This time I was so concerned not to order too small, that I may have overdone it. On the other hand, the Gem bra is a new Freya offering, and the bras that recently fit me, IMO, too snugly at the underarms, were both new Freyas. So maybe that'll work out alright. Worst case scenario, I send them back for new sizes. Not that it's fun, or terribly efficient, but it's all part of the adventure. Let's see how it plays out...

So, has anyone received her orders yet? Thoughts or feelings about my experience? Let's talk