The Bra Adventures: Claudette Dessous Sucre (Leopard)

I've been mulling over which new, adventuresome set to tell you about first, and I landed on this one:

Photo from Amazon, as I couldn't seem to copy photos from the vendor from which I purchased, Butterfly Collection...

This is the Claudette Sucre part of the Dessous line which is known for it's amazing, crazy fabric.  Note that the one I purchased has a neon pink contrast fabric instead of the black in the photo above.

I purchased mine from Butterfly Collection, an awesome, Canadian online store (from Vancouver) that ships free in the US and Canada. The prices are not the cheapest, but the service is terrific! I've spoken many times about Claire, the woman who started the company with her husband. She's passionate about good fit on all women, but especially those with larger breasts and she does some terrific vlogs and blogs extensively here. She is also the first vendor I know of to do Skype fittings for those who aren't close to bricks and mortar shops.

In fact, her post today is particularly fabulous: it's an index of some awesome lingerie bloggers, many of whom I read every day. How delightful of Claire to have pulled this all together for us!

OK, enough about the great vendor - though I should also mention that I did speak with Claire at length on the phone and we discussed the best size for me to purchase - let's talk about the set.

The Good: 

•  The style is just adorable! It's kind of sexy but in an old-school (and by old-school I mean the 1970s) way. It's not quite full-cup, not so much a plunge, nor is it a balconette. It defies shape, by our current standards, which is great. Why not design something vaguely undefinable, I say??

• The colourway is fabulous - neon pink and leopard. I mean seriously, that's perfection.

• The band is firm. (Note: On discussion with Claire and having read many reviews of this bra, I went down a band size as it's known to be loose. Sizing down in the band did the trick. It wasn't a loose 30, IMO. I wear a 30 or 32 depending on the bra.)

• The straps are fully adjustable. So it works for tall or short people.

• The undies have a nice 70s vibe too. I feel they fit true to size but I would have been happy to purchase them in a size up cuz, as much as I LOVE a firm bra-band, I HATE undies that do anything more than skim and barely hold themselves up.

The Less Good:

• I sense that this brand is not optimal for women with heavy breasts - or those that are dense as a result of age or having had kids. The wires are the weakness. Despite good band and straps, the wires are not strong. And, though it doesn't stretch, the fabric is thin. 

• The cups fit small and the size range is limited: The smallest band is a 30 and the largest cup is a G. This sizes really narrow people out of the market, as well as those with breasts that size above "average large".

I returned this bra (as nice an experience as purchasing it - though note that you cannot return undies in Canada, so if you buy the set from a Canadian vendor, you are stuck with the bottoms). On me, it was just a smidge small in the cups (the gore didn't quite lie flat and I could tell, based on the cut, that it wouldn't in any size). I might have kept it for novelty, given that the fit was almost there, but the lack of supportiveness was a deal-breaker for me.

I would recommend it for this buyer:

• A young(ish) woman or one with buoyant breasts

• Someone between a large 30 band and a 38 band. If you're on the cusp of a 30 but leaning towards a 28, it's not for you. Note: Apparently, the Claudette peeps are expanding the size-range, so stay tuned...

• Someone who tops out at a small G cup, and a shallow one at that. You can see how wide the span is between the upper side wire (by the arm pit) and the centre gore. That implies shallowness of cup. You can sort of see, in the photo above (though the model is not well-endowed) that the fullness of the cup is at the bottom, not through the centre. That's why this shape is not good for me. I suspected it, of course, but hope springs eternal - and I'm glad I gave it a go.

OK, so now it's over to you! Have you tried this bra and, if so, how did it work out? What do you think of the rest of the neon range. (I freakin' love the look. So sad it doesn't work on my shape...). Do you like the cut? Let's talk!