Monday, April 1, 2013

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!

10 comments:

  1. What a cute bra, I'm sad to hear it wasn't quite right for you.
    I'm not sure about me and neon. I was a rather impressionable age without taste when neon was big in the 80's, I didn't quite understand "less is more" and I think I'm scarred for life.

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    1. I know! I was scarred by neon in the 80s too - but it was lime neon, not pink :-)

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  2. I tried a Claudette on in the store a few months back, but alas, it wasn't for me. It was a gorgeous purple though! Bummer about this one, the print looks like it would have been cute. At least the knickers look like they would work with pretty much any beige bra to spice up the set a bit.

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    1. Oooh, I tried to find that one but it doesn't seem to be around at good prices any longer. You'd think the knicks would work, but they have a distinctive texture (the sheer material) not as useful as you'd imagine. I haven't worn them and the tags are on. I will likely sell them during my next bra sale. The success of my last bra sale has inspired me to buy freely - crazy, I know :-)

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  3. I haven't tried that particular bra, but I have bought a few bras from Butterfly Collection and have been very pleased with them. Claire is wonderful to talk to and I was amazed at how she was able to pinpoint the perfect bra style for me and my particular boob shape needs and wants. I love all this bra talk because as a big-boobed mama, I am kind of forced to think about these things more than a small, perky boobed woman would. Hope

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    1. Thanks for this feedback Hope. Claire is really good. Of course, to do Skype fittings takes a certain talent - the ability to put people at ease (remotely), the ability to see from afar, to instruct clearly. I'm sure this improves her ability to chat with people like us on the phone and to provide useful info. It's all bra-talk all the time here (well, when we're not talking about other things) so come back soon and get your fix!

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  4. Hmm, I don't think I have tried this bramaker for bras, but I have a cami that is leopard with hot pink trim that looks awfully similar... Very fun set and too bad it didn't work.

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    1. You know, I think the brand would work well on you. And there's a gorgeous set that's the colour of your purple hair.

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  5. I know this post is old but I just had to comment! I just purchased the same bra and stumbled upon this post trying to find more info.
    I found mine at TJ Maxx. For about 2 years this pink/leopard bra always caught my eye but not knowing any better I was put off by the sizing. So after all this time what was once a $13 bra was now a $1 bra! I quickly snatched it up and I'm on the hunt for that all black one now. I need to find the matching bottoms now because like you I tend not to wear bras that much if I don't have the set and trying to find undies that match this bra would ne a NIGHTMARE :)

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    1. Well then, it's your lucky day. You can get them on the Encore site - Claudette's sale site where all of the items are very well priced. They have all of the versions of the leopard print undies for 10 bucks each. http://www.loveclaudette.com/encore-knickers

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