Bra Review Part 3: Avocado Mirabelle

So today I wore the Mirabelle set and, you know what, it was uncomfortable in EXACTLY the same ways as was the Essentia. (There's hella description here - just apply all the fit info to the Mirabelle and you've got it covered.)

I will say that this set is an absolute confection and I think it's very well-made. Although, unstretched, it has a looser band than the Essentia, when stretched, the band is actually firmer than the Essentia's. On this basis, gotta say I'm inclined to stick with a 34 (75) band. It is snug for size - but very comfortable, given that I should be in a 32 (70).

Here's where I'm at with Avocado. I went back and did a bit more math and realized the following:

• I ordered during a sale, so I got 20% off. 

• Apparently, 4 seconds after I ordered, Avocado raised its prices to deal with rising manufacturing costs. It's gone up by about 10% per item.

• The Essentia is the least expensive bra on offer. The Mirabelle is in the less-expensive style category.

If you combine those deets, were I to order again, I'd likely be on the hook to spend 30%-50% more than I did this go round. And I spent 200 bucks on 2 sets. I'm not willing to spend 150 bucks plus, on a set, sight-unseen - from a place that charges VAT and warns that if they remove it (as is every non-Euro person's right), I'm likely to be dinged more by Customs than if I just accept it. (I don't know if that's true but, having ordered from another Polish brand, Ewa Michalak (shady-practice central), I don't know what to think.  Especially when I don't find these bras comfortable! To wit: The Mirabelle and Essentia are going in the Bra Sale drawer. (Note: I'm on record saying that, given that they've each been worn once, they're lovely and the brand is coveted, they will be priced accordingly.)

Here's what I will do:

• Wait till there's a sale.

• Order the Essentia in the beige colourway, one more time, one cup size up - in the K style. The H style is just too wide-set in the straps for me. And I think I could manage narrower wires. If the wire discomfort is an matter of too-little lower-cup depth projection, that should resolve the issue. I suspect it will make everything too big, but one must experiment. Furthermore, if it doesn't work the next go round, I'm returning it.

Truth is, I'm not willing to compromise.