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.

Bra Review Part 2: Avocado Essentia

I can see there will be three parts to this initial review of Avocado Lingerie. Today I wore the Essentia for the full day - which is key, don't you think, to writing a review? I'm going to talk about it in this post and later on, the Mirabelle, after I've worn that for a full day too.

Here are a few pics:

Alas - I took a weird photo and didn't capture much of the matching thong...

You can see how nicely unencumbered it is at the base of the cups. For short waisted peeps, this is a plus.

Brief Word About the Undies: I bought an XL (I was afraid that they'd be snug, based on what I've read.) I could easily do with a L. They'd fit better. But I'd always rather a loose thong over a tight one. Next time I'll keep this in mind.

Now, let's talk about centre cup fullness. See the photo below - see how, when I pull at the top cup there is LOTS of fabric that lifts from the centre gore. If you've got shallow breasts (or if you're wearing a bra that always seems to shift throughout the day, or causes breast spillover), look at that bra. I guarantee, you will not be able to lift the fabric to anywhere near this degree. On the outer cup, mind you, that may be a different story...

Shape, peeps - it's freakin' everything. If this space were at the outer cup, it would be a disaster on me...

Let's start with the less good:

OK, gotta say, those wussy wires are an issue. Not a huge issue. Not a deal breaker (especially not if you are young or your boobs are not heavy or if they're self-supporting). But what started out as a really stable and comfortable bra in the morning, became (as the day wore on) kind of fussy at the underwire where it meets the underbust.

I'm not too concerned about it. It's my first time wearing this bra and it needs to conform to me and I need to understand it - but I'm pretty sure that the issue isn't one of shape incompatibility. This shape could not be more compatible with mine. It also doesn't have to do with weak straps or band - those are surprisingly firm, after all, despite seeming a delicate on first try. The wires simply aren't strong, so as the day goes on, they shift a smidge - on me, to clarify - and that causes a bit of chafe. It might resolve itself. I hope it does. The issue also might be ameliorated by a snugger band. But I feel the need to mention it. I'll keep you posted.

As it happens, the Essentia is the shallower of the two bras I purchased, if not by much. It's shallower at the lower cup, interestingly. It's dimly possible this might also be contributing to the underwire issue. We'll see if the Mirabelle has the same issue because it's deeper in the lower cup.

One other challenge - and this is something I never experience - is that the straps are slightly too widely set for my frame, at the side breast. These straps are very widely positioned relative to the centre-point of the bra which, I'm pretty sure, is a feature specific to the H cut. There are also K and A cuts - each of which provides different and narrower strap settings, and also different cup depths and overall shape. This post provides more deets on how Avocado uses modified construction to increase the likelihood that a bra you like will fit you.

If I sense that the same problem occurs with the Mirabelle (which I also bought in H cup - it's the style I prefer), then I'll give the K cup a shot. Note, however, that the H shape comes with the widest wires on offer at Avocado. Since Polish brands generally have very narrow wires, you might want to consider this before embarking on one of the other cuts. The H wires are PERFECT on me, so I'm loathe to mess with this.

And now for the actual good:

• I love a narrow gore and this bra really fits the bill, both at the top of the centre gore and at the base. It's only .75 inches in width which is great for those with really close-set breasts.

• The fabric really is soft. And pretty. And sexy - which is weird for a beige bra. I love how delicate and lacy it is. This is much more fun than pattern-printed duoplex (a firm synthetic with no stretch, the kind that Cleo uses in the majority of its projected styles).

• The shape is delightful. For those of you who like round, round round - well, this is it. I am just as happy with a slightly pointier (aka realer, to my mind) shape. But under a T shirt it's useful.

• While it's not Cleo-style boobs on a plate - I mean the fabrics are less strong as are the wires, after all - it does give a very front and centre projection.

• Occasionally, I wish I had the kind of life / blog wherein I could model the bras I review. Cuz this one looks seriously fine.

• The band is actually very supportive. I don't even know if I would size down next time. I mean, it's not tight but it does the trick without yielding. It's firm. It does seem short for size but not to the degree that Cleo bands are. I'm going to see how it wears before I weigh in further.

• The cups are truly projected (though not like Empreinte, exactly). The overall shape is a bit wider which likely makes it more practical for a wide variety of projected boobs.

• The wires are a perfect width for my narrow, but not excessively narrow, shape. The side cup is also adequately high to enclose side breast tissue, without encroaching on the underarm.

So that's this bra. Next up the Mirabelle.

Today's questions: If you've tried Avocado, how do you feel my review corresponds with your perspective? If you haven't, does it seem like it would work for you? Let's talk!

Bra Review Part 1: Avocado Essentia and Avocado Mirabelle

OK, I'm going to start this post by saying that the reason I've never ordered from Polish powerhouse, Avocado Lingerie, before is that they didn't have a workable online system. That means, till about a month ago, you had to order from an English distributor site called Wellfitting and that increased the complexity of the process and the difficulty of returns. In truth, I don't know how direct-to-Avocado returns would work, in practice, though I was prepared to take on that administrative task. Mercifully, I don't have to figure it out, but I have heard that Avocado's customer service is awesome and, thus far, I have only good things to say. You may be interested to note that I ordered the very first day that the system went live and I had no issues. During a previous attempt at an online platform, things did not go well and it took them quite a long time to ramp up to what they've got now.

A Bit About Price and Shipping: I'm not going to go into detail on pricing, shipping costs and add-on VAT charges etc. I'll leave that for another day. What I'll say is that for 2 sets, undies and bras, I paid 180 bucks all in. 90 dollars for a sexy bra/undies set that fits beautifully and looks great are ENTIRELY in my budget. I know this might be a ghastly thought for some, but I barely hesitate at spending 225 bucks on a bra at this point. And undies to go with it cost another hundred. As a non-Polish person ordering from Avocado you will be charged in Euros. That's your only option. Yeah, that sucks, but so does being charged in USD (at this point) and I deal with that all the freakin' time.

A Bit About Avocado Sizing: You know I read everything in the land about bras and bra fit. I've had occasion to become sensitized to this brand over the course of a couple of years. Many of the lingerie bloggers I like best have taken the plunge (ha!) on a variety of occasions. I highly recommend that you read Miss Underpinnings on the topic. She actually took a lingerie tour of Poland and blogged about it?! This post and this post are particularly enlightening but Two Cakes on a Plate has also written about Avocado as have many others.

What I ended up ordering was a 75 back size (roughly equivalent to a 34 in UK sizing), given my current sensitivities and that I have read that the bands run tight. In fact, I think I'll size down in the band next time to a 70. I just don't find the 75 that snug - which is a wonderful thing, IMO. This might be on account of improvement in my pain condition. Of course, were I to do this, I'd need to go up in the cup size because, given the perfection of cup fit, I don't want to mess with that volume or shape.

For what it's worth, I used the Avocado sizing system and it worked out pretty well. Were I to purchase my "correct" band size - a 70 - then I'd be in a cup size which is 2 higher than that which I wear in UK bras. This is Euro sizing non-standard sizing in which cups go up in 4 cm volumes.

I believe that the fit guide worked for me because a) I truly fit the shape that Avocado is designing for (really deep cups, immediate projection at the centre gore, narrow (but not too-narrow) wires) and b) I truly know and understand my bra size / fitting needs in many different sizing systems. I've got every my every vertical and horizontal breast measurement memorized. If you haven't gone full-on with the Bratabase, multi-dimensional measurement system, I urge you to do so. It will advise you about your shape and size in some very meaningful ways, which you'd have to be an intuitive whiz to figure out otherwise.

Brief PSA: Even though Bratabase is annoying, consider entering in the 8 zillion requested measurements for all of your bras. This is how we can all get better at buying online, without disappointment. The broader the sample size, the greater the accuracy. I won't buy online without adequate info about, among other things, the horizontal depth of a bra cup. That's my "difficult" measurement and most of us have at least one. I will enter in info about these new bras, particularly because there's not a lot of Avocado representation in the database, so every review counts.

A Bit About Avocado Materials: If I have a disappointment, it's in this category. Don't misunderstand, the fabric materials are very soft and comfortable. They are also very lovely to look at and high-end-seeming. But all you need to do is hold an Avocado bra in one hand and an Empreinte bra in the other to recognize that there is no comparison in terms of the materials and construction. Of course, there's also no comparison in price.

Empreinte provides extreme lift and support by virtue of otherwise unsourceable band materials and incredibly strong (but delicate-looking) lace. The wires are also unparalleled in their firmness. (Note: They're not painful-firm the way that Panache wires tend to be.) This is to say nothing of the beautiful, elegant, sexy shape that Empreinte designs.

Avocado wires are amongst the bendiest I've encountered. I can source wires stronger than these for handmade bras. This is a shortfall, IMO. I think the situation is that this brand is not actually high-end (though it does a good job of looking that way). The materials are nice, but not luxe. Don't get me wrong. They're infinitely better-looking and more supportive than anything Ewa Michalak. (I'm so over that brand.) But they're not strong in the UK-brand sense of things.

I don't think this is particularly relevant to the young lingerie bloggers who've reviewed this brand (they haven't had kids, aren't even in their 30s), but for more mature women, I wonder if the support would be adequate. Note: Because my breasts are fairly self-supportive (gravity notwithstanding) and because the cup and band fabric is reasonably firm, these bras provide me with more than adequate lift and support. But I don't know if the average 50 or 60 year old, with projected breasts, would feel the same way. I'd NOT hesitate to recommend Empreinte to a woman of a certain age, with projected, soft breast tissue. Those bras defy that sort of boobs. But not so sure about Avocado as yet. I'll need to wear these for a while before I weigh in.

A Bit About Avocado Construction: This is surprisingly good. Strongest feature, dare I say.

• The bands are firm and short - optimal for narrow torsos.
• There are 3 hooks and eyes (at least in the brands I deliberately bought for that feature).
• The seamed cups are ingeniously designed for centre-full projection (a very tricky shape for which to design). 
• The under bands are narrow - not thick and wide in the way that projected Cleos always seem to be. (Note: The Mirabelle is wider at the base of the gore than the Essentia - and this results in a less-optimal fit for me (though not for everyone). It's by no means a deal-breaker.) 
• The straps aren't in any way thick or tight nor do they dig in, but they do provide adequate lift. They're on the wide side, fyi. 
• The length of the wires (and the shape) are perfect for projected breasts. These wires are narrow but they're not as narrow as Ewa Michalak, IMO.

I realize that I haven't got into the specifics of the Mirabelle and the Essentia as yet - though all of the things I've discussed in this post do apply specifically to each. For that, and more pics, you'll have to wait for the next post.

Part and Parcel

OMG, my friends. Today has been quite something. Sure, work was a chaos but, in the midst of it, we experienced sun and 18 degrees. I do not know how to explain the healing properties of good weather. IMO, if you don't know bad weather, you can never truly appreciate the shift. (Mind you, I'd happily live unable to truly appreciate the shift if it meant I had more than 7 tolerable weather-months a year.)

At any rate, that was just the start of a chain reaction resulting in mega-fun! My zillions of outstanding parcels have started to arrive and the most exciting of them all was in today's post. Now, y'all know - after a slick thrill - that's pretty meaningless. How often do you buy online only to discover that fit is a horror and now you've got the irritation of returns with which to contend?

Today was truly awesome because I got a long-awaited parcel from the cultish Avocado Lingerie - a brand I've only read about, a brand the fit of which is dicey on so many. I received bras and undies (perhaps the world's most challenging garments to buy sight unseen) that I completely guessed about: how would they fit, how would they look, what would I make of the construction? I purchased in centimeters, people! And it all worked FUCKING perfectly. Online shoppers out there, I know you are fist-pumping your screen, even as you read.

Now, I'm off to write a post about the fit (photos already taken) which I hope to publish later this evening. I just cannot wait to tell you all the deets.

Till then, here's a little taste:

Avocado Essentia

Avocado Mirabelle

 Stay tuned.

Spring Cleaning (But Not the Boring Kind)

Spring fever is alive and well. While it's cold (or cold as fuck, depending on the day), it's sunny more and more and the very earliest signs of the new season are here. I cannot tell you what this has done for my levels of energy.

Of course, if it's spring it's time to divest myself of that which no longer works in my wardrobe (hello, bra sale), to wash all the lingerie - whether it needs it or no - and to replenish the stock.

I'd like to tell you that I've learned some restraint, having recently said good bye to 25 bras (4, of the original 29, are put away for the next sale) but I've used the last week to fill some holes (if we could term them as such):

• New Empreinte Daisy set - NO freakin' regrets here...

• New Empreinte undies (online) - for daisy but with the inverse pattern (beige on cream) - I'm going a bit crazy on the pattern non-matching, by my standards.

• New Minnie set (still in transit)

• New Masquerade set (also not here yet?!)

• Undies to match my Freya Nadine (Let's tell it straight: I've outgrown the ones I originally purchased and I will not wear a floral bra without matching bottoms.)

• New Avocado Essentia set- people, so exciting! Deep and narrow holy grail, Avocado (from Poland) has finally got a direct, online shopping scenario worked out for foreigners. I'll talk more about this when my stuff arrives - but you pay in Euros (ugh for Canadians). This set was about 100 bucks CDN which, if it works, will be a steal compared to the horrifying cost of Empreinte. And this style has 3 hooks and eyes!

• New Avocado Mirabelle set, also about 100 bucks CDN. What? I was ordering so I decided to do extra research. Like I said, I'm going to go into great detail on this, once I get my package, but in the meanwhile, read what Miss Underpinnings has said about the brand (link to an index since she's done more to inform us about the Polish brands than any other blogger). Not surprising that her breasts are full, narrow and with much centre cup projection. The shapes of these bras are completely aligned with my needs and I've heard that the quality is excellent. So I'm vaguely hopeful.

Once I get these, I'll be at 14 sets of basics (black or beige). I'll talk about fashion sets another time...

IMO, that's a totally reasonable number. It's enough to manage any wardrobe dressing need, any size fluctuation, any need for a strap of a certain tension. It gives me sexy options, seam-free options, highly projected (and slightly less so) options.

I've discovered, as I put in all of my bra measurements in Bratabase (you know, to benefit the hive mind), that I buy bras having practically EXACTLY the same measurements every single time I purchase. If it fits, chances are it will:

• Stretch comfortably to 32-34 inches in the band
• Have a depth of 11-11.5 inches
• Have a wire length of 11-12 inches
• Have strap width of 0.8 inches
• Have a gore height of 3-3.5 inches
• Have a wing height of 4 inches
• Have 3 hooks and eyes (if at all possible)

In fact, of my current crop of basics - 9 sets in the drawer before the newbies arrive, 6 sets have 3 hooks and eyes. I am such a fan of this feature, I cannot begin to tell you. For heavy breasts, soft breasts, mature breasts (experiencing the impact of gravity), nursing breasts, people with back pain - three hooks and eyes are a god-send.

My next post will show you photos of all of my basic bras (individually and as batches - beige or black). My intention is to link you to my previous reviews of the bras I'm currently wearing, in instances where I have already reviewed them, or to give you some feedback on my rationale for continuing to keep these styles in my wardrobe.

So, today's questions: Have you tried Avocado and, if yes, what was your experience?? What do you think of the idea of having 14 sets of neutrals? Does it seem insane, smart, somewhere in between? If you've used Bratabase (and - though it's a pain in the ass - I recommend it highly. Not only will it help everyone else you know it will help you too), what measurements do you continue to repeat? Or are you all over the map? Let's talk!