The thing I love most about online shopping - and I do love many things about it - is getting a package delivered to my door. Or two, as the case may be, today.
I got home to find two lingerie sets waiting on my porch.
To remind you, they are the Freya Nina (purchased from Figleaves) and the Miss Mandalay Paris Moulin (purchased from Large Cup Lingerie). And they both fit perfectly.
Ah, a good day is one where you buy a bra, sight unseen, in a totally unknown brand and it fits like a fucking dream.
At any rate, here are my reviews, to assist you perhaps, in deciding whether these would work for you.
Miss Mandalay Paris Moulin in red with animal print trim. I got the ruched brief undies to match. Many have written that this bra fits small but I'm here to tell you that I disagree. I fins it entirely true to size. I got the 32 band but I wish it were tighter. I'm seriously considering going down a back size (and up a corollary cup size to maintain the same volume) the next time I order a bra, in any brand. I'm entirely underwhelmed by the tightness of new-bra bands lately. I feel as if, 5 times after I wear them, they're too loose. Note: I haven't worn the Paris Moulin 5 times (obvs), and currently the loosest hook is snug, but I sense the band material isn't the strongest. Also, keep in mind if you're thinking of buying, the band doesn't fit particularly loosely on the Miss Mandalay. I just like a very tight fit.
A propos of this, it's an elegant and structured bra but I don't find it outrageously sexy and it's def not the most supportive bra I've ever put on. Don't get me wrong. It's entirely supportive enough for the vast majority of people. But I don't like even the slightest hint of movement. As the bra fits perfectly in the cups, materials (which is to say, pretty ones) and construction are the reasons for that movement. In truth, regardless of your size, if your breasts are heavy this may not be the best bra for you. On the other hand, I'm dissecting this thing to extremes, so don't take it all too seriously. My breasts are dense. I'm 41. It fits me perfectly.
OK, let's talk fabric. It's not as sleek or soft as every reviewer has led me to believe it would be, given how everyone goes on about those elements. Every Freya bra I've ever bought has been as sleek or sleeker and as soft or softer. Not that the Miss Mandalay comes up inadequate in those ways.
The colour is great. It's a very cherry red. One might say cerise, which is the shade of red, bordering on pink, I love.
On balance, I'm very happy with it and I'm particularly pleased that I got it on sale. True, I would likely not purchase it again. (There are better bras out there for less money.) But I do recommend the brand.
Now, let's talk for a second about the vendor. I can barely stomach the name of the boutique but I have to say that the service was excellent. The set arrived in 5 days (2 of those were a weekend). It was nicely presented with a card. The shipping was free. Did I mention that?!? The shipping is always free to any place in the world. I found the set priced for less than I've ever seen it listed on sale anywhere else before. The selection on the site is very good; the site itself is lovely and well organized. One pays via Pay Pal (and prob other methods, but that's how I paid) so I won't see the purchase on my credit card in 2 weeks. This retailer will be getting my business again - but I think I'm going to have to find some nice way to suggest that they revisit the name.
Freya Nina: I got this balconette in its only colour way (Rosewater) with the boy short undies. As per usual, the delivery via Figleaves took a fairly long (but not unreasonable amount of) time - 9 days. I have noticed that, while it ships as quickly as other UK retailers, the product takes longer to arrive at my door. BTW, you can get this set - in a wide range of size options - at Large Cup Lingerie for less than I paid on Figleaves. And I also paid for shipping on Figleaves, which you wouldn't have to do...
OK, onto the deets. I freakin' love this bra. Fits perfectly. Has that standard-Freya level of support that is belied by its gorgeousness. It's pinker than the photo shows it to be. It's a full on baby pink, animal print (yeah, it's bizarre). So don't imagine it's beige-ish. There's none of that. Oh, and he of "men don't like patterned fabric in lingerie" prefers it to the mono-toned Miss Mandalay. So, whatevs. The shape it gives is superior. That's why, though it all seems to get a bit same-y same-y after a while, Freya is in no danger of being supplanted by any other brand, IMO. That shit really works and it looks great at the same time.
I know that many reviewers are down on Freya these days for failing to offer adequately small band sizes (28s are hard to come by and 26s are non-existent). They refer to the endless replay, as they see it, of the same 5 styles. Maybe it's because this is the first brand I discovered that actually made a bra that fit well and looked awesome. (I do feel that Freya facilitated a changed sense of self and refined my identity.) Maybe it's because I'm not in a cusp size, either in band or cup so - when a particular style doesn't fit in my regular cup or back size - I can size up or down in each (not that I have had to do that more than once or twice). Obviously, we all have the brands that really work for us. I see many extol the virtues of Curvy Kate, Ewa Michalak, Panache, Cleo etc. Call me the cheerleader for Freya, at least so far.
And seriously, Freya, if you're reading this - please comp me something already :-)
Showing posts with label Freya Nina. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freya Nina. Show all posts
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Unrelated Things
In my endless quest to a) improve skills b) improve garment functionality and c) make things totally challenging and unknowable, I have decided to add a little twist into my Ginger skirt project, penultimate of the Spring Basics Palette projects.
By twist I mean twists, more accurately, in the form of spiral steel boning:
Photo courtesy of On Pins and Needles
Why recreate the same skirt you love, I say, when you can make a bias cut version with a different waistband that's tailored? Yeah, that's really keeping it simple.
At any rate, I watched Gertie's yellow dress, boned-bodice project with interest, though I was totally freaked out by the level of complexity involved. More recently, she revisited the concept on a waistband, using the Ginger skirt as her muse. That, I thought, is something I might get with in the course of time. Truth is, for all of my love of my Ginger skirt, having used a very stiff denim, and given that my lower abdomen is not flat, I've got a bit of bunching where the skirt rises up to meet the waist as I walk. I intend to ameliorate this by using a fabric with better drape next time (the cerise wool blend), by making the straight (rather than scalloped) waist band and, you guessed it, by venturing into the world of waist boning.
Ah, I can see a corset in my (distant) future.
(On the topic of where and how I've purchased the boning and tips, stay tuned. What I will tell you is that I bought Canadian. And - hilarious, I'm sure you'll agree - I paid through the nose for shipping given that the outlet is 2 hrs away and the vehicle is Canada Post. Let's just say I'm waiting for some clarification and to see the size of the package / contents within.)
Item above is vaguely related to my next item, I suppose, about the Freya Nieve long line bra and the Freya Nina plunge.
The world of lingerie is never dull here. In short, I bought the Nina set and then decided to keep the Nieve after first trying to replace the Nieve with the larger cup size - only to find that it's completely gone everywhere now that it's sale season and that colourway has been discontinued.
The long version is that I couldn't get the Nina as a replacement for the Nieve and also get the 20% discount that was being offered on the bra on Figleaves. I either had to a) buy the Nina and return the Nieve - which means I'd pay shipping on the Nina (5 pounds 50) and return fees on the Nieve (8 bucks CDN) or b) buy the Nina as part of my return but pay the full price aka somewhat more expensive than option a).
Now, the price of both of these sets together comes to $130.00 CDN - less than I'd pay for one of the bras alone at a B&M store here. So, any way you slice it, the discount is deep enough to mitigate a return and new purchase.
I was all set to return the Nieve but I couldn't stop trying it on. Every time I did I'd notice that the gores don't sit flat against my chest - but that, in every other way, this bra is awesome. By awesome I mean "inspiring awe". My boobs look so spherical they're mesmerizing. And so pushed up they're practically hitting my chin.
This leads me on a diatribe about the merits of padding. Don't get me wrong, I don't love the concept and I'm much more about the natural shaped breast (not that every bra isn't artificially shaping one's breasts in one way or another, but you know what I mean). But I can totally understand how the younger women love it. It's very, um, youthful. And the padding really is a means to an end. It doesn't so much increase the volume of one's chest as it molds it into a modern cultural ideal. I'm still trying to understand what's doing what. Is it the vertical seaming that contributes to the shape? The longline? The padding? All of the above?
Point is, I couldn't bring myself to give it back. I wore it today and, while I felt like Jessica Rabbit, it was fun under a very modest crew neck. Its practicality may be limited, but it's an experiment I'm not done with yet.
The purchase of the Nina is merely a function of my indulgent tendencies. I couldn't let a floral/animal/pink combo get away.
So, I figure if you don't care about waist boning, chances are you care about push up lingerie. Please feel free to share your thoughts about either of these threads. I want to hear them.
By twist I mean twists, more accurately, in the form of spiral steel boning:
Photo courtesy of On Pins and NeedlesWhy recreate the same skirt you love, I say, when you can make a bias cut version with a different waistband that's tailored? Yeah, that's really keeping it simple.
At any rate, I watched Gertie's yellow dress, boned-bodice project with interest, though I was totally freaked out by the level of complexity involved. More recently, she revisited the concept on a waistband, using the Ginger skirt as her muse. That, I thought, is something I might get with in the course of time. Truth is, for all of my love of my Ginger skirt, having used a very stiff denim, and given that my lower abdomen is not flat, I've got a bit of bunching where the skirt rises up to meet the waist as I walk. I intend to ameliorate this by using a fabric with better drape next time (the cerise wool blend), by making the straight (rather than scalloped) waist band and, you guessed it, by venturing into the world of waist boning.
Ah, I can see a corset in my (distant) future.
(On the topic of where and how I've purchased the boning and tips, stay tuned. What I will tell you is that I bought Canadian. And - hilarious, I'm sure you'll agree - I paid through the nose for shipping given that the outlet is 2 hrs away and the vehicle is Canada Post. Let's just say I'm waiting for some clarification and to see the size of the package / contents within.)
Item above is vaguely related to my next item, I suppose, about the Freya Nieve long line bra and the Freya Nina plunge.
The world of lingerie is never dull here. In short, I bought the Nina set and then decided to keep the Nieve after first trying to replace the Nieve with the larger cup size - only to find that it's completely gone everywhere now that it's sale season and that colourway has been discontinued.
The long version is that I couldn't get the Nina as a replacement for the Nieve and also get the 20% discount that was being offered on the bra on Figleaves. I either had to a) buy the Nina and return the Nieve - which means I'd pay shipping on the Nina (5 pounds 50) and return fees on the Nieve (8 bucks CDN) or b) buy the Nina as part of my return but pay the full price aka somewhat more expensive than option a).
Now, the price of both of these sets together comes to $130.00 CDN - less than I'd pay for one of the bras alone at a B&M store here. So, any way you slice it, the discount is deep enough to mitigate a return and new purchase.
I was all set to return the Nieve but I couldn't stop trying it on. Every time I did I'd notice that the gores don't sit flat against my chest - but that, in every other way, this bra is awesome. By awesome I mean "inspiring awe". My boobs look so spherical they're mesmerizing. And so pushed up they're practically hitting my chin.
This leads me on a diatribe about the merits of padding. Don't get me wrong, I don't love the concept and I'm much more about the natural shaped breast (not that every bra isn't artificially shaping one's breasts in one way or another, but you know what I mean). But I can totally understand how the younger women love it. It's very, um, youthful. And the padding really is a means to an end. It doesn't so much increase the volume of one's chest as it molds it into a modern cultural ideal. I'm still trying to understand what's doing what. Is it the vertical seaming that contributes to the shape? The longline? The padding? All of the above?
Point is, I couldn't bring myself to give it back. I wore it today and, while I felt like Jessica Rabbit, it was fun under a very modest crew neck. Its practicality may be limited, but it's an experiment I'm not done with yet.
The purchase of the Nina is merely a function of my indulgent tendencies. I couldn't let a floral/animal/pink combo get away.
So, I figure if you don't care about waist boning, chances are you care about push up lingerie. Please feel free to share your thoughts about either of these threads. I want to hear them.
Monday, February 20, 2012
The Trials of Online Shopping (Which Mimic Those of Regular Shopping)
Unfortunately, Freya is phasing out the Nieve colourway (it's at the end of its season, hence the sales), though the company also makes the Edina colourway (not as appealing to me). I'm confident that Freya will be coming out with something new and long line to replace the Nieve. Now I have to decide whether to a) keep it in the slighly tight size I purchased originally (unlikely), b) return it for the Edina (unlikely) or c) replace it with this:
Y'all know how I LOVE animal print. I have a Freya from years ago (cannot remember the style, long gone now) made of a jewel blue and hot pink animal print. Lord, I love that bra but it's too big in the back so it doesn't get a lot of wear. The string of the matching thong undies is actually made of pink velvet and the back of the thong has an embroidered hot pink heart that's larger than the size of a quarter! Now, that set was surprisingly practical. It had a flat profile so it could be worn under most anything. I wish I could find a stock photo of it.
The Nina, pictured above, is an unpadded (yay) plunge. I love that the straps continue the animal print pattern. And that floral decollete is so pretty, sexy - and weird.
I say the best place to go crazy with fashion is the under layer. Seriously, who's gonna know if you've gone nutty with florals and animal prints? (Of course, one's bras have to fit and be invisible under the shirt she happens to be wearing that day, but you know what I mean. Oh, and you know of my fixation with matching undies to bras. Unless you have style coming out the yin yang and the shape of a twenty-something, mismatched can look so unintentional - so unflattering.)
What do you think? Do you like the Nina? Do you prefer it to the Nieve? Do you enjoy a good plunge bra? Do you wear crazy patterned lingerie? Do you think I'm autocratic about the matching sets? Let's talk.
Freya Nina
Y'all know how I LOVE animal print. I have a Freya from years ago (cannot remember the style, long gone now) made of a jewel blue and hot pink animal print. Lord, I love that bra but it's too big in the back so it doesn't get a lot of wear. The string of the matching thong undies is actually made of pink velvet and the back of the thong has an embroidered hot pink heart that's larger than the size of a quarter! Now, that set was surprisingly practical. It had a flat profile so it could be worn under most anything. I wish I could find a stock photo of it.
The Nina, pictured above, is an unpadded (yay) plunge. I love that the straps continue the animal print pattern. And that floral decollete is so pretty, sexy - and weird.
I say the best place to go crazy with fashion is the under layer. Seriously, who's gonna know if you've gone nutty with florals and animal prints? (Of course, one's bras have to fit and be invisible under the shirt she happens to be wearing that day, but you know what I mean. Oh, and you know of my fixation with matching undies to bras. Unless you have style coming out the yin yang and the shape of a twenty-something, mismatched can look so unintentional - so unflattering.)
What do you think? Do you like the Nina? Do you prefer it to the Nieve? Do you enjoy a good plunge bra? Do you wear crazy patterned lingerie? Do you think I'm autocratic about the matching sets? Let's talk.
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