Tutti Rouge "Liliana" Review

Tutti Rouge's Liliana bra has filled a massive void in my life and I can't get enough. Here's the gang:

I know, I know, I have SO many of these. So what's the secret to my great love for the Liliana? Well, it's two-fold. First off, the Liliana is THE BRA that I have been lusting after for years in terms of appearance. It's the sort of bra I bought back when my size was common and I had options. The vanilla with pink ribbon, particularly, brings me back to a simpler time when finding a bra was never hard. The Liliana's existence gives me the option to actually buy the type of bra I want.

 

 

The second reason I love the Liliana is the shape. Specifically, the very minimized shape:

I have to wear scrubs at my job, and those who have worn them know that scrubs tend to be baggy and are not very bust-friendly. Despite this, I love the concept of scrubs because they are so egalitarian and simple. The Liliana bra gives me a way to make peace between the two opposing viewpoints.

For reference, this is what my scrub tops look like with a regular bra (Cleo Lucy in this case):

My boobs look nicely uplifted, but this also creates the issue where my whole body appears to be the width of my boobs. I know not everyone shares my feeling on this, but it makes me feel that my boobs are on show in a way I'm not comfortable with, as well as making me appear larger than I am.

Here is the same scrub top with the magical Liliana bra:

In this photo you can see that my boobs are not as lifted, but they are also less noticeable. The result is a more compact overall look. You still can't see my waist, but I look like anyone else in scrubs and feel much more comfortable.

In addition to being the best 'scrubs bra', the Liliana also has this effect under drapey tops and slightly baggy t-shirts that would otherwise be unflattering. It gives me the ability to wear outfits I would have previously not chosen.

On the other hand, the Liliana does NOT look very good under fitted dresses because it just doesn't lift the boobs high enough on my short torso. It has its roles and that is not one of them.

Now, you can see by my large collection that I find the Liliana bra essential for day-to-day life. And I am delighted to have access to it. But this also makes me feel a little nervous. In certain ways, leaning so heavily on the Liliana to minimize my boobs feels regressive. It feels like I am going back to a time in my life when I had very strict standards for which bras I felt comfortable in. I occasionally fear I am relapsing to that dislike of my boobs when I regret wearing a bra other than the Liliana because I've gotten used to a smaller look. In a way, bras that minimize the boobs can be a crutch--a substitute for accepting one's own body. That said, I would NEVER deny the necessity of such a bra for people who, like me, haven't always been psyched about having larger-than-average boobs.

In terms of sizing, the Liliana is fairly small in the band. I wear a 32HH and it fits similar to a standard 30 band, or maybe in between a tight 30 and a 32. I wear the same cup size in the Liliana as I do in all Tutti Rouge's bras--one cup size up from what I normally wear in other brands. However, the Liliana is more shallow, so some people might find they need to size up from their normal Tutti Rouge size. In fact, Tutti Rouge is now emailing customers who order the Liliana to inform them that it runs small. I don't necessarily agree that it is any smaller than their other bras, but it is certainly shallower, and therefore is not suited to anyone who needs deep cups.

On another note, when I ordered my most recent round of Lilianas, the wonderful people at Tutti Rouge included a HAND-WRITTEN NOTE and a FREE PAIR OF UNDERWEAR. I don't usually get so into specific companies, but I was very touched by this--particularly because I ordered incognito, so they did not know I am a blogger when they sent me free underwear. The pair they included was the Liliana Brazilian brief, and I can vouch for the fact that it is insanely comfortable. I wouldn't have ever thought to try it if it hadn't been free, but I recommend it to those who like matching sets.

If Your Boobs Are Bigger Than Your Budget...

This is just part of my bra collection—as you can tell, I own way more bras than just the basics. Since I’m obsessed with lingerie, I tend to buy a lot of it, order a lot of it, return a lot of it, and keep a lot of it.

Unfortunately, as a student, I don’t have the biggest of budgets for this activity. And as you might have noticed, bras in bigger cup sizes have a nasty habit of being quite expensive at full price. So I sustain my lingerie buying partly by budgeting more in other areas, and partly by shopping around obsessively for the best available bargains. Here are my tips to get as much as you can of what you want while spending as little as possible. I've listed most of the prices in UK pounds, but my tips include what to do in the US.

Brastop.com is a great source for bargains, especially if you just want a bra and don’t really care which bra. They have a range of prices, but everything is always discounted, and there are always at least a few bras under £10. The best thing about Brastop is that they have a huge number of styles and colors available even in very high cup sizes and very low back sizes.  Brastop is best for fashion colors of Curvy Kate bras from past seasons--the continuity colors don’t make it onto Brastop. If you want black, white, and nude, try their own brand, Flirtelle, which has the same fit as Curvy Kate. There are also some options from Panache, Freya, etc. They don’t sell out of sizes quickly, so you can really mull it over. And to get the most out of Brastop, you should wait for periodic free shipping or half-price international shipping. Unfortunately, you will have to pay your own return shipping costs, which is a major drag especially if you’re not in the UK.

Amazon.co.uk is a good source for discounted prices on current-season Curvy Kate bras and some sale prices on past-season bras, including Panache and Cleo. For some reason, the current collections of Curvy Kate always seem to be marked down to £18-£20, so if you can’t wait to have a new color or model, check here. They also have some crazy bargains on older stock, which will occasionally beat out Brastop—it’s worth comparing both. The best thing about Amazon is that they usually have free shipping and free returns on bras for UK addresses. But sadly, if you’re in the US, you can’t buy bras from Amazon even if you log onto their UK site—I don’t fully understand why, but some legal issue prevents them from shipping to the US.

Debenhams.com is another decent source for random sales on current lines. They don’t have a huge number of items in the upper size ranges, but there are a few, and I’ve found some good bargains on Cleo bras from them. They also offer free shipping in the UK. They do ship to the US too, but that will cost £10, which will probably cancel out any bargain you find.

Ebay.com is always a great place to check. If you’re in the US, this is the site that will save you the most money on bras, even though most of the time you’ll still have to ship from the UK. Ebay sellers nearly always offer cheaper international shipping than you’ll find anywhere else—often just about £3. To get started, just search “bra” and your size—for instance, “bra 28J”. If you don’t want something used, look for items with “BNWT” (brand new with tags) in the title. You’ll usually find a selection of Panache, Cleo, Freya, and Fantasie bras, occasionally with some Curvy Kate thrown in there. These are generally sold by well-rated, established sellers and are either overstock, styles that never ended up getting produced, or factory seconds (bras that are slightly inconsistent in some way, but not damaged or useless). Keep in mind that certain bras seem to cycle through, so you might come up with six sellers stocking a red Freya Estelle but none stocking a purple Jolie, and then if you check a month later there will be nine purple Jolies. If you have a very small back/large cup, you will probably find mostly boring Panache styles in uninspired colors. But if you are willing to put up with this and keep searching, you can usually get bras for around £12-£15. There are also sellers who are just regular women like you, selling bras that don’t fit them right. These bras more often require bidding rather than Buy It Now, so I personally steer clear of them, but if you like bidding on eBay you can sometimes get a great bargain this way.

Edited to add: Leia Lingerie's Outlet section is usually the best place to buy Freya bras, often at really amazing discounts--some are under £10. Sometimes you can even find the matching panties for £3-£4, meaning you can ignore my warning below. Leia Lingerie also has Fantasie and Fauve items. Unfortunately, they only ship to the UK and because of the form you have to fill out with your billing address, it can be tricky to use a US credit card even if you're living in the UK, so it's best to have a UK card along with your UK address.

My final tip for a low-budget lingerie obsession is to not buy the matching underwear. Even on deep discount, these undies are usually never less than £6. If you’re willing to poke around you can get at least 2 or 3 pairs for that price. In the US, Victoria’s Secret 5 for $25.50 panties are amazing, especially the ones with lace around the waist. You can save even more if you buy single pairs at Marshall’s, TJ Maxx (that’s TK Maxx for you UK ladies), and those somewhat trashy-looking mall clothing stores with neon lighting. I know some people like to have sets that match perfectly, but if you don’t mind trying something new, it can be quite fun to do some shopping around for fun colors and patterns that coordinate and nearly match. Since underwear is a wear-once-before-washing type of item, you might find that it’s more fun to favor quantity over quality here.

Spring in my step...

Spring-time Cycling in London may seem like a distant dream at the moment, but there is no harm in getting ready for it starting now. Besides, January is the best time to pick up some serious fashion bargains - especially if you're not a slave to 'Seasons' & like me, will happily wear clothing and accessories that make you feel good, no matter when they came out.

My 1st piece of bargain hunting came via of one of my favourite online shopping haunts, Net-A-Porter...

You can't beat the feeling of glamour when one of their big black boxes turns up, right?

The joy in the box - Swedish Hasbeens!

Even though I don't "do" Heels on a regular basis, I've wanted a pair of these for ages. They went in the NAP sale, reduced to £48 - I HAD TO!!!

With wooden 4.1 inch high heels and 1.2 inch high platforms, they actually make for a comfortable shoe. Granted, I've been walking around my house in them to break them in, but I plan on doing some cycling in these too!

Look out for them on the Pashley when the weather changes... I can't wait.

Red Wine Blazer with a Dash of Chevron

Yes, red wine indeed! What better way to describe this amazing blazer? Seriously, every time I look in my closet this piece reminds me of a glass of red wine. Clearly, I I like to give my clothes little nicknames. It's definitely an "everyday go-to outfit," especially on those days where I'm standing in front of my closet endlessly asking myself what I should wear. Pair this with a neutral top; let the blazer be focal point, and work around it.  To add a little pop, add a flashy statement scarf. In my case it's my favorite chevron-patterned scarf. I wore my oh-so comfy snake skin booties to pull the entire outfit together. Worry not animal lovers, they're not real snake skin. Don't be afraid to mix & match pieces from your closet to achieve a stunning look! I took a simple red wine blazer, and added my own flare to spice things up.

Blazer: Eva Mendes Line at NY&Comp. 

Top: Zara 

Jeans: Banana Republic 

Booties: Kenneth Cole 

Earrings: J. Crew

Watch: Michael Kors

Clutch: Forever 21  

Curvy Kate "Portia" Review (Again)

When I tried Curvy Kate's Portia bra last time, I was dissatisfied with the shape it gave and how much of my chest it covered. But since I had tried it in a 28JJ and 28K, I decided to have a go at a few smaller sizes. I ordered a 28J, my regular Curvy Kate size, and also a 28HH since the Portia is more stretchy than the Angel or Princess bras.

The difference between the two sizes was startling and hilarious. One friend who saw the difference suggested that this image should be put up on the wall of lingerie fitting rooms everywhere! What a difference a cup size makes!

Left, 28HH, Right, 28J

The 28HH was much too small, but the 28J was a good fit on me, so I guess Curvy Kate is right when they suggest that most people can wear the same size across the board in all their styles—the more I try their bras, the more I realize it’s mostly true. (I still ought to size up in the Angel, but I don’t HAVE to, and the Princess runs a little smaller too.)

The Portia has more of a V-neck appearance from the front, especially compared to the Cleo Lucy that I got around the same time. So the center gores are about the same, but the Portia has more fabric coming up across the boobs. This bothers me less and less as I get more used to my boobs, but as little as a few months ago, this extra fabric would have been the bane of my existence, so if you dislike “a lot of bra”, Panache is still a better bet than Curvy Kate:

Curvy Kate Portia versus...

...Cleo Lucy.

I also found the shape couldn’t beat my Cleo bras. 

Curvy Kate Portia versus...

...Cleo Lucy.

The Portia gives a fairly rounded shape, but doesn't lift as much as the Lucy, and more of the weight is remaining at the bottom of the bra--you can see how the Portia's cup hangs over the underwire the tiniest bit. But it isn't an awful or embarrassing shape, quite decent really, and the bra itself is beautiful, a lot more attractive than my white Cleo Lucy, and much prettier than the Portia in black.

I think the third photo is the best evidence of both my likes and dislikes regarding this bra. You can really see the pretty colors and delicate embroidery, and the thin but well-made straps. But you can also see how large the upper section looks, and how the bra isn't lifting as much as I'd like. I wasn’t exactly blown away by this bra, but now that I’ve found my correct size, I want to withdraw the negative review I gave the Portia before. Now I’d say, if you like Curvy Kate bras or want to give them a try, this is one of the prettier ones. It's worth a shot if you like the look of it. 

What To Do With Those Pesky Wide Underwires

When I talked about breast/bra shapes, I mentioned that wider underwires can be used to create an hourglass shape from the front that looks more minimized from the side. Not everyone seeks this shape, but for those who do, wider underwires are a pretty easy way to achieve it. They’re also good to wear if some of your breast tissue has gotten squashed into your armpit through years of wearing poorly-fitted bras. What's more, if you wear a very high cup size, you may find that ALL bras have wide underwires whether you want them or not.

But you may be left disappointed because wide underwires can be SO PAINFUL! When you buy a bra, the underwires are flat—you may have read articles expressing frustration with the fact that women aren’t shaped like this:

The thing is, although women are not triangular, they also aren’t flat across the front:

 The flat shape of underwires is all wrong for the curved shape of a human torso. If you find your underwires cut into your sides or the front of your ribs, there’s a miracle fix—just bend your underwires into the shape of your body. You’ll probably experience amazing relief in the way your bra feels around your body. You also may become enraged that bra manufacturers never thought of doing this simple favor for their customers.

How do to it:

Put on your bra and find the point on the bottom of the underwire where your torso begins to curve back around.

Take off the bra, and bend the wire at that point. You do have to use a bit of force to bend it so the metal will keep the shape, but be slow and gentle—you don’t want to bend too much at one point. Keep moving along the wire and bending, so the curve will be gentle. You don't actually have to curve the underwire very much to make a difference. Only about this much:

Now, try on the bra again. If the front section now feels unnaturally flat, you can add a slight curve to that by gently bending it. If the underwires now cut in between your boobs or on your sides, you can also very slightly bend out the last inch or two, so it will no longer poke you.

Now your bra is shaped like a person!

A few words of caution: I do this to all my bras and I have never had any problems with underwires breaking or slipping out. But it is definitely an alteration that you do at your own risk; make sure you are totally set on keeping the bra before bending the underwires, since you may not be able to bend them back if you change your mind and want to return it. Also, there may be some bras out there that have underwires that wouldn’t bend, but would break. According to my experience, you should be fine doing this with any Curvy Kate, Panache, and Freya bras, at least. Finally, although I think it MIGHT be possible to bend the underwires on a molded bra (I’ve never tried it), this fix is best suited to non-padded styles.

Cleo "Lucy" Review

I’m planning to do more reviews of bras in the new year. I’ll focus, of course, on bras available in small band sizes and up to the highest cup sizes, since that’s what I have to wear. I’ll start with one of the few bras I like enough to own in multiple colors, the Cleo Lucy. It's a bra that I really appreciate while still having some grievances with it. I still consider the Cleo Lucy to be the closest I’ve come to that elusive "perfect bra", but I also want to draw attention to its flaws.

The Lucy is a bit of a hybrid shape-wise. It has the wider underwires typical of Panache and Cleo bras, but the fabric structure of the cup bears more similarities to Bravissimo’s Alana bra. While many Panache and Cleo bras have a softer upper section that isn’t meant to do any shaping, the Lucy’s upper section is tighter and has stiff lace along the top. Because of this, I had to take in the center gore to avoid major quadraboob. Fortunately, the Lucy has a rather wide center gore to start with, so there is lots of room for this alteration. As you can see, on my older-season coral Lucy in 28HH, the alteration I had to do was so severe that it made the bra look a little ridiculous from the front:

However, I didn’t have to take in as much of the center gore on my white or black Lucy bras. The newer ones seem to not be as tight at the top as the older coral version.

I have the pink and the white in 28HH, and the black in a 28J. I normally wear a 28J, but I feel a bit like I’m swimming in this 28J—the cup fits perfectly, but the underwire goes back MUCH further, which is totally unnecessary and obnoxious. Plus, I still needed to alter the center gore. The 28HH versions fit better and have much narrower underwires, but I would prefer if they were a bit bigger in the cup, so I think I’m between sizes in this bra. If you’re between cup sizes normally, I would recommend choosing the smaller size to avoid the underwires of Doom. However, as you can see, the Lucy gives a very round shape in either size. The black 28J is clearly giving less uplift in the middle photo, but since the cup is bigger, I can tighten the straps to improve the shape without cutting in.

The Lucy also only has two hooks in the back, which bothers me. 

I find that this tends to cause the back band to cut in more because it is so narrow. If you like two-hook fastenings, you’ll be pleased to know that the Lucy has just two hooks all the way up to a J cup. Personally, I think it’s a stupid design choice because the back band is supposed to be providing so much support, and I wish they would update the design to have three hooks.

I'm not the world's hugest fan of the flower embroidery on the top of the cups. I do, however, love the little dots along the top of the cup, and I think they look really cute peeking out from under a loose, low-cut top. 

One more flaw I want to highlight is that the Lucy is a tough bra to break in. My pink one was pretty uncomfortable for the first month or so that I had it—the section of band right where it meets the bottom of the cup has a sharp edging that tends to rub a lot. After owning it for a few months, though, it’s become one of my most comfortable bras and the back band hasn’t loosened up much, unlike most bras I have. I’m assuming my newer Lucy bras will undergo a similar process but I’m bummed at the thought of the discomfort I’ll have to go through until then. No matter what you believe about breaking in bras, I still don’t think it’s necessary to make them with materials that can cause pain.

I think if you’re used to the shape Panache and Cleo bras give, you will probably have to alter this bra to get that same shape, but once you do, it’s one of the best. And if you’re suited to the shape the Lucy gives without alteration—a shape more common with certain Freya and Bravissimo bras—you probably won’t like the Lucy’s wider underwires. That said, it’s still a bit of a compromise between the purple and green types of shapes I talked about in my last post, so for people between the extremes, this could definitely be a crowd-pleaser. I would recommend this bra to a friend, but only with several stipulations.

Saturday In Review

I just wanted to take a moment to pat myself on the back for accomplishing my long list of errands today! I started the day off right by gyming it (dancing my little butt off in Zumba class). By the time I was done my stomach was growling, so I headed over to my favorite local cafe called "Local Republic." Can I just say "Oh...My...Gawd..!" Their fish tacos are to die for, with so much flavor wrapped up in one little taco; nothing like fresh, organic food to please my belly.



Afterwards, I headed straight to the antique shop to find some unique items for my little vanity (coming soon... Yay!) I was on a mission... No joke. Afterwards, I made a few other stops here and there. After finishing my main errands, and feeling incredibly accomplished, I rewarded myself by making a quick run to Victoria's Secret. Hello semi-annual sale... Need I say more? I scored a great deal on couple of bras for $15. Talk about mega savings! Overall I was a happy girl, and it was finally nice to take some time to really enjoy one of my Saturdays :) How were your Saturday endeavors, if you had any?

 

Nom Nom Nom healthy and delicious!

mmmmmm wine what more can I say

This mirror pure elegance!

I spy something fancy!

I could never see myself wearing a mink coat... it's just wrong!

Sunday Social

1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

   

braforme, 2 years :)

2. Why do you blog? 

I started blogging to give myself a small break from my studies (totally a chemistry and neuroscience nerd with a dash of fashion). 

 

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

Pink Peonies

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2013?

The day I went to a pumpkin farm. It was my very first time going and now its become a tradition! 

http://www.braforme.com/2012/10/a-day-at-farm.html

5. What are your blogging goals for 2014?

To blog more often... I promise this time around :) 

6. Top 3 favorite blogs to follow?

My girlfran's blog y'all should check her out! messofbeautifulchaos 

http://makeupbytiffanyd.blogspot.com/

http://www.selectivepotential.com/

 

Pepperberry Has Problems, Part 2

Time for some good old-fashioned hating on the biggest full-bust clothing brand! Now, Pepperberry, you know I love you and what you do, but sometimes you just frustrate me so much…

Why are there no buttons on the bottom part of this cardigan?

Cable Knit Cardigan

Really, for £39 (on sale from £49) I daresay you could at least slap some on there, even if you leave them unbuttoned for the product photo.

Is it just me or does the decoration on this top look like a line of people with very small heads holding hands? I just can’t get over it.

Slub Jersey Tunic 

And Pepperberry, why so much BLING????

Beaded Flapper Dress

Embellished Check Top

Beaded Detail Tunic

Jewel Neck Top

Deco Beaded Silk Dress

Embellished Tie Back Dress

Bling layered on other bling:

Beaded Knit Shrug

Petal Trim Dress

Lurex Swing Dress

The Border Print Cotton Dress, otherwise demure, features sneaky surprise sequins woven into the skirt:

Border Print Cotton Dress

Quoted from reviews of the Stripe Sun Top: "There's too much bling on the front and it's just big and fluffy!" "Also not a huge fan of all the spanglies around the collar, but that's just my personal taste."

Stripe Sun Top

Now, I like a little sparkle as much as the next girl, but the vast proportion of blinged-out Pepperberry clothing continues to alarm me. I’m surprised they haven’t yet started to weave sequins into their collared shirts. But somehow, still no sequined bras from sister company Bravissimo! This is just reversed and wrong and I would like a sequined bra, please. Bras are sequins’ natural home.

Finally, Pepperberry, WHY this print? Why?

Abstract Print Kimono Dress

And make sure to notice that this top features a fake cami to make up for the too-low-cut construction!

Related: Pepperberry Has Problems, Part 1