Wednesday 2 November 2011

Curvy Kate "Princess" Review

This is going to be a depressing review because the “Princess” is one of the most beautiful bras I’ve ever seen. I wanted so badly for it to fit me. I love all the colors it’s come in, I love the velvet polka dots, I love the floral details.






Unfortunately, I’d had bad luck with the “Princess” previously and had more bad luck with my recent orders. The first time I tried the “Princess,” I went for a 28HH, which is the size I wear in the Panache “Harmony” and “Confetti.” It was literally the tightest bra I’d ever attempted to attach to my body. I like a tighter band, but combined with the too-small cups, I could barely breathe in the thing. It also looked pointy and downward-pointing on the part of my boobs it did cover. I figured there was no way I could alter it to fit me, so I sadly sent it back.

Fail 
On my next attempt, I tried a 28J and 28JJ. Both had a band that felt like an average 28 band, not painfully tight like the first one I’d ordered. The 28JJ, in white, fit better in the cups, but looked a little more full-coverage than I wanted. It also didn’t give a good shape because I couldn’t tighten the straps as much as I needed to. Something to know about the “Princess” before ordering is that the straps are only half adjustable—the floral detailing is too thick to go through the metal bit. So although the 28JJ had the better fit in the cup, it didn't matter because I couldn't tighten the straps enough to get the proper lift.

Nope. 
The 28J basically fit me in the same red I’d failed with previously in a smaller size. I quickly realized, though, that it wasn’t going to work out between us. Though it seemed to fit when I first put it on, within minutes the 28J would slip down and start cutting into the top of my boobs, giving me quadraboob. After this shifting happened, the “Princess” started giving me a really pointy shape and I just knew that no matter how pretty it looked, I would never wear it because it ultimately wouldn’t make me feel good. Although there is nothing quite like the self-esteem boost that comes from putting on a beautiful bra, the feeling fades very quickly when the bra doesn’t suit your body.

The Princess clearly can give a great fit and shape on many people—I’ve read a lot of positive reviews where it looked brilliant on the reviewer—but here’s some depressing proof that it’s not for everyone. Specifically, I’d say to beware the “Princess” if your boobs are full on top. It has very little “give” in it, and the line of stiff floral lace across the top of the cup is especially challenging. I would also suggest that someone who usually needs to tighten their straps more than halfway should pick a different Curvy Kate bra. This is the only Curvy Kate bra that doesn’t have fully adjustable straps.

But then again, it’s so pretty… maybe you will want to try it for yourself anyway. I certainly did.

Check out the alterations I did on the Princess to make it fit me in this post.

4 comments:

  1. I also got very disppointed when I got my first Princess bras, because of the non-fully adjustable straps. However, it is still possible to force the first part of the lace through the strap adjuster and then adjust them as usual. It doesn't helpt with everything, but it is good to know.

    You are perfectly right about the tightness of the top of the cup. My experience is that most people need to go up a cup or two compared to Ella/Emily which also makes it a very full cup style compared to the other two bras.

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  2. I was wondering if it would be possible to get the lace through the strap adjuster... thinking I was going to return these bras, I was afraid to try. I guess it might also be possible to just take out a bit of the seam, remove a portion of the lace and stitch it back in place.

    I ended up keeping the red Princess and doing a bunch of alterations on it, I'm going to do a post on that tomorrow! Thanks for reading :)

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  3. I can't believe you just order them and wear them and then send them back! Wow.

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    1. I don't wear bras and then return them. I try them on, take photos, put them back in the original packaging and then return them. That is completely normal and what companies expect for returns. True, sometimes I order something expecting to return it, but just as often I end up keeping those things. I've never returned anything that is dirty or worn, so I'm not sure what you are implying here.

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