Bravissimo Rococo Charm (Ivory/Ice Pink) Review

Recently, I've been on a epic journey to try to find a perfect (or at least passable) skin-toned bra. For my coloring, the best color would be a pale shade of beige-toned pink, but I was also willing to settle for the yellowish beige color that is typically marketed as "nude".

I've had quite a few failures and bras that didn't quite do, but I was pretty convinced that Bravissimo's Rococo Charm bra in Ivory/Ice Pink was going to be The One. Unfortunately, it wasn't--at all.

I ordered it in a 30H, since that was the size I had tried in the Pistachio version of the Rococo Charm. The green version had fit me well in that size, but the Ivory/Ice Pink runs smaller.

From the front, it looks pretty good:

But from the side, you can see that the cup does not have enough volume.

To begin with, half-cup bras like this (and especially the ones from Bravissimo) do not have much depth in the cups, but that is not usually an issue for me since I have very little volume in the bottom of my breasts. (I should have been more clear in the past that in addition to having a lot of upper fullness, I have much very little lower fullness. So I need bras that are cut open on the top, and shallow on the bottom.) So typically the shape of the Rococo Charm would work for my boobs, but this one is just a size too small. A friend who's tried a lot of Bravissimo half-cups tells me that they have been getting smaller and smaller since the Demi Diva--so the Parisian Plume was slightly smaller, the Rococo Charm slightly smaller again, and the Tanzania Stripe ran very small. I haven't tried all of them right in a row, but unfortunately I don't find this Incredible Shrinking Bra Syndrome hard to believe. It's the same thing that has happened to the Curvy Kate Showgirl Bras over the years. (I fit perfectly in a 30H in the Coral/Black Tease Me from a few years back, but would need a 30J to fit into the current colors.)

A half-cup bra (high center gore and vertical seams going up the cups) will typically give a square shape if it is too small. That's what happened with this bra.

Even when I loosened the straps so much that they fell right off the shoulders, the fit was still slightly too small, and with the straps so loose, it didn't really support me at all.

I might have returned the Rococo Charm in favor of a 30HH, but I was dissatisfied for other reasons too. The overall structure just does not seem as strong as I would expect from Bravissimo bras. In these photos you can see how much the underwire stretches:

This is in spite of the fact that the band is NOT too tight on me (I wear a 30 band but measure 28'' around my underbust). What's more, the Rococo Charm has not one but TWO features that are meant to PREVENT distortion of the underwire: the full band that continues underneath the underwires in front, and the non-stretch panel in between the underwire and the stretchy part of the band. Yet these factors didn't prevent the underwire from distorting hugely. I don't mind wide underwires, but no underwire should distort this much--it changes the fit of the cups when the wire stretches.

My quest for a suitable flesh-toned bra will unfortunately need to continue because the Rococo Charm won't do it for me. I'm going to start listing the bras I want to sell on Bratabase, so when I have that set up, I'll add a link to it here.

Pepperberry Has Problems

Pepperberry is probably the biggest and most mainstream brand purporting to make clothes for bigger busts. But they honestly drive me crazy with a lot of their designs. Half the time it seems like they just expand the breast area on clothing by adding pleats...

...or cinch in the waist by adding belts...

...or cover up excessive cleavage by adding a fake cami at the neckline (!?)...

...all without understanding what actually works for a curvy figure, or why. Pleats can be a decent way to add space for a bust but they also can add become bulky and add volume where volume is not needed. Waist belts can be cute--but they look best when they aren't necessary to draw in the waist of a garment, when they are just an accessory. When I do need to use a belt to draw in a top or dress without enough waist definition, I personally always feel annoyed about it. As for camis under low-cut tops--well those are just a solution we use when there are no options available other than trying to wear normal mainstream clothing that isn't cut for a big bust. I feel that Pepperberry should do better than that, since their prices are so high and their whole purpose is catering to a full bust.

I think this is going to be an ongoing series so I will just go over one item that is annoying me currently, and compare to a similar BiuBiu item that I feel is made better.

Check out Pepperberry’s gray Tie Shirt Dress.

Now, in general I like the idea of this: it’s a good color, it’s nice to have something shorter, and a shirt dress is an item that is hard to buy on the high street if you have big boobs, so it makes sense for Pepperberry to sell it.

I hate how it’s constructed though! The ‘boob space’ is added by those lumpy pleats at the neckline. 

The waist definition depends solely on the belt-like item that ties at the back—and as you can see, even on the model, there is tons of extra fabric in the back.

This is exactly what it would look like in the back if you simply belted a large men’s shirt—except with bumpy neckline pleats in the front. Now, I’m not saying this dress is hideous. I’ve seen it looking great on some people (though I've also seen it looking unflattering on other people); if you own it, I trust that you bought it because you know that it looks nice on you. I just feel like Pepperberry ought to have the know-how at this point to construct a garment like this without neckline pleats and waist ties.

To see what I mean, compare to BiuBiu’s Montparnasse gray shirt dress.

The construction here is totally different. The boob space is achieved by the seams down the front of the bodice—a much subtler, more flattering, and less lazy construction. There are no pleats to add bulk, the dress is just cut to have space where space is needed. The waist definition also comes from this seam pattern. 

The belt shown in the photo isn’t nipping in the dress at the waist—it is sitting a bit loose and not even on the waist, it is just there as an accessory. The waist of the dress itself is doing the nipping in! The dress would look good on its own, even without the belt, because it is constructed to fit and flatter an hourglass figure. 

I also find it hilarious how happy the BiuBiu model looks, in comparison to how miserable the Pepperberry model looks! I know that is just styling, but still...

Review: Bravissimo's Current Offerings, April Update

My past posts where I did mass reviews of various bras I tried on in Bravissimo have been really popular, so here’s one more. I went to Bravissimo with my sister, who was visiting the UK this week, so she could get re-fitted. The women working there were friendly, but they also weren’t very committed to her fitting, which was disappointing. They put her in a Deco with a 30 band, which she fastened on the tightest hooks right away, and her fitter didn’t notice. When she asked for a 28, the band was better, but the cups were far too small, and again the fitter never came back to check, so she couldn't try the cup size up. Because of that, she didn’t end up buying anything, although she was ready to buy at least one bra if the staff had been more eager to find her the right fit. It was getting near closing time, so they seemed pretty hassled and busy, but I was still annoyed because this was my sister’s only chance to have the Bravissimo fitting experience. 

On the other hand, I had pretty good luck with most of what I tried on, for once. They have a lot more things that I like in this current collection than they did back in the fall. I've also gotten better at understanding how the experience works in the Bravissimo fitting room--it seems to work best if you ask to try on three or four specific styles, and then lurk outside your fitting room to ask for other bras as the fitters go by. It also helps to point things out to them in the catalogue. Anyway, these are the things I tried.

Free Kazbar Bikini

I tried on this bikini top for a friend back at home who wanted to see if it was any good before ordering it. I thought it was a pretty nice bikini. I first tried it in a 30H, the smaller of my two normal cup sizes, and it was too small for me and cut into the top of my boobs:

 I also felt like the back was very tight, and when I asked the saleslady about it, she agreed, saying that swimwear often comes up feeling tighter in the back because of the massive amount of Lycra in it. I do also know that swimwear tends to get looser in water, so I don’t know if the tight Lycra is reason enough to get a larger back size, but in any case I tried a 32H next. The cup was a much better fit.  

It doesn’t give the most uplifted shape ever but I think it is perfectly fine-looking for a bikini top. The fabric along the cups can be ruched down if you prefer less coverage, which is good considering the fact that I fit better in the bigger of my two sizes.

My biggest annoyance with it was that the back fastening was very confusing and complicated. You had to thread a square piece of metal through a casing and then snap some little teeth into place. It took me a couple minutes to figure out the first time. I’m not sure why they didn’t use a simpler fastening.

Panache Andorra

I was curious to try the Andorra because I love this mint green color, but I figured I would hate it because it’s a full-cup construction (see here and here for more information on seam constructions and shape). To my surprise, I was actually a pretty big fan of this bra! I tried it in a 30H.

As you can see, the shape from the side is really nice. It’s not as round as some of my best balconettes, but it gives good uplift.  Most importantly, the shape is very compact and my boobs are held close to my body, totally unlike the splayed-out east-west look that is common with full-cup bras. The difference must come from the side support panel, which is just another piece of evidence that bras that have lift from the bottom and pull up the bottom sections are far superior to those that don’t.

The lace on the Andorra is very soft and the upper panel is stretchy. I like this feature because it means there is enough give that it doesn’t cut in on my full upper boobs, and it also would be less likely to gape on someone with less fullness at the top. It’s a good compromise and a smart construction.

Miss Mandalay Paige

I’d always wanted to try on this beautiful bra but never had a chance until now when Bravissimo brought it back into stock. I’m totally in love with this colorway.

I tried it in a 30H as that is the highest cup size they make (and I’m pretty sure it only went up to GG when Bravissimo had an earlier version of this bra a few years back). It was very nearly a perfect fit, but as you can see from the side view, I had the slightest bit of cutting in across the top edge:

The lace across the top is a tiny bit tighter than I need for my shape but it is not nearly as tight as the upper section on, for instance, the Freya Arabella, Bravissimo Alana, or Curvy Kate Princess. I don’t think many people will have a problem with cutting in—probably only if you are very full on top and at the top of the size range. Even with the minor cutting in that I got, I still might have bought this bra, but unfortunately it’s completely out of my price range at £36. Still, I would recommend it for those who can handle the hefty price tag.

Masquerade Rhea

This is another bra that I’d always wondered about but never had a chance to try. I’m completely in love with it—this is probably the best bra I’ve tried on in the past year, and I’ve tried LOADS.

As you can see, the 30H is absolutely ideal for my shape. Because my boobs are so full on top, it ends at exactly the right point and then the top shapes itself. It’s perfect, and very luxurious. I will look for this on sale, because it’s very steep at full price (£33) but the Rhea has a history of selling out very fast, so I might consider investing in one.

Cleo Juna

Having tried the Cleo Sadie longline earlier this year, I knew that Cleo’s two-section padded cups are a pretty good fit and shape for me in a 30H, so I tried the Juna in that size.

I hate this shade of beige on me, but I wanted to see how the fit was. As I expected, it was just about identical to the fit of the Sadie. The shape from the side is a very casual rounded shape—not in-your-face at all but more subtle and fairly minimized. This would be a good everyday bra for that reason. It’s clearly not giving as excellent a shape as the Rhea, and it has less structural integrity, but at £10 cheaper than the Rhea at full price, I still think it’s a sensible option. I have heard from some people that the band on the Juna stretches out pretty quickly, so it might be worth going down a band size if you wear below an H cup (H is sadly the largest cup size in this range, so those needing an H can’t size down in the band and up in the cup).

Cleo Olivia

This is a new style and a Bravissimo exlusive, but it’s clearly the same construction as Cleo’s Sasha and Alexa styles.

Cleo Sasha 

Cleo Alexa 

Cleo Olivia--Bravissimo Exclusive

I love the polka dots but I do wish they would have chosen slightly different colors. With the pink lace edging a blue cup, it is far too similar to Cleo’s Alexa and Ellie bras which are both also out this season—seems a bit silly when Bravissimo could have had the opportunity to offer an exclusive shade that would be truly refreshing and different.

I tried the Olivia in a 30H. It was nearly a perfect fit but I did have some cutting in along the edge. I think I would probably fit better in the 30HH, but could wear either, especially if I took in the center gore on the 30H.

The shape this bra gives is really superior and it definitely seems to be better made than some other Cleo bras. The cups are made of a double layer of mesh fused together and the band underneath the wires in front adds stability to the bra so the underwires won’t stretch or distort.

As for comparison sizing, I haven’t tried either the Sasha or Alexa, but the consensus I’ve heard from my big-boobed friends who have tried both is that Alexa runs about a cup size larger than the Sasha as well as the new Olivia bra. So although I would probably prefer a 30HH in Sasha and Olivia, I suspect I’d be totally fine in a 30H in the Alexa.

Bravissimo Primrose

I was brought this new Bravissimo style in a 30H by mistake. I wouldn’t have asked to try it in this size as I always need at least two cup sizes up to fit into Bravissimo’s own-brand Alana-style balconettes. I think it makes a hilarious and educational contrast to the Panache/Masquerade/Cleo 30Hs I’ve described above. 

Sorry for the weird photoshopping. I was getting some awkward nip-slip issues. Something I've never experienced before in Bravissimo, as above the H I'd always gotten the extra lining!

You can see that although the Panache family is cut perfectly for my full-on-top boobs, this bra (like most of Bravissimo’s own-brand bras) is cut for the opposite shape, great for people with more volume on the bottom and less on the top. On me, it drags my boobs down because it is far too tight for my shape in the top section where I need lots of space, but then it has more space than I need at the apex so it makes my boobs look pointy combined with the dragging down. But I think you can also see how it would give a far better shape to someone with teardrop shaped boobs. I’m sure this will be a lovely bra for those who like the Alana, Bubbles, etc. (It’s said to be based on the Bubbles shape.) The back band is extremely firm and tight—even in the 30 band I could only just fasten it—so I think it is a good choice for small 28s, like the Ditsy Blossom bra they had in the last collection.

Bravissimo Wild At Heart

I really wanted this cool new bra to work for me because it looks exactly like something Victoria’s Secret would make and reminds me of what I would buy from them in a perfect world where they made more than 5 cup sizes.

Unfortunately this bra wasn’t the best shape for me. I tried it in a 30HH, knowing that Bravissimo’s own-brand bras run much smaller on me than the Panache families. From the front it looks good, but the shape is odd from the side.

I get the same problem I got with the Primrose bra (but on a much more minor scale)—too little space at the top edge, and too much space at the apex. So I bulged out of the top a bit, while still having enough fabric at the apex that I could pinch it between my fingers.

I’m not sure if a larger cup size (combined with shortening the straps a lot to take out the wrinkling) would help at all; I suspect this bra just isn’t compatible with my shape. From what I’ve heard, most people have had to size up to get the perfect fit in this bra, some even going up by two sizes.

One final note, this bra has very wide straps in my size range, some of the widest I’ve ever seen. The pattern continues on the straps, though, so I think they are still fairly cute; they just might not be the best with a strappy top.

Bravissimo Inspire Sports Bra

Finally, this is another bra that I tried on to help out a friend who is considering ordering from overseas. The size range on this new sports bra is truly amazing in comparison to what is available from other companies.

I tried it in a 30H because that is the same size I recently tried in the Panache Sports bra (don’t worry, review coming soon!) and I felt it would be more useful to compare. The cups on the Inspire were small on me, but I think that’s just because Bravissimo’s cups always run rather small on my shape.

As you can see in this photo, I had a bunch of flesh sort of smashed outside of the cups:

The cups on this bra are really aiming to hold in every part of your breast tissue, so I definitely would have needed a larger size—even then, it is very rare for a bra to cover all of my breast tissue because it ends so high. However, I think this bra would be much better for people with softer boobs or a teardrop/full-on-bottom shape.

In terms of support, this bra seems pretty promising. I’m not the sportiest of people so I don’t have a huge amount to compare this to, but when I jumped up and down the only thing that moved was the part of my boobs that was smashed outside of the cups. To me that indicates that it is succeeding as an encapsulation bra.

The shape was a bit pointy, but it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I had feared. I wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen in a bra giving this shape, it is decent:

The straps are very wide and thick, and nicely padded, which I think is a nice feature for a sports bra.

The back band is also very firm on this bra. I don’t think I would have fit in a 28. I would recommend this sports bra to people looking for something firm and supportive without compressing. Personally, I liked that it had underwires. From what I’ve seen around the internet it seems to be a nicer shape than the underwired Freya sports bra, and the size range is also much better. It’s a bit hideous, with the exposed wires and seams in the front, but overall I would say it’s a success. 

Review: Bravissimo's Current Offerings, February Update

I went back to Bravissimo today to try out their new stock. I’m sorry to say the experience was kind of depressing in terms of the service I received. I’m not usually one to get on my high horse about this, but I was bewildered and embarrassed by my talk with the women who helped me; if I had even a fraction less confidence about my boobs, I might have just walked out.

In my experience, when you go into the fitting area in Bravissimo, the women working there always sort of stare at you like they are waiting for you to say something highly specific. In all my visits, I’ve never figured out what they want me to say, because everything that comes out of my mouth seems to totally baffle them.

Here’s how it would work in my mind: I go up to the desk, they say, “Hi! Would you like to get fitted?” I say, “Well, I normally wear 28J, but I can fit into a 28HH in certain styles.” They put me in a basic bra to check that I am still wearing the right size, then they bring me all the styles they have in my size and I try them on and buy what I like.

Here’s how it worked today: I said, “Um, hi, I wear a 28J but—”

The woman interrupted me and said, “What would you like to try on?”

I said “I’d just like to try things out and see what you have.”

She responded, “Well, everything in a 28 band sells out almost immediately so we don’t really have very much. We definitely won’t have much in colors.”

I said “Can I just try on everything you have in a 28J and also the things that stop at HH, in a 28HH?”

She said “Oh, no, I can’t bring you everything. Here, look through this catalogue and pick out the styles you would like to try on.”

Really? First of all, if everything sells out right away in a 28 band, why don’t they stock more? Second of all, that wasn’t even true—there was only one style that was actually sold out. Third, if there really was so little, why couldn’t she bring me everything they had? Fourth, do they really expect most people to walk in knowing one or two specific bras that they want to try? How are you supposed to know what will fit if you can’t try on a variety of styles?

Eventually my look of embarrassment became too much for her, and she caved and brought me the basic concept of what I asked for. Here are the results.

Bravissimo Ditsy Blossom

This one was actually prettier than I expected; from the online photos I thought it would be hideous, but the pattern and color were quite nice. The shape was similar to the Alana, so I knew it wouldn’t fit me even in a 28J. They only had a 28HH, so this is me breathing out all the way to make it look like it wasn’t horribly too small.

For Alana fans, this bra will probably be a nice fit. The band is quite tight, so it would last longer too. The fabric of the cups is pretty stiff and scratchy, though.

Bravissimo Rococo Charm

This is another half-cup along the lines of the Demi Diva/Parisian Plume. The fabric in this one was a lot stiffer, though, and I’m still not a fan of how high the center gore is. Once again, I recommend this bra for people who want to get a very minimized, round, compact shape from the side--compare it to the side views of Bravissimo's other bras.

Panache Melody

Since I own this in a 28HH and it’s a bit small on me, I simply wanted to try it in a J-cup. It was indeed a much better fit, although it became even more V-necked and Freya-ish in its appearance from the front. 

I don’t like how big the upper leafy section is—it makes the bra a lot less open at the top so it isn’t as good a fit on me as Panache’s Harmony bra (the supposed model for the Melody).

Also, the width of those wires is just getting crazy.

Bravissimo Broderie

This is one of those bras that has that pesky extra lining in HH-K cups, so it looks like a totally different bra from the product photo.

That said, I don’t dislike the way it looks with the extra lining, and I think it looks nice from the front. I’m not crazy about the shape from the side, though.

I think Alana fans might like this bra better than I did. It is also fairly low in the armpits, which I know a lot of people really need, so there’s that.

Bravissimo Boudoir Beau

This was an unpleasant surprise for me, because I had really loved the Boudoir Beau when I tried it in the red and grey color. This black one seemed like a totally different bra! It was stiffer, smaller even in the same 28J, and just MEH all over.

The shape from the side was pointy and low-slung, nothing like the nice rounded shape I got in the red/grey version. I’m… confused.

Bravissimo Starlet Bra

I love me a nice red bra, but this one wasn’t my favorite. It looked a bit dull from the front, and from the side you can see that I didn’t get much uplift in it.

However, it is REALLY REALLY low in the armpit, so again, for people who seek that feature this bra could be a miracle. Not to be a broken record, but I also think this bra would be appreciated more by Alana fans, although the shape is a little different.

It also has very wide, shiny satin straps. I was torn; on the one hand, they are very comfortable and soft, but on the other hand, I imagine they would just slide off the shoulders over and over—the satin is on the inside of the strap as well.

Bravissimo Moulin Rose

Oh man, I really wanted to like this. I think the concept is lovely, the colors are nice, and the textures are delightful (satiny cups, velvet ribbon). Sadly, this was not a bra I got along with. I had to try it in a 28HH because there is no J, but the HH usually fits me in Bravissimo’s half-cups (this one is padded, like the Parisian Plume that fit me fine in a 28HH) and this one just DIDN’T fit. 

It was very small, but it was also kind of flattening—taking the minimizing effect of these half-cups to ridiculous levels.

I would recommend going up a cup size, or even two, for people trying this bra.

Bravissimo Dotty Spot

This bra is a favorite of lots of people I know for giving a super-uplifted shape—one of the best for giving the “green shape”:

It’s not a shape that really suits my body, but I am a fan of this bra on other people’s behalf. As you can see, the 28J was a bit small on me, so I didn’t really get the full uplifted glory and projection that this bra gives others, but it’s not a bad shape. 

It’s also very low in the armpit, for fans of that.

Curvy Kate Thrill Me

The Thrill Me is a bra that I’ve owned in various sizes and colors, but it’s not one that I’ve had an easy time with. I’d say it definitely runs about a cup size small in this color. Because it was small on me, the center gore didn’t sit on my chest, and I felt very unsupported. It would have been nice in the right size, though; overall I think the Thrill Me is a great bra, though in my opinion it doesn’t measure up to its sister the Tease Me.

Bravissimo Satine

This bra is the same as last season’s Bettie Mae bra, which I’d quite liked, except this one is a million times better. It’s not orange, and it’s smooth and satiny and luxurious-feeling. I absolutely loved this bra. The center gore sat right on my chest, and it gave a delightful subtle cleavage and a nice shape. 

I would have definitely bought this except for the fact that they didn’t have my 28J, so I had to try it on in a “sister size” of 30HH. I may still order it online even though it’s well outside my normal budget for a bra.

Bravissimo Thea

For some mysterious reason, Bravissimo is keeping this bra a big secret. It’s not on the website, it’s not in their catalogue, you can’t order it by phone, and they didn’t bring it out to me until I asked for it by name—even though they had it in my size! The only reason I knew about it at all is from a couple of people I know who had tried it on in the shop.

This bra is basically a plunge version of the Alana. As you may have gathered by now, I do not get on well with the Alana, but the Thea was awesome! It gave a really good shape from the side, only cut in the slightest fraction on even my full-on-top boobs, and the center gore was fairly low (low enough to show my hideous scar from the Sienna-stabbing) without making me nervous. Like with the Satine, the center gore sat right on my chest and I felt very secure and supported.

At this point, if you live near a Bravissimo you will need to go into the shop and heckle them to even get a look at this bra. But if they ever end up putting it up on the website (really, how can they NOT? Everyone will want one), I highly, highly recommend it.

Finally, I want to mention Bravissimo's Luxe Heart bra. 

This was the one style that was actually, genuinely sold out in anything approaching my size (or so the woman working there told me). I'm going to have to say that I wasn't too depressed about this. I got a chance to look at, and feel, the bra in the few sizes they had out in the front of the shop, and I found it very stiff and scratchy. I'm also not crazy about the colors or design. I'm clearly in the minority, though, so if you like this bra you may want to be quick to order it (although it's not sold out in any sizes online yet).