Cleo "Meg" Review

Cleo by Panache has come out with a lot of new shapes lately, and I haven't really had time to keep up with them all. I decided to play catch-up and try out the Meg. It came in this bird print last season:

This season's coral/fuschia with white polka dots really appealed to me as it's so summery and cheerful, and I like polka dots.

I decided to brave ASOS US's confusing sizing system (which I've explained here) and ordered this bra in what they call a 30K, which is a 30H in normal UK sizing. 30H is the size I wear in most Cleo bras (Lucy, Marcie, Juna, Sadie, Molly, Olivia/Alexa/Sasha).

As you can see, the bra is beautiful but the shape just doesn't work for me. There's too much space right along the diagonal seam, but then the top section curves back in towards the body very tightly.

Too much space here...

Not enough space in the very top.

While a lot of top sections curve back in at an angle to the body, this one is practically perpendicular, designed to serve as the almost-flat top of a very rounded breast shape.  This shape clearly doesn't work for me because I have too much very firm tissue on the top that can't settle in with such a tight top edge.

HOWEVER, if you have soft boobs or less volume in the top, this bra will work brilliantly to provide the classic super-round Cleo shape. Think of it like a version of the Bravissimo Alana, designed to support the boobs from everywhere, even the top--except the Alana gives the perky, lifted green shape

while the Cleo Meg gives the super-rounded purple shape.

Unfortunately, this Cleo shape is a no-go for me, but I really think it has potential to serve other shapes very well. It's nice to see Cleo diversifying the cuts of their bras so different ones can work for different people.

Mass Review Of GG+ Cup Bras

This past weekend I took a trip to the bra store that originally fitted me into my correct size, Zoe and Co. There are two locations, one in Westerly, RI and the other in Concord, NH and if you’re anywhere near either of those places, I recommend a visit. Here's their website--they recommend making an appointment for fitting. The customer service is really impeccable. They check every bra for proper fit and write down your name and size so they can remember you next time you come in. Going there is always a wonderful experience. The prices are higher than online shopping, but in my opinion the excellent customer service is worth it if you can afford it.

I didn’t have my camera with me at the shop, but I tried a lot of bras and thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts on fit even without photos. Unless otherwise noted, all the bras I tried were a size 30H.

Fantasie Smoothing: There are two versions of this bra. The 4510 (Smoothing Molded T-Shirt Bra) is a true molded bra.

 

4510 (Smoothing Molded)

The 4500 (Smoothing Full Cup) is just plain fabric that is ‘molded’ into the shape of boobs, and thus seamless, but doesn’t have the stiffness or padding normally associated with a molded bra.

 

4500 (Smoothing Full Cup)

The non-padded Smoothing Full Cup gave quite a good shape, actually, though pretty low and somewhat minimized. Unfortunately, though, the cups go up very high and therefore I found it would lose a lot of practicality for the stuff I wear now, although it would work well with button-down shirts.

The padded 4510 also gives a good shape, but very different—quite ‘perky’ and with a lot of projection, which gets smaller in the tip of the cup so it isn’t too visually overwhelming. Not my favorite shape on myself—a little too in-your-face—but very attractive. However, since my boobs don’t have that much projection, the tips of the cups were empty even though a size down would have been small everywhere else. Since it’s a very stiff molding, it held its shape even with the empty area, but the whole thing just felt a bit like a contraption on me.

Both the 4510 and 4500 are a shade that is a bit too dark and too yellow-toned to be a perfect nude for me.

Fantasie 0993 (Classic Specialty Full Cup): 

Another beige bra from Fantasie, this one with seams. This oldie-but-not-goodie is similar to the Belle, but uglier and, if possible, even WORSE in terms of shape. I’ve never seen my boobs so pointy and flattened. Kinda like a spade shape:

I can’t think of anyone who would seek this shape. I’m officially renaming it the Fantasie Ugh-Get-It-Off-Of-Me.

Masquerade Coco: 

This one in a 30H was a perfect fit on me. My fitter was basically in raptures over it. The gore sat perfectly, the cups perfectly hugged my boobs. I’d say this bra fits pretty much identically to the Delphi (also like the Rhea, but Coco and Delphi have thinner padding) and is a good alternative to the Delphi for those looking to avoid its massive foamy straps. I would have gotten this one except I’ve finally learned that I will not really wear a padded bra; which is a shame as this one is beautiful.

Panache Fern:

 I tried this on in two colors without any hopes that it would work for me, as it’s the dreaded full-cup shape.

However, the Fern is nicer than some others with the same seam pattern. The shape was not stellar on me, but not nearly as bad as the Tango full-cup or a Fantasie full-cup. This is the sort of bra that I might have bought in high school before I was so picky about shape.

Panache Tango II Full Cup: I already knew that I hated this bra, but I tried it one more time for kicks. UGH UGH UGH. This bra is one of the bras that depresses me most.

To start off, the band runs really tight and the cups have absolutely no flexibility or stretch in them, so putting it on is like being suctioned into a cardboard bodice.

Secondly, the shape is just a huge ‘no’ for my boobs. Because they’re full on top, there isn’t any way that I’m going to get a natural ‘curve back in’ at the top (which happens for boobs with less upper fullness, as there’s less tissue there) which combined with the flat lift of the bottom would give a decent shape. Instead, the tissue at the top is flattened into a ski slope and my boobs become a behemoth-ish downward-pointing triangle. 0 out of 10 stars, would not recommend. I wouldn’t even necessarily recommend the Tango Full Cup to people who don’t have upper fullness (even though it will sometimes look better on them than it does on me) just because there are so many bras that will be nicer than this one on just about everyone.

The one exception is if you try on the Tango Full Cup in a store and the shape is nice on you; then you’re in luck, because it comes in zillions of colors and Panache obsessively brings out new versions of it every season. Tango Luxe! Tango Spirit! Tango Two Tone! Idina! Tango Accenti! Ugh smother me with a sock. I wish they’d give this much attention to their best bras, like the Andorra and Sienna.

Panache Tango II Plunge: 

I tried this one again just so I could nail down my impressions for the blog. It’s a LOT better in terms of shape than the Full Cup, and I like how flat the gore sits and how little cleavage it shows. But the cups just have too much depth to them for me, without having enough space to compensate everywhere else (especially in the top), which results in a pointy shape. I would say this one can definitely work for some shapes though.

Cleo Maddie: 

Cleo’s new molded bra that goes up to an H. Don’t get too excited, though. Sadly, this is no true H; the 30H was at least two cup sizes too small for me. Size UP in this one! It runs much smaller than the Juna etc. I’d recommend two sizes up from your size in Juna.

Curvy Kate Tempt Me: 

I knew this wouldn’t fit me in a 30H, because it’s the same cut as the Elegance, which was absurdly tiny on me in a cup size bigger. However, the Tempt Me does run a little bit bigger in the cups than the Elegance; I could probably fit a 30J in it, whereas I’d need a nonexistent 30JJ to fit in the Elegance. Of course, this is always going to be a bra that shows loads of cleavage, it has very little space in the bottom (even for me, who has very little boob tissue there), and it’s kind of an odd shape with tons of bra in the upper corners. But good for showing tons of cleavage in deep V-necks—just make sure you size up.

Curvy Kate Wild: 

Another bra with this same shape, but ran just slightly larger than the Tempt Me. To my surprise, I hardly got quad-boob in this one, although the cleavage levels were far greater than necessary for any event in my life. But if I really wanted show-stopping cleavage (no, thanks—I don’t) this would be perfect in a 30HH. I’m not a cleavage person, but if you are, I’d recommend the Wild over the Tempt Me for a better fit (and it’s cute!).

Cleo Darcy: 

No surprises here, this fits just like the Juna, Rihanna, Ellie, Sadie, etc etc.

Royce Charlotte Soft Cup: 

I tried a wireless bra for the heck of it. The shape, of course, was heinous—sort of like an upside-down elf shoe—

…but I was interested to note that the cups actually did separate my boobs, so if I was living alone in a dark cave with no mirrors, I could comfortably wear this to bed. The band runs pretty tight on this one.

Do I believe that any wireless bra can give a nice shape? Not really—maybe a molded one—but it’s interesting to know that you actually can get separation without wires.

Curvy Kate Princess: 

I’ve reviewed this one before, and it’s a bra I have a thorny history with. The new purple color is beautiful, though. I tried it in a 30H, which I know is always one size too small for me in Curvy Kate balconettes, but this one was actually bigger than the old red Princess in the same cup size. So the Princess, like the Cleo Lucy, has actually gotten a little bit bigger over the years, which is good for those who need just a smidge more space in the cups. It’s not by any stretch a full cup size bigger, though.

Curvy Kate Daily Boost: 

Again, I knew the 30H they brought me was going to be one cup size too small, but all I really wanted to verify by trying this one was that it gives the same shape as the unpadded balconettes. It does. So this one is kind of a no-go for me; Curvy Kate’s bras with this shape just don’t make my boobs round enough or lifted enough for my tastes. It’s definitely a comfy bra though. Try it out if you like Curvy Kate’s unpadded balconettes and crave some padding.

Masquerade Deity: 

This is a newish padded plunge. It’s structured similarly to the Cleo Molly, but a little different; it gives a more rounded shape from the side than the Molly right off the bat. The satin material is gorgeous and luxurious. Padded means “not for me”, but I’d highly recommend this bra for those who like padding. I’d say it’s similar to the Bravissimo Satine but runs a cup size bigger.

Curvy Kate Gia: 

Again, these balconettes aren’t for me, and again it was a size too small, but even from that I was pretty impressed. The shape it gives is actually nicer than the other Curvy Kate balconettes I’ve tried. Pretty similar, but nicer. However, I’m not crazy about the thick material on the lower cup; it makes a really bulky seam across the boobs. But I guess it’s a good compromise between padded and non-padded.

Freya Fever bikini: My mom offered to buy this for me and I wasn’t about to refuse because this one looks CRACKERJACK on me in a 32GG. Better than the Siren bikini, because there isn’t that little bit of wrinkling along the seam. The gores on these plunges sit so unbelievably flat against my chest. The band on the Fever is tighter than the Siren or Cha Cha.

A real photo of me in it, since I own it now!

I also tried on the Fever bikini in a 30H, but I found that the structure is changed in this size (most of Freya’s plunge bikinis only go up to GG, but the Fever theoretically goes up higher; however, it’s an altered structure). The 30H had the straps placed closer to the middle and designed so that the top edge of the cups would hold the boobs in more. In my size range, this alteration isn’t necessary, and it’s not as cute as the normal plunge (it’s more practical/‘sporty’ looking). But the different design for bigger cups still fit well and gave a great shape, so it’s not a deal breaker; I just prefer the 32GG for that reason. I also didn’t note a huge departure in band size between the 30 and 32 just because there is so much Lycra involved.

I’ve been wearing my Fever bikini as a bra for the four days straight because frankly, no one is currently selling a bra that fits me as well as this bikini, much less one that gives SUCH a wonderful shape and is SO comfortable. I’m in love. 

Ruby Pink/Keia Simone: A big surprise from this one! I tried it in a 32GG and actually bought it.

I gotta say that I felt pretty suspicious of this one at first because it is so different from the kind of bra that usually works for me. It’s cut the same way as the Tango Plunge, with an altered full-cup construction in which the bottom sections still do not come up to meet the strap, but are angled diagonally instead of straight across. Not a seam structure that’s ever worked for me, except in the Andorra Plunge, which has side support. Plus, I’ve tried Ruby Pink/Keia bras before and they all failed on me, though I hadn’t tried one with this structure (the ones I tried before were proper balconettes). Finally, the vast top section is not something I’m used to. But despite the odds, this bra seems to work really well on me. The shape is what I look for: round and compressed. I’m not sure yet if the shape will change over the course of a day; the top section is made of mesh that has a good bit of stretch, but no elastic. I find that the use of a fabric that can distort, but doesn’t have any stretch to snap back to shape, can result in a bra whose shape declines over the course of the day—starts the day round, ends the day pointy. That’s a concern that time will reveal. But the thing I was so excited about was that this nude bra that finally MIGHT be my long-awaited well-fitting nude bra is actually CUTE! It has pom-poms and glitter. POM-POMS AND GLITTER. This is the kind of bra I’m waiting for from Cleo; only time will tell if it can meet that standard with wear. Full review to come.

Cleo "Marcie" Review

You may remember from this post that I have had my eye on the Cleo Marcie for awhile. Cleo is my favorite brand, the brand that I trust most to give a great shape, and the brand that works best for my particular boobs. So I was really excited to see that they were doing a red bra, especially one with all the cute bells and whistles and bows and buttons and polka dots. So I went ahead and ordered it, without even waiting for it to go on sale, from Figleaves. Their price was extremely reasonable, and I figured I didn't want to miss out on it.

In fact, the size I wanted to order (30H) was already sold out. Fortunately, I have a stockpile of two-hook bra extenders in a variety of colors, so I decided to order the sister size of 28HH and use my red extender. (If you want bra extenders, just head over to eBay and search "two hook bra extender" or "three hook bra extender", sort by price, and look for the color you want. They are VERY cheap.)

The 28HH with the extender was a perfect fit. Although I need a 30HH in Curvy Kate and some Freya, I can just about always fit a 30H in Cleo.

The Marcie is similar in cup shape to the Lucy (see my review here), but the structure is different. The Marcie has a full band that extends underneath the cups--this part:

Full band

The Lucy, on the other hand, doesn't have a band that continues under the cups, but rather the underwires form the bottom of the band, like so:

Partial band

The purpose of the full band on the Marcie is to stop the underwires from stretching and distorting with the band. Although I personally don't really care if this full band is present or not, those people who prefer narrower underwires will appreciate it.

The Marcie is also, for related reasons, a lot narrower in the center gore than the Lucy. I take in the center gore on my Lucy, and with a taken-in center gore, the Lucy is the same as the Marcie. But if you have a Lucy and haven't taken in the gore, keep in mind that the Marcie is narrower there. Pull the cups closer together, and you'll get a good idea of how the Marcie would fit on you.

Because of the closer center gore and the lack of a tight lace detail on the top edge of the cup, the Marcie also runs a little bigger than the Lucy. Those with boobs that are fuller on the bottom and less full on top may want to consider sizing down in this bra to avoid gaping at the top edge. You can see here that even I had some gaping if I pushed my shoulders way forward.

Normally, I'm fighting to avoid quadraboob, which is the opposite of gaping. So my point is that this bra is extremely open on the top, even more so than most of Cleo's bras. Although I haven't tried the floral Cleo Chloe, I  am convinced that this bra was equally open on top, which is why I heard a lot of people saying they needed to size down in it.

The straps have an interesting texture.

The shape from the side is very round:

 It's also a little bit strange, though. You can see that the front of my boob looks almost flattened, like it is pushed against a window. This isn't very noticeable under clothing, but was part of the reason why I was just a little bit underwhelmed by the Marcie, especially after having waited so long to buy it. Don't get me wrong, it's still a much better fit on me than the red Freya Antoinette, reviewed here, which I was replacing, and which is better suited for boobs that are fuller on the bottom than mine. Yet, I was expecting the Marcie to become my new favorite bra, one that I would continue to buy in every available color. But because of the slightly flattened shape, I have to say that I still prefer the Lucy for its perfectly round shape, even though the Marcie has a narrower center gore and the full band in front. It would be great to have some sort of hybrid of the two.

In general, though, I continue to be really impressed by Cleo's progress as a brand and I have very high hopes for what they bring out in future seasons. I'm never afraid of getting a pointy shape in Cleo bras, which is such a relief. When I was first fitted into the right size bra, Cleo didn't even exist yet. My first Cleo bra, the Frances, was a revelation, and I've loved and trusted their bras ever since. I really recommend Cleo bras, especially for those with a full-on-top shape.

Cleo "Rihanna" Review

I’m not really in the market to buy anymore bras right now because I already have so many—in fact, I’m probably going to be looking to sell the ones I don’t often wear. But there was one bra that, when I saw it was finally available, I wasn’t going to miss out on. That’s the Cleo Rihanna.

This mystery bra has popped up in a few places (like Undercover Lingerista's post here) but I never heard much about it and I was beginning to think that it wasn’t going to be produced at all. Then I saw it was available at Breakout Bras, although apparently nowhere else, but unfortunately the price was way beyond my price range. More recently, the Rihanna has finally started appearing for sale in a few more places, including Amazon.co.uk and eBay, where I found mine. They all seem to be on sale now so I’m not sure where/when/if the Rihanna was posted for normal sale.

Because this bra is the same as the Sadie (reviewed here) and Jude (sixth bra down in this post), I got my normal size for this brand and cut—30H. (I wear 30HH in Curvy Kate and either 30HH or 30H in most Freya and Panache, though I fit a 30GG Deco, and a 30H in most Cleo bras.)

I just love this bra. It’s such an unusual color combination and pattern. I’d wanted a bra from the Jude family for ages but I was holding out for something I was really in love with. I wasn’t a fan of the orange color of the Sadie…

...I don't like the combination of blue and pink, found in the Ellie...

…and I’m sick to death of floral patterns as found in the Poppy, etc.

But the Rihanna has this weird, awesome pattern that isn’t like anything else I’ve seen. It’s somewhere in between a 'tribal' pattern, a geometric pattern, and a watercolor design. It’s definitely eye-catching, and I like the refreshing color combination.

The shape from the side is the same shape you saw in my Sadie and Jude reviews. Round but a bit low, relaxed and casual. It’s definitely not the best shape out there but it’s the furthest you can get from pointy. In some clothes this bra makes my boobs look bigger, but in most, it makes them look smaller because the apex of the cup is close to the chest (it doesn’t have much depth). This is bad for people who need a lot of depth in the cup, great for people who want a round shape without much forward projection.

You can also see that the underwires are pretty narrow and are coming close to sitting on my breast tissue. I actually wish they were wider, but I know I’m firmly in the minority on this point and most people prefer narrower underwires.

The center gore sits SUPER FLAT on my chest. What a relief! I’ve found a lot of vertical-seam bras, especially Curvy Kate’s Showgirl bras that I wrote about here, just never really sit flat in the gore, so they feel as though they are constantly floating around and slipping. This bra sits firmly in the same place for hours.

This bra has the same vertical seam pattern I was talking about in my post about the Masquerade Delphi. As usual, this seam pattern brings with it a lot of open space in the top of the cup. This is great for those with full-on-top boobs and can be awkward for those without a lot of volume in the top because there can be some gaping or a “collapsed” shape above where the cup ends.

All these points add up to a bra that’s perfect for some shapes and best avoided for others. But if you do fall into this bra’s target shape, I’d recommend the Rihanna. It’s so weird and cute that it really gives my mood a boost every time I put it on. It’s a much better fit for me than the Curvy Kate Showgirl bras that I have to constantly keep readjusting and so, in a lot of ways, the Rihanna accomplishes what the Showgirl bras can’t.

Cleo "Molly" and "Sally" Reviews

I’m not the world’s hugest fan of plunge bras. I don’t have extremely close-set boobs (those who do often find they need plunge bras, because a higher gore can’t sit on their chest without sitting on breast tissue) but I do tend to get a lot of cleavage even in styles that are meant to be modest. So plunge bras can leave me feeling a bit exposed—I hardly ever wear my Freya Deco.

But I do love polka dots! So I became interested in the Cleo Molly when I started wearing 30 bands and noticed that it went up to H cup.

I found this bra on Figleaves in the outlet section for a good price so I decided to try it in 30H. I was taking a bit of a risk because I couldn’t find any reviews online other than one review on Bratabase where the reviewer said it was a horrible fit on her bottom-heavy boobs but would be better on top-heavy boobs. That’s me, so I went for it.

I have to say I was really pleasantly surprised by the fit of the Molly. The center gore sits against my chest and the cups are perfect for me. They are very open on top, so it did end up being good for my shape—it gave good support from the bottom and didn’t cover me where I don’t want coverage.

The band feels pretty average to me for a 30. (The bratabase reviewer felt that it was loose.) It is comparable to my other Panache and Cleo bras in the same size. It only has two hooks though, and has a slight angle that makes it sit as though it was riding up rather than horizontal or low, so these factors lessen the stability of the band.

As for the shape—well, from a direct side-on view the shape is quite strange.

But then, from a half-profile, it looks pretty normal.

I think the odd shape in the side-on view comes from the fact that it’s a foam bra but also a seamed one made in three sections. So the foam makes a slight corner at the seams and it ends up looking very “bra-shaped” as opposed to “boob-shaped”. Fortunately, I found that this disappears under tight, stretchy clothes (especially if you wear two layers, as I always do)—the stretchy fabric sort of evens out the shape all over and it ends up being a pretty good shape.

I don’t have a huge amount of experience with plunge bras—this is my only one—so I’m not sure how much support they typically give. But I can say I definitely would not wear the Molly to go on a brisk walk. It is fine for a day of going to class, sitting at a desk, grocery shopping, going to a party, etc. It just isn’t very good at supporting the boobs from all angles because, hey, it’s really only supporting them from the bottom. So although it gives great lift, it doesn’t give perfect support and there is that weird feeling of bouncing inside your bra if you try to walk fast or climb a mountain or engage in energetic dancing (the non-fully-adjustable straps also don’t help with this). I’m guessing this is pretty normal for a plunge bra, though.

Encouraged by my success with the Molly, I decided to try another Cleo plunge bra that looked like it had similar construction, the Sally.

I had always found the Cleo Sally to be fascinating—I liked the colors and there are not that many plunges that go up to H cup, but the only reviews it had gotten were terrible, and there were not many reviews. I finally accepted the fact that I was going to wonder about it forever unless I tried it (sometimes you just have to accept that this is true). I found it for sale on eBay from a company that has an eBay store. It is also available on Brastop and Bravissimo at sale prices.

I got the Sally in a 30H, the same size I fit perfectly in the Molly. As you can see, it was a dismal failure:

The Sally was simply smaller than the Molly, at least a cup size smaller. The center gore actually did still sit on my chest, but the cups were hardly covering my boobs and forcing them down and smashing them. I think it has more to do with size than shape, although the shape is somewhat different. The Sally has a lower center gore and lacks the extra band under the cups in front. It is also less friendly to full-on-top boobs--the upper section seemed a bit tighter than I would have wanted relative to the rest of the bra, even in a bigger size. I think this bra would be a better fit on someone with an even shape that doesn't have a big difference in fullness between the top and the bottom, or for someone with full-on-bottom boobs if they sized up. I also think it would probably work better on wider-set boobs. 

I did find the bra attractive, though. Here are a few closer-up shots:

A lot of the negative reviews I had read basically just said “meh” or that people found the bra looked and felt cheap and tacky. I didn’t really find this to be true, it was comparable quality to many other bras I have tried and I think it’s quite cute. I just would have needed a 30HH or 30J in this bra, neither of which exists. I knew there wasn’t going to be any way to salvage a bra that was this small on me, so I simply returned it.