Dreams and Underthings Bralette in 30FF

Yes, another bralette! And this one is my best fit yet. The woman who runs Dreams and Underthings, Laura, also makes bralettes! I've been eagerly awaiting the opening of her Etsy store which is where I bought this from. She has regular and midline bands as well as a lace option. I chose the midline band which sadly doesn't work as well for me as I had hoped (not through any fault of the bralette). You can choose the colours of your bralette, accents and straps/elastics. Before I ordered I got in contact with Laura to ask her three questions: how does the band run, how do the cups run, and can I please get shortened straps. Laura was prompt and courteous in her replies: band runs pretty true to size, if you're between cup sizes definitely size up and yes, she can shorten straps!

So with Laura's advice in mind, I ordered a 30FF. Dreams and Underthings' bralettes are made using UK sizes and some of you may notice that this is a cup size larger then other UK bras I've reviewed. Those were a little too small which was what had prompted my asking how the cups run. I had a lot of fun deciding on what colours I wanted. I ended up with grey for my main colour, navy for the straps/elastics/trims and red as an accent. The fabric is extremely soft and comfortable. I put it on and made a trip out and I forgot I was wearing it. I love the shape and how surprisingly supportive it is.

It is a two-seam triangle cup. It is relatively high coverage but I don't mind. I think this style works best with higher cups: it's more supportive. It gives a relatively east-weast appearance but I don't mind that at all. In fact, that's kind of what I want out of a bralette. A relaxed and not super projected, boobs in your face look. Look at all that lift this bralette manages to give though! The gore doesn't tack which I expected but when I pushed it in the shape didn't change much and I had no quad, making me glad I chose the 30FF. Despite the gore not tacking, my breasts remain very well separated which is perfect for the summer. No more gross boob sweat from them touching all afternoon! The cups are lined in this super soft red fabric which was a lovely surprise and is also rather firm which I suspect is what makes this bralette so sturdy and supportive. This also provides more nipple coverage if that is something that concerns you.

Oh yeah, look at that shape! So round and so lifted. I was so excited to put this bralette on and notice that my boobs stayed in the cups like they're supposed to. I was afraid that they would travel down into the band trying to find room for my projection but this bralette is very well designed in regards to that. The cups are rather wide at 7 inches which is about 1.75 inches wider then I need but it doesn't really bother me too much since the wings are so low and non-irritating. It also doesn't seem to impact shape or support but I wonder if Laura would narrow the cups on my next one-I plan on trying the regular band length next.

Laura went the extra mile and designed her bralettes with my favourite kind of back-the leotard back. I think that this style back just looks so much nicer and more polished and really reflects well on the designer. It's a thoughtful touch that shows she's thinking about the bralette as a whole.

Pushing the gore in shows that I made the right choice in sizing. These colours are the most true to life.

Straps are attached in the front and the back with rings. They are thin but not too stretchy so they aren't too uncomfortable. They are relatively narrow set and out of the way of armpits.

I am incredibly impressed with this bralette from Dreams and Underthings. Laura has worked hard to develop her pattern and grade it-she offers sizes 28C-H, 30B-GG, 32A-G, 34A-FF, 36A-F, 38A-E, 40A-DD. The quality is very good. I love that it's a bralette that's been designed with fuller busts in mind without looking like it's been designed for fuller busts. It is delicate but supportive and well-designed: the cups are lined to add more support as is the gore, the band is relatively wide and the cups are cut with lots of projection. All of these elements are what make it great for medium/larger busts who are otherwise either sized out of s/m/l bralettes or need something with more support or coverage. I would love to see Laura source some pretty funky/quirky prints (like food or animals) as well as the option to purchase some basic/easy additions/substitutions/changes like strap width and cup width in the future but I agree with her decision to focus on fit first and creating an impressive size range. This bralette is an affordable, comfy addition to my wardrobe and I can't wait to try my next one.

Forever 21 Sheer Mesh Bralette in size Large

I was out with my cousin tonight and we decided to stop by Forever 21. She began to look at their bralettes (she's around a 28H/30G) so I figured I'd join her. You never know until you try, right? They have a lot of pretty bras and slouchy bralettes but their bras use matrix sizing so those were definitely a no go. I tried a underwire-less bralette and the fit was okay but not good enough to justify the cost. I tried this on first in a medium. While the Forever 21 site calls this a 'bra', it is more like an under-wired bralette and that's actually what the tag on the bralette says. While the band was perfect, the cups were far too small. The cups on the large fit perfectly, but the band is a smidge too big. Just my luck. I bought it anyway though because it's super cute and a style I haven't seen yet for non-matrix bras. It's minimal support, although it does have underwire. For some reason it's a front close so the gore is far too wide and I can't easily take it in although I might try to take it in at the back (just sew a seam straight up middle). It has underwire and triangle cups with one seam for shape. There is light boning on the side and the material is very stretchy. This means it's super comfortable and there's greater ease for fit. You can slide the top cup around to suit you. I love the two straps and two layered cups and if anyone knows of this style in a bra form that goes to 30F or 30FF let me know!

First up is the first bralette I tried. The cups were too small and folded at the bottom. My boobs were creeping into the band-space. It was very comfortable but provided minimal shaping and support. It's hard to see in the photos but you can see the lack of shape in the front shot and the quadboob in the angle.

I had a lot of issues tonight taking photos for some reason, so I might try to take more tomorrow when there is daylight. Here's the second bralette and the one I ultimately bought. All these photos are taken pre-band shortening, but I found that that just made the bralette fit even better. 

No idea why the lighting is so bad. Here you can see the gentle shaping the bra gives. It's east-westy but still lifted and round. The gore is super wide but oddly enough that doesn't really cause a problem.

I keep forgetting that this is a bralette. I mean, the shape and support is gentler then my bras but I still get a phenomenal shape from it. The top layer is shifty-you can slide it around to best suit you like I had to. I wish I could do the straps tighter because they are rather stretchy but then I get quad. They aren't that bad at the length they are though and definitely still wearable. 

I love the look the two layers give and how it hints at being sheer and naughty but still manages to hide my nipples. This bralette is very armpit friendly. The wings are low and the straps are close set. There is the boning on the side as I mentioned but as of my brief try ons it wasn't too noticeable.

Have I mentioned how much I love this shape? The edges have some sort of binding on them that might dig in and cause quad. It happened to me but I was able to scooch things around. For this reason, I do not recommend this bra to any one who is very full on top. The cups are narrow and deep which is perfect for me.

The material the band is made up of is very very stretchy. I already took it in using the Skeptical Bra Blog's tutorial and when I get around to it I plan to reinforce my handsewing with machine sewing. This band originally stretched to 35.5 inches: it now stretches to 30.5. Originally the bralette felt very shifty and insecure down near the bottom/outside of the wires but now it feels so much better and more secure after the alteration. There was no significant/noticeable effect on the cup fit but the straps are now closer together in the back so I need to angle them farther in on the front which works fine for me. I also stupidly snipped the mesh while trying to cut those tags out so hopefully my repair holds well.

So this is how my boobs normally look in a bra. I wear almost exclusively Ewa Michalak so I have prominent, in your face boobage 99% of the time.

The bralette, on the other hand, provides a softer less pronounced fit. It's still round but more out to the sides and minimized from the side. It almost hides under my tanks too-better then Ewa's do anyway.

Cup construction-two layers, triangle shaped with a single seam.

I am so pleased with this bralette and I'm glad I was able to get it to work for me! I wish that Forever 21 carried it in other colours because I would so buy them all. Now that I now some bralettes/sml sized items work for me I won't be scared off next time. I hope this holds up to wear and wash: the quality is expected for the price ($15) so I'll be treating this gently.