Hand over your money to Bras and Honey! A Freya Deco Rebel Review.

A little while ago I was contacted by online store Bras & Honey who asked if I'd like to review a lingerie set for them. I'd be mad to say no, so here we are!

Bras & Honey stock big cup brands like Freya, Curvy Kate, Elomi and Panache, not to mention a wide range of shapewear from the likes of Spanx, Maidenform and Miraclesuit.

After a quick browse through the site, I chose my staple favourite of a Freya Deco, however this isn't any Deco, this is the Deco Rebel, a much anticipated leopard print Deco! 

The Freya Deco bra is a smooth moulded t-shirt bra offering excellent shape, support and comfort. I wear a Deco every day, no word of a lie, so when Freya announced they were making a leopard print variant AKA the Deco Rebel I was overjoyed!

The Deco Rebel features a nude background in the same shade as their basic nude Deco, but with the addition of a wonderful coral and black heart-shaped leopard print. It has fully adjustable straps (with neon orange bows at the bottom!) and 2 rows of 2 hooks to fasten. The moulded cups and plunge front make it ideal to wear under pretty much anything, and if it's the pattern you're worried about, the Deco also comes in a whole plethora or different colours and patterns. I'm wearing a 28GG in my photos which is a good fit, but you might want to go down a band size and up a cup size if you prefer a firmer band.

The Deco Rebel Thong makes the perfect match for a wild look! It's edged in nude just like the bra and has a little neon orange bow to the centre. I have quite big hips for my size (UK 8) so I need a large in Freya bottoms.

I think it's safe to say that Freya have blown me away yet again with another wonderful Deco, and Bras & Honey have blown me away with their huge range of Freya Decos in stock right now, and some are on sale too! Take a look here.

The Deco Rebel Bra comes in sizes 28-30 DD-GG, 32-36 B-GG and 38 B-G and costs £34 currently. The Deco Rebel Thong is available in sizes XS-XL and costs £10.50. Both can be purchased from Bras & Honey right now! If you love leopard print then go ahead and treat yourself. 

One last thing, you've probably noticed my awesome 'Kitten' necklace I'm wearing in my pics. I had it custom made by Extreme Largeness. They do all kinds of cool and kitsch jewellery and accessories, check them out!

Bras & Honey are having a huge sale at the minute, so be quick and grab a bargain... It's almost pay day after all! 

Thanks for reading,

Le Curvy Kitten 

xxx

Freya's Deco never fails to Delight!

For those of you who already follow me in Twitter and Instagram you're probably already very aware that I LOVE the Deco bra by Freya. I own something like 20 now yet weirdly I've never actually written a post dedicated to them! So here we are!

My Deco collection minus two!

A few weeks ago Freya contacted me asking if I'd like to review a Deco for them, and of course I said yes! After a little deliberation we finally decided on the Deco Delight, a spin-off of the original, this time with pretty lace details and a racer back, as first seen on the Deco Charm from their AW14 range.

My eagerly awaited parcel of joy arrived and as soon as I got my paws on it I tore the box open to find a hot pink paper bag emblazoned with the Freya logo with orange Freya tissue paper oozing from the opening. So exciting! I carefully lifted the tissue paper (wow, I'm really building this up aren't I?) to reveal not only a Deco Delight bra, but Brazilian brief, shorts AND a chemise too! Oh Freya, you really went to town, much love to you!

The Deco Delight range comes in a cosy shade of marl grey with cream lace detailing and tiny cream bows. It's the only colourway available at the moment and it's just lovely. Initially I thought it was made from t-shirty fabric as it's a grey marl, and I'm so glad it's not because I've had that sort of bra before. They tend to cling to whatever you're wearing and don't sit well. I digress, it's not made from that but instead a smooth mix of 64% Polyster, 24% Nylon/Polymide, 8% Elastane and the magic ingredient, 4% Tactel, making Deco Delight soft to the touch. Hurrah!

Unfortunately Freya didn't have a 28GG in stock so we decided to sister size to a 30G. I never sister size on the band unless it's super tight, and particularly not with my Decos since I like a fuss-free fit. However, given the circumstances and the fact I own a Rixie Clip band shortening...thingy... I agreed to try it. So with that in mind, I'll base my review on my 'true' size of a 28GG since I own so many Decos in said size. I'm too honest for my own good. I could have just lied and said it's a 28GG from the offset, but nope.

"Why is such an ordinary looking bra your absolute favourite?", I hear you ask. I shall tell you for why my dear readers! It's what it DOES to my boobs. Hello cleavage! Not to mention it's perfect under almost ANYTHING. Seriously, I wear a Deco every. Single. Day. They're really comfortable, supportive and with the addition of the racer back clip on the Deco Charm and the Deco Delight they're super practical. I'm hoping to see the racer clip featured on the basic black and nude colours in the future as this would open up a new realm of clothes shopping for me as I've ALWAYS avoided racer backs for bra strap reasons.

Normal straps...

 

...Racer straps! (Apologies for the wonky clip!)

So on to the products! The iconic Deco bra is a t-shirt bra with its smooth moulded cups and with a wide range of colours/patterns available each season. For me it's a winner because It is padded, wearable with almost anything and comes in my size! Sorry for those who it doesn't fit, but I'd recommend getting in touch with Freya to show you're interested in a wider size range. The only way they'll know more sizes are in demand is if we all tell them. FYI the Deco Delight (and most of the Deco range) comes in 28-30 D-GG, 32-36 B-GG and 38 B-G. I only have two small gripes about the Deco; the band is a tad too big but not so much that it creeps up my back, and I sometimes get a little spillage, however that's down to my badly behaved boobs(!) rather than the bra itself. For those of you with firmer boobs this shouldn't be an issue. If you like a firmer band, go down a band and up a cup (if you can) when ordering for a better fit, although I can't say I've experienced any problems to write home about in my usual band size. The Deco Delight Moulded Bra currently costs from £34 depending on the retailer.

The Deco Delight Brazilian briefs(?) are really quite lovely. They share the same cream lace and bow detailing and on the backside the lace runs across each butt cheek, which is apparently what makes them a Brazilian brief. Think something between a thong and a normal brief. I don't like to show my cellulitey butt on my blog as you may or may not have noticed, so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with product pics! I wear a large in undies for reference. The Deco Delight Brazilian is currently priced from £13 depending on the retailer and come in sizes XS to XL.

The Deco Delight Shorts again share the lace and bows and are again a large. If you're wondering why I wear a large when I'm a UK size 8, it's because I carry my fat around my butt/hip area so to wear a small would be muffin tops ahoy, which I just can't deal with on myself. I prefer the shorts to the Brazilian as they're a bit comfier. I've realised I don't have a lot to say about undies, so enjoy the pics! The Deco Delight Shorts cost from £13 at the moment, depending on where you buy them and come in sizes XS to XL.

Last but not least (I tell a lie, I like this the least) is the Deco Delight Chemise. The chemise has a hidden support panel inside with an elasticated band, which is nice and comfy if you're slobbing around. 

I found it didn't offer enough support and that my Bravissimo nightwear was better as it has much more structure and padding, although that tends to have a weird shape to it, so it's the lesser of two evils. I found that the elasticated band was far too stretchy and I probably would have been better with the XS instead of the S. That said, it's comfortable enough to sleep in. 

The chemise is dual sized from XS-L in either a B-DD cup or E-G cup and costs from £34 currently. Here I'm wearing it with the Deco Delight Bra underneath, which I think makes the prettiest combo. I imagine throwing on some chunky knitted socks and a big cardigan with these to curl up on the sofa with my boyfriend. Ahhh, bliss!

Are you addicted to any particular items of lingerie? Do you need a bra in every colour ever made? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Le Curvy Kitten

xxx

The Super Sweet Sophia by Tutti Rouge

,A while back you may remember me trying out new big cup lingerie brand Tutti Rouge's Liliana and Betty bras, but sadly neither worked on me. I was contacted by the lovely Jessica from Tutti Rouge who then offered me the chance to try the beautiful Sophia, as she seemed adamant on me becoming a 'Tutti Rougette'!

After some too-ing and fro-ing (are they even words? No..) we finally hit the nail on the head with this set! First I tried the Sophia in a 28H as this seemed to be the correct cup size for me in the Liliana and Betty, but it was far too big in this style as you can see in the photo below.

I was then sent my recommended Sophia size of a 28G and it's near perfect! My only quibbles are that the half adjustable straps are a bit too long, but I can easily shorten them, and like all the Tutti Rouge bras I've tried so far, the cups appear to have a shallow part right at the bottom of them, creating an unusual 'dent' in the underside of the bust. It's not really visible in my photos as I couldn't quite manage to photograph it accurately. If you look at the bottom on the cups in the shots of the pink Sophia above and the green below you should be able to see what I mean.

The band is nice and snug and the bra is oozing with all of Tutti Rouge's usual sweet little details such as the embossed branding at the hooks, heart shaped adjusters and a little bow and button to the central gore. The bra is lightly padded and has a contrast in textures between the satin cup and double mesh layer of the upper cup, helping keep everything in place.

I won't go into great detail but a mix up over brief colours resulted in me getting the set in this gorgeous shade of mint, the likes of which my lingerie drawer has never seen before! Here I'm wearing a medium in the retro brief. I was also sent a thong in the same size and they're both spot on. For reference I usually wear Primark pants in a size 16-18, Freya Deco shorts in a Medium and Deco thongs in a Large. There's very little difference in the look of the brief and the thong at the front, but the back of the brief has a bit of ruching, a keyhole and a couple of little bows. Very cute!

Sophia is currently retailing at around £16 in various sales such as LargeCupLingerie and is also available here on the Tutti Rouge website.

I've not worn Sophia for any long periods of time as yet since I've not managed to find the time to alter the straps but as first impressions go, Sophia seems to be pretty good for me and I've decided not give up on Tutti Rouge just yet!

Have you ever been put off a brand you were really looking forward to trying?

Bravissimo SALE! Tanzania Stripe and Rococco Charm

A month or so ago the new Bravissimo catalogue dropped through my letter box. Included with it was a supplementary sale leaflet and to my joy, a few of the bras I'd been eyeing up last season were in there! I immediately got on my iPad and filled my put my order through.

A few days later my parcel arrived, containing the Tanzania Stripe set and the Rococo Charm bra.

First up, the Tanzania Stripe by Bravissimo, currently £24 for the bra and £12.50 for the shorts. With it's striking teal/iris zebra stripe design, it immediately appealed to my love of animal prints. I was disappointed to find that it's unpadded, which is completely my own fault as I just assumed it was by the look of it. So instantly this was going back, but not before me trying it on for size of course. Before I ordered I carefully read the reviews and chose a size 28H on recommendation that this bra runs slightly small in the cup. The first thing I noticed was that this bra was REALLY tight in the band. So much so that I could only just fasten it! The wires appeared to have been made for a much larger band and ended up virtually touching my shoulder blades at the back! The cup was slightly too small so if I were to order this again I'd go for a 30H for both those reasons. The shorts I'd rad, came up small so I ordered a medium and a large, with the large being the best fit. It's a really supportive bra and I wouldn't have thought twice about reordering if I were a fan of unpadded bras.

Bravissimo's Tanzania Stripe

Secondly I tried Bravissimo's Rococo Charm bra, now at £21 which again is an unpadded half cup, and again, sent back because I thought it was padded! The design of the bra is really beautiful, and the colour, a soft peach is so pretty! Although the shape is supposedly the same as the Tanzania Stripe, I found that the fit was quite different. This is a 28H, the same as the Tanzania Stripe, but the Rococo Charm fits much better. In fact, I'd call it a perfect fit. The wires didn't go back as far and the back wasn't quite as tight. If this were a little padded I definitely would have kept it!

The Bravissimo Rococo Charm

So if it's unpadded half cups you're looking for, look no further and snap them up at Bravissimo before they're gone!

Get Fleurty with me!

When I first laid eyes on Curvy Kate's Fleurty from their 2012 Spring/Summer collection, I knew I had to have it. Its pretty but unusual combination of a coral base with blue overlay and circular cut-out pattern really hit a chord with me but with me being a bargain hunter, I knew that this set would eventually surface in a sale or on Brastop, stockists of big bras from past seasons for low prices. So I waited, and eventually there it was! It's currently on offer for £18.95 for the bra and £9,95 for the shorts.

The strikingly pretty colours of Fleurty

As always, I consulted my trusty team of busty friends to find out how the Fleurty fitted in size compared to Curvy Kate's Tempt Me, which I wear in a 28H, and it was agreed that I try a 28HH. wo cup sizes larger than my 'usual' size of 28GG. 

The Fleurty is a balcony bra and unusually for the Showgirl range the band seems true to size! Since there is quite a lot of detail on the cups, the lumpiness of the pattern and pleating at the bottom of the cups can be seen quite easily under tight fitting clothes. This can be remedied by wearing a seamless cami over the top. The back of the bra is plain.

A close-up of the detailing on the bra

As for the shorts, after a spot of trial and error, I ended up with a size 18. To be honest I was somewhere between the 16 and 18, but the 18 offered less muffin top, so I went for those. I don't mind what the label says as long as it fits, but I am concerned that this kind of sizing may rule out a genuine size 18 lady from getting comfortable pants to match the bra. The front of the shorts echoes the design of the front of the bra and the back is a double layer of blue mesh.

The amazing detail on the shorts

So, here's the set, aint it gorgeous?! I couldn't be happier with the fit, it's spot on!

Tah-dahhhh!!

In my opinion, this is the best fitting Curvy Kate bra I've tried yet, and sadly, it's the first and last of the Fleurtys! Apparently it didn't sell too well. Perhaps it was the unusual colour combination or the bulk of the detailing. Either way, I'm gutted. Please, Curvy Kate, consider reintroducing Fleurty, even if it meant a few tweaks in the details. It's a stunning bra!

Do you like the colour combination?

Glossies by Gossard

*This product was sent to me by Gossard for me to review. This in no way clouds my judgement*

I saw the Glossies collection by Gossard a few months ago on Twitter, and pretty much came to the same conclusion as everyone else I know; it looked HIDEOUS! I mean, really...ew. It's shiny and see through and that Mocha colour...? I quickly dismissed this bra as something I'd never wear, or even contemplate trying on.

Glossies bra in Mocha

Then I was contacted by a lady from Gossard who wanted to send me some products to try, and to my disappointment, what turned up? I Glossies set in Mocha!! Cue a horrified look/gasp!

Gossard don't make 28 bands at all, so I was sent a 30G. I had a feel of it and the fabric is gorgeously soft but I didn't think it would support me. Then I noticed the panels on the outer sides of the cups designed to shape and support the bust. Then I tried it on...and it REALLY pains me to admit that it's actually a lovely bra and DOES support me! The fabric feels beautifully soft against the skin and although I still think the colour is pretty vile, the Mocha shade would be perfect for someone with darker skin who's looking for a 'nude' bra, because nude bras tend to cater for Caucasian skin. The Mocha colour in person is quite different than in the stock photos.

I was very surprised it worked on me because normally in a plunge such as this, the seam over the top of the bust usually cuts on, but in this bra that doesn't happen. I don't tend to wear unpadded (and particularly sheer) bras, but (and again, it pains me to admit it) I would actually consider wearing this, just as long as I could find a way of hiding my nipples. The other issue I had, although I realise other women wouldn't, it that you can see the creases in the skin on my boobs when I 'tuck' them in when putting the bra on. As I said, it probably won't affect a lot of you, unless you have post weight-loss boobs with some loose skin.

My main bugbear, and it is a biggie, is that the straps are so thin! Why, Gossard, why?? Also, it could use three hooks instead of two, so the combination of thin straps and a thin band aren't ideal in larger cup sizes.

The shorts were sent to me in a Large, and are perfect. No muffin top!! I actually love these! They are ideal for slipping on under tight fitting clothing and feel great. I imagine I'll get a lot of wear out of these because they look and feel really nice.

The Glossies range is available in various colours, in sizes 30 D-G and 32-38 A-G. The shorts comes in sizes XS-L and cost £12.00. Both can be purchased direct from Gossard here. I'd really like to see Gossard expand their size range to include 28 bands and cup sizes over a G. They are a very well established company now and I think it's about time they moved with the times and their customers.

Well I've certainly learnt my lesson; never judge a book by it's cover! Would you try Gossard's Glossies range or do you think they're too ugly?

Thanks for reading!

Lady V London Revisited...and I'm in LOVE!

Back in April, you may remember my post about a newly discovered company, specialising in Vintage reproduction dresses called Lady Vintage London. The dress I bought from them is absolutely beautiful, but didn't fit in a size 10 sadly. However, I couldn't bear to return it as I'd fell deeply in love with it, so I asked my mum to tailor it to fit and she did it brilliantly! After much hassling via twitter and Facebook, Lady Vintage finally announced that they would add size 8's to their range! I was delighted at this, but couldn't choose a dress until I finally caved last week and ordered three beautiful dresses. Without further ado, here they are!

Black & White Polka Dot Hepburn Dress. At the moment, it has £10 off, making it £30. Be quick if you want one! This is a size 8 and sadly too big. I mean sadly, because I wanted this dress to wear for work. It's eye-catching without being sexy and I love the high neckline (supposedly a no-no for a big bust) and the huge amount of fabric in the skirt. The dress comes with a thin black patent belt, as seen in the first two photos. It would easily work for a day in the office, night out, wedding or even as a day dress, it's so adaptable! My only other criticism in the length. At 5'2", it's a little bit too long, but when I slipped on my petticoat (details at the bottom of the post), it looked much better. My advice; Size down in this, but it's WELL worth it.

If only this came in a size 6...

My next choice is a fairly new addition to Lady Vintage, in a size 8, the Beautiful Cat Print Shawl Collar 50's Dress, £35. As soon as I tried this on, I knew it was something special! The fabric is so soft and floaty,and the print is adorable! Just look at the little kitty! I love the Peter Pan collar and the matching fabric tie belt too. The bust is just about big enough for me, so if you're reading this because you have big boobs, bear it in mind that I'm a 28GG. Again I tried this with and without a petticoat and with various belts. With the petticoat I felt a little like a lampshade, but with a less full petticoat, I'm sure it would look much better. It's very slightly see through, but this can be tackled by wearing nude underwear. Here, I'm wearing blue and you can see it showing through a little, but not too badly.

Lastly, the dress I was most looking forward to trying after my campaign to get size 8's made; the Vintage Blue Floral Summer Swing Dress, £40. I really didn't want to fall in love with this as I've still not worn my other Lady Vintage swing dress, but boy have I fallen for it! Firstly, the fit is so perfect it's as though it was made for me! I was spoilt for choice at which swing dress to try because admittedly, I wasn't overly keen on any of the patterns, and even when I first slipped this dress on I wasn't so sure. With my nude belt and shoes, it's safe and understated, but a little 'meh'. Then I went and tried it with red. WOW. Who'd have thought that red would be the most complimentary colour for this dress?! I thought I'd be buying the cat dress but this one has me smitten so I'm going to have to make a tough decision...

So as I mentioned at the start of this post, my mum altered the dress I'd previously bought from Lady Vintage, and here it is. I'm sure you'll agree that she did an amazing job! Unfortunately this colour dress is no longer available but you can still get it in black and red, £30 or in black and pink, £30.

...and here's what I was wearing underneath. for the square necklines, it's best to wear a balconette bra like this one; Tease Me in blue by Curvy Kate, £29. My petticoat is from Collectif, and is the Lola Puffy in red, £38.

You might also want to check out Lady Vintage fans and bloggers Miss Kathryn's Misstakes,  Big Girl's Browse and  Fuller Figure Fuller Bust. They all look amazing in their Lady Vintage dresses!

So all that's left to do is decide which dress I'm keeping. Thanks for reading!

Boux Avenue. A boob of a bra fitting.

So it seems the latest initiation to the world of lingerie blogging is to go for a fitting in either Victoria's Secret or Boux Avenue. Today I opted for the latter due to a lack of the former.

The Boux Avenue store in question is the Trafford Centre store which opened a little over a year ago. The store itself is beautifully laid out, with drawers under each rack of bras containing each back size and multiple cup sizes. Boux Avenue stock bras from a 30 band and cups up to H, sizing me and my 28GG's out from the offset. But me being me, I thought I'd play devil's advocate and go for a fitting so see what they came up with. 

I went in wearing my 30G Freya Deco that rides up at the back and just about encases my boobs and made sure it looked worse by jiggling my boobs to the point of being close to spillage. I grabbed a 30G red gingham bra I liked from one of the drawers and ask for a fitting. The girl who fitted me was as lovely as fitters always are, but I didn't hold out much hope for her from reading the experiences of Cheryl and Becky from investinyourchest and Georgina from Fullerfigurefullerbust. She came armed with a tape measure, whcih she wrapped around me VERY tightly and told me I'm measuring up at a 30 back. Now I know this not to be true because I'd measured myself a few nights before and came up at 27" meaning I should be in a 28 band. She told me that the G cup I was wearing was clearly too small and that I should be wearing a 30GG. After a few fails, the fitter suggested I try a 32G to get the correct cup size. A 32 band is a massive 5 inches larger than my actual band size!

Here is the first bra I tried, a red gingham number in a 30G. I'm a sucker for red gingham! As you can see, it's too big in the band. The fitter agreed that it didn't fit, but didn't seem to notice how big the band was.

The next two are both 30GG's and both fitted much better than the last, but still were too big on the band. When I fastened them I used the loosest hooks and then adjusted the straps to fit. The fitter told me this is wrong and that I need to create a 'perfect circle' around my back. She then apologised for using training talk and explained that the band should sit parallel around your back and not ride up. Correct. She told me the way to do this is to fasten the bra on the tightest hook and THEN adjust the straps. This way the band won't ride up. Erm...what? 

In this coral 'Poppy' bra, there was a little extra fabric above the top seam which made it not sit flat, and he correctly said this is because my boobs are bottom heavy, but she didn't suggest I try a smaller cup. The fit in this was isn't too far off, but the gore didn't sit flat and the band was too big when I pulled it away from my body.

In this floral 'Taliah' bra, the shape was all wrong, and didn't completely encase all my breast tissue like it should have, so she fetched a 30H for me to try, which was of course, far too big. The band wasn't sitting parallel as you can see, so I wasn't getting the support I needed.

Finally, the fitters' stab in the dark. Two 32G's. The fitter said that the central gore was sitting away from my chest because the cup isn't big enough. Now this interested me, as I was told the same thing by a customer service representative when I rang Bravissimo once. I'm almost certain this is not the case, and it's all down to band size as normal.  Check out the length of the fully adjusted straps in this electric blue 'Chloe' bra!

The fitter said that I need a wider central gore to prevent spillage, and chose the 'Loretta', a black silk bra for me to try, saying it runs smaller in the band than their normal range as it doesn't have a lot of stretch. This was not the case...

As lovely as the fitter was, I expected more from a self-proclaimed 'Fitting Ambassador'. After she realised none of the bras weren't going to be suitable for me, she asked if I'd heard of Curvy Kate. This made me pretty happy because it's nice to know they're becoming well known. She also suggested Caprice's range, available from Littlewoods, but again, my real size of 28GG is not catered for.

While Boux Avenue have some really pretty bras and a store interior to die for, I wouldn't suggest you go to them for an accurate fitting. I still haven't found a decent fitting outside Bravissimo sadly! 

Have you had a fitting at Boux Avenue? How did they do?