Mimi Holliday Sticky Toffee Pudding Superplunge shoulder bra

What girl needs the most after moving from Ukraine to Bay Area – a new bra of cause ))

Meet my first shoulder bra from Mimi )

May be this isn’t really the case, but after I discovered that I forgot to pack my favorite bra into the unaccompanied luggage (it was supposed to go there, because I loved it, but bright red with black is not the most practical combo, so I decided that I could survive couple of weeks without it), I just needed to buy a new Mimi Holliday bra to fill in for Nymphina,

Actually current selection was a real disappointment for me. Where are all the bright and deep mono-colors? Magenta? Indigo blue? Canary yellow? Aquamarine? Well, “Strawberry split” is bright and it’s not some funky color combo, but I don’t like this particular shade of red on my skin, and that’s pretty much it ((. So I decided to go with “safe” color (old quest for perfect bra to wear under white shirt).

Fit

It’s on larger side of Mimi cups (like Bisou-Bisou Rose), so 32E is closer to real E, It’s not super small like Berry Fest. Actually the fit very much the same as Bisou Bisou Rose I reviewed here. May be band is a tiny bit more snug, but it’s new and I was wearing Rose time to time for months now. Conclusion: kudos for consistency!

The only difference shoulder design makes for me: straps doesn’t slip that much (it is the only issue with other Mimi bras I have), but of cause they create some limitations on necklines.

Created to give an immediate volume

I also have a feeling that for some strange reason this bra gives more pointy shape, but not terribly pointy.

Fit under thin turtleneck

Materials

Consistent with other bras I have, Mimi quality is good (silk, elastic and cotton for padding inside cups – all materials feel really good). What I don’t like is that they obviously decided to go with what they already had in stash from other bras and used despite it wasn’t really good choice.

Colors

You can’t see it on promo photos, but mesh and elastic they used for back of the bra has slightly different shade than everything else (more rosy) and it doesn’t make bra to look more pretty, it actually looks a little bit sloppy. Given the price tag: shame on you. Damaris!

Sticky Toffee bra photo taken from Asos online shop

Compare to real life colors:

As you can see there is a quite noticeable difference in colors

Bisou-Bisou Rose vs Sticky Toffee, clever material re-usage?

Main color in is a little bit darker and very close to light peachy beige. So it works as nude for fair skin tones quite well.

The brightest point of this review is: this bra can go under white shirt! (and for me it’s more comfortable than any other bra I currently have).

Photo-proof: it’s invisible under white shirt on me

For that I can forgive that some sloppiness in colors, so I didn’t sent the bra back.

Review. Fauve Brianna and Chloe vertical seam bras

I decided to combine this reviews, because both bras have basically the same cut (although Brianna is more low and open, so it’s more like plunge and Chloe IMO is more like demi-cup). I found Brianna pretty cheap on ebay in what might be sistersize and fit was rather well, so I bought Chloe.

Brianna is black with light grey accent, very nice lace, but it’s discontinued, Chloe is newer and she can be found at numerous sellers in different colors. I bought beige aka mink.

Fauve Chloe demi-cup (sometimes called vertical seam/plunge) in Mink

Fauve Brianna front view (image from figleaves.com)

Fauve bras run much larger in the cup then Mimi and Masquerade, I’m usually 32E (and with some colors in Mimi I think I should have bought 32F), but with Fauve unpadded demi-cup bras I’m 32D (so I went down not one, but two cupsizes). Luckily I’ve tried Fauve before in a brick and mortar store, so I knew that I should go down in cupsize. I never tried unpadded, Fauve bras, but Brianna looked very promising, so I took the risk and bought it in 34C. I feels a little bit loose on the tightest hook, but shortening bra band is very easy and cheap fix. Being in the search of the perfect summer nude bra I bought beige Chloe, but alas it’s too dark for me to be a nude bra (this was bad news for me, but very good news for those who have darker skin tone, as darker nudes are not plenty). But if you have problems searching for powder light enough for your skin skip it and may be skip anything called mink if you want nude!

Fauve Chloe. White shirt test. Failed

I must say that despite being sister sizes and same cut, cups of 34C Brianna are different from 32D Chloe:

• Brianna has wider wires (difference is about 3/8″ – Chloe about 5 1/8 and Brianna 5 1/2″);
• Chloe cups and central gore are higher (about 1/2″ or so), but neither of them comes really high, so I’m ok with that.

Fauve Brianna over Chloe, as you can see Chloe comes up higher

Difference in the wires width made Chloe super uncomfortable for me, so I altered them (actually not by myself, they are too strong for my hands), so they became the same width as Brianna wires. I was a little bit worried that it might have cause cup edge to become more “closed” which could create quadraboob, but I decided to take the risk, for $30 it wasn’t worth a hassle to return or sell, and luckily the bra still fits, but now is much more comfortable.

So right now my only regret about Chloe is that I bought it in a color which neither pretty nor practical for me, it’s just off, but I might consider buying it in fashion colors or black in future.

 Good things about Chloe and Brianna demi-cup bras

• Overall it’s a good quality (not a surprise taking into account that Eveden group is positioning Fauve as upscale brand);
• There are some nice detailing;

Fauve Chloe central gore detail

Fauve Brianna central gore detail

Fauve Brianna closure detail

Fauve Brianna wing detail

• Straps are not ugly, their texture prevents sliding and in Brianna case they are fully adjustable (I think if you are precise enough you can remove the lace from the beginning of strap on Chloe without damaging anything, but I haven’t tested this assumption);

Fauve Chloe strap

Fauve Brianna Strap

• Strong wires and quite strong bands (more so for Chloe, which has fabric for the band, Brianna is lace + powermesh);
• I haven’t worn any of these bras and haven’t washed them, but lace doesn’t feel scratchy when I was trying them.

Things about these bras, that definitely good for me, but can be showstopper if you have different breast/body shape:

• They are low cut and cups are opened on top (downsizing in a cup can be a reason why cups are so low on me, but I really love how it looks);
• Brianna has really wide wires (I need them to be wide);
• Straps are not as wide set as you might expect from demi-cup (again, a great thing for me because wide set straps are always falling from my shoulders);
• Wires doesn’t go high on the sides and central gores are quite low (especially in my Brianna);
• Rather narrow central gore;
• These bras give immediate depth near wires.

It’s kind of difficult to catch of the profile of en empty cup made from lace, so I tried to get gravity on my side )), Thus not traditional composition

And Chloe

Fauve Chloe gives a lot of immediate depth. too

Not so good

Lace used for Chloe is not super flat, so it will be visible under thin and clingy tops (not a real problem for me, because for summer I definitely hate thin and clingy clothes), Brianna is more discreet.

Fauve Chloe on me under thin and clingy top (keep it for trying bras!) Lace and seams are super visible of cause

So overall conclusion: good summer bras for a somebody like me, who has breasts with wide , but not high base, shallow profile and not prone to spillage. And Chloe might be good for you if you are not so wide and shallow and their beige could be perfect for those with darker skin tones (otherwise buy something else! electric blue or emerald are fun and black is practical)

Review. Mimi Holliday Bisou-Bisou Rose Super Plunge bra

If you following my blog you might noticed that I’m a big fan of Mimi Holliday Super Plunges, which are (in my opinion) the best demi cups for my breast shape and creatures of exceptional beauty and grace.

Mimi Holliday Bisou-bisou Rose Super Plunge (photo from Damaris site)

In 32E it looks a little bit different of cause.

Mimi Holliday Bisou Bisou Rose Super Plunge. Front view

Mimi Holliday Bisou Bisou Rose Super Plunge. Side view

Mimi Holliday Bisou Bisou Rose Super Plunge. Close Up on lace

So it’s the fourth Mimi Holliday Super Plunge in my collection (I also have Nymphina, Angelique Jet and Berry Fest). For general points about fit please read Nymphina review, and here I’m going to concentrate on what’s different about Bisou-Bisou Rose.

There were some changes in design since models of previous years:

• straps are a little bit wider (there are still quite thin, but there were used to be extra-thin);

Bisou Bisou Rose and Nymphina straps

• cups are a little bit higher;

Bisou Bisou Rose vs Angelique Jet cups (Nymphina cups are somewhere in the middle btw)

• cup edge designed so it provides more smooth lines under clothes.

I bought this bra hoping that it would be my “nude’ bra (I very rarely wear clingy jersey without upper layer, so lace is not a problem for me), but to my disappointment Rose color was what it called – Rose, not light beige as on some photos. Don’t get me wrong: it’s absolutely beautiful light and warm rosy pink. It’s just very visible under white and ivory.

White shirt test. Failed.

So I’m not going to give up on it: I can wear it under bright colors and lace is exquisite, I love it. But I still need an alternative to my Simone Perele Andora for cases when I need nude bra two days in a row.

And btw, when I was writing it I looked at the Damaris official site and saw that it’s on sale (it’s still pricey, but £39.90 is better than £57.00).

Weight loss/weight gain or why I like demi-cup bras so much and some tips about oversized coats

I recently lost about 5 pounds* and then gained them back. This is not a lot, but when you are close to the low limit of your healthy weight even small fluctuations are noticeable. I lost about an inch in the hips and a little bit less than an inch in the chest, but I my body changed a bit: I had noticeably less thighs and my breast shape changed. Despite that my general body shape stayed the same: slim hourglass. And this is one of the main things about weight gain/weight loss: body shape rarely changes.

Hourglass body shape means that you are loosing or putting weight proportionally on top and on bottom of your body, but your waist is less affected by the weight gain/loss than chest and hips/thighs. Although some details about your body shape could be very different and this affects how clothes look and how your bras fit. And it’s better to be aware of such effects.

Skinny jeans and loose tops are usually on top of “X, what not to wear” lists, but for my height (~5’7”) and weight they are in fact quite flattering and create more relaxed look. I still look better in a pencil skirt and a top fitted in the waist, but sometimes I just want that relaxed vibe. And without 5 pounds it looked even better on me because thinner legs made viewer to guess that I should be slimmer allover, despite that there was still a lot of volume on top.

I could look really good in an oversized coat, too, but I’m not a fan. But if your shape is similar to mine and you want oversized coat, here is the know how: look for soft fabrics, not heavy, and not all that dark grey, dark blue solids which look heavy to an eye, it should be seriously and obviously oversized, but sleeves should be not longer than 7/8, because you want to show how slim and graceful your wrists are; the coat shouldn’t be long and it should be either very broad or very narrow near the hem, it should be worn with slim pants or jeans or leggings or short skirt (knee length is the maximum) and shoes because you need to show your legs.

What also changed was that my breasts had less upper fullness, until I ate my 5 pounds back. The decrease in my underbust was almost the same as decrease of chest circumference, so I technically should have been the same cup size, but (and this is a big but!) shape of my breasts changed, weight loss made me more bottom heavy (and I had been bottom heavy before I lost weight). That affected how my bras fit. Of cause they all were less tight in the band, but that’s not all: both my Tiffanies (which are plunges)  and Revelation 3D (molded demi with cups closed inwards a little bit) looked horrible on me,  I was unable to fill properly the upper part of the cup. I didn’t have the problem Freya Ashlee and Parfait by Affinitas Jeanie, because they were heavily padded, so they held their shape, but there was some space I didn’t fill (the problem was bigger with Jeanie, while it was minuscule with Ashlee). But all my Mimi Holliday Super Plunges (which are actually very open demi-cups with horizontal seams) and Masquerade Rhea (which is open demi-cup with vertical seams) fit me just fine. What makes it possible? Open and very open, not tall cups. Bras with vertical seams lift better, so they manage to improve the shape to more rounded look, but open demi-cups are forgiving, no matter what seams direction are . And this is why I think that such bras are genius for girls like me, who are not large, quite firm and loose and gain mostly upper fullness.

For girls who need more support the good solution could be stretch lace on top of the cups. Panache Andorra and Panache Jasmine bras are very popular because of good support and ability to accommodate to changes in shape and to certain extent size.

*If you want a recipe: catch a stomach flue and after 3-4 days of eating almost nothing you will be in the same place. But I strictly unadvise you to use it )

Review. Simone Perele Andora 3D (Not Revelation!) and my Nordstrom experience

I was in US for 3 weeks and believe it or not, it felt like very short time. I think it felt like that because it was packed with a lot of work and sightseeing. But this is not a travel blog, so let’s get down to bras.

I had only one late evening/night (and believe me Golden Gates and Palace of Fine Arts were absolutely amazing at night, oops, I digress again) and one whole day for San Francisco and I spent my time mostly walking San Francisco streets. So my shopping at Nordstrom started around 7:40pm and they close at 9pm, which meant I had only 1:20, and guess what? I spent most of those time buying casual shoes! So when I came to the lingerie it was something like 8:50pm. I picked couple of panties and when the sales lady approached me I said that that’s it, because I would love to try bras, but there was no time left till 9. But she was so awesome that she said that she would  bring me bras nevertheless (I should have written down her name, my bad :-(). So she asked me what I was looking for, what was my size and what I needed from a bra, and gave me four bras to try. And when she was examining the fit I understood that she knew exactly what she was doing and what to look for. What a difference with what I have at home or in places like VS!

San Francisco Nordstrom lingerie department ladies, you rock!

One of the bras I tried was Simone Perele RevelationAndora 3D in French size 85E (EU 70E). Be notified that I misidentified the bra, Revelation has slightly different lace pattern, my bra is Andora. I think it corresponds to the smaller end of British 32E. Band is true to size 32 band. I would never try it by myself, because from measurements it’s way too narrow for me, but wires are rather flexible and the cups depth was just the spot on. So it worked out. It wasn’t very comfortable when I first tried it, but when your only beige bra which doesn’t shows under clothes is a little bit too big for you and molded like a bulletproof vest plus in summer you have up to 100F sometimes and you are trying a spacer fabric beige bra which hits all the fit points (with scoop and swoop I was able to place all of my breast tissue into the cups, but I felt pressured from the sides a lot), you want it! So I decided to take the risk and buy it. I’m very glad I did, because later when I bent wires it became very comfortable.

I know that some ladies from lingerie blogging community don’t like beige, I’m not the greatest fan of the color myself, but I like white shirts and thin silk tops. And they don’t looks their best combined with colorful bras, especially bras with texture.

Andora features spacer fabric on the cups, so it seamless and lightweight, but it provides some coverage. It’s not ultimate solution for nipple concealing as true molded, because when nipples misbehave it shows under the very lightweight and clinging clothes, but when they behave, then everything is ok even under very thin jersey. It also features lace on the band and straps (so straps are not fully adjustable). So despite being beige it’s rather good looking bra (not the most beautiful bra I’ve ever seen, but it looks much better than Parfait by Affinitas Jeanie or Panache Porcelain in my opinion. And I would say that the quality is better, especially compared to Parfait.

Simone Perele Revelation 3D photo from Nordstrom site

Simone Perele Andora 3D front view

Simone Perele Andora 3D profile, as you can see it gives immediate depth

Simone Perele Andora 3D from inside the cup (I think it’s the best way to showcase wire shape, but keep in mind that it was bent to be about 0.3″ wider and shape is altered for the outer end of the wires

 

Simone Perele Andora 3D, lace on the band close up

And on a strap

This is how Simone Perele Andora 3D looks on me under thin jersey T-shirt, I think that shape is rather good

So things which are good about this bra

– it’s lightweight, spacer fabric is breathable and comfortable (I walked couple of miles in 90F heat in it and I wasn’t getting boob sweat from it, I think it says a lot!);

– it’s pretty despite being practical and it’s very good for thin light fabric tops;

– quality is good;

– it’s rather open. central gore is a little fraction higher the on my Mimi Holliday Super Plunges, but cups are higher and more closed to the top (but not very much so), so it holds better, I think that if you have very soft and heavy breast tissue it could be problematic support, because spacer fabric has some elasticity and wires are not very firm, but for those of us with average to firm breast tissue this bra would provide the amount of support needed, and I like cups shape a lot, I think it could fit a lot of women;

– it doesn’t cut in armpit area.

Things which are good or ok for me, but could be not so good for others

– flexible wires, could be bent quite easily;

– if you need a great amount of support this bra might be not for you;

– it doesn’t provide the coverage that molded bra provides;

– straps are not fully adjustable;

– wing height is average a little bit to the higher side, so be aware if you have extremely high set breasts or very petite;

– there is elastic on the edge of the cups, so if you have very soft breast tissue it could cause quadraboob, even if the size is right.

Shopping in US from the ‘Nothing ever fits’ girl point of view

I decided to go with overview post first, because review of the separate items doesn’t cover overall experience and I think this is important. I did a lot of shopping while I was in US, which is rather unusual for me, I don’t really like it and tend to go online to buy stuff or have it custom made. But I have a good reason: clothes are much cheaper in US and there are items which my tailor do not make (like leather jacket or jeans).

First. I had very high expectations and packed light. That was a mistake, because guess what? nothing fit, of cause. Well ok, I’m a little bit exaggerating. I had absolutely no problem finding bags ))).

So I ended buying:

– electronics (a phone, a camera and a laptop); these items are something like 25-30% cheaper in US, so if you are travelling from EU or exUSSR it’s a good idea to save some money to upgrade your gadget park;

– bag to go to sport (Kipling, nice indigo color, just the right size to fit all my gym wear, about $70, like this)  and spinner bag with laptop compartment (Samsonite, $110);

– one pair of patent purple heels (Cole Haan, something around $80, here is the same model in black), not that I really need them, but they were nice looking, ok fit and just high enough to be high heels, but not very high (this is the real problem at home: all fancy heels are like 4.5″ high, which is too much for me);

– black leather jacket (Wilson leather, around $250), I expect it to be a real work horse, period when I can wear it isn’t very long, because it’s usually too cold or too hot, but it’s very basic and can go with jeans as easily as with pencil skirt, so in a years it will eventually get a lot of wear, I think I will review it later;

– black leather pleated midi skirt from Asos ($200), believe it or not, but I expect this skirt to become one of my wardrobe staples. The reason is that we have windy and cold weather from November till March, so skirt to wear with shorter coats should be a real wind shield and leather is perfect for this task;

– beige silk jersey T-shirt from Yoox ($35), very basic, very nice to skin, could be effortlessly worn with jeans and skirts;

– ivory silk top sold from Amazon ($40), again very basic and versatile, a bit baggy, because it’s not fitted in the waist, but this I can fix when I come home;

– 2 pairs of Wolford tights (black, opaque, $35 each from ASOS), btw if you are a fan, but think that they are pricey when looking on Wolford website, I highly recommend to look at ASOS instead, they don’t have such a variety of colors and designs, but they are like $15+ cheaper there and if it’s a sale it could be a really good deal;

– 2.25 yards of Power Shield Polartec fleece (I think it will make a great winter coat);

– two pairs of jeans (Bold Curve Slim Levis, $50 and True Religion High rise skinnies, $105), I’m not fond of them, but they were the least horrible ones (and believe me I tried dozens), what’s interesting, I still have skinnies from 2 years ago which fit me fine in size 28, but what I bought were 26. Jeans isn’t the most flattering garment on me, but when I want to play with my aunt’s dog or want to play it down they are my best option :-);

– two DKNY cozies ($65 each, silk-cotton-cashmere blend), love them;

– earrings ($70, Swarovski crystals, quite small and neutral), I’m allergic to almost anything, but not medical steel they are made from, so I like to be able to wear something nice;

– one size Hanky-Panky thongs and not one size briefs and some cotton VS panties;

– Josef Seibel ‘Tina 07’ Pump shows (casual, soft and comfortable);

– Revelation 3D Molded Simone Perele bra, which is to narrow for me to be truly comfortable, but I think it should be ok, when I bend wires (see my Nordstrom lingerie department report);

Do you see the pattern? I bought a lot of stuff, but almost everything I bought don’t create fit problems (tights, bags, fabric, cozies, jersey T-shirt), ASOS skirt I bought online is A-line, so it’s very forgiving. The only garments which are not so forgiving are jeans and ivory top, but they are not perfect.

I had a really tiresome experience trying shoes which never were soft and comfortable enough (and I really wanted to buy at least two pairs of shoes for everyday wear!). I was going to stock up on jeans, but bought only two of them.  I found what I wanted most: casual shoes for autumn which can go with a skirt, but weren’t high heels, but I didn’t find light or colorful flats for summer (this is a huge hole in my summer shoe wardrobe). I think that my shoe problem originates in the fact that Americans rarely walk a lot and I do. And I walk in the city, so I don’t like very sporty or outdoorsy footwear.

But other than shoes I did ok I think. My shopping list look like a wild shopping spree, but actually it was more like planned campaign (I have a list of items I need and I was buying from this list mostly). Most of the items I bought I bought much cheaper than it would cost me at home and most of them are things which will get a lot of wear. So price-per-wear* should be really low after some time.

* Nice and short explanation here .

#DiversityInLingerie campaign

I think that my photo would be much of a help in this campaign, because I look very much like most of models: white, tall, slim, thin waist, smaller end of average bust, no tattoos or stretch marks. But I support this, it’s awful to feel excluded because of something in you that you can’t change and ad campaigns exploiting only one type of beauty, only white, tall, slim and so on make very many women feel like that (in fact majority of women!).

I also think that catalogue images should be more informative for customers and diversity, when each item shown on different models, of different sizes, skin tones etc, will help that a lot. So it’s not only ethical issue, it’s actually can be really good for businesses if they paid more attention to diversity. Fancy lit, artistically staged and carefully photoshopped photos could be eye candies, but wouldn’t you prefer a better idea about how it’s going to look on you, when you are buying online?

I love eye candies, but one sort of candies is not a healthy diet. We need a lot more diversity than that!

Other blogposts:

Braless in Brasil Pt 1
Braless in Brasil Pt 2
Les Gros Bonnets
Wide Curves
By Baby’s Rules
Kurvendiskussionen
The Full Figured Chest
Curvy Wordy
Under the Unders
Muscular Hourglass
Bras and Body Image
The Absurd Curvy Nerd
Fussy Busty
The Lingerie Addict
Anytime Yoga
Busty & Thrifty
Pretty Big Bras
Diamonds and Steel
The Breast Life
The Curves Have It
KathTea Katastrophy
Scarlet’s Letter
The Chocolate Plushie
Two Cakes on a Plate
Huffington Post
Butterfly Collection
Quest for the Perfect Bra
That Bra Does Not Fit Her
More Sand in my Hourglass
Sevenlies

Review. Mimi Holliday Berry Fest Super Plunge and Angelique Jet Super Plunge

So far my most comfortable bra has been Mimi Holliday Nymphina Super Plunge, so when I saw these for 21£ I ordered Angelique Jet (because it’s a great basic) and Berry Fest (because color is gorgeous).

Angelique Jet is the good example how basic bra could be sexy and pretty.

Front view

Side view

Band is lace. Flat and breathable and very pretty!

Lace on the a band close up

And Berry Feast. The color is brighter and deeper in real life. True magenta.

Front view

Side view

Band is powermesh and I think that gold looks really good with main color

But, alas! These beauties were less successful fit-wise.

Nymphina is very slightly gaping when I’m in my smallest (to tell the truth I tend to skip the bra on these days) and my salvation when I’m in my fullest. And I wanted more of this! But both Berry Fest and Angelique Jet are smaller both in the band and in the cup.

I would say that Berry Fest and Angelique Jet are true to size in the band, may be even on a tighter side.

Angelique Jet is a little bit smaller in the cup than Nymphina, so it fits just fine when I’m in my smallest and gore stick out slightly when I’m bloating, but it’s not really uncomfortable. I usually get problem with wires are too narrow, while central gore is tacking, but not with Mimi Holliday Super Plunges. Slightly floating central gore is the only issue when I’m in my fullest, so I think that it’s totally wearable, but Alas! there is no insane comfort which I get from Nymphina. Well, given that it is very nice looking. quite comfortable and has smooth cups, I think it will get a great amount of wear. Although I have two Masquerade Tiffany plunges which are the same size and function.

The real problem is Berry Fest. It’s even smaller in the cups than Angelique Jet. Central gore floating even when I’m in my smallest. I should confess that I love the color and overall look and feel too much to sell it , so I’m going to keep it for a while. But I think that I will be looking for 32F in this.

Here you can see difference in the cups between Berry Fest and Nymphina. I think it’s pretty close to cup size

So that was the story of how my dreams of ultimate comfort were ruined by the size inconsistency, but I still have a new pretty and basic bra and one colorful bra which almost fit sometimes.

Review. Prima Donna Menton Plunge

Here is the story: I really need some non-padded bras for summer. The heat is already at 90+ F sometimes and in July and August it can easily jump to 100F (last year official maximum was 107.6F or 42C). Even thin foam is not really welcomed in such weather conditions. My previous attempt was Panache Loretta Plunge and it failed miserably. Problem is that non-padded bras are usually have deeper cups and I need shallow and wide. And to tell the truth I’m picky when it comes to design. That’s why when I read that Prima Donna bras have wide wires and are usually good for shallow breasts I become hopeful (they are beautiful). Well, what can I tell, it failed even more miserable than my previous attempt.

So here it is: Menton Plunge. This bra is breathable and absolutely gorgeous. Prima Donna really worth its price tag (although I got mine from ebay really cheap, because I was just testing the brand, so I was looking for bargain really hard, it saved me from being totally devastated).

It’s three part cups construction with a side sling for the better lift and support.

Front View (on a hanger)

Side view

This lace against the light… isn’t it beautiful?

Straps are partially adjustable.

Lace on the straps continues the same theme as on the cups

This is how they placed the label (it’s near the armpit).

Label from lace

Quality is impeccable.

Inside view, the sewing is precise.

But here is the catch: it runs huge in the cups and tight in the band. So 32E (my go-to size) was more like 30G. And when I’m totally ok with not super tight 30s (I definitely prefer 32 for comfort, but hey… my underbust is 29.5), the fact that it’s 2 cup sizes too large is absolute show stoppage. And from the fact that wires’ width is good for me and cups’ edges are flush against the skin, while I have huge gaping in the middle (no, it’s absolutely not “orange in the glass”, cups’ depth is much bigger than perimeter of my breasts), I can tell that cups’ shape is totally wrong for me. This bra designed for more narrow and projected breasts than mine. I would say that wires are not super narrow (think Comexim), but there are not wide also, at least not for Menton Plunge. And they are quite sturdy.

Looks like non-padded plunges from Prima Donna are after all not for me. And I begin to suspect that non-padded bra for summer is mission impossible for my breast shape.

Review. Mimi Holliday Nymphina Lace & Silk Satin Super Plunge

Purchasing this bra was a mistake, but lucky one (literally, I was buying Nymphina Comfort lace bra, but ebay seller made a mistake). I like this bra so much I want pure black (Angelique Jet seems perfect) and nude  (Bisou-bisou brulee may pass as nude, but I’m afraid that show through factor is pretty high for this bra, so I’m not really sure about it) versions of it and may be some colourful. Poppet (indigo) and Berry Fest (magenta) would be beautiful combo with all my paleness, but this is a pure whim, a caprice, so I’m going to indulge it only if I see them really cheap on ebay.

I got this bra in my usual 32E and cup size was spot on and band is quite loose. I can technically go to the last hook, but it feels most comfy on the second, so for the bra I’m not going to wear often it’s not that bad and in doesn’t ride up, at least immediately, but for future I’m going for 30F.

I must say that in higher cup sizes this bra looks completely different than in 32Bs I saw it and wasn’t interested at all. I think that 32E could be called higher cup size in this case, because this bra doesn’t go past 30FF and sister sizes (and it’s no 28G, only 28FF).

Nymphina front view

Nymphina profile

Very different from this, isn’t it?

This is how it’s featured on Damaris site

But you know what? I think that I like the design in 32E much better.

The bra has vertical seams on cups, but if you look inside you will see that it really has one diagonal seam construction.

Nymphina cup inside

Good things about this bra:

• This bra is insanely comfortable (at least for me). No pinching, itching etc. Everything is very soft. It’s very well made. Well, this is expected for Mimi Holliday I guess.
• Straps are wide set, but not terribly so, they are not in my armpits, hoooray! And they look nice, so I don’t mind if they become visible.

Things about this bra, that definitely good for me, but can be showstopper if you have different breast/body shape:

• Very opened cups. It makes this bra very good for girls like me, who are quite firm and have “short” breasts, but I think those with softer breast tissue could feel not supported enough and on “tall” breasts it could look ridiculous and show a part of the nipple.
• Straps are not fully adjustable and quite thin.
• Wires are flexible and wide, more of a “smile” shape than deep U, if you need sturdy or narrow wires then keep your distance.
• It gives immediate depth.
• Padding is thin and very flexible, so it doesn’t mold your breasts it molds to their shape and provide nipple coverage.

Not so good:

My only complain about this bra is that it shows a lot under clothes. Seams and the top edge of the cup are very visible (they are visible on my photos, made by old cellphone, but in real life it’s worse).

I’m also not really sure about stretchiness of the band and straps (they are very soft and thin and it’s suspicious), but it’s more like a “special occasion bra” for me, so I think that it won’t be a problem. The band has 4 columns 1 row closure.

Nymphina closure

Strap close up – the thinnest straps of all the bra I own!

But we will see. And I’m going to update this post in a year or so, but until then I’m no help here.

This bra gives rather natural shape, but in a very nice way.

Nymphina on me under thin jersey turtleneck

So overall conclusion: great bra if you like low half cups and need wide wires! Consider going for the sister size in the smaller band if you are on the smaller end of the band size.