Tutti Rouge Nichole, A Second Try 2 Cups Down 30D

 This is my second attempt of the Tutti Rouge Nichole, my first try was with a 30E read the review here.  This time, I'm trying 2 cups down to a 30D, I thought about sizing down in  the band since they also run large, but I've been preferring my bands not as tight recently and with a 30.5in underbust, even an actual 32 band shouldn't ride up.

I contacted Tutti Rouge with my review of the Nichole in 30E, and explained my concerns with the fit and sizing.  With a bit of their input and my research on Bratabase measurements, we decided on 30D.  They asked if it would be alright for them to send me both a Nichole and Lilliana, for their own research purposes they chose to send Lilliana also as a 30D (Lilliana is known to be shallow and I would have chose a different size).  Much to my surprise Tutti Rouge sent me current colorways, I was expecting older ones.  I received the Nichole in Noir/Creme, it is black with cream color lace, stitching and accents, the bow is a subtle leopard print. 


I had high hopes of getting a Nichole that would fit, and I am absolutely in love with this color combo (I do have a bit of a thing for beige/black combos, and I'm not sure why).  I really thought that with the amount of space remaining in the 30E a 30D would be the way to go thinking 30DD would still be too large.  There is no gaping this time, and there's no quad.  From the front this so far looks like a decent fit.  Look at the absolutely adorable leopard bow on the gore, it's adds an unexpected fun element while still meshing well with the overall look of the bra.

The problem comes when you look at the side.  In the upper picture it's obvious it is too small and either there is an apex mismatch going on, or the double  layer mesh meeting with the single layer doesn't align well.  I'm really not quite sure which is the actual issue.

Now for the fit aspect that bothers me the most.  The side of the bra seems to be pushing very firmly into tissue and flattening it out.  Perhaps there isn't enough space for outer fullness, although that could be a different story in a size up.  The issue becomes more apparent under a shirt, you can see it's causing all sorts of lumps and bumps. Because of this push on the outer fullness it's also creating a bit of a pointy shape. 

The Nichole does offer narrow wires and a lot of projection, I mean I don't know how many 30D bras I could even remotely fit into without serious quadding.  The band on this does still run closer to a band up this one stretches to 31.5, which for me isn't really an issue, I think my ideal band would be 31in so I need tight 32's or stretchy 30's, so if your are on the smaller side of your band size, or size up for comfort you may want to size down in the band on this one, and probably size down one cup.  If you get lucky and pick the correct size and it's a good shape match you will have an adorable piece of lingerie.  I love the attention to detail Tutti Rouge has with their signature heart shape sliders and their coordinated bows with an unexpected design.

So I still love the look of the Tutti Rouge Nichole, and am holding out a small hope that a 30DD might be the magic size I need for my ideal fit.


Amazon now sells several Tutti Rouge models including Nichole, you can also purchase previous season colorways from Tutti Rouge currenlty 15GBP for bras and 5GBP for panties.

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Bra Size Bralette from Dreams and Underthings

30F Bralette by Dreams and Underthings

I've been looking for a bralette for awhile now and haven't found one that fits in both cup and band from the standard XS-XL sizing bralettes come in.  I usually find a cup that fits in a M/L but the bands are too large, and if I tighten up the straps the back is riding up.  I have been a reader of Dreams and Underthings brog for awhile now and remembered reading her post about making her own bralette and later finding out she was starting to sell bra sized bralettes. Being fed up with trying to find a non bra sized bralette I decided to contact her.  She uses UK sizing and asked my current UK size (well, at this point I mostly wear mostly Polish), I told her my current sizes Ewa Michalak (65F), Comexim (70G) and the couple UK bras (Freya in 30E and Curvy Kate in 32DD) I have around. She recommended I go with the 30F.

Laura was on vacation when I initially contacted her, but we discussed colors, and band length, I decided on the midline and nude with black lace overlay.  I wanted something pretty that could also possibly be a decent neutral.  I was pleasantly surprised in how quickly I received the bralette.  I had initally contacted her around August 6 and placed the order around the 11th, and it arrived by around the 20th.  This seems like an amazing turnaround time for a handmade, made to order bralette.

I absolutely love the look of this bralette, at some point I was second guessing my thoughts on the beige/black combo, but was very happy with it when it arrived.  It seems to be quite well made and I'm glad that we decided on the 30F size.  The only issue I have is that the midline length might not be the best for my shape. I do have a bit of rib flare so while I measure 30.5 underbust, just below I measureabout 31.5, this causes the part of the band on that goes just across my ribcage is a bit too snug in that area.  I can wear it with an extender and alleviate the tension in that area until the band stretches out a bit.  When I order again I will probably get the regular length.

The cups are a single seam triangle cut, and while the top of the cup where the strap attaches is a bit high it causes no discomfort issues, because the wings are very low and the part of the cup that comes up higher is very narrow.  When laid flat it seems like the cups would be a bit wide (6.5in) but if you shape the cup a bit as if your breast was in the cups it becomes much narrower at roughly 5.25in (it's harder to measure this way as I have to try to keep some shape to the cup and measure), this being said the wireless cup offers some flexibility for it to fit a decent variety of shapes since it can kind of conform to your shape to some degree. The cup itself is about 8.5in deep. 

I also give an acceptable shape under a shirt, slightly minimized but still fairly round with just a touch of east west.

I would highly recommend Dreams and Underthings bralettes if you are looking for a better fitting bralette that still offers good support.  It's also great that you can get a custom look.  You get to choose your colors as well as strap, bow and trim colors.

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Curvy Kate Ellace 32DD, Amazing Lift, Shape, and Comfort

Curvy Kate Ellace

I came across the Curvy Kate Women's Ellace while browsing Amazon, and I fell in love with the look of this bra especially in the Black/Champagne colorway. I was hesitant to order because the last Curvy Kate bras I tried hadn't worked out that well for me (Portia and Smoothie).  However it was on sale on Amazon for around $15 in 32DD, most the other sizes were at least double the price or more (I had wanted to get 30E, since my last Curvy Kates felt a bit big in a 32 band, but it wasn't on sale), so I decided to give it a shot worst case scenario I could return it.

The first day I wore it was a 12 hour work day outdoors in the heat.  I don't particularly like trying a bra for the first time when working, but I was really wanting to wear some unlined bras while working and I don't have many yet (my work shirt also limits which ones I can wear without a tank top since it shows some textures quite well).  The Curvy Kate Ellace remained comfortable throughout the entire work day, just the band felt a tiny bit too snug late in the day (it was quite hot and humidity was up).  The band is fairly true to size though, I was quite surprised when I measured it because I really thought it felt like it ran a bit small, but it stretches to about 31.5in (I didn't measure until after the second wear so maybe it loosened up a bit).  The champagne band on the bra is a fairly thick piece of elastic and I think it does quite a bit to make the bra feel very supportive and firm despite stretching a bit larger than I usually prefer.

The cups are mesh and lace, the mesh part has 2 pieces of mesh and provides a good amount of lift and shaping.  The lace also seems to start a bit higher up than other bras. The top of the lace has a very thin piece of elastic to help the lace lay flatter.  On me it slightly presses in, but it doesn't cause any bubbling or anything, the seam where the mesh meets the lace also presses in on tissue slightly, but doesn't seem to cause any issues.  In Cleo Minnie and Marcie I do get in cup quad. The wires are also quite narrow at 5.2 inches and it has a good amount of projection.

The Ellace gives a very uplifted and round shape, and it doesn't push so much in from the sides the way Cleos (Update: I've tried some new Cleos and don't have this issue) do on me.  It doesn't really seem to be the  least bit minimizing either.  I really love how the Ellace fits and the shape it gives.  It is extremely comfortable (I wore it at work again today and it didn't start feeling too snug, I think it was cooler out today so maybe that had an effect on how the band felt by the end of the day), I really wasn't conscious of wearing it at all.  Even most of my Comexims and Ewa Michalaks aren't this level of comfortable.  I kind of wish I had a bought a second one while they were on sale.

Ellace comes in several other colorways as well, Latte, White, Navy, and Crimson .  While it looks amazing in photos, I love it even more in person especially after putting it on.  I really want to get another one (or more) of these, I would love to try the Latte (hopefully it's not too dark to work as a nude for me).

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