Having read that
Cleo has revamped the Mimi with the new prints first the floral print (a nice venture away from only leopard print) and now the polka dot print, I was very interested in trying out Mimi.
The Mimi is a 3 part half cup and I had heard the fit is similar to the fit of
Polish halfcups and I really wanted to give it a try. Cleo generously gifted me the Mimi to review (I also received
Hettie, which I've also
reviewed), I was very excited to receive the Mimi and curious how it would stack up to the Polish halfcups.
Before I get on with the comparison, the
Mimi I received is an adorable blue with white polka dots and bright coral accents. It is modern but has a bit of retro appeal to it at the same time. I need to get the matching undies for this soon, it's too cute to not have the matching set.
When I received the
Mimi, it was right before leaving to work out of town, so I didn't have time to do measurements but I did put it on and it seemed to very comfy so I wore it that day. When I put it on it did seem quite comparable to a
Polish 3HC fit. Now the band does seem to feel a bit on the looser side, but I did go with a 32DD instead of a 30E because past history with
Cleo bands I knew a 30 was often too small for my 30.5in underbust. After measuring I know I'm not imagining the looser feeling. The band does easily stretch to 33in with no wire distortion and can make to 34in, unstretched it is about 29in. Definitely consider sizing down if you are between band sizes, and check the measurements on newer Cleo styles, I've read several reviews of the bands running larger recently.
Aside from the band being a bit big and having to close it on a smallest set of hooks, the bra fits quite well in every other aspect. The wires are narrow, the wings are low, and the cups are quite projected. The cups actually appear more projected just from looking at the bras lying down. This could be partially from the Mimi have a bit stiffer cup construction so the cups hold their shape a bit more, depth measurement though seems to be comparable to the other 3HC's. All bras seem to measure around 8.5in of depth with slight variations between some of my Comexim's. Sizes used for comparison are
Comexim 70G or 65H, and
Ewa Michalak 70DD, the
Mimi is a 32DD. As for wire width, the Comexim 3HC about 5.25 (most are 5.25, with a couple being 5.5in, perhaps more wear), the CHP is around 5.1in, and the Mimi is about 5.25in.
I've also noticed that the foam the Mimi's cups are made from is a bit stiffer and less flexible than
Comexim and
Ewa Michalak (although I'm using a quite old CHP for comparison). This doesn't affect the fit of the bra or how comfortable it is, the bra is actually quite comfy. The foam does seem to feel a bit thicker as well, which could be good for those concerned about nipple coverage. I also think this could be a great beginner "ABTF" bra as the thicker foam gives it a bit more structure like a molded cup, but with the better conformity to shape like a lined bra. It also gives great cleavage (something those new to "ABTF" tend to have trouble dealing with losing).
 |
| Ewa Michalak CHP Magnolia: Cup Height 5in |
The cups are fairly low coverage as you can see in the above photo, not quite as low as a Ewa Michalak CHP, but lower than some
Comexim 3HC's. I only have one CHP and the cup height is about 5in, and it fits pretty much the same as any CHP I have tried including in terms of height. I usually find the CHP to be a bit too low coverage for me. Comexim 3HC's tend to vary in height a bit (perhaps some have unknowingly received a reduced cup) but they range in height from 5.25-5.7in with most being around 5.5in. The Mimi is kind of an in between of EM and Comexim at 5.25in. Needless to say this cup height provides cakes on plate style cleavage, so if you are seeking fuller coverage this is not the bra you want.
I only have a couple minor issues with Mimi neither of which is a deal breaker for me (they are issues that sometimes could be, but not in this case). The gore is a bit wide at least for the height of the gore, it's only very slightly too wide. If the gore were a bit shorter the width would be fine, but at the 2.5in height it could be a bit narrower. I have Comexim's at the same gore height (altered gore standard Comexim gore is about 3in), with both standard and overlapping wires, either way is
narrower than the Mimi. Ewa Michalak CHP also comes in narrower and it is a bit lower as well. The wires are also a bit firmer so I do get a better tack than I do from Comexim, but it isn't painful as some other Cleos have been, and I think they are a bit softer than Ewa.
 |
| Ewa Michalak CHP: Gore Height 2.4in, Width .55in |
My only other issue is that the straps are only half adjustable, being high set I usually don't do well with half adjustable straps since most my fully adjustable bras I have the straps about halfway up. However the Mimi seems to work just fine for me even with half adjustable straps, I do have them tightened all the way, but they aren't slipping at all. This is also impressive since the band is slightly too large for me (doesn't ride up on tightest hooks though). The straps are also quite thin at .4in, but they are firm and not super stretchy, I think the fact that they aren't stretchy is how I am able to get away with them being half adjustable.
Overall I am very pleased with the
Cleo Mimi and am happy to have a more easily available 3 part half cup option. I love Comexim 3HC's, but waiting a month or more for them to arrive and hoping all my alterations are done can be a bit frustrating. If Cleo continues to make more designs and some continuity colors for the Mimi, I would be very happy. Although I wouldn't complain if they made some small changes to the gore :).
For some reason the
Cleo Mimi in Spot Print is a bit hard to track down at the moment. I have found it on
Amazon, if anyone sees it anywhere else let me know. It is part of the SS17 season, so perhaps it will become more available with some time.
