Orla is my first attempt at an unlined bra from Masquerade. While the 28 bands can run tight in this brand, I've found the 30s to be consistently too large for me, so I decided to get this in my normal size of 28E. Someone mentioned that this seemed like a Marcie clone, so I was optimistic about the fit, though pictures of this bra make it look like it fits people quite differently and can look quite short and disproportionate on some bodies, so I had no idea what to expect on my body. I found that this bra mostly fits, but I don't love it for a number of reasons.

The shape of the cup is a 4 piece cup--a 3HC bottom cup with horizontal top panel. In general, this silhouette is tough for me as 3HCs almost always give me some issue or other. The first couple of times I put on this bra, I was convinced it was too roomy in the cup as the cups were baggy on both sides. After adjusting the straps, it fits my larger side quite well, although my smaller side still shows gapping. Both sides gap when I move, and this is due to the shape of the upper cup being too open for me though the volume of the rest of the cup is correct. The upper cup is made from very soft poly crepe and has no edge stitching or elastic to help it sit closer to the body, thus it's not surprising that it gaps. This can be easily fixed by tucking in the upper cup slightly at either the center gore or strap attachment, so it's not a huge problem, however this will not be a good shape for anyone who totally lacks upper fullness.

The bottom portion of the cup is made from soft sheer tricot, and the outer portion is made from soft embroidered mesh with Celtic swirl motifs. Because the cups are so soft and unstructured, I also experience pulling from the straps that cuts into my tissue at the outer cup, something I also often experience in soft padded 3HCs like Freya and Fantasie styles, and in side support styles. If you have very firm tissue or are fuller in that area this may not be an issue for you, but it is noticeable on me.
Other than this issue, the bra gave me a nice rounded shape, and the wires are the right shape and size for me. However, the wires on this bra are extremely firm, so since I am wearing this in my proper band size, the outer portion of the wire presses rather uncomfortably against my ribcage due to the firmness.

As a result, this wasn't quite the Marcie clone that I had hoped for, and there are some comfort issues. However, the bra ended up being prettier in person. Coral is not my favorite color, but I didn't find it terribly offensive on this bra. The upper cup, cradle, and front portion of the straps are made from the same lightweight poly crepe, while the cups are sheer. The scalloped upper edge of the mesh cup may be visible under clothing, but the embroidery and overall fabric is soft and good quality. The only design concern I found other than the overly open upper cup, which would have been improved by some elastic to stabilize the upper edge, is that the straps are only partially adjustable. I don't know why it was designed this way since the front of the strap is not decorative and really looks similar to plain elastic. I wore this almost adjusted down the full way and I could see someone else not having enough room to shorten the straps further. Though this has a skinny stretch interlock band like many other Masquerade styles, I found it to be firm and TTS. There is a gentle leotard back, and the only trim is a small bow at the center gore.

Coral colorway

Updated on May 29, 2020 Flag this

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