I've been with this bra since 2009 & still have my 1st one. I'm not of the "handwash & hang to dry" bra school... mine gets worn, tossed in the wash, and dried on low with all my other clothes. 2 years of that treatment? It still looks brand new & is just now starting to show some wear in the elastic.
Warning... Cacique runs small in band size & in this model, there is not alot of stretch, so plan on going at least 1 size larger than normal. Cups are close enough to size that your 1 band size up equilivent ... should be fine on most. (Ex... I was in a 36I Panache (36G UK), wear a 38H in this but can also do a 40G with relative ease.)
My only complaints about this bra have to do with the strap lenght & the cut of the cup sides. I have narrow-ish shoulders & high breasts.. which leads to the straps having to be pulled all the way tight to not slip. In having to pull the straps that tight, it causes the cup right in front of the underarm to rub/dig in depending on activity. (Yes, normally the cure for both of these problems is going down a cup size... tried that... got uni-boob syndrome & still had to pull the straps all the way tight)
Overall, a high quality, comfortable bra that works with almost anything you wear over it. Just cut the straps shorter, move the outer curve of the cup & give me more colors 
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Oh yes...buyer beware... there are 2 versions of this bra on the Cacique/Lane Bryant website. The "modern fit" balconette is the one I have reviewed & worn for 2+ years. The "smooth" balconette is much more stretchy and has very small cut cups. (My bestie wears a 42D normally & it fit her to perfection)
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Updated on Dec 05, 2011 Flag this
Having the very same scenario is what led me on a bra crusade, which ultimately led me to bratabase. I wish I had found bratabase, other retailers, and other brands sooner!
Obviously as this post is over three years old (but for the sake of anyone who comes across it), you must have found your answer by now. You just fell off the bottom and top of Cacique's size chart. The largest cup they make in a 36 band is a DDD, and if you were a 38DDD, you're now a 36F (by their sizing), and that does not exist there.
And that brings up the fact that they have their own size chart that is not congruent with either the US size chart or the UK size chart. You know, because trying to bra shop with a new size on the internet isn't hard enough already.