I've been a fan of Chantelle bras for a long time, since you can usually pick them up at Nordstrom Rack for a good price if you scour the clearance rack. However, most of these were collected before I was in my current proper bra size, and as a result, all of my bras are 30D/65D or smaller. I have no idea why I was under the impression that Chantelle cups run large, so when I saw the Pyramide Lace Unlined Demi on Nordstrom Rack in a 30D, I ordered it, hoping it would fit despite the fact that this is not my current size.
As expected, ... the bra is far too small. I have only tried one other Chantelle unlined bra in the past, but since it was a 32B, the cups were ridiculously tiny. Still, I have the feeling that Chantelle's unlined cups run a bit small, because I do have some 30D molded bras that fit better. With that in mind, I would at least need this in my normal size of 30DD/E, or even in 30DDD/F.
Sizing aside, I am quite pleased with this bra. I have actually wanted to try it for over a year, but at its regular price of $84 and not being sure of my size meant that I didn't order it earlier. I wish I had, because it is lightweight, comfortable, and beautifully made. It's definitely not designed with the support of a full-figure bra in mind, so unfortunately it does suffer from a flimsy band and thin straps, but I think it is a lovely option for smaller cup sizes that don't need as much support from these parts of the bra.
The band measures quite small on the flat, but like Natori bands, it stretches quite a bit. The wings are made from single layer mesh and both upper and lower edge elastic are quite narrow. The back of the wing is reinforced with an additional panel of mesh to distribute strap tension at the band attachment, and I think having this extra panel is what makes the band feel stable to me instead of flimsy, since usually I hate bands like these that don't have wide, supportive elastic. There is only one row of hooks in this size, which I think is fine for the 30D, but I hope there are 2 rows of hooks on 30DD/E and up. I found the band to fit comfortably and TTS for a 30 since it is so stretchy and lightweight.
The cups are a 2HC construction, with a center vertical seam. The outer layer is made from swirl-patterned stretch lace, and the inner layer is lined with mesh. Seams are finished beautifully, so there are no scratchy edges. The upper edge is slightly closed off to sit nicely against the body, and has a strip of stabilizing elastic. Although the cup is definitely too small for me, it gave me a nice rounded shape and didn't seem to be overly minimizing, nor did it have a visible pointy seam. I think in the proper size, this would give a similar shape to Marcie, though note that the cups are narrower and shallower than Marcie in the equivalent size. In my experience, French brands like Chantelle and Simone Perele run narrower in the cup width while wires tend to be longer when compared to UK bras.
The cradle is finished with a crossover detail, and the gore is also very lightweight, being made of mesh with no additional tricot backing. The straps are twinned satin elastic at the front and plain in the back. The straps are not fully adjustable for this reason. The hardware on the Poppy colorway is gold throughout, and there is a small round gold charm at the center gore. The overall appearance of this bra is sleek, modern, and elegant.
I wish this had worked out! It is a lovely bra and so nice and lightweight, perfect for those days when you need a comfortable bra and don't need the world's most supportive band and straps. This may not be designed for much larger cup sizes, but I think this is great for core sizes. I think I will try to hunt this down in the next size and see how it goes.
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Poppy colorway
Updated on Jun 19, 2020 Flag this