This bra is wonderful! Currently my favorite of all the ones I own. I had the band altered though (shortened by two, three inches), so this may not be the standard experience. They didn't have the 28 band like I needed, so I sister sized up and they altered the band back down.
I've only had the bra for a few days, so there's no way to know yet what it'll be like as it stretches. However, I do have a lot of positive feedback; the underwire completely encloses all the breast tissue, and lays right against my root - which is lovely, since none of my other bras quite fit like that. The gore comes up nice and high, which is surprisingly a good thing. No strange pokes or chafing, and I don't feel like I have to keep adjusting it at my armpits. So far, I don't think it has any cons! I'll update this after I've owned it longer.
Regardless, it's a beautiful bra. It's simple and elegant and lacy all at the same time.
I have the same problem with this bra that I have in most bras, which is not enough depth in the bottom of the cup (but for $11 at the Rack, I was able to ignore that flaw). Aside from that, this bra is very comfortable and supportive. It looks excellent under a t-shirt.
Update 2013: The band is far too large, the cups are stretched to the brim and I spill out on my larger side, the gore is too wide and too high, the underwire is too long and jabs the armpits, I have the straps tightened all the way, and could afford to have them even tighter, in order for it to give shape and support.
The pro though is that the wire width (excluding the wideness of the gore) is pretty much exactly what I want and need, just a smidgen wider because it pretty much lands on the exact spot my root ends. It just needs a smaller ...band, bigger cups (and Chantelle 3 parts tend to be pretty forgiving in the cups anyway), and not so long wires.
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This is a really beautiful bra. I'm really sad though that the underwire seems to be too high. I can ignore it for the most part, but it does poke my sternum and, at times, it pokes my arms. I'm also concerned the band might be too big for me. I don't really know for sure, as this is the first bra I've ever worn that was anywhere near the proper size, but I can stretch it out a bit on the loosest and middle set of hooks. I haven't tried the furthest yet. It does seem to be laying evenly across my back though! A huge different from my 36/38 bands. Also, my right breast is at least a cup smaller, so the cup (obviously) doesn't fit all that well without somewhere in there to even it out. (in my case, socks) Read more 163 more words
My experiments in Chantelle have been interesting and enlightening. I find that I am somewhere in between their F and E cups right now (some day my weight will stop fluctuating, but today is not that day.)
In the C chic style, I could maybe go down to the E, due to the fact that there is some empty space on the sides of the cup and there is a little bit of an armpit-cutoff going on (very minor, enough to note but not enough to ruin my experience with the bra) However, having tried on the plunge in an E on a fuller day, I noted ...that it can cause some mild quad-boobing. Maybe I ought to have one of each depending on what sort of day my boobs are having. I really like the shape that this bra gives, it's nicely rounded from the side.
Style-wise, this is a pretty straight-forward quality bra. It has the same subtle embroidered pattern as the other C chic bras, sexy mesh at the top of the cups, and a little jeweled detail on the center gore. It seems good for day-to-day use, although I wish I'd nabbed it in a different color since I already have a black mesh bra which fulfills this niche (my beloved Claudette Paramour Underwire Bra (101015008) ) but I suppose it's good to have multiples. I kind of wish the gore were a little higher? I just feel like it doesn't need to be that low, but I guess "plunging" is serious business. I generally don't care about gores one way or another because I have wide-set boobs and never have any issues with them. I guess I would just feel more secure. Read more 189 more words
Man, I just can't seem to find my size in Chantelle. This 32F was too big, and here I thought it was going to be a winner. I could have sworn I tried on a 32E in some other style and it was too small, but this bra in particular could run big, or I may have lost weight since then, etc. Also, I'm not sure if this should properly be catagorized as a 2-part of 3-part cup, since from the outside it appears to be two, but looking at the inside of the bra the lower portion is actually divided which really makes it ...three. Hm.
The fit seems to be similar to the C Chic plunge, though this center gore comes up higher. (Not an issue for me because I have wide-set boobs anyway.) I have a lot of empty space towards the top of the cup, and the whole top edge gaps tremendously. The underwire also seems just a hair too wide, though if it fit elsewhere I would say it wasn't a dealbreaker. All these issues would obviously be fixed with another cupsize, which I think I'll end up trying because this is a really beautiful bra.
I love the navy colorway (it's really more cobalt, I'd say) and the design is simply lovely. The lower half of the cups is a solid fabric that feels buttery to the touch, and there is unlined lace across the gore, the tops of the cups, and in a small band down the wing as well. There is a cute white stitching around the edges of the bra as well, including the straps. Speaking of, they have an interesting detail in that the front portion is actually three thin bands bound together where they meet the cup and where they meet the adjusting portion. I've always liked when straps divide like that! Overall, I find that Chantelle bras have a really beautiful use of detail and design that I haven't seen in the other brands I've tried. Read more 243 more words
Very pretty bra with pretty straps that are thinner than average for T-shirt bras.
Unfortunately, this bra has never fit me right. The band is a little too big and so the band of the bra sits against my ribs about 2 cm underneath the bottom of my breasts. Not very flattering or supportive, and it causes the underwires to stab me a little bit while walking.
I wish this bra worked better on me because I think the build quality is great and I like the straps. Would be better for a true 32 band.
Another bra that's never fit me right. The center gore is a little too far apart and high up for me, and consequently, the underwires are always digging into my sternum. Also, the cups are a little bigger than other (moulded) Chantelle bras I own, so I've always had some loose fabric on them, even when I was heavier. Now that I've lost weight, this bra looks hilariously bad on me.
The fabric is very soft in the cups and feels sturdy around the band, but the inside of the band, straps, and stitching along the cups has has frayed and pilled a little, which is understandable for an older bra, but I haven't noticed the problem with other bras I put significantly more wear into.
The band is very stretchy and I probably should have sized down to a 30 band. It's still tight if I wear it on the second hook. It has smooth lines and is a nice t-shirt bra. The molded cup gives a nice shape and support. I did feel like I had some boob escaping out of the armpits. I could size up a cup and maybe get a better fit, but I worry there would be gapping at the top because I have a more bottom heavy shape. I had some quadraboob on my larger breast, but it's very slight. It's very comfortable and the material is ...soft. I like the little bows on the top of the cups and in the middle. It has held up well through several handwashings. The wires are covered and padded so no poking. Although this particular size may not be the best fit for me, the bra itself is nice, pretty and comfortable. I had worn it several times before I decided the fit wasn't perfect, so I decided to keep it anyways. Read more 74 more words
This is a cute, lacy bra. It actually managed to make me feel like I have a small bust! The lace is a tiny bit itchy at first, though that may be because I've never experienced an unlined bra, but it feels very supportive and comfortable.
Unfortunately, I let myself get talked into buying this in too big a band. It fits quite ok on the tightest hook, though, and looks nice.
The band is not too stretchy, but not very firm either. The underwires are quite narrow and it doesn't come up very far under the arm at all, which I like.
It does sit fairly low on the chest and fits larger than other 32" bands, I would say the band is very stretchy. The fabric isn't terrible, but it also can be somewhat itchy but does disappear under knit tops which is nice. I would say if you carried your tissue high on your chest it would be better to balance it out.
Just bought two of these on ebay in cappucino. I was going to return them, but maybe I will try some home alterations cause the shipping back and forth will cost me almost as much as the bras themselves. I'm a little disappointed in these because I have loved every Chantelle bra so far. The two part cups just don't feel quite supportive enough and leave me a little jiggly. The main problem is that the straps don't adjust along the whole length, and they don't adjust short enough (I must have short shoulders or high boobs because this has been a problem for me before). I think the cups are a touch big, but maybe it's due to the strap problem. The shape is very natural - as in natural boobs- and not as rounded as the rive gauche 3 part cup. I prefer the 3 part cup, rounded shape.
OMG - Love! This bra makes my rather large boobs feel like Bs again. The biggest problem was finding the right size. I would usually start with a 32FF (UK), but this ran big in the cups so I had to exchange and finally landed on a 32F (UK), which translates to an 85 G (FR chantelle sizing). The band is stretchier and larger than most 32s I own, but it doesn't seem to ride up, so I'm cool with it. 3 hook fastener.
This is a very comfortable bra. it is also fairly supportive (not enough to go running in, but enough for mild exertions). The cups are a bit thin so you may want to not wear a very thin shirt with it.
