Disclaimer:mostly huge rant. Would not recommend this bra to anyone unless you love to have your heart broken and feel full of regret and disappointment.


What can I say? I did it again. This model is a mess.
Extensive/comparative review of my (2-3) Dessous bras coming up tonight as long as weather stays nice enough for me to get some decent/accurate photos.


My 30E was too FoT, 30DD is a 34C and wrinkles at the gore, and this one perfectly encloses my inner and outer tissue, and is a true 28 band, but makes me quad like nothing I've ever tried. I am on my period, but I tried a ... bunch of other bras on and nothing fits me this way. The quad is reeeeally bad. I unscooped a little for the photos, and it was still bad. I mean, almost entire boob out of bra, bad. Wtf? Sister size up a band(erm 6") and I don't have this problem.


On a side note, there is bottom wrinkling in the photos, which I suspect is just from extending my arms to take pictures or not adjusting.
It wasn't wrinkling at all before.

I just wish this had worked. My 30DD cups were fine, and the original owner said this one had a TTS band, so I thought, "score! Finally found one that will work!"

Ugh.
And the sandy beige is the perfect nude color for me.
Claudette, why you no work???!?

Well, but I said this was the last colorway I'd try. There is a new one that is a similar beige with a pink I believe that I really liked, but no way in a million years am I ever dropping $60 on one of these bras.
If I find it for $5, maybe. At this rate that is around all I am willing to ever drop for one of these again. Simply because it's always a mystery and I may or may not get one worth more than that.

Firstly, the elastic on this one is a lot better than my "30DD", which is great, but then I have other fit issues.
But then the elastic on the mauve 30DD is so cheap, it actually reminds me of the broken elastic on a pair of underwear I purchased when I was about 12(about half my life ago) at the $1 store. No exaggeration, it is literally that cheap.
My mom has a tendency to hang on to clothes that I put in donate and throw away bags, I found that pair of undies, and the elastic was all stretched out, had no stretch left, falling apart. That was my immediate thought when I even just picked the 30DD out of the bag. I knew just holding it that something was wrong with the band.

No bra new from a manufacturer should ever feel that way. Especially something that is so expensive at original retail price.
If I had to guess how much these bras were brand new, I would place the mauve at around $5-10. Which I believe it dropped down to on sale, thankfully.
I would place the 28E and 30E at around $20-35.

Also just the general inconsistencies..would not ever recommend anyone paying the highest retail price for this, or anything over $15-20, unless you don't care about band stretchiness or possible cup inconsistencies as well. I feel like the Dessous is like Mystery Gum, and I hate that just as much.
It always looks good, but ends up awful.
Dessous is Mystery Gum.

It's going to take a lot for me to stay away from a 28F in this colorway because the sandy beige perfectly matches my skintone, and I love the navy; I love the look of the Dessous, as always. But I hate imagining ever spending another dime on one of these bras.
If I do find this in 28F, around $10, I might just to see just how inconsistent they are (for science, really), but I hate even imagining it. This model has been full of disappointment. I would probably end up with a 32 band that is too FoT in 28F. But that just doesn't make sense. It doesn't even make sense why a sister size doesn't have the same cup depth or shape or why, for instance, someone owning the same new colorway may not have the same band stretch as someone else, as I've now experienced with this one being TTS (a good thing) and the mauve being crazy stretchy while I've seen others TTS.
Ugh this bra.
It's like a good looking guy, full of promise but can't follow through on anything. Don't break your heart. Don't break your wallet. Don't break your boobs. Don't buy a Dessous.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Apr 20, 2016 Flag this

Near-perfect fit! I'm thinking a 32 band would be more ideal, but that's getting nitpicky - omg, the cups on an unlined bra ACTUALLY FIT ME!

After muddling through the "diagnostic" bras (Marcie and Lucy) through Amazon for a few months with no luck back when I was figuring out my proper shape/size, that's a revelation - I thought they just didn't make unlined bras that looked good on my boobs. There's a slight bit of wrinkling, but I didn't even notice until I looked closely at the photo.

The fit reminds me of what I love about Comexim - the rounded, gently lifted to center silhouette. This is the ... size I wear in Comexim, too, even though I'm a 30D in most brands.

Edited, about a year later: Wellll, I've had a body transformation this year (bad injury & weight gain/muscle loss, then big weight loss/muscle gain in different places than before; that'll happen when you go from bed-ridden to daily swimming, I guess), and the cups are wrinkling on me now to where I don't think this looks good anymore. Breaks my heart, because I love this colorway and you can no longer buy these. Sigh.
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This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Dec 05, 2017 Flag this

*angels singing from above* "Hooooolly Graaaaaail Braaaaaa"

Look how smooth the cups are?!?!

Stretchiest of them all! Most forgiving fabrics of the 4 I bought together. Unfortunately, because this was the bra I wanted to wear on an every other day basis, it's already stretched out since August to needing the 2nd hook. Originally didn't stretch to 29 inches when brand new, probably closer to between 28 and 28.5. I prefer firmer powermesh, but hella comfortable.

Underwire shape is perfect, straps are nice and stretchy and highly adjustable and comfortable.

Gore is a taaaaad too wide, it's an 1/8th of an inch wider than the norm. But I guess I can't really feel it with the band being more relaxed, so doesn't matter? Cup depth is 1/4 inch deeper, but cup height is slightly shorter so I guess the overall depth works out for me?? Looks the best in pictures too.
This is one of my regular go-to bras. AND, I made a pattern from it.... Foreshadowing?!?! https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />

Twilight colorway

Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this

Runs very very small in the cups and a bit tight in the band. Wires are quite narrow, but they appear to be flexible. This bra will not work for someone who is full on top. I'm reviewing the Seafoam/Khaki.

Claudette is a brand I've been meaning to try for forever, and the encore sale g

https://thepetitecollegiate.wordpress.com/2015/07/25/claudette-dessous-summer...

This bra is not owned any more

Updated on Jul 25, 2015 Flag this

PetiteCollegiate

3147 reputation

112 bras

In comparison with a SS14 model, the SS15 Dessous is more shallow and the straps are wider. The band is less firm as well. The quality is still good. The straps are wider in the SS15, which is kind of odd and unnecessary at a 28E. For the first wear, the straps creaked in the rings, but that seems to have stopped now.

Periwinkle and Cream Soda colorway

Updated on Apr 16, 2015 Flag this

I've been pretty late in discovering Claudette bras, so the ones I've picked up have been from a liquidator on Amazon/eBay. I've read many reviews bemoaning the inconsistency in this brand, so I knew to expect some fit variation. The two Dessous bras I picked up in 28E and 30DD definitely had this issue. I started off with 30DD, which I determined was most likely my closest size, but also ended up trying 28E as the band on the 30DD I picked up was definitely too big.

The two colors I own are:
30DD New Classic / Elsa Pink
28E Orange Soda / Strawberry

Unfortunately, the result is that ... I ended up with a 30DD that fits well in the cup and with too loose of a band, and a 28E that is too tight in the band and fits rather oddly in the cup. Rather unsurprising as I thought I was between band sizes in this style, but still rather disappointing.

The styling of this bra is sweet and simple, and I can see why they appeal to many. It is a three-piece cup with a double layer bottom cup and single layer mesh upper cup, with relatively short wings. It is a full band design, and the elastic at the bottom of the cradle is nice and wide. Underwire consistency was a big problem here--the 30DD Dessous has a rounded C underwire, similar to Cleo Lucy/Kali, and the 28E has extremely round, half-circle shaped underwires. Another reviewer wrote that one of her underwires looked like they were put in backwards. Now I know what she must have been referring to!

Despite the wires measuring the same on 28E and 30DD, not only were they different shapes, but the cups were strangely different measurements. They are almost the same width, but the 28E is almost 1/2" deeper and has a taller cup. As a result, I could fill out the 30DD perfectly but not the 28E. The bands measure 1.2" difference on the flat, but the 30DD was so loose the band was definitely riding up, and the 28E was so tight I could barely breathe with it fastened. The stretchability of each band is different as well, which is odd since they are made from the same materials. Given the inconsistency though that other reviewers had with their bras, I am pretty sure the 28E wasn't supposed to have cups of that shape and such a rigid band. I still think that 28E would be my best fit, but now I am pretty hesitant to blindly order another color to try as these are not easily returnable.

The last issue is despite the fun, cheerful colors, the bras aren't made from very nice material. The wings are made from a perfectly nice soft mesh, the elastic isn't scratchy, and the cups are lined with a soft tricot, but the exterior of the cups are made from seriously stiff polyamide. This stuff feels a little like fishing net. Although it doesn't have direct contact with skin when worn, it's still rather unpleasant to handle. I wonder why Claudette chose such a material for delicates?

These bras are lovely to look at and fun to collect, but trying to find one that fits properly is playing a game of roulette. You have to go into it knowing you are taking a gamble, I enjoy this bra, but in terms of comfort and fit, I'll stick to my Curvy Kate Lifestyle instead!

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28E Revised Comments: I bought an extender and was able to evaluate the fit more properly. After adding 1" to the band via extender, it now feels ok. The cup shape fits my new size much better, but the overall shape is still a bit off. It is a bit closed off at the top and too projected, leaving a slightly baggy appearance at the fullest part of the cup. The underwires feel much better though.
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Orange Soda / Strawberry colorway

Updated on Jan 31, 2020 Flag this

Hmm there's some things that are different about this Dessous in comparison to the rest that I have! The underwires almost appear to be... Put in backwards?? They are very gradually slanted in the middle, and very hooked with a steep incline on the sides. While this different underwire fit gives more of an uplifted and rounded shape from the front view, it doesn't fit very comfortably under the arms, plus almost all my side view projection is gone! Very interesting.

The other major difference is how more high coverage this feels and looks. I'll admit I purposly loosened the straps on this one after reviewing how much vertical ... strain some of the cups looked in pervious pictures, yet this bra still covers more of my breast. It did measure the highest of them all across the middle, and it's even taller at the sides where the straps connect. Overall, a more full coverage fit!

Since this is a preowned bra, the band is pretty dang stretchy, and I can easily hook it on the last, tightest set immediately. I could always try to attach another layer of powermesh (but on how many bras have I said I could but then never did?).

I will cautiously open the underwire channeling and investigate what's going on with the strange backwards underwires. Then add more fit info. For now, it's too uncomfortable.
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Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this

Needed an extender to get on first time, still use one. Tightest by far of the 4 I got, plus least forgiving materials. Can't even stretch to 27 inches!!

Cup depth was a bit deeper than the others at the apex. A quarter inch larger in both depth and height. Probably is what gives the cups a bit of wrinkling. (Looks more like extra fabric wrinkle than strain lines. But with an extender, straps are wide in back, so I tightened them. So maybe vertical lines are both wrinkles and strain lines?)

Center gore has some flaws, being much wider than the others (1 and an 1/8th inch, wow!), and ... channelling very assymetrical with the left higher than the right and slanted.

My least worn of the 4 because even with extender, the bra is a made a bit uncomfortable with the too-wide center gore, and cups slightly a touch too big.

Would be good for a squishier 28-band-wearing ribcage, or a firmer 26-band-wearing ribcage.

A note to add: I did buy this from a Liquidation shop on Amazon, so this may be one of the slightly flawed ones that no one bought yet/bought and returned. (Would explain the wonky gores on a few of them.)
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New Classic Elsa Pink colorway

Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this

Third in line of the 4 I got from Amazon, in order of most to least tight. I was able to get it on without an extender and can strerch it a tiny bit away from myself, but I still need an extender for now to be comfortable breathing.

Appears that left cup has a bit of lower cup wrinkling with horiztonal lines, so it might be a bit shallower at the bottom than the others.

Otherwise, once again, underwire shape is great. Straps are stretchy and comfy, despite being a bit wide with an extender.

Tiny bit of uneven underwire channeling at gore, but not too bad.

Sun Kissed colorway

Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this

Seriously needed an extender as it was the second tightest when I bought all 4, it hurt. Wing powermesh is extremely firm with very little give. Good for long term wearout, but it means it's too tight for now.

I added pictures of both without and with an extender, including the ugly painful marks it left after digging in for only one minute of wear. It didn't fit like a "second skin," it wanted to BE my skin!!

But speaking of skin, you can see it's a very good "nude" color for me. If it's light pink color and the more yellow Sunkissed bra colors were mixed, it would be ... even more ideal. My bra for cream and white blouses right now.

Some in-cup wrinkling, which I thought was from it being too tight, especially considering there's also major in-cup quadding when I didn't have an extender. In the front view, it looks like it's almost trying to smash down the lower half of my breasts. After adding an extender the quadding was reduced but the wrinkles got larger. Maybe still straining but vertically instead of horizontally? I had to tighten the straps a small bit more with the extender, as they sat further out on my angled shoulders. The strap elastics are nice and stretchy, which always makes it difficult for me to tell if I have then too tight. It could also be slightly more inner full in cup shape than I am, as the wrinkles are not there on the sides of the cups.

Otherwise, the underwire shape is a perfect match for me, the gore doesn't dig (with an extender), and it's very pretty overall.

There's a bit of a weird gathering at the center gore when the bra is relaxes, but ot stretches flat ao I don't think it effects fit.
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Allure colorway

Updated on Dec 02, 2018 Flag this