SHAPE: round, projected, even, close set, tall roots, on the narrow end of average root width.

THE TAKEAWAY: excellent for projected, even shapes with average to short roots. If you're very FoT or have tall roots, the top cup edge will cut in, wrinkle, or cause quadding. If the Blake fits you, this probably will too! Cup fabric is quite stiff with no stretch at all. Conversely, it has a stretchy band, so sister size down if you're in the bottom of your current band size.

DETAILS: Ugh, I love this print so much. And those matching high-waisted bottoms! This has been on my wishlist a looonng time, so I'm ... disappointed that the fit is not. quite. right.

As a heads up, I think the closest sister cut to this is the Blake, which also wasn't a perfect fit for me.

First, the good:
- The print is gorgeous, and I love the little contrasting flat bow in the gore. I don't think I've seen a flat bow like this before: it's a bit more modern and less frilly/girly, which is right up my alley (I gushed endlessly about the modern lace print in the 30F - Fortnight » Ivy Longline (673-11)).

- The fabric is thicker than most unlined bras, so it has a nice smoothing effect - very little of the seams are visible under t-shirts. The thick fabric also minimizes prominent nipples (if that's something you're concerned about).

The not-so-good:
- Stretchy band alert! I purchased this both in 30E - Cleo » Della Balconnet Bra (9111) (my usual size in Cleo/Panache) and 28F because I'd run into stretchy bands in previous new Cleo styles & colorways (30E - Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) and 30E - Cleo » Blake Balconnet Bra (9151) ). Looks like the stretchy band issue is still a problem in this colorway, so if you're on the lower end of your regular band (my snug UB is ~29.5"), I encourage you to sister size down.

- The thick fabric doesn't feel particularly good. It's not like the Blake's fabric at all, which is SO SOFT and comfy. It's quite stiff. For some reason, it looks really stretchy and smooth in photos, but that's not the case in real life. There's no stretch in the cup fabric *at all* so if you find you're in between cup sizes, or if you have pronounced asymmetry, or if you're very FoT, you will get gapping, wrinkling, and/or quadding.

- I have an even shape, and I _can't quite_ fill the top of the cups out. It's not so bad on my larger side, but it's noticeable on my smaller side. My usual trick to deal with my slight asymmetry is to tighten the strap on the smaller side, but unfortunately that doesn't help with the gapping/wrinkling in this bra.

- And here's where I think the primary fit issues are: my roots are taller than this bra expects, so the top of the cup wrinkles where the edge tries to cut in, and I'm too close set and center full while this bra wants more tissue towards the sides. It took me awhile to sort this out because I inexplicably have wrinkling in the cup right at the wire near the gore, but I think that's the result of an overall shape mismatch. The fact that the usually narrow Cleo wires are further into my armpits than others that fit me well was a big clue, as was that I get a tiny bit quadding over the cup right above the gore.
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Floral print colorway

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Updated on Nov 23, 2016 Flag this

As a bra nerd, it's pretty cool to finally hold a bra in your hands you've been seeing only pictures of from season previews... I'd wanted this bra from the second I saw the first trade show pic of the pink leopard.

It's just as cute in real life as it was online. However, there are some issues. First, the band runs quite big, stretching to 33.5 in. I'll be exchanging it for 30FF. I thought it was quite odd because Panache unpadded bras typically run tight. The shape seems like a new one for Cleo--it's not a Marcie clone, a Lily/Erin clone, etc. It is a 3-part ... balconette, but different from those. The top section is more closed than those, but I get that dreaded diagonal wrinkle. I'm hoping the tighter band will hold me in better so I can fill out the cup all the way. It is a typical Cleo round shape.

I'll have a more in-depth review when I get the exchange and I can wear it for a day (in 3 days--bless amazon!), but so far I'd say this bra is probably best for FOB, maybe better for taller roots, and worth trying if you liked Lily or other Cleo balconettes.
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Updated on Mar 01, 2016 Flag this

The colors are weird: It's a pink and brown animal print on a beige background. The beige looks a lot brighter on the pictures but it doesn’t look too bad in person. The cups them self are not too visible under a bright shirt but you do notice the black seams and straps.

The fit is OK. The cups feel somewhat large one me but I am sure the black trim on top would be cutting in if they were any smaller. It probably works better for a full on bottom shape. Unlike most other Cleos this does not make my breasts super round. It is more of a ... natural very projected shape. In fact it only lifts my boobs a little without really changing their shape. The fabric is thin and the seams don't align with my nipples so they can easily poke though.

The band is very loose and stretchy. It feels like a loose 30 (like Freya) or a snug 32. It is still OK on my 73.5cm ribcage but not very supportive. I mostly wear this one at home or when I just don't feel like wearing one of my tigher bras. The straps are also long and stretchy. I am tempted to shorten them even more but that just makes the band ride up. The wires are firm and a little too wide on me but they don't poke my anywhere.

Quality is also good. I have it for almost 6 month now and it didn't stretch much and still looks like new. I also like that the wire channels are exactly the right length. On some of my other bras I have over 1 cm of empty wire channel at the sides which looks a bit strange.

Overall it's a really nice and comfy bra but if you have a smaller ribcage then I you should go down at least one band size in order to get any support.
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Updated on Feb 10, 2018 Flag this

I think this is the one! I'm completely in love with this bra. The wires are a little bit narrower than the ones in 36H - Cleo » Lucy Balconnet Bra (5851) and the cups have zero wrinkles *anywhere*. I get a great rounded shape, and the best part is that the straps stay put. No sliding whatsoever!

Updated on Jan 20, 2017 Flag this

This is a pretty looking and mostly comfortable bra. This Cleo by Panache Della Balconnet reminds me of one of my 34DD Unlined Victoria Secret Balconnet, only this has a smaller band and slightly less wide cups because it is smaller in size. The wires also feel a little less harsh/firm. That bra was black and see through fine "mesh" This bras material feels similar only it's a (Navy?) With a nice floral print. It feels feminine but not too youthfully girly. I liked the Victoria Secret bra, and I do like this though neither fit me perfectly.

The bra cups are a little small on me, especially ... on my larger breast. I wish it were an F or FF cup. I do like the 28 band, it originally measured firm but this feels like it has a good amount of stretch to it, which could be good or bad depending. It really brings my breast forward, but still seems to cause them to be lifted weirdly. Like they are supported but without giving me that cleavage boost look that I like. The wires are not too wide and for once the wires go under my IMF enough on both breasts and do not have a lot of (if any) empty space outside of the cups, which is surprising and probably in part due to sizing down in the cups. They arent too narrow but if they were any more narrow or if my breasts were much fuller they would maybe be too narrow and not enclose all my breast tissue. Most of my bra cups are usually 6 to 8 inches wide, fitting better on the smaller end of that range. The bra straps are almost too far away, probably just because it is a balconnet bra, but they not rubbing in and are fine. I am just glad they arent farther apart. They are thinner than my preference, as is the band because it only has 2 hooks per row. The band being supportive and firm enough makes up for it though. The material is mostly comfortable and not itchy but the cups feel a little tight on my nipples which may be because they are lifted to where a seam exists. I prefer bras that give me a better cleavage boost sometimes unlined bras that are a little small do kind of give me that look but something about this bra doesn't. Maybe it's the gore not being overlapping wires, or the cups somehow being kind of closed at the top for a Balconnet bra. I do like my Cleo bras, the wires seem to be on the more narrow side, which I think I need. 28F or 28FF would have fit better, my padded cleo fits in a size 28FF. My boyfriend thinks this one looks quite small on me, and when I scoop and swoop I can get a lot of boob popping out on my larger side. My breasts are now smaller and less full than they were before. They seem to be functionally FOB and usually have a lot of inner fullness and are close set when supported. They use to be much larger and rounder and more full everywhere. They are softer on top now and a bit more pointy instead of round and my nipples are slightly east west when not supported. I am short and petite so compared to some my shoulders are more narrow and I need more narrow wires. One breast is larger then the other and they have different root origins so it can be hard to get it right. I plan to trade and unload some bras and get some more Polish bras soon. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
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Floral Della Balconnet colorway

Updated on Oct 13, 2021 Flag this

My breast are full-on-bottom, close-set and I have short-ish roots.
I have this bra in the floral print, so pretty! The bra is very elegant looking with the floral print, the blue 'bow' at the gore and the thin black straps. The band is sheer black at the back.

The wires of this bra are quite long and strong, like most Panache and Cleo bras. The wires are average to narrow width. The gore is a little high, but relatively narrow, which makes it comfortable even for close-set breast.

The cups are deep and made of a very strong, thick and non-stretch mesh. It migh need a couple more ... washes to soften and become more comfortable. Because of the thick mesh, the seams are a little bit visible. The shape of the cup fit well for full on bottom breast, or even with short roots. The top of the cup will definetly cut for FOT boobs or tall roots. This bra is not the best for asymetrical breast. For me there is a hint of wrinkles on the left side, and a hint of quad-boob on the right. However this is not visible under clothing. In my opinion this bra compares to Cleo Lily Balconnet Bra (7351)](model:9865) in terms of depth and room at the gore.

This bra has a full band, which is a bit tight for a 30. It fits me well, but the elastic at the bottom of the band curls inwards and digs in my skin. I guess it will soften with wearing and washing it.

This bra gives me a very rounded shape. Not as round as Cleo Lily, but not as pointy as Cleo Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011) . The structure of the cup brings the breast in front.
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Updated on Jan 11, 2017 Flag this

This bra fits well and comfortably, other than some slight wrinkling on my smaller left boob at the top of the cup. The Pink Leopard pattern with a beige background is *slightly* ugly but it's quirky-looking and it shows smoothly under t-shirts other than super thin ones. I bought it used so the band was already stretched out a bit, which is probably why this 32 band fits me better than my other, newer, Panache/Cleo bras. My boobs have a short root and are functionally full on bottom due to soft tissue and it fit well. The thin fabric is stretchy and moderately soft. I find myself liking the stretch top panel a bit better than lace stretch top panels.

Pink Leopard colorway

Updated on May 29, 2023 Flag this

...It's really cute, but unfortunately it's just a bit too big. The cup size runs sort of large, and the gore is too wide compared to what I expected from a Cleo bra.There's some gapping at the top of the cup for me, but I ordered a cup size larger to accommodate the size difference because of my menstrual cycle. The underwires were somewhat tall.
The fabric across the cups is sort of stiff, but might soften out over time. This bra has a sort of pointy shape too. The fabric wrinkled a bit as I couldn't quite fill it.

Floral colorway

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Updated on Jun 17, 2017 Flag this

My shape: Projected, short rooted, even/functionally full on bottom, somewhat narrow, soft tissue.

I can't quite fill the tops of the cups, but I think a cup size down would be too small. The wires are too wide, and there doesn't seem to be enough immediate depth at the wire (or the emptiness there may be because the wires are too wide). Will be returning.

Floral Print colorway

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Updated on May 13, 2017 Flag this

Hallelujah! The 3rd time is the charm for this bra. I'm glad I listened to everyone's advice to size down! Now there's no gaping up top and I have that smooth, round look. Now that I have this bra in the right size, I can see it's very closed on top! Unfortunately, this style is not for the FOT among us, the black trim will definitely cut in. However, it closes just perfectly on my FOB self. There's a tiny diagonal wrinkle on my smaller side, but I can definitely deal with it. The immediate projection seems good and it seems to be staying in my IMF. The wire length is also a bit narrower than typical Panache. The gore is a bit more separated but it's low enough to not bother me. Again, the band runs a size large, stretching to 32. I would recommend this bra for those who are FOB, narrow to average, and projected.

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Updated on Mar 10, 2016 Flag this