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Bras » Cleo » Minnie Balconnet Bra (7431) » 28D 28:4

Measurement Cm
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Fits ribcage67.7
B. perimeter17.8
Stretched Band70.3
Band Length56.0
Cup width11.3
Cup depth17.3
Wire length18.0
Cup height11.6
Cup separation2.8
Gore height5.0
Wing height7.1
Strap width1.6
Hooks2

5 measurements - 8 bras

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  1. 4
    like

    Used to fit

    This was one of my very lucky finds, along with my Pixie Balconnet from Cleo. Size 28:4 non-padded bras from Cleo , are incredibly difficult to find. So, I scooped this one up the second I saw it. I LOVE this bra. I love how it fits. It's awesome. This one appears to have a stretchier band and less firm band then the Pixie had, but that may be just because this one was actually worn very lightly unlike the Pixie bra that was not worn at all. I only got to wear this bra around the house but I had to ... write about it, so I'll of course update this review after it's run at a ten hour shift.
    First off, I really love the fabric of this bra. I'm not a huge fan of polka dots, but you can't always get it all. It is a very smooth, stiff, probably polyester fabric. There's no stretch, which makes this bra very good at shaping the breast. There is a small mesh section that is embroidered along the top edge. This mesh also does not stretch. The cup is also lined with what appears to be a non-stretch black mesh. I really can't say the fabric is soft and welcoming, but it's not scratchy, abrasive or uncomfortable in any way. This bra seems to be expecting short roots with a breast that projects out from the ribcage with no sloping. I have tall-ish roots. So, the mesh just sort of slides down my roots and the mesh part wrinkles. The embroidered edge lays flat. I find I can tuck the wrinkled mesh section under the cup and just have the pretty embroidered section showing. There is a picture that shows what happens when I try to force the mesh section to lay flat and sit the way it was originally intended to sit. Cuts into my like WOAH. The bra is a three section, cut and sew, non-padded balconnet bra. Very low-coverage and has really good projection. There is soft elastic along the outer edge of the cup. It starts where the straps connect to the cup and continues down to the underwire. Where it them becomes the top binding of the band. This bra does an excellent job at gathering the breast and projecting it forward, something polish bras a renowned for. I do not have a lot of outer fullness on my breasts and this bra does not seem to ask for it unlike the Pixie bra where you can obviously see (especially on my smaller side) that I do not have much outer fullness to fill the cup correctly. I am centre full (behind the nipple, not inner fullness), with some projection and a good bit of projection needed at the apex. This bra seems to fit me like a glove!
    The straps are a bit larger than average straps. They have unnecessary detailing on the edges and down the middle of the strap. They feel like soft, fold over elastic. They are extremely hard to adjust because of all the detailing but can be fully adjusted. I have them fully let out. I am extremely fortunate that they are long enough because I could not get the Pixie bra straps to be as long as I needed them to be and it really messed up the fit of the bra.
    This is the most narrow gore base I have come across thus far. The wires at touching at the top of the gore and remains fairly narrow all the way down the gore. This is amazing for me because it never seems to matter how narrow the gore is at the top they always get way to wide as the gore progresses and it forces the wires to sit on my larger breast tissue. I try to finagle the bra over towards my smaller side, but my smaller side is more projected than my larger side and no matter what I do, it forces the bra to sit correctly on my smaller side. Which always results in the wires sitting on my larger breast. I only have about a centimeters worth of space between my breasts when they are being properly supported. So, this may or may not be the first bra ever to not just have the left wire sitting on breast tissue (at least out of the bras that have actual gores).
    The wires are about average I'd say and they fit me well. Others may call them narrow (see measurements). They are, of course it's a Cleo/Panache bra, pretty firm. They don't feel quite as firm as the Pixie bra, but the Pixie bra was never worn either. They have a bit of flex to them but are nothing like Comexim or other flexible wired bras. They're really comfortable to me, but I am not particularly sensitive when it comes to firm wires. They also seem to be padded some what, though that might be because the wire channels could be made of a thick cotton. The under wire channels are stitched with the words: "Crafted for fit. Styled for fun."
    The band is really smooth and silky/satiny fabric. I quite like it, but it is not as firm as others. It will also stretch out faster than the soft, plush elastic binding the bra on the top and the bottom of the band. It definitely seems stretchier than the other Cleo bras I have tried, but still measures just as firm at under 28".
    All in all, I'm so glad I got this bra. It's comfortable, the quality is high and I love that it's made mostly of smooth fabric and not mesh. I seem to prefer most fabrics over mesh. Even though I love the look of mesh bras. There's a slight shape mis-match here with the mesh panel expecting very short projected top roots, but this is not bothersome to me. It doesn't affect the fit or the style of the bra. The closed top just slides down my roots causes the mesh to crumple up. Fortunately it is half the size of the mesh panel on the Pixie bra so it is no where near as visible as it is with the Pixie bra. I don't seem to get this "side boob flattening" that others have mentioned in their reviews. But then again, I don't have a lot of outer fullness to begin with; especially on my smaller breast. The shape is gives me is pretty darn awesome too! When I wear it under a shirt and to work I'll post an update covering those topics. I look forward to hunting down more Cleo gems like this one!

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    1023 more words

    B/W Polka Dot w/embroidered lace colorway

    Updated on Feb 09, 2018 Flag this


    • The shape looks perfect on you! I had a blue one in 30E but the cups were too wide and the straps were placed too far apart. Funny how they look much closer set in this cup size.

    • Thank you aboobaccount , I didn't have much hope for this bra to fit well, so it was a nice surprise. I could definitely see the 30E bring too wide for you, with Cleo width seems to increase about a half inch for each band size. My 30D is about 5" wide, and my 28D Cleos are about 4.5".
      These straps are more narrow than my other 28D Cleo's. I do also have them angled in towards my neck a bit, lol.

    • 1

      I love the polka dots, personally. 😎 I’ve got my eye on this one but I’m trying to pin down my size a bit better before I order too much more. I seem to be vacillating between 30 and 32 bands, and I feel like I’m in between cup sizes as well as bands which makes it hard. But the more I try, the more I learn and can reference the knowledge in future purchases.

    • 2

      Well, Calluna , since you find that you're in between band sizes I would always recommend that you go with the 32 when it comes to Cleo/Panache, Claudette, Ewa & Comexim bands as they run on the smaller side. I went through your measurements and photos and decided that you'd be best with the 32E in this particular bra. Cleo non-padded bras run on the large side. I think you will find in the future that being between sizes will work out to your benefit as many brands run slightly small or slightly large. Brands like Freya and Curvy Kate run slightly large in the band, so you'll want a 30 band with them. And since your breasts are soft, they will easily mold to most bra shapes, that makes you very lucky! I'm between cup sizes as well and I typically find that sticking with the smaller size works best for for me. A tiny bit of quadding on your larger side is just fine so long as you don't feel like you're being squished to death and IMO, if it doesn't show through clothes it's fine. I don't think a millimeter of quadding is actually spillover or a sign that a bra is too small. It's such a small amount that it shouldn't matter unless it's terribly noticeable or uncomfortable. Also, no one has just ONE perfect bra size, I wear sizes 28D/DD/E/F & 30C/D/DD. That's my range of sizes and it looks to me that you've stumbled upon your range of sizes too! 30E/F & 32DD/E. I personally feel that you're wearing bras that are too small for your horizontal perimeter being 10". But there could be a lot of reasons for that, the more low coverage a bra is the less cup depth it could need to fit. I am center projected, so I need much projection at the apex (center full, not inner fullness by the gore) while others need projection at the wire. So if I'm in a super short cup that stops just above my nipple i will require a smaller cup depth than my horizontal perimeter compared to a fuller coverage bra that will contain my full breast, then I will require a cup depth equal to or slightly larger than my horizontal perimeter. Just remember that the shape of your breast is not how they are shaped without a bra on, the shape of your breast and what you need in a bra is how they are when being supported by a bra. Without a bra on I'm a bit wide set, splayed, and on the shallow side of "average". But with a bra, I am quite close set, centre full w/o much fullness anywhere else, some what conical and on the projected side of "average." There is some exception to this and that would be the firmness of the breast, if it's low/high set, and if you're pendulous or self-supporting. Sorry for the long rant, but i hope it was helpful to you!

    • See now, I feel like the Curvy Kate Ellace is tight in the 30E. I can secure it ok the loosest hook, but it's tight and eventually causes pain behind the gore on my sternum, so I'm currently wearing it on the middle extender hook. I'm debating on getting it in the 32DD. And when I shared the pics of when I tried Marcie in 32E at Bravissimo, everyone commented that the cup looked big and one girl commented that the band looked big because it was not pulling the wire back enough for the tension of fabric between the wire and straps (but it might be a physical aspect of my shape and size rather than the bra). I would love to hear more of your thoughts on my shape and size and such as you were saying. Can you message me so that I don't guano this review thread? It sounds like you've got more of me figured out then I do.

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  2. 2
    like

    Didn't fit

    The only thing that wasn't perfect about the 30C Cleo Minnie I got from runs_with_scissors was the fact that the band was loose. So I swapped my Cleo Lucy for this 28D Minnie from tealeaf_egg , expecting it to fit like Marcie.

    On the one hand, it fits better than Lucy, but on the other hand, I'm somewhat disappointed. The band is true to size and fits me much better than the 30C Minnie. But the cups, which SHOULD be identical, since they're sister sizes of the same model, have a bigger lace section. For whatever reason, that makes the cups way more closed on top than the 30C version... which makes this an awkward fit for my tall-rooted boobs.

    Going by the 30C Minnie, I can see why people say Minnie and Marcie are sister cuts, but it seems Cleo is inconsistent with their cup construction? :/ I guess I'll be altering the band on the 30C after all.

    This bra is not owned any more

    Updated on Nov 22, 2015 Flag this


    • too bad! :/ the lace on top of the Cleo can really change the way a bra fits you :/

    • 1

      Yeah, I don't know if that 30C bra is just a snowflake, or what. The 28 band version has totally different cups. I was curious about the 28D so thanks for posting! It seems to be exactly like the 28DD that I have.

      I have been wearing my 28DD as is, even though the lace is all weird. When I pinch the lace how I would alter it, it looks a lot like the 30C version. Oh, Cleo.

    • glad I saw your post - I was thinking about trying this one out but maybe not - I think I am a little bit FoT - I don't know I'm having trouble figuring that one out. but also a little bit FoB. Tall & wide roots, and shallow - do you think this bra is worth trying? It's so cute - I just want it to fit

    • I still have it listed for sale if you want to give it a shot. it could work

    • thanks! I just saw the comparison thing to bras that fit me - the natori feathers, and it looks like the cup on the minnie would fit someone with more projection than myself. I also noticed that it's wires are as wide as the Feathers too, so it prob won't be a good fit for me - thanks though!

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  3. 1
    like

    Didn't fit

    This is my first bra I've tried in my journey to find a bra that fits. I got size 28 D from the calculator, but this bra is way too tight in the band. Being new to bras, I can't really comment on much else, with one exception. This bra gives my breast a kind of strange shape - it pushes the tissue upwards, which gives a good, full look, but it leaves the sides of my boobs looking awkwardly flat. I will try to capture pictures of this. Otherwise it's a cute bra, I was really hoping it'd work for me, but I guess I'll have to try a band size up.
    About the band size: I'm not sure how this is supposed to work, but this bra is a size 28D, however, the band's stretched maximum length is 27 inches. It sits at 22 inches un-stretched. I'm not sure if this is normal for a 28 band size, but I'm sure this contributes to why it feels so tight on me.

    Updated on May 16, 2017 Flag this


    • 1

      Did you ever figure out what caused that side flattening issue? I seem to get it more and more and I'm having trouble figuring it out. I thought it was lack of outer fullness causing it, but I have some bras with identical measurements that don't do it, so I don't know.

    • Cleo bras are known to have tighter bands then most. Most women feel that their new truly fitting bra feels tight, after all you have been wearing bras that have been 4 or more inches too big for you. Makes sense that the bra feels tight. Cleo bras also have projections and push the breast front and center of the chest. It does not look awkwardly flat on the side. It looks really nice. I would suggest trying a cup size up and see how that fits, a 28DD. Make sure you scoop and swoop your breasts into the cup. You are used to bras that push your breast tissue to the side of the body, which is why you think this one makes you look "flat", it's actually holding your breasts where they should be instead of flattening them to the sides. The bras band will also loosen up with wear and will stop feeling tight. Bras need to be broken in just like shoes and anything else. You also need to get used to the feeling of a firm, not loose, band.

    • After reading your your information, not just your review, I definitely think a 28DD will fix almost every problem you are having with the bra. Besides not being used to a truly fitting band, the cups beings too small is the number one reason why a band feels too tight. The cups are too short and the wires are too short and narrow, because the bra is too small.

    • this was my bra, a few transfers ago, and I had a similar shape issue with the cups, both in this one and the 30C. I think it might just be weird construction. the bra pushes all the breast tissue up and in, but leaves the outer sides looking weirdly smushed, especially right below the straps (even when they're loosened). It's hard to see from pictures but I know from my own experience that it looks much more bizarre and unnatural in person. It's definitely not just a matter of the cups having a projected shape. In my case, it looked like slight dents on the outsides of my boobs.

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  4. -

    Didn't fit

    Didn't write a review

    This bra is not owned any more

    Added on Oct 16, 2014



  5. -

    Hasn't set fit

    Didn't write a review

    Black colorway

    This bra is not owned any more

    Added on Apr 16, 2017



  6. -

    Didn't fit

    Didn't write a review

    Added on Jun 20, 2016



  7. -

    Hasn't set fit

    Didn't write a review

    Black colorway

    This bra is not owned any more

    Added on Oct 07, 2015



  8. -

    Hasn't set fit

    Didn't write a review

    Black/White colorway

    This bra is not owned any more

    Added on Mar 24, 2016