I have never really loved Cleo's Unlined bras and never really got the obsession that surrounds them. I am happy to say that has changed. I absolutely love the Cleo Hettie. I am very pleased that I gave unlined Cleo's another chance. I also recently got another model of Cleo as well that I love. The only issue is that the bands are very stretchy on the newer Cleos, all the old Cleo's I always thought felt too tight even in a 32 band, despite measuring close to TTS. The Hettie's band in 32DD is actually longer than a 34D Lily. I have a full review on my blog along with a bit of a comparison to Lily.
Bra Journey = 2-3 Weeks Measurements/Size Est: 31/27.5/37/39/37 = 30G/+32FF/-28GG Full = Center + Top (2/5 or 3/5) Set = Close + Low Root = Short + Narrow + Splayed Asymmetric, Soft Tissue, Projected
History: I tried a 32GG - Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) (my first est. size before re-measure) and the cup was a bit of a wrinkled, empty joke. Undeterred, I sized down to 32F - Cleo » Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) which fit well enough that I was ELATED and proceeded to go nuts ordering Cleo's on Amazon, including this one.
Fit: It's too big and just won't stay in place. I can adjust ...it so it *seems* acceptable, but then it just does whatever it wants as soon as I move. The cups are slightly too big, closer to fitting on my larger side, the straps are too wide for my chest. Most curiously, immediately after proper adjustment, cups are filled and when inhaling verge on the side of quad and when exhaling have a ridiculous gape (illustrated in photos). The side wings however, are high and wonderful and I feel all tucked in.
Style: Love the color of teal bra matched with the fuchsia/hot pink trim. Cups are seamless with a slight sheen; band fabric is double layered wth lace on top and mesh on the inside; band is continuous with added elastic (think: strap fabric) in trim color. Small bow at gore top, hooks and eyes, and Cleo slogans on inside channel all in trim color. The cups are moulded and evenly lined with no contour padding. If it fit well, this would be a great t-shirt bra.
Comfort: Cups are lovely and soft inside and out. The mesh pretty caused no problems against my skin. The wires seems fairly rigid to me and I could see the elastic trim on band causing irritation to sensitive and, after a full day's wear, all but the thickest (firmest?) skin. While initially comfy, the straps dug into my underarms and caused chafing, which I attribute to sizing. To compensate, I had the band fastened on the last column, and while that felt supportive, the bra still slipped down and dug into my ribs a bit.
So I'm not sure if my issues are solely size related or a combo of size and style, but I really like this bra and would love to get into a good fit. Read more 292 more words
I would not say it is too small. I would say that it is a shape/style issue. Marcie is a fairly narrow and fairly immediately projected (leaves a lot of space near the underwire at the bottom of the cup) style where Morgan tends to be a bit wider and a bit shallower. Have you explored root shapes/widths yet? If you post a fit request on the Marcie, with the same kind of great photos you have here, I think you could get some really helpful information. Molded cups hide so much. The soft cups of Marcie, and Marcie's general popularity, would give more information on your shape and what might work better for you. I hope you stay excited in your bra search and that you do not get too frustrated or discouraged if it takes some time!
I finally found a padded UK bra I actually like, the print is super cute too, modern but a bit retro. The fit is quite similar to a Polish half cup, full review and comparison on my blog. I only have a couple minor issues with it, the gore is a bit wide, but still manageable, and the straps are only half adjustable and while very thin, they are sturdy not super stretchy.
Such a cute bra! Thanks for reviewing it, I hadn't realized that there was a new mimi pattern out.
I hadn't seen it until Cleo sent it to me, I absolutely love the print. It seems to be a bit hard to find, so I'm guessing it's not in stock everywhere yet.
Cleo Kayla is actually more appealing in person than it is in pictures. When I saw the promotional images, I really didn't care for the appearance at all. I decided to order it because I thought the shape of the bra would work well for me. The light blue is actually nice, the multi-colored lower cup is shiny and super soft. The light blue stretch lace has some lime green accents, as does the bottom of the band. The adjusters, rings, and the bow on the gore are all a reddish pink. Per Cleo's standard, it has three columns of two hooks and eyes. It does have the ...padded straps that Cleo/Panache add for GG+ cup sizes.
Kayla has a stretch lace upper cup that, unlike Cleo Hettie, has NO trim on it, so it should work quite well for a variety of top shapes. It has narrow wires, plenty of room in the bottom of the cup and by the center gore. It gives a very uplifted, rounded shape that is typical for unlined Cleo's.
Unfortunately for me, it is just too small after my recent growth, and I sadly cannot find a 30HH at this time. My smaller right breast fits okay, but the larger left quads even with the stretch lace. When the new SS17 Kayla comes out, I will definitely be purchasing one. Read more 117 more words
Bra photos can be deceiving...it looks like it fits but does it? I address some of the issues of upsizing in my blog post - why oh why only 2 hooks and such thin straps and a band that won't stretch anywhere near 38"? Ugh.
Great review. I'm a 28F, pendulous, short roots and very soft tissue and this bra fits me very similarly to you. That in-cup quad boob :(
Was the fit better with an extender?
Also the blue colorway definitely has a looser 38 band.
Ah I do not like extenders too much on this one as the band is too thin and the straps are too :(
Good to know letstalkaboutbras as you are on the other side of the band spectrum!
fabulouslyfullfigure I really wanted Hettie to fit. There hasn't been a colorway in that bra that I don't love! Yet I am struggling to find unlined bras that won't give me in cup quad with my very soft tissue. I love Cleo and Panache balconettes and Hettie would have actually worked for my short roots. The material overall is too stretchy and didn't give enough support :(
What about Ewa letstalkaboutbras ? Stretchy lace but has a second layer to add support...not sure what she does in your band size.
Ewa is the next adventure, for sure. I'm new to unlined bras and still have to learn all about the cuts.
I hope they work for you...crossing my fingers...of all the unlined I have tried, Ewa is great and so is Nessa.
I liked the Cleo Hettie so take this with salt (not coincidentally, I think I may be firmer than you, around maybe the middle of the road...? definitely softer than in ~my youth~ but Hettie didn't give me in-cup quad), but I would rec the BM if you like the concept. It goes up to 95H/100GG.
(I mean, it goes up to 100GG, but leaving it at that makes it sound like GG is the biggest cup letter offered, and it's not. 90HH, 85J, etc., are the top cup letters of their respective bands.)
rainbrasspetals I do have Ewa's BM as well and it's lovely! I try to branch from her brand but sometimes it's a miss but that's okay in the name of bra science ;)
When I ordered the Hettie, I had to decide between a 32DD and a 30E. Both fit well in the cups, but the 30E felt a little too tight to be comfortable, so - knowing that Cleo bands usually stay tight for long - I went with the 32DD. After a just few weeks of occasional wear (and washing) the band has loosened up considerably. The bra slips around on the loosest set of hooks, rides up my back and feels unstable. So, I'm already on the middle hooks now and probably need to switch to the tightest hooks soon.
I'm planning to take in the band so this isn't ...a dealbreaker for me. However, be aware that Hettie might loosen up sooner than other unpadded Cleos. If you're between sizes, consider buying the smaller size and using an extender during the first few wears.
The fabric used for the band is different from, e.g., the Cleo Marcie's. It's not sturdy power mesh, but a softer fabric that has more stretch to it. It snaps back after wash, but stretches out after a couple hours of wear again. Read more 77 more words
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!
Another obscure Ebay find! I came across this beautiful bra for a great price and decided to try it because I was curious how it fit as compared to the newer Cleo balconettes. Surprisingly, it was still new with tags. Harry is an early model Cleo manufactured a long time before I even found ABTF & the world of bra-fitting, so it must've either been old stock or just sat in someone's closet forever.
The design is very lovely: semi-sheer white mesh cups with pale blue/yellow flowers and lacy tendrils. The straps have a pretty split detail and matching blue bows. I so prefer the sweetly feminine and ...understated look of Cleo's older models to the radioactive neons they use now! The band is TTS, versus Cleo's newer 28 bands that often run small. The wires are similar in width to my Marcie and Lily, and there's a decent amount of room at the center gore for inner fullness. There's some minor wrinkling near the wire on my larger side, which might suggest that there's not quite enough immediate projection for me. However, the shape it gives is great, very round and purple. Whereas Lily collects my tissue aggressively from the sides so that when I look down at my boobs they appear to have a slight projectile look, Harry distributes my tissue evenly across my chest. The result is an ever so slightly wider appearance from the front than in Lily. Read more 135 more words
Phew. Can't remember the last time I tried so hard to buy a new bra style.
I adore this bra. I think the colour is wonderful, the shape is flattering and the longline makes me feel like I could wear this around the house all weekend with a singlet and be 21 again.
Unfortunately I don't think it suits my shape AND it's actually quite hard to get on.
I bought a size 30GG - my usual Cleo/Panache size these days - to try first off. Unfortunately it dug right into my breast tissue and gave me a noticeable bulge above the bra edge. Otherwise the bra was pretty good ...- a bit loose around the back about half way down the hooks though. Other than the digging into the breast tissue, it looked good on and I was tempted to keep it.
I knew I would be tugging at the top of the cup all day if I kept the 30GG trying to get it smooth, so I send the 30GG back and tried the 30H. I have never ever worn a size H cup before, but I knew that the 30 band was only just tight enough and I wouldn't want to go up to a 32 band to stay in the same cup size.
This is the 30H that I've photographed on me here. It still digs into my breast tissue towards the centre gore and the straps are now really uncomfortably wide and the underwires are way too wide. I wonder if the 30GG was also too wide and I wasn't settling into the bottom of the cups either. Maybe that's why I'm inching out the top of the cups.
Either way, wrong shape for me. Sorry Piper!
Congratulations to everyone who suits this style - it's gorgeous.
(ps. Also, I usually but a bra on by putting the cups against my belly - face down - and then reach around and clip the hooks and eyes together with my hands, then flip the bra over and up onto my breasts... that was very difficult to do in a longline where it has corsetting for inches down the sides in addition to the underwires. I wonder if I owned this how many days I would think TOO HARD and wear a different bra after all) Read more 274 more words
oh dear what a bummer. Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think I have seen any (maybe 1?!) medium or full bust size range folks who have managed to get a fit in this. It seems to be a lovely fit on smaller cup people who overall are more likely to have a nice straightish slope to the upper boob that matches the Piper's construction, but on anyone bigger than E or so, it's been mostly a fail.
Thank you for your struggles, as I was just eying this bra at Figleaves. You happen to also be in the neighborhood of my size and shape, so now I know it wouldn't be worth it to order this. I've had such bad luck with longline cups not being deep enough to accommodate my FOB breasts, but I love the look of longlines.
I love the Piper bra! When I saw the first picture I was thrilled because it looks like a great fit. However, then I saw the second picture. Even in my very small size the Piper bra digs in! (30D - Freya » Piper Longline (1233) These bras are definitely not for wide breasts.
wendybien I own it in 30F (need it in 28FF) and it's a very good fit on me. I think it's definitely suited for very very short roots or a vFOB shape.
ShaniSunAZ the Cleo Piper and Freya Piper are two different bras. They're both longlines, but the Freya is a padded halfcup and the Cleo is an unlined balconnet, so the fit will not necessarily be comparable. In this case, the bulging is caused by the cups being too short/closed off.
I have quite close-set breasts with only one finger space in between them, and have never had a bra tack on me until this one. Unfortunately, as I am quite petite (5'1"/155 cm) it digs in ever so slightly on my sternum, although I still need to confirm whether this is an issue with the shape or the band size. The cup fits perfectly, with the wire perfectly hugging my IMF and the cup itself being filled in all the right places by my breast, but the lace on top gaps slightly, even more so when moving around. I will be ordering a 30E and 32DD and E ...to see if these fit better. Some further information about my breast size and shape. My 5 measurements according to the calculator from r/abrathatfits are ~28.75 snug underbust, 26.25 tight, 35 standing bust, 36 leaning bust, and 34.25 lying bust. I am fairly projected, my shape is evenly full, and I believe I have average roots. In terms of appearance, this is a really cute bra. It might be a bit flashy for some, but after years of granny bras, I welcome the loud pattern. It's a really pretty turquoise blue with a floral print and magenta lace/mesh trim on top, and is perfect for people who've always wanted those cutesy polka dot and floral bras when walking past the bra section at stores but were disappointed when they only went up to a D cup.
MY SHAPE: projected, even top/bottom, center full, tall roots, narrow roots.
THE TAKEAWAY: A compromise between the Cleo Marcie Balconnet Bra (6831) and the Panache Jasmine Balconnet Bra (6951)... or, Marcie on bottom, Jasmine on top, with a lovely soft lining on the inside of the bottom half of the cup as a bonus. Good projection, handles my center-fullness well. Band is TTS, stretching to ~30". Fits like a typical Cleo G cup, but a bit more forgiving than usual because of the stretch lace. If you liked the Marcie but found it too closed on top, this might be the perfect fit for ...you.
DETAILS: There's really nothing about this bra that doesn't fit. But for my extremely nitpicky preferences, it doesn't make the cut. Both Marcie and Hettie lack the active side support sling of the Jasmine (which is good, for my center-full tissue), but they're also both two-part balconnets, with just a single vertical seam on the bottom half of the cup, and that flattens me out on the sides, creating a distinctly odd top-down view. (Which, yes, nobody but me is ever going to see. So I'll dither over this bra for a few days.)
Still. Projected? Yes. Center fullness? It's handling it. Typically high gore and hard tack, but I've never minded that about Cleo/Panache. And I like the shape it gives me better than the shape the Jasmine does... it's just a question of whether I like it enough better to buy a new bra in this shape!
Also, while it feels a little bit small right now, I've currently got a case of Period Boobs, so I expect this is actually a really good fit. Read more 176 more words
Great review! I love your comparisons between this and the Marcie and Jasmine, and your comments on how it works for specific shape features like center fullness. And it looks lovely! The black and "pink" (would you call it a deep red? burgundy? violet? it really is pink and I'm colorblind?) really looks great against your skin tone.
chirality I'm blushing, thank you! :) I nicked the format from 100percentawesome because it's so darned helpful, I find it really easy to focus on a bra and give the lowdown. I've only recently really nailed down my shape, but the more bras I try on the more my need for projection and room at the gore for my center-full tissue becomes clear (I'm so even in terms of top and bottom that I was bewildered to try from a different angle and find that I'm SUPER center-full, lol).
The LABEL calls it pink, so I put that down, but the effect of being under black lace makes the bra look very burgundy. It's probably 5% my lighting, but I think the Amazon photos look very similar in terms of color:
I know you've got a few nitpicky fit issues, but I have to say that this looks great on you! I know "Marcie basketballs" are a thing but you've got a super round shape in this - top down, it might be flattening you out on the sides, but it's honestly not visible at all in the photos :)
100percentawesome It's definitely growing on me, sort of the opposite of what the fit of the 70H - Gaia » Annika Soft (553) did... which is such a bummer, since I ordered that one on eBay, and it's going to be a bigger pain to return! Haha.
I wish Cleos fit me like this. So round!
wild_muses i will admit you folks are making a good case for keeping it!
I ordered Kayla and a Cleo Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011) at the same time to compare, and I wouldn't say there is a true "sister cut" relation between both, as they fit very differently.
There are some similarities, of course: Both are unpadded Cleo balconettes with a George/Marcie kind of cut pattern, and stretchy lace in the upper part of the cup (which George/Marcie do not have). They have identical wires and identical bands. Both are tight/true to size in the band.
The main difference: Kayla is considerably deeper in the cups than Hettie, therefore running notably larger. The difference is so large it's reflected in the measurements: ...Kayla has 1.6 cm (.75 in) more cup depth and 0.5 cm (.2 in) more cup height than Hettie in the same size. That's a lot.
I found a good fit in Hettie, while Kayla was too large. Sizing down would not be an option, because I need that wire width and side coverage (narrower underwires also means shorter underwires at the sides, and boob tissue might escape).
OTOH, if you find that Hettie is too small for you and you don't want to size up because the wires would end up too wide, try Kayla in the same size instead. It will give you the same underwire shape paired with a deeper cup.
The tl;dr version: Try Kayla if you need narrow wires and lots of projection in the cups. Be prepared that it might run slightly larger than other Cleos (e.g. Marcie), and can accomodate varying levels of upper fulness very well (due to the stretch lace part). Try Hettie if you are okay with medium to wide wires and average projection. Read more 198 more words
I was a bit nervous to try this bra because I have so far only found freya bras that fit my shape but was happy to find this one is also a keeper!
bra review: The shape works for me. I am close set and full on bottom. While I would say this bra would is built a bit more for even fullness and not super close set, It still works great for me. I notice that there is a tiny bit of fabric underneath (maybe 1/2 cm) so if you are looking for something with a lot of immediate projection this probably won't give it to you. At the ...top it tends to come in a bit to really hold you in there, unlike my freya pansy. I like this in someways as I feel more secure but if my boobs grow, it will probably cause quad boob. The straps are not too far apart, and sit perfectly on my shoulders, never falling off.
As for the quality, it seems very sturdy. The material is a bit more stiff than I expected but it is not at all uncomfortable. I really like that the solid material covers the nipples. I also love the polka dots. While I normally tend to stay away from them as I feel like I am wearing a 15 year old's bra, this one has a very mature and sexy look to it still and the rose detailing on the top is beautiful.
For a 28 I would say it is definitely on the tighter side. But being a person of small band size, I would rather buy a tighter band and get an extender than have a band stretch out and be too big after a couple months.
Overall: I love this bra and will definitely keep it in my regular cycle. To people wanting to purchase it, I would go for the bigger band size of sister sizes as the band runs small. Read more 218 more words
The cleo Meg is related to the Lily which is good for even shapes. This bra fits okay. There is some wrinkling on the smaller breast. The cups wrinkle on the bottom but the tops do not cut into my roots.When I first tried it on the gore was sitting on breast tissue and it hurt slightly. I altered the gore so the wires would overlap. Tried it on again and the gore hurt even more. With the gore overlapping it is sitting on less tissue so all its pressure is more concentrated in a smaller area, so it hurts more. I have decide me and Cleo/Panache wires do not get along. They all cause me too much pain even if the cup fits okay.
Sigh. The plague of close set breasts and an industry not yet adapting to our needs. Cute bra on you!! Sorry the alteration created another problem. Ugh.
Its the same exactly with be. I even didbra surgery with one cleo: I put shorter and softer wires into the tunnels. Perhaps this could save your bra too? Otherwise I recomment Fauve half cups. Soft as can be.
Ive been wanting this summery bra since I saw it months ago online - but £30 for Cleo bra? naaah . Only EM and Comexim are worth paying that much and even more. Then couple of days ago I was in central london for a meeting and after that Ive decided to visit Bravissimo as I was wondering what stock they carry inside the shop - and im not very impressed actually. Theres few pieces of clothes - divided by colours, few clothes on poor sale (white shirt on sale for over £30 - really? no, thank you - i prefer my M&S for £12). Further we can ...find department with underwear... also divided by colours, looks nice, tidy but the stock isnt good enough as well - i mean its not bad but they could definietly do better! I started by looking at navy and purple shades.. only bravissimo satine took my attention from that side.. then opposite I have noticed bright bras and that was the moment when I falled in love with Skye. I didnt mind paying the full price for it anymore. It was just staring at me and unfortunately on 32E left on the rack and even no luck with sister sizes to 30E in the store room. I still had to try it on, but this was all over too big! wires too wide, cups too large and band loose as hell like in Blake! such disappointment So, ive found online 30F and 28FF for slightly cheaper (YAY!!) with matching bottoms. The band 30 feels actually good, but the feeling of snugger band in other brand than EM and Comexim doesnt feel really good, its like I still feel them after some time ( I am wearing it now about 30 min), while in polish bras the feeling is gone after few minutes. The 32 was very large and 28 is not very bad, definietly looser than Marcie. Recently I started wearing Marcies in 30F as they are just perfect, no wrinkles on the lace, making such lovely shape (definietly they looks better than 34D). Unfortunately, the skye is like 1/3 cup too big on the bigger side and 1/2 on smaller side. Its not really noticeable under tops, but im gonna ask my mom to fix that by sewing the bra on the sides somehow. Im not so sure if 30E would work.. Im still tempted to try when Ill have a chance! Overall, very weird, 32E was really big, 30F is not bad and its wearable, and 28FF was too big with more wrinkling than 30F (but not as big as 32E). I dont know if its my boobs or just my poor luck. The wires are neither narrow nor wide, but around 0.3-0.5 cm too wide - 30E would definietly have perfect wires. But I can live with them, theyre kind of soft, softer than marcie. Did anyone try to bend Cleos wires? is that possible like in Comexim? I dont know what Cleo did with the design of this bra, but the sides from cups and straps are wide and theyre little bothering my armpits. I dont know if this is caused by little too large cup or its the Skye itself. I really need to put my hands on 30E/32DD to check it out!
As I said, I got panties with this bra, size 10UK (S). I think cleo started to produce snugger bottoms, as before I could easily wear size 10 and now I feel way better in 12. They look so cute but I need bigger size: ( Read more 491 more words
I've never fit a 32E before (30FF/G typically), but this bra defied everything I knew about Cleo. It was even comfortable ;-) Glad you liked it despite the differences :-) :-)
I love it. And im going to keep it and use it even with these minor issues. Not many bras I could accept in such situation :)
The second Marcie of my collection, now in 28FF, as I've heard the "nude" colorway tended to be smaller in the cups than the other versions. It turned out, nevertheless, to be quite deep anyway, but my even boobs worked that out!
Long overdue review of a bra I've had for more than 3 months. Loved this colorway since it first came out and it's very classy in person! Shape is great, the Cleo-basketballs. Top section of the lace is empty and flopping in the wind, and it's only gotten worse since I took these pictures back in May. Oh well. Its band is slightly loose on me as it's more TTS than my 28-band yellow one, but because Cleo's elastics are so thin and high-tension yet the band's mesh fabric is... well, mesh... that 28-posing-as-a-26 yellow band is really uncomfortable. I still wear this bra to death despite very likely being able to size down to a 28F/30E at this point.
This color on your skin is gorgeous!! If you hadn't pulled the lace up, I wouldn't have known it was unfilled. Impressive. I'm accustomed to wrinkles there ;-)
I think the black color way runs SLIGHTLY tight in the band, as the band on this feels too firm and I need an extender. However, the Marcie remains a classic for me (since I keep buying it...) and it gives a great shape. The only thing I would caution you on is the gore, which invariably hurts me.
I just had to say THANK YOU for your review of the Marcie! It's a beautiful bra and I so wanted to try it, but after also reading on your blog about your shape.... I am very glad I didn't spend the money. We are basically opposites :(
Anyhow thanks again for your awesome reviews! I plan to check out more of them to see if I can find anything that did NOT work for you lol
LOL well if you ever want to see other Marcie reviews, I have had approximately 30,000 Marcies! If you need some bras that I will tell you did NOT work for me, I would definitely suggest checking out the Claudette Dessous, which I want so badly but just never works on my shape!
Cleo's longline styles are great. I had to go down a cup size in this style. Print is cute. The longline part doesn't flip up or curl. Wires are slightly narrower than I'd like, but I put up with it because it's so hard to find a good longline. Cleavage is awesome, as usual with Cleo padded styles.
You'd think going by my measurements that this would be a cup size too small, and while it is a hair on the small side, I'm happy with how it fits.
Despite the band measurement reading loose it feels firm and doesn't easily want to stretch that big. It doesn't really feel loose.
The band is a double layer of black fabric that is kind of reminiscent of swimwear, but thinner. Change uses similar materials in their underwear but Change's are silkier. The bottom section of the cups consists of two layers, black stretch mesh/lace overlaid a non-stretchy cobalt base. The top section of the cups consists of a layer of stretch mesh overlaid with stretch lace. Elasticated top edge. The straps are partially adjustable with padding in the front half. Cobalt with black hardware. The only decoration is a hot pink bow on the top of center gore (easily removable).
This bra would be a great bra to wear under black clothing if not for the cobalt straps.
Very much a continuation of the Sasha/Alexa/Meg/Lily/Erin line. The stretch lace top section is a brilliant move. The shape is more reminiscent of Sasha/Alexa as it isn't as uplifted as Meg, Lily or Erin.
Helpful comparisons! Have you tried Blake?