Summary: Valentina is a delicate-looking bra in intense pink, with an uncommon shape that may not work well on many bodies. Possibly better in concept than in execution.
Appearance/Materials: This bra is extremely pink. Intensely, darker-than-highlighter-markers neon pink. The fabrics are a sheer, non-stretch mesh, lined with a layer of soft powernet in the lower part of the cup and most of the band. The band seems to run about one size large (38 stretches to 40+ inches), as is normal for Cleo.
The upper cup is more of the non-stretch mesh, embroidered with a floral-and-geometric pattern. The straps are plush-bached elastic, and adjust all the way. There are gold-tone ...buckles and rings on the straps, and a small dangling charm at the center front. The wires are quite firm and splay outwards, but are relatively low in the center.
All of this is very standard Cleo, but this is one of their cheaper-feeling efforts. The fabrics are some of this brand's flimsier and scratchier choices: much less comfortable than my Cleo Hettie Balconnet Bra (9011) or even Marcie.
Shape/Construction: Shapewise, this is an extremely strange bra. It has a fairly standard 3 part cup, with a higher apex than most Cleos. However, it is very shallow at the wire, especially at the bottom and on the outside. There is much more immediate depth near the gore. The Valentina then gets much deeper in the upper section, which is relatively open at the top. The resulting shape is similar to the "cakes on a plate" style of balconette, but with none of the structure.
This bra seems to be made for someone who is full-on-top and center-full, but who needs a wide wire -- or someone whose tissue is soft enough to become that shape without much difficulty. On anyone else, this bra produces a large flattened area along the wire, with a lot of room in the upper cup. This bra's owner has a shallow, full-on-bottom shape, and is wide-set, so she found the overall effect disappointing at best.
(I am submitting this bra on behalf of the owner - it is not mine) Read more 246 more words
I got this bra in the Tangerine colorway because it was on sale and this was the only color with matching underwear. My first impressions: the lace is pretty and the fabric of the lace, mesh, and lining feels soft and not scratchy. I like the polka dots. The bra is lovely and made of good materials.
The only thing I dislike about the bra so far is the strap design. The straps are a little weird and cause wrinkling on the right slide near where the strap and armhole meet - it's pulling in a weird way. I wasn't sure if maybe the cup was too big, ...but after trying it on again, I think it's probably the cut of the bra because it seems to fit well otherwise. This is the first bra where I've noticed a difference between my left breast and my right.
The projection and shape under clothes is nice and rounded. I really like the way it looks! The gore tacks great, too. I have close-set breasts, so sometimes the top of the gore floats for me unless the upper gore width is narrow. I recommend it for anyone who has naturally joined breasts or boobs with very little separation. If you need good projection and can't fit some of the narrower bras, this is a good one to try.
After wearing it all day, I'll say it's a keeper. I thought that I might have issues with it because of the slight wrinkle near the strap and a tiny bit of rolling on the bottom of the band, but it is very comfortable. I think the rolling is more to do with a thinner elastic strip on the band compared to my Elomi bras. I would consider buying this bra again. Read more 189 more words
This one is bad for me. Huge gaps near the top of the gore near the center and all the lace wrinkles. Did not have a problem filling out the bottom of the cup. The gore reaches to the top of my breasts (but tacks!) and looks like a wrinkly full cup on me. Have a touch of gapping on the sides near the wire and strap.
This was my first bra after finding my true size, and it's just about perfect!
I'll start with my one negative: I'm short, 5 feet even, and big busted(full on top). That being said, the under wires were almost to my armpit, so I had to take them out and give them a good trim, maybe about an inch. After that, perfection! Another very small negative would be a teensy bit of the lace up top kind of puckering, but it's so small that I don't notice it, and you can't see it unless you're looking for it.
The positives: I get GREAT support from this bra. I was worried ...since I'd always used padded bras, but I don't feel like I'm unsupported or going to bounce around when wearing it. Everything is an extremely comfortable fit, the gore is nice and flat on my skin, and the straps are sturdy and don't move around. The bra is a mix between snug and tight, but not uncomfortable.
So if you're a bit shorter, I'd be weary of purchasing unless you're comfortable with altering it. For a first bra, this was a great pick, and I will definitely continue to use this bra for many years Read more 94 more words
I really love this bra! I have worn it almost daily for a few months now, and the back hasn't stretched out too noticeably. My breasts fill the cups nicely and the lace at the top doesn't cut in at all. My breasts are rounded and projected forward.
The biggest problem with this bra is that the underwires cut in painfully under my arms. I can't tell if it is because they are too high or too low, as I am a bigger girl so I have a lot of flesh to cut into. I'm not sure how to make it better. I ended up sewing some padding onto one side because it was so pokey.
Love it! Everything is front and center, lifted and projected. Looks great. I wish the underwires came up a bit higher on the sides because some tissue is escaping up top and it pokes a bit, but with this shape I can take it.
At first I loved this bra, but after a few hours of wearing it I realized the underwires are far too short for my long torso. The cups fit nicely as well as the band, the gore tacked tightly, and is quite high, but nothing I couldn't adjust to. However, the underwires are almost an inch shorter than their channels, and I noticed just how badly they were poking me in the side after a few hours of wear. It may be worth mentioning that I have lost 85 lbs in the last year, so I have LOTS of squishy fat. I am still losing, so if the band looks a little snug, that is why. However, the underwires are pretty painful, I do believe this will get returned.
This was a lucky first purchase. It encloses my full breast and has no spillage at the top. The first few hours the straps were tight, but by the second wear it was comfortable and sitting well. It gives a wonderfully round forward shape. This is a great bra if you are (quite) full on top and need projection throughout the cup, but especially immediately.
So far I like the Blake. It's a pretty, deep pink mesh with a tiny leopard bow in the middle. It has 2 hooks at the back. It fits pretty well, though the band is a tiny bit loose, so I'm wearing it on the 2nd set of hooks. The gore tacks beautifully and it has center projection like the Cleo Marcie and my Freya Marvel.
Compared to the Marcie, it's a very similar cut, but I think the band is a smidge bigger and the fabric of the Blake molds to my breast exactly, so I don't have the pulling/wrinkling near the right strap that I have on the Marcie. It could be because the Blake has a stiffer fabric. The Cleo Blake is sexy, but simple. It's supportive and comfortable.
I'm still figuring out the most comfortable length for the straps, so that they aren't too tight or too loose. Overall, I'm very happy with the bra and I might need to snatch up another one before they are all gone in my size.
Even though it doesn't fit perfectly, it's not the worst bra I've ever worn. I have a problem where 36" bands are too tight but 38 bands are too loose. I think going down a band size might fix the issue I'm having with this bra. Oh, but I don't 100% love the shape of it, makes my boobs a little pointy.
Love this bra! The cups wrinkle a smidge and the underwire pokes my underarms a little, but these seem to be quite common issues and are quite minor to me.
This was one of the first bras I bought when I started trying to fit myself correctly, and it just wasn't right for me. The big problem was the wire length - it poked into my sides constantly. The cups were too big as well - not full and wrinkled on top. It would be a lovely bra if it fit!
This one had a funny effect. The wires were on breast tissue on the outside, but there is also a gap at the top of the cup between the wire and the strap (could fit a ping pong ball in there, more pronounced than the G I tried). The lace didn't lay flat in the center. Top of the gore mostly laid flat, with a little bit laying on the bigger breast. Less but still torpedo shaped. It felt like the top side near the strap was squishing breast as well as the entire center along the gore was compressing tissue as well (but not as much as the G).
The bra fits very well, my only slight complaint would be that the top red part of the bra just barely cuts into the top of my boobs, giving a very very slight quadboob effect. I can usually fix it by adjusting my boobs a bit.
Of all the bras I have, I found this one feeling the least comfortable. The underwire just seems a bit larger than the other bras I got from Cleo in the same cut/style. The underwires would stab me a bit on my side whenever I'd kneel. The cups also seem just slightly bigger than the others. But I like the design for this one the most, which is a shame. It's very much still wearable and I'll totally keep it, but bummed how large the underwires are.
