AW2012 - Unpadded balconette in black with large spots
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This bra is discontinued.
The Zia was too wide for me, and too small in the cups(my fault). The wires were a little too wide and went further than my breast tissue, but the real problems were the center gore being wide and splaying my breasts and the straps practically falling off of my narrow shoulders.
On the upside, the Zia gave me great uplift and support.
Updated on Oct 25, 2013 Flag this
Man, I think I have an irrational love for these Cleo balconnet-style bras. They're all so colorful with cute patterns. As soon as I saw a Zia Balconnet online I knew I had to have one. While the last Cleo balconnet I got was a Meg Balconnet in 28GG, I'm glad I did my research and got this in a 30 band. The Zia is known to be tight. I opted for 30FF because 30G was not available and, crap, it was on sale. I figured if the cups were ridiculous, I'd just return it.
And no kidding, when I first got it, ... I took one look at it and was like "Did I order a 28FF by accident?? SHITTTT D:" The band looked TINY. Nevertheless, I gave it a whirl. You can't judge everything on appearances because I had no problems fastening it. Finally, I get to use the outer hooks! No using the middle or first hooks right away with this baby.
But does it work with my boobs? Well, it makes them a little pointy, not like with the Meg, which gives a more rounded shape. But like the Meg, the bra attempts to place my stubbornly splayed breasts in a more front and center position. So, pointy breasts aside, it looks pretty decent under a t-shirt. The gore also doesn't come up so high, like in some unpadded models (Wacoal, I'm looking at you!). What I also like about this model (and other Cleos I have) is that it doesn't gouge out my armpits. It seems like the underwires on a lot of bras, especially once you get into the G range, decide to make themselves at home in my armpits. Or the straps get too wide set for my narrow shoulders. It is the curse of the slightly petite :'(
The fabric is stiff: stiff enough that the cups hold their shape and are not flimsy but not so stiff that they would be nasty and scratchy. The straps are rather thin at a half an inch. The lace top portions are soft enough.
There are some minor fitting issues that I feel have more to do with the shape of my breasts than anything else. The top part of the cups cut in a little bit. Were I more full on top, that fabric cutting in would really be an issue. It could be that 30G would have been a better option. I'm not giving up on this bra yet! But I probably won't be able to wear it when I'm close to my period.
Overall, I give this bra a thumbs up, despite the pointy boob action.
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Updated on Mar 16, 2013 Flag this
I really wanted to like this bra. It looks really cute. But it doesn't feel comfortable to wear. I can fit more than two fingers on the band but it still feels tight/uncomfortable due to the wires being way too wide for me. The gore isn't really comfortable either since it's too high. I can't fully fill in the cups on the top or bottom part. The band fits great but this is the wrong size for me. I probably should have tried 28D.
Updated on Mar 07, 2018 Flag this
Opposite to the sister cut Ellis (which wrinkles a bit at the top), Zia's top lace seems to cut in just a teensy bit - it's definitely more closed on top. I just try not to be overenthusiastic about swooping and scooping. The polka dots are super cute and the uplift and shape is great (Cleo's specialty seems to be getting the boobs nice and high and perky-looking). Good bra for projected breasts.
This bra is not owned any more
Updated on Jul 18, 2016 Flag this
Oh Zia. I wanted to love you. Your print is so adorable!
I tried this bra in both a 30FF and a 30F. Neither one fit, but this one was definitely too big. That being said, Zia had got plenty of projection and even immediate projection compared to other Cleos. Despite it not fitting, I found Zia to have more projection than the Lily, Meg, Marcie or Kali. The wires are very firm and the band runs very tight.
I also think Zia is more FOB friendly, and I'm more even.The top edge cuts in quickly, even more so than the Cleo Meg, (but despite a lot ... of quadding in the 30F, I couldn't fill out the lace part on the top). As the 30FF was definitely too big, I got weird wrinkles across the top portion and diagonal seam.
I was very tempted to hold on to this bra and alter the cup slightly (If I took in the bra along the diagonal seam from the upper edge of the cup towards the apex, it would have been a perfect fit(taking in a good chunk of the lace top), but I got lazy and just decided to sell it.
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black with pink and white colorway
This bra is not owned any more
Updated on Mar 30, 2016 Flag this
I bought this bra from Zulily with the hopes that it would be just as great as the handful of Marcies that I already had. It is quite similar but it doesn't quite do it for me. The bra was worn only to try on and has remained unworn for 2+ years. The matching briefs in size 12/M are unworn as well.
Pink Spot colorway
Updated on Mar 05, 2016 Flag this
What an odd fit. What an odd bra. The big polka-dot look combined with the feminine, rose-patterned lace section is a little confusing to the eye, but it goes together surprisingly well.
Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the fit. This bra is too small for me, I get some slight quadding out the top and the band is very tight. Even with an extender to keep the wires from being stretched, the cup is too small. Despite this, I get massive wrinkling in the lace section. I don't know if my boobs are too firm, or the top of my breast is too shallow/not projected enough to ... fill it out. But I get the quad/wrinkle effect. The Zia may be a Marcie sister cut, but it does not have stretch lace, so the top is much more closed off. It has a normal apex (not like the high apex of the Meg, which is also closed off on top, but fits me much better. Go figure). I thought it would work well because I have short, projected boobs, but I guess I don't have projection in the right areas, or else my boobs aren't soft enough to conform to Zia's expectations.
tl:dr Tight band, Closed off on top
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black with pink and white colorway
This bra is not owned any more
Updated on Oct 22, 2015 Flag this
Doesn't fit at all. Runs way smaller than other 30D cleos. The band in particular runs VERY small. More suited for someone who wears a 26-28 band based on the measurements I took at 22.25 inches u trenches and 27 fully stretched. On me the band was way too tight and the cups did not have enough projection so I was just swishing and quading out everywhere. Haven't tried it with an extender yet but I think I'll likely just list it and hope someone can enjoy it because it really is so cute in the yellow spotted color way!
Updated on Oct 19, 2015 Flag this
This bra runs small in the cups (at least in the pink spot colorway). The 28E fits more like a 28DD, or maybe halfway between a 28DD and a 28E. Major quadboob on my larger side, slight quadboob on the smaller. As far as I can tell considering that it doesn’t have enough volume for me, the wires are fairly narrow, it is somewhat projected, and the top edge of the cup curves in sharply. I do think the shape would work for me if it were the right size, so I’ll have to see if I can find another Marcie sister cut that isn’t hideous. While I’m never going to love the Cleo aesthetic, I don’t totally hate this one, which is more than I can say for most Cleo bras. I do like the charm at the center which is a cut-out of a rose, and I like the color combination as well.
pink spot colorway
Updated on Jul 09, 2015 Flag this
Runs small. Fits like 34FF.
Black/pink colorway
Updated on Jul 06, 2015 Flag this
