While the bra is really pretty and I've tried really hard to love it, I simply can't. The wires are very short, and have 2.5cm of space in the channel under the armpit. Not only that but it gives me a shape that I'm not keen on- I don't mind pointy, but it makes the top of my breast flat, and then rounded at the bottom. Further, the mesh material that Arabella is constructed with simply doesn't work for me. It is itchy and hurts at times when I'm cold.
Such a nice bra, but just didn't work with my shape. Band I think may be a bit stretched out (bought used) and I already have a good-fitting nude bra https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
Good: A very very pretty bra. I love the colours, and it fits perfectly. Unfortunately, I can fasten it on the tightest hooks already, which means that I will probably have to alter it soon. The straps feel like velvet, are are slightly narrower than the straps on my other Freyas.
I really like this bra. It fits well, and the band feels a bit tighter than the other Decos I have. The cups are also a slightly different shape, I guess because it is a strapless bra. The come up a little higher on the side, towards the armpit.
It feels like it stays up pretty well without the straps, which is something that I have never found in a strapless bra before.
Good: Soooo pretty. It is also very comfortable. The cups are soft, and they feel very secure. The band is also snugger than other 32s, probably because it is so wide. I can wear it on the loosest hooks.
Bad: The lace at the top of the cup is not so stretchy, so it digs in just a tiny bit. Not enough that I think I would go up in size, but a little.
The good... Has round, smooth cups so it gives a nice appearance under almost any clothes. Some bras seem to have higher gores in higher cup sizes but this has a nice low center. The straps stay put and have a good amount of stretch. The band has a very firm stretch, gives good support and stays put.
The bad... This bra feels tighter than some, like I need to break it in. I didn't like the amount of side boob this bra gave the appearance of in clothing, it made me look more wide in the upper torso than other bras do. So I took ...in the upper center gore to pull some of that in. There isn't much fabric there to work with, the gore is pretty slim, but it did improve the appearance significantly. Also, the cups are not padded but they are thick enough that I wish there were lace or mesh at the edges because in thinner shirts the top of the cup shows pretty bad.
Overall this is a well made, supportive bra that is almost plunge-y enough for cleavage (on some it probably works great for that!). Read more 89 more words
Gorgeous vintage looking longline from Freya. Unfortunately way too small for me in the cups, nor does it suit my shape (which won't keep me from trying other Freya longlines... Freya please make them in 28GG).
This particular Freya runs a bit tight in the band. Which is why I could fit this 32 in the first place. I am in between a 28 and 30 normally.
I picked this up for $10 on clearance at my local Dillards, along with a 30F deco in nude (for $5 - yays!) I've got a 26" underbust at the larger end of my normal weight fluctuations, so a 32 band is uncomfortably large on me. I know it's generally recommended not to alter bra bands down so far but, for $10, I didn't mind altering the band to see how it went. The fit was set for the unaltered size.
I was afraid this cup size would be too big because I always thought my breast shape was primarily bottom heavy, ...and I was getting a little gaping on the 28F at the top. The wires are actually just too narrow on the 28F, and getting this larger wire width seemed to fix the gaping problem. I think I have a shallow breast shape as described by venusian glow - my breasts aren't really large but they cover most of my chest pretty much up to my clavicles. I can't say this would work well on all shallow shapes - it seems it's suggested it doesn't, actually - but perhaps it works fairly well for shallow shapes in this size range.
The band is too large as purchased, but was altered down to stretch to approximately 27 inches. Starting with a smaller band size would be ideal, but it fits pretty well as it is now. This bra was compared to a 30F nude deco I purchased at the same time and the cups do not seem to be spaced or scaled any differently between the two. The only notable difference is the cups on the nude 30F appears to be a little bit taller. The cups on this ocean 32E might be a *tiny* bit more shallow, but I'm not sure if it's due to normal differences between sister sizes or differences between colors. I think I've read elsewhere the nude runs a little larger than the other colors.
Overall, I'm very happy to have tried a larger size and definitely see more decos in my future. Read more 245 more words
I got this in an online purchase when I was still trying to find my true size. This is clearly the wrong size after I've seen the actual bra, but it's a pretty bra. I'm in love with the silky fabric and lightly padded cups. The floral design running across the straps is really beautiful.
Maybe I'll luck out and get hold of a size that isn't completely wrong for me and be able to do a proper review on the fit.
Unfortunately, this bra is an extremely poor fit on me. I need a 28 band in this style (which isn't made), and the cup is just a little bit too small, even when the band is tightened. I really need to sell it because it really doesn't fit, but I keep convincing myself that I can get my sewing machine out and save it by taking in the band. I just hate getting rid of a bra that's SO CUTE. This is literally one of the prettiest bras I've ever seen. This is the bra I was longing for back when all I could find in my size ...were ugly nude tents.
I do know that these longlines run very large in the band. I have other longlines in a 30 band, and they just float away from me (even though I can wear Masquerade and Ewa Michalak 30 bands on the middle or tightest hook). Since the bra really doesn't fit, I feel that I can't comment on the specific cup shape; however I'm not terribly impressed with the shape on any of my Freya longlines, which is disappointing because I've wanted a longline forever and I don't really like the prints on the Cleo Sadie. I think that the shape would be improved if I tried a 28 band, but I feel like it still wouldn't be mind-blowing. That said, I definitely don't think the shape is anywhere near awful, and I'm willing to wear something that's not perfect when the appearance is so excellent otherwise.
I will update this review if/when I alter it. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> Read more 164 more words
So I decided to see what the fuss with the Freya Deco is all about. I did read on a couple of bra blogs how the Deco may not work for you if you have a wide root and/or are bottom heavy. So I did not go into this expected miracles and glitter shooting out of my cleavage. But, I found this model to be pretty comfortable. I think I need to try it in a different size because 32F just seems wrong. Either that, or the cups are wrong for me. It would make sense that a Freya 32 band wouldn't work for me, because most Freyas ...that fit best that I've tried on have a 30 band (my underbust is 31"). Anyway, I ended up fastening this with the tightest hook. Basically, my cups runneth over in this thing, while at the same time, there is some weird lumpiness or wrinkling going on at the bottoms of the cups where it is devoid of breast tissue. That wrinkling may be due to the cups being stretched too wide in an attempt to accomodate my wide boobs. When I scoop and swoop, the effect is almost comical: quadboob everywhurrr as well as stuff spilling over in the armpits. (There should be pictures with this review -- if you look at the side view photo you will see what I mean by boobs a straining and exploding). I noticed as I wore the Deco throughout the day that I didn't have to do much adjusting. I've read about how gapping can occur once bottom-heavy breasts have settled but I didn't have that problem. Basically all that happened was that the quadboobs settled down. In fact, the Deco made my breasts look quite presentable under a dress with a wrap front. I will probably continue to wear this bra until I find a better plunge option. I would very much like to try the Deco out in a 30FF or 30G before I wash my hands clean of this model. It could be 32F is just wrong or it could be that the cup shape is just not for me :'( Read more 249 more words
I really like this bra, however, at first I didn't think it fit because it took some adjusting and the band seemed long. Although lightly "padded" there is no thick foam or anything. It is definitely a push-up but pretty comfortable. You can see the vertical seams through clothing, but not more-so than other seamed bras.
It was the first Arabella bra I bought, and I went for my chart size, 32E. In some aspects it is ok for my measurements, but I need wider wires and Arabellas have narrow underwires. The outer ends of underwires end on breast tissue and they are also too low, so it doesn't look good and doesn't feel quite comfortable. It's not obvious at first, but after a while I can feel the wires digging into my body. I later tried different sizes and found out that 30FF is much better for me, because the wires are wider. I decided to keep this bra, because it's wearable, though ...not perfect and I wouldn't wear it for a long day of work etc., but it's ok for some uses. I guess the chart size is perfect for people with narrow roots of breasts and women who need wider wires should try a different size, like me. I tried on Lyla bra in the same size and it's exactly the same in size and fit.
Look: It's beautiful. I adore Arabellas and this is one of best colours. It's pale shell pink combined with pale teal details. On paler skin tones it looks almost invisible in some light and the teal details look like glued on. I guess on darker tones the pale pink gives a nice contrast. It doesn't work like an ordinary nude bra, because it's too sheer. If your nipples are positioned right under where the seams meet, they will be less visible, but still not enough to be worn under translucent clothes. Maybe it would work for women with nipple colour similar to skin shade. I also have an Arabella in Cassis and it's better in disguising nipples, due to darker colour.
Comfort and hold: It's very comfortable and great for summer. This size isn't 100% comfortable for me, but 30FF is, so I consider this model to be perfectly comfortable. It provides great support and hold, though it creates rather natural shape. With narrower wires it gives me more protruding shape, with wider ones it's more natural.
I'm keeping this bra, because it's so pretty and I can actually wear it, even though it's not perfect, but I have another one I bought before I realised I need 30FF. So I would like to exchange one Arabella 32E in Oyster for another Arabella in 30FF. Read more 285 more words
This Bra fits ALMOST like a dream. I was told ahead of time that I should order this bra a size down from my normal F so I ordered it in an E which seems to fit perfectly. Normally I can fit in a 32 but this band I think would be much more comfortable for me in a 34. Over all the bra makes my boobs look awesome. There isn't any poking or anything and it gives good coverage. I'm hoping that it will stretch a little for more band room.
Definitely good quality product, but was bought because there was no better options locally. Wires pokes a little bit at the centre gore of the bra. And it 'fits' because it's snug and wires become more wide and cups more shallow when I put the bra on. The same wires with a larger band would kill me ( I have very wide set breasts and something like an inch between breasts and almost no tissue in inner top quarter, poor me). It looks good under clothes, if they have no transparency, gives a very rounded shape, but a little bit uncomfortable because of centre gore.
I love the look of this bra but it just doesn't fit. The wires don't really encase all of my breast tissue yet I can't fill the cup. I think the shape probably works great for more narrow breasts than mine. I love the material! Black with white polka dots and orchid lace? Yes please! Just needs a shallower wider cup! I really would love to find a Freya style that worked for me.
