There are so few reviews for Lepel bras and especially this one, so here goes for my first bra review. I ordered this in 30G.
The band, to me, seems true to size and very comfortable in length. It is not tight, but supportive. It fits more like a Freya 30-band than a Curvy Kate or Cleo 30-band if that helps.
The best thing about this bra and what influenced me in ordering it to begin with is that it seems ideally cut for small/short women. I have very short shoulders and high set breasts. This is one of the first bras I have ever put on that had no ...chance of poking my under arm after I adjusted the straps nearly all the way. More on the straps in a bit, but this is a plus for me in general. The coverage was still there on the wing; I had no spillage on the sides. I think it is best suited for narrow to average roots.
But there were other aspects of the bra that were not quite right at all. First, the straps are ... odd. There is only a partially adjustable section of strap at the back, which would normally not be enough for me, but in this case it seemed to be just about enough tightening room. I don't know how tall women would fare. The two main oddities were 1. where the adjustable strap sections connect at the band at the back of the bra and 2. the rest of the strap.
1. The straps are not sewn directly to the band, but attached to another slightly stretchy piece of strap/band material that is then sewn into the band. I will try and take a picture to illustrate. Basically, in the end, the base of the strap is only held on by one or two stitches. More importantly, these stretchy tabs can be felt very profoundly on the inside of the band. They are scratchy/itchy, especially if you fasten the bra at the front and turn it around.
2. Second, the remainder of the strap (the non-adjustable, patterned part) is strangely sewn and folded over on one edge, so it feels uneven. Putting the bra on, it rolls and get folded by accident.
Moving on to the cups, I think they are likely true to size, if a tad on the small side for a G. My right side is bigger so I get issues like this a lot, but instead of that causing spillage, the wide openness of the cups on top prevented that and instead caused that weird L-shaped pointed issue with the cup on that larger side. I am slightly full on top, but this bra was not sympathetic even though it is a balconette style.
I couldn't get by with this size, but it doesn't come in a bigger cup anyway. The cups also gave a splayed east-west appearance that did not appeal to me. There was a slightly off-putting pointedness. Finally, the seams down the center of the cup, while smooth in design, buckled a little bit and therefore showed through my shirt in an odd and inconsistent way. The patterned material is pretty and feels night to the touch, but is not sewn so well.
This bra generally "fit". I was so happy with the height of the wings and length of the wires which could not possibly cause me any armpit chafing that I really wanted to keep it. But the overall impression I was left with was that it was not very high quality and rather cheap in its build, choice of fabric and stitch placement. The design didn't feel thought out for the G cup size, rather it was just a scaled-up afterthought; a C-cup bra in G-cup clothing.
Add to that the scratchy bits and when I took it off, there was considerable static cling. I couldn't picture this bra lasting very long. I felt the straps would certainly stretch out and it would get wrinkly with washing. All of that screams cheap to me while the retail price isn't really all that cheap. Even what I paid from ASOS wasn't that much cheaper than you'd get a Panache or Freya for. Definitely a bitter sweet purchase. I will have to return it. Read more 608 more words
I love this bra! I never thought I'd say that about a molded bra. It does what I want a molded bra to do: makes my boobs look big, round, and even, but it's more comfortable than other ones I've tried. The one comfort issue is that the straps are set quite far apart and they do rub on my arms.
Fabric is very soft and smooth. The shape is more half cup-like so it's great for short girls like me who usually find that molded bras are way too tall in the cups. The shape could be considered a little low and east-west, but it doesn't bother me.
Runs small in the band. I pretty much always wear 30 bands, but sometimes size down to a 28 in stretchier brands. In my next Lepel order, I will probably sister size to a 32 depending on how quickly the band stretches. At the moment, I can't fasten it without an extender, but I just barely can't fasten it.
The straps are VERY stretchy, so at first wear they are adjusted nearly as small as they can go. With extended wear I will probably have to shorten them.
The wires are tall and narrow - which I love. They suit my narrow breasts perfectly. They come up ...high under the arms, and actually encase my breast tissue with no empty cup on the sides, which almost never happens.
Due to my center heaviness, the seam on the top of the cup cuts into my boobs a bit, but this is a common problem for me. I will have to wear it for a full day to see how significant this issue becomes, but most likely will alter the top of the bra to give myself a little more room in the center.
The overall construction of the bra IS really nice though. It's stretch lace, so while it appears to be quite shallow out of the box, it accommodates very well. I feel like this may be similar to Panache Andorra, but with a bit more room at the bottom of the cup, because Andorra gave me pancake boobs, and this bra gives a much more natural shape.
I'll have to wear this one a bit to see how it plays out after a full day of wear, but right now my impression is this one will be filed under "comfy bra" - this is one of those bras I can see throwing on for a lazy saturday afternoon on the couch. It's very cozy, but still has some nice style.
I actually selected the pale blue color because it was the most inexpensive, but it's a lot prettier than I expected it to be. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" /> Read more 246 more words
Fits just like Lepel's "Madeline" Padded Balcony Bra. Review here: http://bra.pe/S40/.
Inexpensive, on-sale, a brand I'd hadn't yet tried I figured "Give it a go".
Outside design gave the impression it was constructed of vertical seamed cups. Nope. One look inside it's clear this bra has very different construction. In fact, it is just not built for my shape. It's similar styling to Panache's Ariza, Andorra or Melody bras which I know having tried them on in stores do absolutely ZERO for my shape. Now add padding to that and it's just uncomfortable chest decoration. Center gore pulls away from body. Size 30-band is far too loose to be supportive. Breast tissue spills out from many places. Cup cuts into top of breasts.
Cute design, poor fit.
Purchased & Returned Early-December '11 from Asos.
It was not my size of 30F, however, I feel it is about true to its size of a 30G made for wide and shallow breast shape. This shape basically means the breast covers more side tissue area across the chest and perhaps to the armpits too, and not so projected but can be rounded. Wide and shallow does not always mean literally wide and shallow like an athletic chest type that is smaller in size, but bigger breasts can be of this shape too. I am more of a round shape while being a wide and shallow, pretty balanced breasts and nipples are in about the centre. ...I am not necessarily heavier on top or bottom, but equally rounded out I reckon. If you wish to acquire this bra, please message me and we can arrange pricing and such, unless you live in Christchurch, New Zealand. Then we can arrange a physical meeting in a nice public place so we both know we are safe and happy : ) PS I intentionally added the measurements from the bratabase website onto this bra, as it would be accurate. Read more 80 more words
First disclaimer: I bought this bra because it was super super cheap and I need bras even if they don’t fit good. That being said this is definitely a bra for when I’m down a little more weight.
The band is more like a tight 28 than a 30. The cups aren’t too bad for width all things considered but there’s something really awkward going on with the spacing and shape of the cups. I think that with the ratio of cup to band, the cups are being pulled apart a bit and where I’m so naturally front and center it’s causing the spillage. If I use 2 extenders ...so the band is loose loose the cups fit me perfectly but then the weight of my chest made the back immediately start sliding up. Quality of the bra is also pretty poor but it’s a very cute and youthful look. Colours are very bright and summery, the lace is pretty nice for a $20 CAD bra and the bands and straps seem kind of flimsy. I’d consider sister sizing up a band if you’re getting one (so a 32FF instead of a 30G) and only get if you’re okay with a little bit of cup separation. Again it’s super pretty and cheap, but the fit and quality are also cheap. Read more 109 more words
My shape: full on bottom, soft tissue, narrow shoulders/roots. (Special thanks to MamaPagan for sending me this to try out!) Appearance: SUCH a gorgeous red bra! It's allover stretch lace in the most crimson shade ever. Red is my favorite color, and it's weird that I don't actually have a red bra that fits me, wahh! Fit: This was another bra that fit my sister! So no comments on fit from me, but she said she liked it and it was comfortable. https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_smile.gif" alt=":)" />
I am adding this bra for data/informational purposes only. This Bra is not owned by me at the time of addition to the database.
This one is a full lace unpadded bra in red. The band measures 21.5” to a max of 31” with 2 hooks and 3 rows of eye loops.
Cup Depth as measured by: 1 Hovering the cup between the knees, then placing the tape measure into the cups without any resistance. This measurement is: 11.5”
2 Placing the cup over the knee and stretching it similar to what a breast would, to the maximum resistance. This measurement is: 14”
I feel these ...two figures give you a general idea of the minimum and maximum depth that the cup can accommodate, just like the flat and stretched band measurements do with bands. Since Bratabase only has one cup field, I enter the larger of the two, as it’s this larger number that determines if a cup is going to fit me or not since I am on the max end of the cup scale, but do realize that some may need the lower number to determine fit for their needs, so I will always include both figures in the reviews for full disclosure.
The tops immediately began to curl, leaving this weird lip... so kinda made the t-shirt smoothness that it was supposed to offer moot. I'd have to stretch the material from the bottom of the bra back to try and get it from pulling the edge into a curl.
As I'm normally a 30GG - almost H, this bra runs kind of large. The cups are very stretchy and don't offer a lot of support. So not recommended for those who are opposed to some jiggle.
Gives an extremely natural shape and feel, which I like for some days. In unpadded 'firmer' bras like Jasmine; my boobs feel quite compressed and almost rigid - in Clarice they feel nice and soft, almost braless. So if you're looking for an airy, barely there stretchy bra, this is it!
I also love the color and it comes with a lovely pair of knickers.
Too bad the cups are too tall and way ...too close to my armpits. Too much chafing to wear. Also there wrinkling in the bottom, perhaps also due to the tall cups? Or projection, I'm not sure. Needs some major bra surgery, where I lower the wings + cup and move the straps inward. To be honest this has been on my alteration pile for some time.
But because I've never come across a similarly stretchy, very natural feeling bra; I don't want to get rid of it.. Read more 79 more words
The shape of this bra was very tall and shallow, probably the tallest half cup I've ever encountered. It was practically full coverage on me--I wouldn't recommend it unless you have quite tall roots.
This balconette bra with floral print and lace detail is pretty if somewhat gaudy. Lepel's balconettes always look rounded and front-and-center on the models, but they give me such a pointy east/west shape. I had the same issues with this bra as with the 30G - Lepel » Lilly Moulded Balconette Bra (150304) and 30G - Lepel » Babushka Padded Balconette Bra (141104): Pointy/bullety/east-west shape; not supportive enough straps; and not really well made. It's bulky feel reminded me of a cheap version of the Parfait Charlotte balconette (which doesn't come in my size). I wouldn't invest in any of the moulded Lepel bras I've tried. I don't think they would last long at all. Seems true to size.
Check out my review of the 30G - Lepel » Babushka Padded Balconette Bra (141104) for more information as these two bras are virtually identical in fit. The only difference I found is that the Lepel Lilly material is much softer and more supple/smooth to the touch and the Babushka more satiny.
I returned this bra due to the pointy east/west appearance and that the G cup ran just a tad small for me, causing issues especially on the larger side. The cups are fairly open on top, but the pre-form makes them not very accommodating to asymmetry. My tissue is soft up there, so I got some spillage, but mostly it just pushed the cup outward and it caused an unflattering shape.
A little smaller than true-to-size, from what I know-- I think it would fit if it was a cup size larger, but it doesn't come that big, sadly https://d28qt14g3opchh.cloudfront.net/smileys/icon_sad.gif" alt=":(" /> It's very pretty, with a neat almost corset lacing detail along the wing. The straps are undecorated and very comfortable, and seem to stay put from the short time I've worn it. Attractive push-up effect with the plunge, but again, just enough quadboob that I don't think it fits.
This is an absolutely beautiful bra and I truly wish it would fit better! The lace is so pretty. I really think that if this wasn't a true padded bra, it would fit. I am very full on the bottom and the padding is just too much for my breasts. The cleavage it gives is great, but I don't feel remotely secure in this bra, I'm just waiting for them to pop completely out of there. The gore did not sit flat as the padding in the cups pushed my breasts together too much, pushing the gore out. I suppose a larger cup size might work, but even with that, I'm not sure this would be a good fit for me.
Very wide cups. I'm not used to bras with padding, I usually stick with molded cups. Not a fan, but that's my personal preference. This is so delicate, though. Stock pictures make it seem kind of washed out, my pics are more color accurate. I really do want to like this bra, it just gives me TOO much up top :/
I love the design, balcony's are my favorite. It doesn't quite have enough depth for me making the wires very slightly rest on my side breast tissue, but it isn't a big problem. The center gore for some reason will not stay, it pushes out a little, I think that's also because of the lack of depth. The straps are set a little wider than I'd like, but that's how all balconies are. The band seemed too tight at first, but since then I have lost about an inch off my rib cage, and it stretched out some so now it fits perfectly. I'd say it's more of a 28 band.
This bra is very comfortable, even with the slight fit issues. It is soft, not itchy.
The straps are fully adjustable, which I love, even though I keep them at an average length anyway.
The cups on this bra are oddly shaped. The bottom of the cup, which I sometimes have trouble filling, is very narrow and close to the body. This causes a push-up effect, emphasized by the removable push-up pads. I wear a 30G and if I remove the pads, the cups are too large for me.
I adore the overall look of this bra, especially the lace overlay on the straps near the chest and shoulders on the front. It is a very beautiful and elegant bra.
I do have slight gaping near the top of the cup, in the "corner" closest to my armpit, but the lace mostly covers it up (see upper view photo), and the gore comes away from my chest as well.
Sizing: I typically wear a 30G in Freya, which supposedly runs large in the cup. This might be better suited to a 30GG or 30H -- see measurements.
Did you mean to say it stretched out from the 30 to feel like a 32 band now? Just checking!