Wacoal bras haven't worked out for me in the past-- while their B. Tempt'd line fits me quite well, the regular Wacoal styles haven't been cut for my shape. Still, I saw this beautiful bra on sale at Nordstrom and was really curious to try it. Curious enough that I went ahead and ordered up two sister sizes from my normal 28E to a 32D, since it wasn't offered in 30DD. I figured that the band would be too large anyway so I could alter it down if the cups fit well, but alas, this style is another example of how Wacoal bras aren't designed ... for my shape, as the cups are proportioned far too tall for me.

Aesthetically, this bra is really beautiful and unique. It is constructed with soft mesh throughout, but the inner layer is plain fine mesh, while the outer layer has a beautiful botanical design knit in. The colorway I purchased is Purple Heather, which is soft lilac with gradated tones of medium and light purple. Even the edge of the fabric is knit into a triple row flat elastic edge with gradated tones of purple. I have never seen anything like this, and really wish this had worked out! The fabric is soft, lightweight, and comfortable to wear, although it isn't very firm, so it probably wouldn't provide enough support for larger cup sizes. Straps also medium width shadow stripe elastic and not particularly wide. Still, it would be a fabulous summer bra for the right size range. There are no bows or other trims as the fabric is the detail on this bra.

However, the fit didn't work out for me in a way that I could alter it to work. First, the band is pretty TTS for a 32. While it measures similarly to some of my Fantasie 30DD bras, the wide mesh wings are super stretchy, and they taper down into a very steep leotard back with a narrow clasp. This back construction completely negates having the wider wings in the first place, and it doesn't provide firm enough support. I suspect that this would fit comfortably on a true 32 but would not feel snug. Because of this back construction, you cannot alter the length of the band without undoing the elastic, cutting a large portion of the band off, and restitching the entire leotard back. Therefore, you should only purchase this if you can buy your size, and ideally size down in the band to accommodate the stretchiness of the fabric. Despite being double layer mesh, it is not particularly firm.

The biggest problem for the fit is the proportion of the cups, which is designed for a tall, round breast shape. The cup height is about 2 cm taller than most of my 28E/30DD bras, and the center seam is visibly higher. The cups are a 2 piece construction with a diagonal horizontal seam between the upper and lower cups. There are no vertical seams to provide projection, but the cups do seem to be adequately shaped, and the stretch mesh will help it curve over any breast shape, so I don't think the cups would run shallow on anyone. If the cups had been proportioned lower to be the same as my other bras, I think it would have fit me just fine. As it is, the upper cup is just too empty and it comes up so high on my chest that it sits where I don't have any breast tissue. This style is not suitable for people with short breast height or very petite proportions.

The wires also show that the cup is designed for a tall breast shape, since the bottom of the wire is a gentle C curve, but the sides come up much higher, especially at the outer edge of the cup. It wasn't uncomfortable on me, but is definitely not the ideal shape. Wires have adequate flex and are not overly firm.

If Wacoal bras typically work for you and you have a tall breast shape and a medium cup size, I think this is a fabulous bra for summer.
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Purple Heather colorway

Updated on Jun 27, 2020 Flag this