Bra fitting help » Should I try a 28G?
Cleo » Alexa (6631) » 28GG 28:10
Issue resolved
Thanks everyone! I put in a request for a replacement. The Cleo Lucy seemed okay too, but I was beginning to think 28GG would be too big. Since both Harmony and Alexa run big, you can't judge your size based on them.
Oh, and I remembered wrong: One reviewer said that Bravissimo's Olivia (not Ellie) fits like Alexa. Which makes sense; they're supposed to have the same cut. Though sometimes manufacturers claim that but people who've tried both say they can't be compared...
Original problem
Okay, it's starting to look like I need either a generous G, a small GG or a different brand altogether.
28G Cleo Lucy is wearable, but both the seam and the top edge are cutting in. I get a whopping three pairs of boobs. 28GG Alexa and Harmony are too big. (I still kept Harmony because it's just the lace that doesn't lay flat.) Many reviewers have said that most Panache bras have the same design: wide-set cups, wires that come up high on the sides and straps that are far apart. I thought that maybe they weren't for me. Alexa/Olivia and Juna/Ellie seemed to have a different construction. That's why I gave it another shot.
Freya bras are said to be on the big side, so I was fairly confident that 28G would fit. But no, Brooke is too small in the cups. Sadie provides more coverage and therefore the bulging is minimal, but the cups are shaped like traffic cones. According to reviews, it's typical of Freya. Brooke is also somewhat pointy in the center but generally rounder (if that makes any sense).
I'm returning all three to Figleaves. Should I exchange the 28GG Alexa for a 28G? It seemed really nice. How does it compare to eg. Lucy? Are there other brands and/or models to consider?
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Suggestions (4)
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The Sasha/Alexa/Bravissimo Olivia cut is very narrow in the front and has narrow wires. The seams cutting in is a common problem, but if the bra fits it should not be very obvious.
The Olivia that is cut like the Sasha/Alexa is only available at Bravissimo. The other Cleo Olivia, sold in Europe, is a different cut altogether.
Juna is padded so it does not have the same fit as Sasha/Alexa. It is cut very differently, not the same at all. It puts the boobs very out to the side.
Oh and also, Cleo bras tend to come up less high under the arms than Panache.
From what you say about the Lucy, it seems like you need a deeper cup. Panache is often cut shallow, with the Sasha/Alexa being an exception. The Lucy is more wide and shallow, the Sasha is more narrow and deep. So, it is possible that a smaller cup in that cut would work for you.
Remember, it is not just about size, but about cut. Comparing a Sasha and a Lucy is comparing apples to pears.
Updated on May 10, 2012 Flag this
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I have a 28gg Alexa that I'm going to exchange for a 28g. It's a size bigger than the normal Cleo fit.
I loved the fit of the 28gg Lucy.
While its true that Panache bras tend to have wide underwires on some of their most popular/continued bras but I don't find that it's true of Cleo and some of their low balconettes like Lucy. I would suggest trying the Melody balconette in 28gg.
I don't change up or down cup sizes between Freya and Panache however I do find that the Panache bands are firmer. In Panache/Cleo I can usually feel supported in a 28gg and sister size 30g but in Freya some 30g bras feel loose, 28gg are usually ok (with Deco and Faye being exceptions to the norm).
Updated on May 11, 2012 Flag this
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helpfulI heard Alexa runs one cup bigger than the tag says. So I guess 28G should be OK.
Updated on May 10, 2012 Flag this
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Out of the unpadded full band bras from Cleo most of them fit just the same. This means that George, Sasha, Lizzie etc should fit the same. The Bravissimo exclusive Olivia also belongs to this cathegory.
Alexa however, just as Chloe, does for some reason run a cup size larger. Compared to the styles above you will need to go down a cup size.
I, and most other persons I've talked to need the same size in Harmony as in George/Sasha/Lizzie, which means that they also need to wear a cup size smaller in Alexa than Harmony. So, I think you might be more of a 28FF/G in Alexa really.
All the bras mentioned above has a very open top edge. That means that some people might be able to size down in these, without the top edge cutting in. Lucy however does have a tight top edge, and does also have a partial bridge which in Panache bras means that the wires are further apart on the bottom of the center gore. To be in need of sizing down from your Lucy size isn't uncommon either.
I actually think that Panache run big in the cup. I'm a 28J in Curvy Kate and Ewa Michalak, a 28HH in Freya and a 28H in Panache/Masquerade/Cleo, apart from Alexa/Chloe where I would need a 28GG. In smaller cup sizes Freya runs even smaller, so you would maybe even be in need to go down even more cup sizes compared to Freya.
Updated on May 11, 2012 Flag this
Juna does not have the same cut. Juna/Rihanna/Sadie/etc has padded two-piece cups. They definitly run smaller than Alexa, in my opinion smaller than George/Sasha/etc too, though not a whole cup size.