Not causing a stink with Urkye's Skunks dress

I first fell in love with colour block illusion dresses when I saw Georgina of FullerFigureFullerBust and Caroline of CurvyWordy in this one by Scarlett & Jo for Evans, but since Evans specialise in sizes 14-32 I was sadly too small for this dress.

Caroline and Georgina; curves to die for!

Since I already own a LOT of dresses I didn't try to seek a similar dress out in my size, but when Polish fuller bust clothing specialists Urkye announced the arrival of their new 'Skunks' dress, I could feel my willpower weakening. I managed to hold out for a good few months until the dress started infiltrating amongst my curvy pals, and finally gave in! The Skunks dress is available in three colours; Sapphire, Grey and Magenta. 

If you're anything like me, you'll be slightly worried about ordering with non-English speaking companies, but sometimes you have to take the plunge or you'll miss out. on the Urkye website, you can set the language to English on the right hand side, making the process a whole lot easier.

Onto the next issue; sizing! Much like the British company Pepperberry and Polish company BiuBiu, Urkye use a system of dress sizes with varying boob sizes to ensure a neater, more tailored fit. So for example, if you fit into a 12 everywhere else, but need a 16 up top, then these are the companies you should consider shopping with. Each company has their own system, and Urkye's can be found here. I decided to size down in the body and up in the bust from a 36 o/oo I was measuring up at, to a 34 oo/ooo on the advice of ladies who'd already tried this dress.

Prices are listed in Polish Zlotych but don't be put off. Just use a currency converter such as xe.com. The cost for one Skunks dress comes out at £30, with postage a very reasonable £5.25.

A week or so later, the dress arrived. At first I didn't think it was going to fit as it seemed quite a struggle to get into it, failing arms, overheating, the lot! But when I pulled it down over my hips and straightened it out...WOW! I know I throw this phrase around a lot but this dress really does feel like it was made for me. The fit is absolutely spot on and I prefer a long sleeve over a three-quarter one because I tend to feel the cold easily. The length is perfect too, sitting just on the knee. I'm 5'2" for reference. I'm not wearing any shapewear with the dress in the following photos.

I was intending to wear this dress for work, but you know what? It's FAR too sexy for that! What do you think?

The Nautical Spot 'must-have' dress from Pepperberry

It was love at first sight. The polka dots, the cut, the contract piping. I had to have it! Pepperberry's Nautical Spot dress was everything I wanted, but at £59 (+£3.95 delivery) I was reluctant to jump in feet first, so I kept leaving it and leaving it until I needed some well deserved retail therapy. Believe me, when I say need, I really mean it. Isn't it cute?

I own Pepperberry clothes in both 8C and 8RC (see their size guide here) so I wasn't sure which size to order, but my mind was made up by the fact that they didn't have any 8RCs in stock! 

The 8C arrived a few days later and the jury was out on the fit. It wasn't spot on but was close. The bustline seemed to be pulling a little and the waistband was maybe an inch on the large side. I decided to try it again a few days later and make my mind up then. In the meantime I noticed the 8RC in stock, so I ordered it and received an email from Pepperberry saying they wouldn't charge for postage as it was apparent I was ordering for size comparison.Very kind! The 8RC was too big in both the bust and waist! Here are the two side by side. The 8RC isn't too flattering is it?

Since my battery was running low, I only had the chance to take a very quick photo of the dress in full. I added a white bow belt I bought from Ebay (as always, it was very cheap from a Chinese seller). It would make the ideal spring/summer dress and the neckline is not exceptionally low, making it ideal for work too. It's a style that will last season after season, especially if you're like me and will always wear vintage styles, regardless to whether they're in fashion or not.

Have you tried Pepperberry? What did you think?

Entice by Curvy Kate

Again, a bra from Curvy Kate's A/W12 season, but I thought I'd out this review up in case anyone is thinking of getting one now it's at a lower price on Brastop, currently £14.50 for the bra, £9.95 for the thong and £10.95 for the short.

When I first saw the initial shots of the Entice set, I loved it. It ticked all the boxes of what I look for in lingerie. It's sexy, padded and comes in a great size range; 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG, 38 D-G.  

While I was more than happy with the fit, it pains me to say that I was more than disappointed with the fabric. I was expecting a printed stretch satin, like that of the Thrill Me. Instead I got a kind of cheap polyester mix with the 'stripes' being a slightly bulky stitched-on trim. The shorts were mainly made up of a black stretch satin type fabric and weren't so bad. 

I'd read that the Entice is based on the same shape as the Fleurty, so I ordered it in a 28HH, and the shorts in a 16 as normal. As with the Fleurty, the fit was spot on, so bear in mind you should go up one or two cup sizes but stick with your usual band size. Order the shorts in your usual Curvy Kate size and you should have a set that fits. Hopefully! I was particularly fond of the straps on the Entice. They're not your usual boring bra straps but they are much wider at the point they're attached to the bra, tapering off to a wide strap for greater support. This is only a small difference but one that sets the design apart from all the other bras in my drawer. 

As much as I love how this set looks on, I found the fabric far too much of a reason not to keep it, so I've returned it. I'd love Curvy Kate to make this set in a stretch satin. Not only would it justify the (not discounted) price tag, hich in my opinion doesn't match the quality, it would also be much more wearable and less bulky under clothes.

The Entice is also available in Ivory/Gold which would make a beautiful bridal set. if you can live with the fabric. Here's the gorgeous Sophie Morgan modelling the set. Photo courtesy of Curvy Kate.

Ladies, would you rule out an otherwise perfect lingerie set due to fabric issues?

The 'I love you but you're totally unwearable' cartoon print dress from New Look

Yesterday I had half an hour to kill on my lunch break, so I thought I'd nip into New Look to have a look at their often lovely range of wide fit shoes. However, something caught my eye. Something so epic and crazy and completely unwearable that I felt compelled to try it on! The first thing I noticed about it is the amazing print, full of cartoons, doodles, photos...

I chose this eye catching number in a size 10 as it I could tell the size 8 would be too small. Off I toddled to the changing room. I slipped the dress on and soon realised that....um wow! Talk about a confidence boost. It looks like I was poured into it!

Unfortunately it's not the kind of dress you can wear a stitch of underwear with down to the sheer panels that run down the side of the dress. BUT, they add to the curvy effect so I couldn't see it working so well without them. 

The dress costs £24.99 by the brand Parisian and isn't available (yet?) on New Look's website. However, there's one without the sheer panels for just £16.99. 

As much as I love the way this dress looked and made me feel, I didn't buy it for numerous reasons. I need to wear a bra and I just couldn't in this. Also, it's way too racy and young for me!

What do you think? Would you wear it?

Curvy Kate's Smoothie

It's been a long time since I've found a bra that I can truly say I'm happy enough with to replace my faithful Freya Decos but when Curvy Kate released photos of their new moulded bra last year, I felt things might just change.

When the Smoothie bra was released as part of Curvy Kate's AW12 range it was speculated that this new basic would be a rival for the firm favourite Freya Deco moulded plunge bra, which I'll be reviewing later this week hopefully.

The Smoothie is made from a lovely smooth black stretch fabric with a subtle leopard pattern, which can't be seen in my photo. It is lightly moulded and has fully adjustable straps and is the most true to size back in Curvy Kate's padded bras I've tried so far. The central gore sits higher than that of the Freya Deco which is good if you have soft, bottom heavy breasts that tend to fall out of the middle of plunge bras.

I've had my 28H Smoothie since November and the only real issue I have with it is that it comes up a touch high under the arms. The wires are just a tiny bit too long and this can cause a bit of discomfort towards the end of the day. The band is a little on the large side, but as I said before, it's probably the best so far from Curvy Kate, other than the Fleurty. The thong is a size 16 and is  perfect fit. 

Although the Smoothie doesn't quite give the epic cleavage that the Deco offers, it's overall a better fit. I will certainly be buying the Smoothie in each and every colour it's released in as it's such a good staple bra.The next colours to feature in the SS13 range are Hot Pink and Blush, as seen below (photos courtesy of the Curvy Kate blog)

Currently only available in black, but soon to be released in the above colours, get yours for £29 here at Brastop. Sizes 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36 D-GG, 38 D-G

Bravissimo SALE! Tanzania Stripe and Rococco Charm

A month or so ago the new Bravissimo catalogue dropped through my letter box. Included with it was a supplementary sale leaflet and to my joy, a few of the bras I'd been eyeing up last season were in there! I immediately got on my iPad and filled my put my order through.

A few days later my parcel arrived, containing the Tanzania Stripe set and the Rococo Charm bra.

First up, the Tanzania Stripe by Bravissimo, currently £24 for the bra and £12.50 for the shorts. With it's striking teal/iris zebra stripe design, it immediately appealed to my love of animal prints. I was disappointed to find that it's unpadded, which is completely my own fault as I just assumed it was by the look of it. So instantly this was going back, but not before me trying it on for size of course. Before I ordered I carefully read the reviews and chose a size 28H on recommendation that this bra runs slightly small in the cup. The first thing I noticed was that this bra was REALLY tight in the band. So much so that I could only just fasten it! The wires appeared to have been made for a much larger band and ended up virtually touching my shoulder blades at the back! The cup was slightly too small so if I were to order this again I'd go for a 30H for both those reasons. The shorts I'd rad, came up small so I ordered a medium and a large, with the large being the best fit. It's a really supportive bra and I wouldn't have thought twice about reordering if I were a fan of unpadded bras.

Bravissimo's Tanzania Stripe

Secondly I tried Bravissimo's Rococo Charm bra, now at £21 which again is an unpadded half cup, and again, sent back because I thought it was padded! The design of the bra is really beautiful, and the colour, a soft peach is so pretty! Although the shape is supposedly the same as the Tanzania Stripe, I found that the fit was quite different. This is a 28H, the same as the Tanzania Stripe, but the Rococo Charm fits much better. In fact, I'd call it a perfect fit. The wires didn't go back as far and the back wasn't quite as tight. If this were a little padded I definitely would have kept it!

The Bravissimo Rococo Charm

So if it's unpadded half cups you're looking for, look no further and snap them up at Bravissimo before they're gone!

A quickie review of Flirtelle's Audrey and Curvy Kate's Rio Ruffle bikini

Hi guys, I'm so sorry I've not posted since November! My December holiday then Christmas got in the way and I stopped buying clothes and lingerie so I ran out of things to review. 

I looked through some old albums on my laptop and found a few bra pics that I hadn't posted. The following are both still very much available at Brastop so I feel this is a relevant and up to date post.

Please excuse the photo quality, I only took quick snaps as I was packing for my holiday at the time and I had to get both sent back for a refund asap.

Firstly we have the Curvy Kate Rio Ruffle bikini, currently at just £12.95 for the top, and £6.95 for the bottoms! The Rio Ruffle bikini was from Curvy Kate's very first plunge into the sea of swimwear and when I first saw it I fell instantly in love. The colours are beautiful, a rich jade with a cerise trim, and it has RUFFLES! I love a ruffle! I ordered a few different sizes on the recommendation of my busty pals, as this bikini is a tricky one to get right. In the end I settled on my usual size of 28GG for the best fit. 

Personally I found this bikini was too east/west for my breasts, and cut across slightly, giving me a spot of quadraboob. It would suit those who usually have success with lots of Curvy Kate bras, such as Emily as the Rio Ruffle is based on the Emily shape ut with lightly padded cups. I better suit their balcony shape (Fleurty, Tease Me) so it didn't work for me. I'd have preferred something a bit more cleavagey with more forward projection.

Rio Ruffle bikini by Curvy Kate

Next I tried the Audrey by Flirtelle, sister company of Curvy Kate. Priced currently at £12 and £6.95 for the brief, the pretty simplicity of the textured floral fabric attracted me to this set. It's certainly no show stopper but better suited as an everyday bra. It is lightly moulded and is very supportive, but again it's an east/wester on me, and again slightly cuts into my breasts across the middle, although this can't be seen in the photo below. The Audrey bra seems to me to be the same shape as the Curvy Kate Daily Boost bra.

Audrey bra by Flirtelle

I'm so sad that neither of these worked for me as I really like the look of them both. Oh well, at least it gives me a better idea of what to look for in the future!