One thing I, and many lingerie fans love, is the mood and feeling that wearing a matching set can give you. I tell my customers that coordination under the clothes gives a boost, like a secret superpower. And it's true! When I know I look good, I feel good. And maybe that's why my Valentine's fell flat: This set feels like a big, scratchy wet blanket, and I feel like a little piggy inside it.
I've worn this bra through the day once (luckily it was an 11 hour workday), and it was the worst. Let's preface that with how often I'll sacrifice a good fit for something that looks pretty, how often I'll deal with cutting wires, with double boobs...etc: o f t e n. This bra was something else. I purchased this in a 32F, which I can usually do depending on how wide the wires are, especially now that I've quit the Pill. The cups are lightly padded, almost like a molded bra, but with three parts to it (which don't do much for shaping). I suspect this is a bra that works well for smaller busts, since it does little besides cup around the tissue. The floral lace is then overlaid on top, from a little over the cup to about half and inch below the band. The decorative aspects of the straps are elastic with velvet on one side, a lovely decadent texture. In the back, where things are more practical, it's plain elastic. One end of the strap is sewn around the inside of the band, which tends to irritate me through the day, since the edges aren't even sewn down. I also found the bottom of the boning on the sides to be incredibly uncomfortable as the day went on. And today, my third day wearing this, I've noticed the lace is beginning to unravel right underneath the cage. How quaint.
I honestly only got the briefs to have a complete set, and I think we can all agree when I say this isn't a flattering cut for me. I don't particularly enjoy low-rise briefs with a hard elastic top, because they tend to cut in right beneath my widest part: right above my hips. I almost never buy matching underwear for this reason specifically. No decorative straps were going to take away from that. I purchased these in a Large, and like many, these sag in the butt (even with a rouched backseam) and accentuate my muffin top beautifully. I don't have much to say about them otherwise. They were comfortable enough. Due to my shape I could not get the straps to stay up. They're anchored below the waist of the brief, and don't seem to be sewn down in a way that allows them to lay flat easily. They twist a lot. They're also made of that decorative velour.
I was arguably most excited about the garter belt for this set. I only have one or two practical use garter belts, both of which are on the plain side, and since this set boasted metal clips and six straps it seemed like a safe bet. I always order my garter belts in a size or two smaller than my panty, since my waist is very tiny underneath its soft shell, and my hips are meager and narrow. I ordered this in a Small, and still can't keep it up on even the middle hook of three. It constantly slides to my pelvic bones. The majority of the belt is mesh, with floral lace on the front sewn in underneath. It isn't anchored to the mesh besides a four tiny stitches, two at the top, and two at the bottom, so it can rumple a bit during wear. The two cross straps on the front are anchored right in the middle with a tiny stitch, and the ends of that stitch, like many, hangs loose, staring at me. I honestly found it to look a bit cheap. The garters are adjustable, with metal clamps, and give a good range of lengths to accommodate any height. Around the clasps on the garters there are ribbons. Or, there were ribbons. Upon my second wearing, I've already lost two, and neither time has it been worn for more than three hours. With minimal movement.
The dying aloe plant is a good description of how I feel about this set. I'm honestly very disappointed. I'd always heard good things about Dita Von Teese's lingerie, often about how good the quality is for the price point. This set definitely hits the checkpoints for sex appeal, and triggered a satisfactory response from my partner, but personally, it fell flat for me. Because of all the positive buzz, I won't rule out trying another set from her line; however, next time it will be one that is more tried and true tested.
