Dark Knights: Hopeless Lingerie's 'Lucy2'

I've been gone a long time, and with that break I let go of two cup sizes and a fair amount of funds into home improvements (no Tim Allen included). Sup, ya'll. I'm back with not a lot of money and not a lot of worthwhile blogging material. But I do have this lil gem - and I've had a few months to marinate on it, so what's up. 

I got this bralette a while ago, maybe back in the dark days of winter, maybe in the spring.  I had originally ordered the plain old Lucy, a tried and true Hopeless style that I'd been eyeing for ages, but Gaby offered me the Lucy2, which had not been released at the time. Racerback? Extra support? Yes please. Gaby was awesome and kept me informed, even accommodating a size change that came a month after I placed my order for this custom-sized baby. 

I watched The Holiday today, and if anything from that trash-ass movie resonates for anything in life, you can't fit a square peg into a round hole. It feels like this bralette and I were just not meant to be. But before we go into that, let's dissect this gorgeous piece a little further.  For sizing insight, I believe Hopeless combined an XS band and an XL top. 

Solid elastic makes up a practical and sturdy band. It's perfectly snug, probably the best-fitting band I have on a bralette. The big-cup-lil-band folks will feel me on this; bralettes are often a dance of sliding out the top and bottom, a lot of bouncing, and a lot of adjusting. Lucy II stays in place perfectly, and has three hooks on the back to choose from. Tightest feels most secure for me, but for visual purposes I prefer the loosest. Like a good bra, both work for all intents and purposes. 

The difference with the Lucy2 is the racerback, connected with a lovely little silver ring. The straps are made of a standard satin elastic, and every strap on the thing is adjustable with little silver sliders. Each strap connects to the body with a tinier silver ring that the beauty on the back.  Adjustability, racerback, and a strong sensitve man band should be the makings of a dreamy full-bust bralette, right?

Before I even get into it, I don't want any mixups. This bralette is amazing - fantastic quality and gorgeous look that you expect from Hopeless. And when I'm standing still for an indefinite amount of time, it lives up to the hype.  If I wear something compressive over this, like a strapless top or a close cropped cami, everything will (mostly) stay in place, and the detail of these swooping double straps gets to shine as it should.  The tough thing is, fuller breasts move, fabric moves, and before you know it, your nipple ring is snagged on a fine edge of a cup and you're screaming for help. 

It often feels like there's just too much fabric on the side. It goes clear into my armpit, leaves the girls hanging in the front. The top and bottom feel mismatched.

I guess it feels like what it is - an XS band with an XL cup, and while it works in theory, it doesn't account for some of the needs fuller busts like mine can have - like extra security. The cup is just wide in all the wrong places. It reinforces what I'm starting to think is just a simple truth for those who teeter over the edge of DD: true plunges aren't in our cards. Is that this bralette's fault? No. It's just fact.  Like the fact that mid-rise jeans are high-rise on my tiny stumpy torso. Sometimes, life be like that.

The only true, real criticism I have of the bralette is that the sliders don't stay in place. Everything else? It's a gorgeous piece, the mesh is dainty and soft as you'd expect, and the aesthetic rules. If you ain't got loosey-goosey sandbag titties like myself, I 110% recommend you scoop this puppy up. 

For now, I'll leave you with this: I'm getting a new schedule, a raise, and and unfortunate lack of sunlight. Get ready for the traffic to pick up on this page. 

Easter's Golden Egg: Waking Up With Venus' Darcy Set

What’s that? A break in the radio silence?  After being unemployed for two months and bill catch-up for the two months after that, I finally have a job where I don’t have to exist teetering on the edge of empty bank account five days after payday. I now can- and will- indulge in my vices with only minimal guilt.

Wondering about that extra tiny body up there in this very goofy set of photos?

One thing I find tough with lingerie reviews is the sheer diversity of body types – one person can tell me how something fits for them, but I often wish I could see sets on a wide selection of body types, like how Ewa Michelak does.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a whole crew willing to investigate and finance lingerie with me, aside from the lovely ladies of the internet, but I have recruited my bff into our first matching set. Hopefully one of many. And while these shots might not be my best work, it was definitely the most fun shoot I've had for the blog so far. 

So how did Darcy and I meet? Came across this set on Insta, felt immediate butterflies. Came across a discount code, begging ensued, it got ugly, and then everything got real cute. A month or so later, we welcomed Darcy into the family.

A pastel shaded skirted brief?? Fabric described as "wet-look"?? This set has a great balance of a few different elements - the cuteness of pink ruffles and lavender, the toughness and weight of the wet look, the comfort of the seamed bralette, the class of the high waist and rosettes  – bringing together one pretty solid aesthetic.  Plus, you know I’m a buttsucker for anything with rosettes.

All items were made according to my measurements done back in January. At the time I advised for the bralette that I was a 30GG, because I figured I would be by the time it got there.  I may have some qualms with this bralette in terms of fit but they are meek and meager in comparison to how cute and comfy it is. The lavender base is trimmed with the baby pink elastic around the edges, with pink stitching about the band. The straps are two strands of pink satin elastic, with sliding adjusters in the front. Personally I prefer to adjust in the rear, but I can’t hate on anyone for that. 

On the face of the bralette are two vertical seams to provide some lift and shape. These don’t do anything for me, since they’re really the only structural seam on the bra besides where the pieces are sewn together.  In fact, the top of the seam creates almost a corner, which pokes out. Luckily, the darling little rosette at the center top pokes out further as camoflouge. Mainly I don't understand the placement of these seams; they seem too close to the center to do anything. First I thought that was just on the size of mine, but upon viewing my pal's, hers are also awkwardly centered. 

The only real fit issue I have with this bralette is that I wish there were just a little bit more space in the cup. I've gone down in size a bit since January, which is the first time that happened without a knife and stitches involved. I've actually gotten quite into a new lifting routine, which was some of the inspiration for this shoot..if you want to call this visual product inspired. Anyways, the point being - there should be room enough for me in there. Unfortunately, after wearing for about ten minutes or so, I end up with a quad boob spilling out. Although in this case, I guess it's only a double boob, since bralettes give uniboob, and.......

The high waist ruffle brief is my favorite – but only in theory.  The brief is made of that wet-look fabric as well, basically meaning it’s a little heavier weight and has a sort of deep sheen to it. Lavender fabric makes up most of it, with the pink elastic around the legs, and one pleated ruffles attached to the waist. Being that they’re all the same fabric, the ruffles are a little weighty, but thick enough to hold their own without drooping. They’re sewn into pleats right along the waistband, which makes the band feel a little thick and heavy duty. Elastic runs around the interior of the waistband and leg holes as well.

For briefs that were also done to custom measurements, I was honestly a little disappointed by the fit of these. I have only lost weight since I ordered these, but they still fit pretty tight, and there’s nothing that kills ~feelin myself~ vibes more than a waist that cuts in and thighs bulging out. To be fair, they don’t look as tight as they feel, and I believe part of that feeling comes from the amount of fabric sewn into the waistband restricting how much give the elastic actually has. Espeically since the bralette band doesn’t feel nearly so stiff. However, these look a lot better than they feel. The ruffle helps to disguise any digging, and I think it’s mostly the pressure of the band I feel, as opposed to actual tightness. However, I can't wear these for more than a few hours without feeling pretty uncomfortable. 

As for the views of my tiny counterpart, here are the main highlights:

• "10/10 bralette cute as fuck". The bralette is definitely both of our favorite parts. That little fuckin rosette is great when using as a layering piece, and it's overall very comfy.
• "would never buy panties again". Where mine are borderline too small, hers allow for ample diaper booty. Not a deal breaker, but not ideal.
• "already coming undone - and I handwash like an angel". After her first wear stitching on the front, right hand side of the waist started to unravel. 

For overall impressions of this set and this brand, I still feel pretty great about it. It's a very unique set, handmade, at unbeatable price point. Sometimes, I feel like my reviews come off as brutally harsh, and I don't mean them to at all! Small designers like these are great for broadening a collection when you don't have the big bucks to spend on a diverse collection.  Because, let's face it - you're not going to find anything this cute on the rack at Victoria's Secret. And I've suffered far worse discomfort for beauty. This set was well worth the funds and the short wait time.

Most of all, I look forward to what else comes from Lindsey and her brand!