Image via Lulu West

There’s a long list of things I love about my writing gig over at The Lingerie Addict, but this week I’m adding discovering new brands to the list. I’d never heard of Lulu West before they contacted me for a review and now I’m a superfan! I run into lots of plus size brands that are cute but are just making bigger versions of stuff for plus size women, so I’m happy to see a brand being so thoughtful about their lingerie and swimwear. This brand is also great for women who are in that 12/14 size gap area. Check out the review here.

If you haven’t yet discovered Esty Lingerie now is the time! This small UK based boutiques carries a little bit of everything, from independent full bust bra designers to to completely decadent brands like Harlette. My favorite thing about Esty is that they stock lots of indie designers that I haven’t seen other places, like Arabel Lingerie and Salon Chaton. They’re going to be one of the few Tutti Rouge stockists as well, so check them out if you’re in the market for a Lilliana bra!

Check out my five favorite pieces out of the current Esty selection below:

1. Blueberry and Jam Shortcake Knickers by Salon Chaton

2. Marguerite Nautical Lemon Yellow Striped Eye Mask by Love Me Sugar

3. Sugarplum 6-Strap Suspender Belt by Arabel Lingerie

4. Parma Violet Knickers by Arabel Lingerie

5. Britannia Bra and Knickers Set by Louise Ferdinand

Since fashion and self-expression go hand in hand, I thought I’d talk about one of my favorite influences in popular culture: Georges Méliès and his brilliant early science fiction films. If you’re not familiar with Méliès, the new recolored version of “A Trip To The Moon” is a great place to start. The newest version also comes with an amazing soundtrack by Air. This film was made in 1902 and basically invented the science fiction film as we know it. If you haven’t seen it before, grab a cup of coffee and take a look at when you have 15 minutes free. For another interesting look at Méliès later in life check out the movie Hugo.

While Méliès was a pioneer in terms of film making and science fiction, “A Trip To the Moon” also stands up as an extremely fun and fashionable piece of history. I saw this newer recolored version recently and it really grabbed my imagination in terms of fashion and personal style. Steampunk stuff is really popular these days, but Méliès isn’t really steampunk the way we think of it despite the fact that he was heavily influenced by Jules Verne. I actually think there’s a lot of Méliès style stuff that is easily worked into every day life, so today I’ve put together a list of some of my favorites.

1. Summer Cloak by She and Reverie
I love the ethereal feel that She and Reverie has and this summer cloak is the perfect Méliès style look. It’s practically the female version of the cloaks that the astronomers use as blankets while they sleep. It’s also one of those pieces that works over everything, from dresses to jeans.

2. “In the Distance” Necklace at Modcloth
The only thing that makes this necklace better is that it’s actually a miniature working telescope! It’s a great way to add a nod to this kind of style without building a whole outfit around it.

3. Garter Shorts in fragonard blue by She and Reverie
Every Méliès film has a chorus of adorable girls dressed in stylish stuff. These lingerie/loungewear shorts are the perfect modern interpretation of their nautical style outfits.

4. Collected Works of Jules Verne at Modcloth
Jules Verne and Méliès go hand in hand – in fact, this film was directly inspired by Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon”. While I’m a huge fan of books in electronic form these days, I love this look of this collection of Verne’s work.

5. “Having A Blast Off” Necklace at Modcloth
While it won’t take you to the moon and back, it’s definitely a cute way to inject some early science fiction fun into your wardrobe.

If you live in the US and have been anywhere near the news media, you know it’s been a rough week for everyone. While all the stuff is ready to go for the Indie Garden Club, I feel like we’ve all had enough to process this week without adding extra on top of it. I’m going to go ahead and postpone it until Monday, so we can all try and take a breather and deal with our feelings related to the latest news cycle and try to start feeling a little safer.

On a personal note, on top of the national news scariness, there was an armed bank robbery in my very nice neighborhood yesterday. No one was hurt, but it’s still a scary thought. I had thought about going down to the building across the parking lot to deposit a check and I’m very glad that I didn’t. I think we could all use a few days to breathe and try and process. I’ll see you all back here Monday for the launch and to answer any questions you have about the program. In the meantime please stay safe, hug your loved ones and pets and try to not overdose on the scary news (I’ve so far failed at this last bit).

Image via Bare Necessities

We’re in that weird weather period here that happens slightly before spring every year – the temperature rises and then big storms roll through and cool things down again. In the past week, we’ve had everything from sunny 75 degree weather to giant hailstorms! All of this is to say, that while I’m ready for spring, I’m not packing up my practical winter clothing quite yet. This bra fits perfectly into pre-spring period, which is one of the reasons it caught my eye this week.

It can be hard to find bras that are both pretty and practical, but this Jennifer bra is a nice fusion of the two. The watercolor print is light and feels like spring, but the side support and full cup cut means that you’ll feel right at home in it when you want a smooth line underneath your sweaters as well.

This bra comes in 30 to 38 D through H cups, and 40D to 40FF. It can be found here at Bare Necessities and other big retailers, as well as at lots of independent lingerie shops.

I did not go to Curve NY this year. Instead, I worked at home and drank lots of coffee while basking in a total lack of email. It was glorious. Sadly, all these pictures are now making me wish that I had gone! Since I didn’t cover the new stuff, I thought I’d put together a quick “best of” roundup for those of you who want to see all of the previews. I personally need to get my hands on a Claudette Ouvert Satin set as soon as humanly possible. Some people are still working on designer articles, so I’ll update this post as more coverage comes out.

From Miss Underpinnings: 

• Curvy Kate tries a less cleavage happy approach for next season.
• Cleo is releasing a polka dot babydoll!
• Fantasie is grown up and gorgeous as usual.
• Sadly, I was the least impressed with the images from Freya.
• The Fauve “Bronte” Bra in Spice is flat out amazing.

From The Lingerie Lesbian:

• This is a great highlights post from Caro, who seems to be a new fan of Kitten Kouture. I’ve seen this new brand written up several places and it’s gorgeous. She also has a great shot of the one Freya bra that I really loved. 

From Sweet Nothings NYC:

• OMG CLAUDETTE I MUST OWN IT ALL. 
• A more in depth look at Kitten Kouture.
• When did the Panache Superbra get so pretty? I like this new style.
• A fascinating writeup of the Eveden fit event. I’d be terrified to show anyone my bra in case I had the slightest fit issue with it, so good for Sweets for being so brave!

Did I miss any great coverage of Curve NY? What are you most looking forward to next season?

Image via Bare Necessities

Hi all! This is a short blog post masquerading as a real blog post, as I’m finishing up a big work project and trying to get ahead of the copywriting curve today. In the meantime, my ten favorite full busted spring bras are up on The Lingerie Addict, so go check it out.

While you’re here, don’t forget to enter the Soak Wash giveaway! It closes in a few days.

Since I didn’t go to Curve NYC this week, I got to stay home and bask in a slow inbox while I worked. I also started my spring cleaning, which involves sorting through my clothes and finally tackling that basket of handwash only stuff that has been sitting around for a month. I suspect my overflowing handwash laundry hamper isn’t unique, so the Soak Wash team and I wanted to make it a little easier for you this week!

The newest Soak scent is Yuzu, which I was lucky enough to try out this week. Their website describes it as a light citrus scent combined with crushed eucalyptus  but to me it just smells delicious. If you have sensitive skin, Soak Wash products are amazing. They are also eco-friendly and phosphate free, which means you can basically bathe in the stuff if you love it that much. In confidence, I’ve been known to bathe Didy in it in a pinch when I’ve run out of dog shampoo (although he’s really embarrassed when he smells like Celebration for two days).

This contest is open to everyone, so go ahead and start entering! It will close on March 7th, when I’ll email a winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Image via Figleaves

I have a terrible confession to make: I am a wimp who has spent the last two weeks in her house covered by a blanket while wearing thermal leggings and whining about the cold. My complains finally felt justified when it snowed last week, which is completely out of character for Mississippi and felt a little like the Twilight Zone. Part of this leads to today’s pick of the week, which is the warm and summery Lottie bra in a new raspberry colorway. I was gifted several Curvy Kate bras last year for a big review on The Lingerie Addict, and the Lottie bra was by far my favorite. It’s one of the most comfortable bras out there and holds up forever. If you’re a fan of having your boobs under your chin this bra won’t be your thing, but it’s a nice natural look and works beautifully under t-shirts and sweaters.

I realized that I hadn’t taken the time to talk about the new Curvy Kate collection, so I thought I’d do that today. I’m really torn about some things in it, and I thought it was worth putting them out there.

Image via Curvy Kate

I’ll start with the good news: I think this collection by Curvy Kate is the strongest yet in terms of design. They have everything from classics with a twist to multiway bras in gorgeous fashion colors. I love so many of the new offerings, and I think Curvy Kate has finally settled on a unique and incredibly appealing aesthetic that works for a wide range of body types and ages.

Image via Curvy Kate

Image via Curvy Kate

This all looks great, until you see that most of these bras stop at an HH cup (or a J cup if you’re a 28/30 band). The Princess is actually an exception to this rule, and one that I’ll definitely be picking up to try out this season. That said, most of the line that goes above an HH cup looks like this:

Image via Curvy Kate

While everyone needs an awesome t-shirt bra, the designs do tend to look more run of the mill as the cup sizes go up. Now, I’m not trying to be down on Curvy Kate specifically. I love their bras, and they’ve been a leader in pushing the full bust market further into the future. But, as a customer and a blogger, I feel sad when I see one more picture of someone shoving themselves into a Showgirl line bra with the caption “just one or two more cup sizes, please?”. This isn’t helped by the fact that the whole Showgirl line runs small in the cup, so sizing is even more restricted than it appears on paper. Even worse, I think it can unintentionally discourage HH+ cup women from entering Star in a Bra, which is a great piece of marketing and a great way of showing non-models in Curvy Kate lingerie.

Curvy Kate has been a trailblazer in so many ways, and they’d be the perfect company if they could just expand their sizing a little bit! Changing things around so all the bras in their line worked up to a K cup would be icing on the very nicely decorated cake.

Normally when shopping for bras, I immediately go for the push-up section.  As someone who doesn’t have too much to work with and envies those with natural curves and fuller chests, I’m always looking for ways to enhance what I have.  Admittedly, besides my sports bras, I’d say about 98% of what I own has some amount of push-up padding in it. However, on my most recent trip to Bare Essentials, I was reminded that sometimes all you need is a good fitting bra to show off what you have. Normally, I avoid trying things on whenever possible, but on this day I pulled about fifteen different bras and tried every single one on. Ladies, finding the perfect bra is no joke, but it’s totally worth it when you start growing your collection of well-fitting garments, and feel confident in your shape.

Normally, I wear a 28D, but I’ve found with different brands that there are slight differences in the fit.  I tried a couple from b.tempt’d, they didn’t carry a 28D, so I tried both the 30C and the 30D.  The C cup was definitely too small, from the front it didn’t look too bad, but if you saw the side view there was some really awkward looking spillage.  Not a cute look. Luckily, all the ones I tried in the 30D fit perfectly.

This nude option, Celebration Push Up Bra (I know, I know, I couldn’t not try on a push-up…But read on, I eventually came around) I really loved, because of the wide band.  Even though finding a ton of support isn’t always my main concern, I still prefer the feeling of being all strapped in as opposed to a flimsier band with only one clasp in the back.  I also loved that it was firm enough without digging into my skin, instead I was left with a seamless line that wouldn’t be noticeable even under the tightest t-shirts.

The equally adorable and supportive band.

If you’re looking for something with a little less structure, the Ciao Bella Balconette Bra was really cute, and super comfortable.  It wouldn’t be my first pick for creating the ideal shape for my chest, but the soft cup design didn’t feel restricting at all.

Although I loved the Celebration Push-Up, I knew I had to branch outside my wonderfully padded comfort zone, and I ended up purchasing a Freya piece.  The company goes up to a K cup, but they cater beautifully to small busted women as well.  With the Deco Honey Iris Molded Plunge Bra, I loved that I still got full coverage, but the deep plunge neck line also worked well with low cut tops.   At first I thought the 28 band was bordering on being too tight, but the woman who worked at the boutique advised me to stick with it since Freya bands tend to stretch easier than others.  What I loved the most about this bra was that even though it wasn’t a push-up, it still lifted my chest up, but not necessarily pushing them together. Really, it did a better job of creating shape and lift than my older bras that were basically all padding. Overall the added perkiness looked natural and most importantly it felt comfortable, like everything was right where it was supposed to be.

And the winner is....Freya!

One of the biggest differences between a well-fitting bra and those that aren’t: The first full day I wore it, I wasn’t constantly adjusting, shifting, and moving things around.  After all, there’s a big difference between how a bra feels in the fitting room, and how it feels when you’re being active all day.  Although smaller busted women don’t always struggle with finding proper support, I’ve always had issues with the bra either fitting right in the cups but shifting around my body, or fitting firmly around my body but the cups were too small.  Finally starting to shop at the right places, and discovering brands that value a good fit instead of a good sale has been the most important change I’ve made in shopping.

After I got home, I tried it on under some different types of tops, and from t-shirts to bustiers, it seems to work with it all! I especially loved the result when paired with my previous Bare Essential purchase–I mean the fact that I could get this lift without a push-up? And I was comfortable? I was sold.

What’s your favorite confidence-boosting purchase? Have you struggled with any of the same issues as me? Comment away!