My Curves & Me is an online store, stocking many lingerie and swimwear sets at discounted prices. Owned by Panache, it is one of the best places to find Superbra, Cleo, Masquerade and Sculptresse bras. While they do stock some current sets, most of their stock is from older seasons, which means it’s a great place to grab a bargain on any of the bras you might have missed out on. Recently, a representative from My Curves & Me reached out to offer me a set to review. I’ve loved the look of the Cleo Ellis from AW13 for a long time, so when I saw it in stock, I gladly accepted!
I have reviewed various Cleo bras on my blog in a 30J (see here and here), but with a current usual size of 30K, I have found this size is now too small in the cups for me. Hearing that the Cleo Ellis was firmer in the band than most Cleo bras, I opted to try the 32J with size 14 briefs. I was pleased to find that the Ellis was even more beautiful in person than it had looked in pictures – the floral fabric is sweet and delicate, with the pink embroidered mesh adding a fresh burst of colour. I don’t really own any floral bras (which is actually quite surprising, all things considered!), so this was an absolutely stunning addition to my wardrobe.
Size-wise, I was pleased to find that the band ran much firmer than any of my other Cleo bras – most of my 30Js stretched to about 31-31.5 inches new, and I found the 32J Ellis to be similarly sized, stretching to slightly under 31.5 inches. This is still slightly too big for me, but it does mean this is one of the few Cleo bras which is actually firm/true-to-size in the larger cups. Compared to bras such as the Marcie, Alexa or Meg, I would say the 32J Ellis fits like a 30JJ in most other Cleo bras. I find the briefs to be just as beautiful as the bra, and the size 14 to be perfect on my 42-43 inch hips. The back is made with the same stretchy pink mesh as the band, and the briefs were very comfortable, with no itchiness from the embroidered mesh panels.
As with all Cleo bras, it fastens with two sets of hooks and eyes, so the band is quite thin. I did notice that the elastic was firmer than the band mesh – ideally, the mesh would be about as firm as the band elastic, creating a uniform look without any digging in or bulging. I don’t find the resultant bulging to be the biggest problem in the world, though it does mean I prefer to wear it with slightly less form-fitting tops. The fully-adjustable straps are quite wide-set, which can result in slight arm/shoulder irritation, especially for those with narrow shoulders.
I believe the cups ran roughly the same as most Panache bras (so somewhat generous compared to other brands). The wires are wonderfully narrow with a thin (but tall) gore, and I would describe the cups as average to deep. The floral section of the cups/band is a firm laminate material, and the upper cup is a stiff embroidered mesh, so this bra is quite firm and supportive all over. I believe the cups were slightly too shallow at the bottom for me, resulting in slight wrinkling/empty space at the bottom of the cups. I didn’t think this affected the support of the bra, though it may mean the bra would be better suited to someone with slightly less lower fullness than me. As with most Cleo bras, this would probably be best suited to even to full-on-top shapes.
One thing I found odd about this bra was the upper cup. I found that the lower half of the mesh was firm and curved with my breast tissue, but above that the mesh was looser and more open. This means that my breast tissue follows the lower half, then creates a small quadboob-ish bump as the cup opens (as can be seen in the side and angled pictures. However, as the mesh is so loose in the upper half, it then creates slight gapping. The slight in-cup quadboob would suggest the cup isn’t quite big enough, however I fear the sudden openess would make the gapping even worse in a larger cup. I imagine it could be fixed with a larger cup and a small dart in the upper section of the mesh, though I’ve found that this isn’t really noticeable under shirts at all. This issue aside, I find the profile beautifully round and uplifted (as I’ve come to expect from Cleo), and overall, I am very pleased to own a decently fitting Cleo bra again!
The Cleo Ellis is available in 28-38 D-J, with the matching brief/thong available in sizes 8-18. Limited sizes can currently be found at My Curves & Me, though the set can be found at various other retailers if your size is not available.
Item provided for review by My Curves & Me. Though this set was received free of charge, this is not a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own.
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