Avocado are a luxury Polish brand, with a range of designs oozing elegance and sophistication. Their sizing is slightly different from the UK’s, featuring 4cm jumps between cup sizes and bands that are firmer than average, so when they offered to send me something to review, it took a while to figure out what size would be best for me. At the time, my measurements were roughly 75cm snug underbust, 109cm standing bust, and 116cm leaning bust. Following the size guide, I first tried a 70K (the size suggested for a 110cm bust), which I later swapped for 70L (suggested for a 114cm bust).
This is the Avocado Nina in Red in a size 70L, matched here with my Curvy Kate Tease Me thong in Cherry/Blush. Avocado have a few basic cuts which they base all of their designs on, which Miss Underpinnings has written about here. This bra is cut K.
The Nina is stylistically gorgeous, featuring sheer cups and sleek ribbon accents, all in a rich cherry red. The twisted ribbon on the gore is minimal yet interesting, providing a welcome alternative to the usual bow appliqué, and the sheer cups are subtly sexy. It features very supportive three-part cups, perfectly narrow wires, and deep rounded cups, giving lots of lift with a subtly defined apex. I would say the sides are average height for this size range – as with most bras I own, I do find they can rub under my arms throughout the day. The gore is quite narrow, and fairly low for a balconette, though the ribbon decoration on the gore seems to make it feel slightly wider.
The Nina features fully adjustable straps and three hook band, and unlike most full-bust bras, the bra seems to feature a square back rather than a U-shape. Unfortunately, I find the 70L to be slightly too small in the cups and about one size big in the band, resulting in the gore floating slightly. The small cups can also mean that my breasts push the cups away, resulting in the wires pulling forwards and sitting on my breast tissue until readjusting, but I think if the cups were slightly deeper, the wire width would be spot on for me. I would estimate that the 70L fits approximately like a 32J in UK sizing. On both of the styles I tried, the wires themselves seem quite thin but firm, so while they don’t seem to distort much with stretching, they can dig somewhat on me when I slouch.
Just to show how much the gore floats and how the bra fits with the gore pressed flat. I already have minor overspill towards the centre before pushing it flat, but I think it’s much clearer that I could use a bigger cup in the picture on the left. I do find this bra wearable despite the slight fit issues, and I have kept it in my wardrobe for smaller days. Sadly, 70L is the largest cup available in this band size, but I would estimate that on most days, the best size for me would likely be either 70M or 65N if they were available.
Just as a comparison, this is the 70K I tried. This is visibly too small in the cups even before pressing the gore flat, but in this size I found the band fit perfectly on the loosest hooks – for some reason the 70K stretched to about 30 inches, compared to the 70L’s 31.8.
The second bra I tried was the Caprice in Caramel, shown here in the 70L. This bra is cut A.
Once again, this bra is an absolutely beautiful version of a basic – the all-over rich caramel colour makes it possible to wear as a nude bra for light skintones, while the pinstripes, lace details and embroidery keep it feeling very much a luxury piece.
The wires are slightly wider than the Nina’s (though still narrower than most UK bras), with slightly shallower cups. In this size, the gore is narrower and shorter than the Nina’s, almost like a plunge, which is great for my close-set breasts. The cups are definitely higher cut than the Nina’s, giving more of a full coverage look. Despite the wings being quite average height, the taller cups and straight-cut underarms mean this can be more prone to rubbing under my arms, and I can struggle to tighten the straps enough. As such, this bra may not be a good choice for those with short roots or torsos.
It again has very supportive three-part cups, though I believe the horizontal seam joins the side lower down than it does in the Nina, which, combined with the taller cups, results in a slightly different shape. I think the difference in shape is best shown in the angled pictures – the Caprice has a shallower, naturally rounded shape with less lift and less of a defined apex. As with the Nina, the Caprice features a square three-hook band, though I believe the straps are only half-adjustable. The front half of the straps are covered with the striped mesh of the cups, which may make it difficult to adjust the straps further, though I think it would be possible if necessary.
Though I prefer the cut and appearance of the Nina, in terms of technical fit, I believe the Caprice is closer to fitting me – while I still have slight overspill towards the centre and the gore is still floating, it does sit slightly closer to my chest, and I haven’t had any issues with the wires pulling forwards onto my breast tissue. I occasionally find that the cups start wrinkling towards the bottom, requiring a bit of readjustment throughout the day. I am not sure if this is due to the materials, a shape issue, or perhaps due to me not quite being able to comfortably tighten the straps enough. As with the Nina, I would say this fits approximately like a 32J/JJ in UK sizing.
Again for comparison, the 70K Caprice. This size was noticeably small in the cups, and again I found the band to run slightly smaller in this size, stretching to 31.1 inches compared to the 70L’s 31.8. I found the cup and side height much better for me in this size, though obviously the cups were much too small for it to be wearable.
Overall I found both of these bras to be very high quality, with some gorgeous design details which really make them feel luxurious. It is unfortunate that the sizing isn’t quite right for me, but I am still hopeful to find a better fit in the future. I would hesitantly say that the size guide seems fairly accurate, though there seem to be some issues with consistency between sizes. For now, I am keeping the Nina in my wardrobe for the days when polka dots and bows just aren’t cutting it, and the Caprice is currently my bra of choice to wear under light-coloured clothes. For those wearing 28-36 bands and up to J/JJ cups, Avocado could be a great brand to keep in mind if you’re looking for something a bit more special, though I would definitely recommend doing your research about the sizing before you order.
Avocado stocks sizes 60 D-L, 65-80 C-L, 85 C-H, 90 C-G, and 95 C-F (EU sizing), with bras starting from around 45€. Items provided for review by Avocado. Though these bras were received free of charge, this is not a sponsored post, and all opinions are my own.
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