Disappointing Beauty - Cleo Piper Review in 28H

I feel like The Rock adequately sums up my feelings about this bra.

I've waited for this bra for 9 months. That's how long it takes for a human to be made. From its first preview in Bras and Body Image's Cleo AW16 Preview post, my eye was caught. I must have this bra, I thought to myself. 9 months later and sadly, it was not to be.



An admirable effort on Cleo's part - an unpadded longline up to a J cup? Brilliant, sign me up! Sadly it only goes up to an H cup in 28 bands but it's more than most longlines which tend to top out at G. I bought this from Bravissimo at a price of £30, though it is stocked in tons of places.

Design:

I usually think bows on bras are kind of overdone, but the colour makes this one stand out.

I love how this bra looks. The cobalt blue will always be a favourite of mine, and I love the lime green accents.

Sorry for the soft focus on this one! My phone (yes I take these pics with my phone) wasn't cooperating that day...

I adore the lace too...

 ...I just wish it continued onto the back of the bra.

The subtle polka dots on the upper half of the cup are an interesting feature, and I think they really tie the whole bra together.

Construction:

The bra is a four part full cup, with boning extending down the length of the wings and extra seams (not boned) at the bottom center of the cups.

It has fully adjustable straps and 6 columns by 3 rows of hooks. Now that the technicalities are out of the way, I have a couple of issues with the construction in general.

Whoever decided that so many bras should have circular rings on straps should really reconsider their line of work. I'm serious - I get the ring is stronger but it just pulls on the fabric unevenly, stressing the more easily damaged part of the bra!

The way the strap attachment is constructed isn't the prettiest thing in the world - not to mention the weird bunching on the circular ring that comes with the design. The back of it does feel a little uncomfortable when wearing the bra.

I dislike the padded straps that come with GG+ cups. It's sewn in a kind of ugly way, the straps are inflexible (not just not stretchy but they won't bend easily) and the felty stuff not that soft.

The straps are also incredibly short  - I have them loosened almost all the way to wear this bra, when I tighten my EMs about a third of the way - a company with famously short straps. This is a no go for people with low set breasts or long torsos.

I do like that the tagline is in the lime green accent colour too, but look at that construction!

The actual longline bit is weirdly constructed also - the bottom of the band is quite a bit longer than the top. While this will suit those with ribcages shaped like /\, my ribcage is more tubular, a | | shape, and it feels very unstable at the bottom for me.

Fit:

:(. While it may look passable from the front, this bra is just incredibly short and overall small in volume for the size. In the GG I was bursting out everywhere so it was an instant return job, but while the H has about enough depth at the apex for me, it's still cutting into the top of my boobs - and I have functionally average upper fullness.

My  nipples (expertly hidden by bandaids) sit quite a way above the center seam, showing that this bra is short in all aspects instead of just being closed on top. The wires are narrow for the labelled size and more average if you go by the people most likely to be able to wear it - those who need about a 28G/GG.

The bra has very good depth at the wire, but sadly it has very little room for center fullness.

The gore doesn't tack properly. You can't really see it in this pic (I have a saying that the camera hides 10 fit issues*), but I promise it doesn't.

*on that note the quadding really is quite a bit worse in real life and is unwearable under clothes

The band is quite loose at the top and very loose at the bottom for me, even on the tightest hooks. Its instability is due to its overall largeness, and increased width on the bottomand, so it shifts around easily (rubs a bit too). It flips up with little effort.

Bratabase Measurements:

I measured the band length at the bottom of the cups as it varied so much. Expect the band to be quite a bit looser at the bottom.

Overall:

Sadly, this is the largest cup in a 28 band that this bra goes to. I'd say that it fits like a projected, short G (maybe a large G/small GG), which means its increased cup size range is basically cancelled out. I would suggest it for someone who usually fits in a 28G, is very projected, has short roots and is outer full, and ideally has a ribcage that tapers outwards at the bottom (or has a waist larger than their underbust), as well as high or average set breasts - people with low set breasts may struggle with the strap length.

Blog Update: 

I have changed my rules on editing photos based on me coming up with a new way to hide my identity but still be expressive. As always, my body/the bras are entirely non-edited but any celebrities' faces have - obviously - been added on (and it's a transformative work so you can't call copyright on me).