World Premiere Review: Sculptresse “Bellise”

The Bellise is available in the following sizes: 36 F-J, 38 E-J, 40 DD-J, 42 D-J, 44-46 D-HH and matching panties up to a US size 22 ish (6XL

 

Aren’t these the cutest tags ever?!

I am SO excited to be doing this review! To be honest, I have about 7 other bras to review that I’ve had for a few weeks and I am holding off on them because I am just so excited for the new Sculptresse line 🙂 Also, I’m the first to actually do a review of this bra (Holly did a quick overview on the TLA) and I was tickled pink to be the first user to add measurements for a Sculptresse bra < /nerd moment>

To be honest, these bras are HARD TO FIND. I actually hunted down a 40J on eBay and paid about $56.00 for it from the UK. I debated on ordering matching panties right away because they look a little short for my tastes, and I wanted to make sure I loved the bra.

**Disclaimer: When I received this bra, the red bow on the center gore had “fallen off” and was in the packaging for the bra. I placed it on top of the gore for photo purposes. I plan on either (a) selling this bra, or (b) sending it back to the eBay seller I bought it from…**

And now for my pictures:

Not swooped and scooped; cups lay flat and shape is fairly nice

Swooped and scooped and strange things happen with the cups

A bird’s eye view; the cups are not deep enough next to the center gore and I get this sad, sad shape. I need to size up in the cups.

BUT, if I pull the cup up towards the strap, reducing the slack in the material, the shape is better. Hmmm….

The review! 🙂

Features: Fully adjustable, half padded straps, padded set of 3 hooks and eyes (3 rows), bow on center gore, eyelash lace at top of the cup, red contrast hardware, 3 part seamed cups, awesome materials

 

It can be hard to see, but the materials that the band was made of were so LUXE. Soft, thick and comfortable. The band did not flip at all.

 

Fit: As discussed in the captions of some of the photos, I think that I would have to either size up or alter this bra to make it work for me. The cups are fairly shallow next to the center gore, so I get a weird v-shape, even thought there is still slack in the cups. When I pulled the material up towards the strap, I had no double boob and no more weird v-shape. The band was delightfully snug and comfy in a 40; comparable to the band on the Andorra. The band was also quite deep (6″!!!) which I found to be very comfortable and I was very happy with it.  The center gore was the PERFECT height for me, and it laid flush against my sternum.

Wire Height and Width: The wires were a really great height for me (I’m 5’4″); and the width was really great for my boobs. I have a lot of migrated tissue and the wires were perfect for keeping things in place. The wires on this were taller on the side than the Andorra but were not as wide.

Support and Shape: The support was what I have come to expect of Panache bras, which is always fantastic. The shape was a little east and west which has a lot to do with the fact that this is a 3-part cup construction without a side sling. To be honest, I was surprised that for their full figure line, they did not include side slings to project breast tissue forward. When I put this on, my husband said “It makes your boobs look small!” So, there’s that as well. As you can see in the non-swoop and scoop photo, the shape is fairly similar to the shape that you might get in the Andorra, and other Panache non-padded bras.

Look and Feel: This bra is gorgeous and it is really made with fantastic materials. Admittedly, I’m a little disappointed by how much bra there is. It’s considered a “balconnet” bra, which I’m learning in Panache speak means “FULL CUP BRA”. I loved how comfortable the band was. It is a slightly banded bra (meaning there is some band underneath the wires), but it did not irritate my tummy. The arch in the center is perfect for high tummy’d ladies like myself.

This bra’s measurements: 

• Unstretched band: 33″
• Stretched band: 39″
• Cup Width: 8″
• Cup depth: 15.5″
• Wire length: 17.5″
• Wing height: 6″
• Center gore height:  4.5″
• Center gore width: 1″

Pros: Wide, lower wires, full cup, comfortable materials, fully adjustable and half padded straps, design aesthetic, nice gore height, the very deep band which felt supportive and comfortable

Cons: Shallow near center gore, center gore is wider than other Panache bras which usually are about 3/4″ wide, where this was 1″ wide

Final thoughts: For my first experience with Sculptresse, I am quite pleased. I do hope that Panache continues to expand this range (in style and sizes), and I look forward to trying more.

Grade: A

 

**Notes: Unfortunately, this is the only bra from Sculptresse I’ll be able to try without going extensively into sister sizing as this is the only style that goes up to a J cup in any of the band sizes. I have a 42J and matching panties on order to see if the crazy cup shape goes away in the next cup size up.

 

-Nicole