Picking out a set from the Playful Promises site was a difficult task. There are so many fun and gorgeous options on there. As soon as I saw this set, I thought of Sian (HELLO Bond Girl lingerie!)—you have that to look forward to later this month as well. For myself, I went for the gorgeous Lucy Black Lace Longline Bra. What I love about the sets available from this site is the diversity in shapes, styles and looks. A lot of them have a vintage / retro feel—you might not have noticed, we kind of like that around here 😉 I already have my eye on at least two more sneaky sets that are now high up on my Valentine’s lingerie wishlist (hint: they have a ‘Tallulah love‘ range. And I LOVE Tallulah.)
Appearance and Shape
I’m already a big fan of the longline look, and this is officially the first one I have owned! I don’t know how well you can see the detail of the lace on the photographs, we had a bit of a lighting / colour / skin issue. At first, the whole shoot was coming out a bit vampiric (not intended). The combination of the black lace and my very pale skin and Sian’s snazzy new photography lights meant that I was looking glaringly white and the lingerie just looked solid black! In real life, the lace has a beautiful delicate pattern to it, which makes the whole thing look a little more sweet than just outright sexy.
The shape of the cups are quite shallow. Usually, in a soft cup, I either have trouble with a big of gaping or size down in the cups. In this set though, I don’t seem to have that problem (although I am in a sister size of 32C; I usually wear a 30D). Although the band could be a little tighter, it’s a good enough fit for me—I’d rather have this one slightly big than not have it at all! Although there isn’t a huge amount of support in this style, it does do the job, and I’ve tended to wear it quite successfully under slightly sheer tops, as a sort of bandeau replacement, which looks lovely. For me, the bra doesn’t provide any uplift at all (not very surprising, given that it is a soft cup, and I tend to the shallow end of the breast spectrum). I do think it is a lovely, subtly sexy set though, which is also really comfortable.
Sizing, Fit and Comfort
On first wearing, this set is beautifully comfortable. I have very sensitive skin, and lace lingerie can sometimes irritate my skin, but worries on that count with this set. Probably because I’ve had to size up in the band (doesn’t come any smaller than a 32), the longline fits really comfortable around my ribcage, with no digging or pinching. I do know that, in the past, Sian has had longlines which turn over at the bottom when you’re sitting down, so I was on the lookout for that issue here. Good news: no such problem! In fact, overall, this set is so comfortable that I’ve been wearing it under my loungewear in place of my usual bamboo workout tops. Certainly a step up in the everyday-sexy for me!
The one major downside I’ve experienced with this is the boning which sits just behind the arms, down the longline. I don’t know whether there just isn’t enough padding over the boning, but after a few hours of wearing it does become very sore. For this reason, it’s not a set that I can wear out for a full day—it just becomes too sore, rubbing there. The wires are much more narrow than on other bras I own. I held it against my Curvy Kate Smoothie Prowl (reviewed here) to compare (because I had an inkling they were narrower) and there was a good over an inch of difference! It didn’t make the fit uncomfortable, though. But probably good to note if you have that particular breast shape.
But, on the plus side, the briefs that accompany the longline are probably the best briefs I have ever been sent. They fit beautifully, and I love the thickness of the lace that goes over the hip—not too thin, not too thick. Super comfortable!
Finally, on the fit front, I’d say the sizing is fairly true to size, given that I had to order a 32C. If you’re worried about ribcage fit in a longline, I’d say this is a pretty good option, given that the lace is very stretchy.
And, as the devil is in the details, the band features three sets of hooks, and the straps are fully adjustable.
You can find the Lucy Black Lace Longline Bra from Playful Promise.com at £25, and the briefs at £15.
And you can find some more of our favourite black lace longline loves below!
