Up first for Big Cup reviewing is the Curvy Kate Starlet in Petrol*. When we decided to start out on the blog, as you’ve probably realised, it was my campaign to get Charley into a bra that I thought fitted her properly, as opposed to her ill fitting 32Bs and 34As. So my first step was to get her into one of 28 bands to prove that she is smaller around the band than she thinks. This was only the starting point though, I also needed to work on her ‘letterphobia’ of the “no way am I any bigger than a B?!” response.
So Curvy Kate very kindly offered to send us a bra each to get us going on the new blog – one for me from the new Autumn Winter 2013 collection and one for Charley from the same collection in my estimated size of hers. Charley’s review is still to come, and we’re still working on the sizing for that one, but I decided to go for the enviable Starlet moulded cup in Petrol in my go to size, 28G.
Appearance
The set as a whole, including the high waisted briefs (in a size 10) is gorgeous. I know I need to work on the indoor winter evening lighting to capture the colours of this better, but it has an appearance that can only be described as ‘mermaid-like’: a shimmering turquoise moulded cup with purple bows and interior. They’re two colours I wouldn’t have thought to put together, but then again, that’s the colour of Ariel’s bikini and tail (hence why I get the mermaid vibe apparently!). The material of both the bra and briefs is soft and satiny.
Shape
As I said before, the bra is a moulded cup but not ‘padded’ (as in, nothing to give any push up). My other two Curvy Kate bras (Princess and Lottie) are both soft cups, so I wanted to give a Curvy Kate moulded a go. I went for this one because of the plunge aspect and the fact that it reminded me of favourite bra, the Freya Deco. While it is similar, it does differ too. It gives that lovely rounded shape under clothes, but isn’t as high in the cup. I feel like it gives a slightly flatter shape though and less cleavage towards the middle than the Deco.
Sizing, fit and comfort
I went for the 28G in this bra. My Curvy Kate Princess is a 30F and is a little big in the band, a little small in the cup; my Curvy Kate Lottie is a 28FF and fits well in the band and cup, but I’ve been tending more towards a 28G recently.
The band is actually a bit big in this – it’s very stretchy and I’ve already started wearing it on the tightest hooks occasionally. I can wear it on the loosest, but I generally prefer a firmer band. The cups are also just a touch too small. It’s nothing particularly noticeable, and you can’t really tell in these pictures, but after a few hours of wear I tend to get a bit of spillage over the top. This might actually be due to the band being a bit too big and it sliding down during the day, and I’m trying not to overcompensate by tightening the straps. It’s definitely not small enough that I’d not wear it, in fact it’s one of my go-tos now, particularly for comfort on days when I have sore ribs.
It has 3 sets of hooks which make it ultra comfortable for the bigger sizes too 🙂
The wires don’t come up too high at the sides or in the centre too, meaning no digging, and it tacks perfectly to my breastbone.
So the Curvy Kate Starlet overall? It’s available in sizes 28-30 D-J, 32 D-HH, 34 D-H, 36D-GG and 38 D-G, so an amazing size range, as always with Curvy Kate. And even better, there is a Tigerlilly (pink and orange) version available next year for Spring Summer 2014 which I kind of want already.
PS: This is the only time I will say this, and apparently it’s barely even noticeable any more but I feel it’s something I want to point out – the scarring on my stomach is from my gallbladder removal in December 2012. I had infection in these afterwards which left the scarring more obvious than it should have been. But none of the images on Big Cup Little Cup will be photoshopped to correct blemishes, sizing etc. The only editing will be lighting, cropping and colour (for example, these photos because they indoor evening light was awful!).
Thank you so much for this review, I have recently re-sized myself as a 28GG (based on debenhams sizes) which unfortunately, they don’t make (they go to a 28G but the cup is a bit small, so I’m estimating the GG would fit) but I find that the wire is too high at the sides of the cups and digs in a lot. I’m glad I discovered this blog and I’ll keep an eye out for any other bras you suggest too.
Hi Kayleigh!
Thanks so much for your comment 🙂 I’m really glad you’re enjoying the blog and finding it helpful! I’ve got plenty of bras in 28G/30FF/30Fs to review very soon, so I hope that might be of use to you 🙂 For now for 28GGs, I would recommend checking out Curvy Kate, Freya (Decos in particular!) and Polish brands such as Avocado and Ewa Michalak.
Hoping to see you around here in future!
Sian xx
Hi Sian
I have ordered a tutti rouge bra from large cup lingerie (which I found through your blog) which will hopefully arrive in the next few days. I ordered the 28 G as reviews said the cups came up a little large, fingers crossed! Xx
Thank you so much for putting in the effort to review lingerie on your blog. As a fellow 28GG/30FF-er, except living in Australia (where it is increasingly difficult to find anything wearable and supportive), I really appreciate not only your honesty, but the images.
I love also that you’ve got images of what the item looks like on that are not altered. I can see that your body shape is a lot like mine, which means I am slightly more confident in purchasing this bra online without trying it on.
Hi Ellebelle,
Thanks for taking the time to comment! We’re so glad you’re enjoying the blog and finding it helpful 🙂 It must be so difficult trying to get hold of items in your size in Australia and seeing how they fit, so I’ll try to keep the reviews coming for you.
Sian xx