Remember a few weeks ago when I said that I thought velvet would be one of the big trends for 2018 in lingerie? Well, I couldn’t very well make that statement then not show you some velvet underwear, could I?! Up until now, I’ve loved the velvet lingerie trend from afar. I’ve gasped over its elegance and sophistication, and lovingly stroked sets I’ve spotted in sizes that unfortunately won’t fit me in high street stores. But I’ve finally got my hands on a set that incorporates velvet without being all velvet: the Figleaves Velvet Kiss bra and thong in a 30G and size 12.
We were offered some sets to review from Figleaves in the run up to Valentine’s Day (stay tuned for more on this – their V Day sale launches very soon!), and having never featured a Figleaves own brand garment on the blog before, I thought this would be a brilliant way to kick them off.
The Figleaves Velvet Kiss bra is currently available at Figleaves in sizes 30-38 B-G for £34, but it will be £23.80 with 30% off for Valentine’s Day starting on the 5th February. The Velvet Kiss thong is available in sizes 8-18 for £10, but will be £7 with 30% off for Valentine’s too. The set is also available in burgundy too!
Shape & Appearance
I picked the Velvet Kiss bra and thong set from the Valentine’s listings not only for its hint of velvet, but because of the super sultry sheer tulle. While I’m not a big advocate of specifically dressing yourself up for a partner for a specific day of the year, I am an advocate of beautiful lingerie every day, whether for yourself or for someone else, and this ticks all the boxes for me.
The bra is a non-lined underwired soft cup split into 4 parts. The lower section of the cup is split with 3 vertical seams, then there’s the horizontal upper section. Normally a bra with more cup parts tends to provide more lift and definition in shape, but due to the delicate nature of the sheer mesh, the shape for me is more natural.
The massive highlight of this bra in appearance though is the strips of velvet covering each seam in on the cup – the contrast between this and the mesh gives it a really sumptuous feel; luxury at a lower price point at only £34 for the bra which is pretty awesome considering the size range goes up to a G cup (and especially as it’s down to just £23.80 for Valentines!).
The rest of the bra is just as gorgeous, with the large bow at the gore also constructed out of velvet and the frame surrounding the cups also covered in velvet. The band is the usual powernet to provide more structure than a full velvet band would give. I really like the minimalism of this bra too – there aren’t any additional frills or lacey parts to distract from the clean, simple lines. Sometimes I like frills; other times I like simplicity, and this bra appeals hugely to the latter.
The straps are half-adjustable at the back and the bra fastens with 3 sets of 2 hooks and eyes. It’s a fairly narrow band for a fuller busted bra, but I don’t feel that it compromises the support for me in this one.
I did worry about the wearing this bra under clothes as I was concerned the velvet might stick to the clothing or show through noticeably. I know some people might just pick this bra for Valentine’s Day as a boudoir bra, but I like to wear lingerie of any kind as day-to-day lingerie too, so it was important to me to try it out under clothing. I wore a fitted jersey T shirt with this to work one day, and while it didn’t disappear completely like a moulded cup would, it wasn’t too bad. There were noticeable lines on my T shirt, but I think under a thicker fabric, it would be absolutely fine. It didn’t catch the fabric and cause it to “stick” too much either.
The thong has matching velvet and mesh panels to the bra, with a deep V of mesh in the front enclosed in a V of velvet, topped with another velvet bow. It’s clear that a good bit of thought has been put into the thong – often matching sets go for the quickest and easiest option, but the design of with the plunging V doesn’t feel like it is the easiest option, always nice to see!
Size, fit & comfort
I chose the 30G in the Velvet Kiss bra. Normally I wear a 28GG or 30G depending on what’s available from the brand, and this was the smallest band size in this bra.
The band is a little on the large side – not so much that it’s uncomfortable or an issue, but enough that I can wear it on the tightest hooks immediately. I’ll probably alternate between tighter hooks and looser hooks depending on the day I wear it – I sometimes find a tighter bra more comfortable on some days, I’m weird!
The cups are a pretty good fit, although the sheerness of the mesh does allow you to see that there’s a slight shape mismatch at the centre gore where my tissue doesn’t quite match up to the gore. This is most likely as I’m between an even and full on top shape and this bra expects a more full on bottom shape. Nevertheless, it doesn’t compromise the comfort in any way. The top of the cup fits well, flush against my skin with no digging or gaping.
The only issue I have with the fit of the bra is that occasionally (as you can possibly see in the photos) the velvet on the cup seams wrinkles a little. I think this is due to the velvet being heavier than the mesh so it pulls it down a little, but fortunately it only affects the look of it at some angles and not how well it fits me.
The matching thong is a size 12 and is a really good fit on me. I’ve been wavering between size 10 and 12 recently in briefs, but decided I’m probably best going for a size 12 in general, and this has confirmed it! While I much prefer to wear bikini style briefs or boyshorts over thongs on a daily basis, I found this thong really comfortable. It has plenty of stretch in the mesh fabric and is well fitted to my body. No complaints about it at all!
Overall, I’m really impressed with this set, particularly for the price! It looks and feels far more expensive to me, it’s on trend and super sexy for Valentine’s, if that’s your thing.
