A few weeks ago, I shared a quick mirror selfie of a bralette I’d bought for £12 from ASOS and fallen in love with – not only because it was very pretty (which is true), but also because it was available in a DD+ sizes. And not just the standard DD-F sizes – oh no! I got myself a 30G, which is one of my usual sizes – I didn’t have to compromise! And on top of that, I’ve spotted they now go all the way up to a HH! I can’t vouch for how well these will actually work for a HH, but for my 30G…well, read on!
Then in addition to that, I’d popped into Primark to grab some tights and wandered into the lingerie section, as I always do, despite them never having any bras in my size. I find that they’re often very quick on new lingerie trend uptakes but at a much cheaper price point. I’m trying recently not to just wander into Primark and buy things at random – in fact, so far this year I’ve only bought 3 new items of clothing from anywhere (and one of those was a basic T shirt) – I’m trying to cut down on fast fashion from the high street. But when I spotted this maxi kimono robe hanging amongst the rails of lingerie, it looked twice the price, three times the price even, so I had to get it and just see how it would compare to other, more expensive robes.
While I much prefer to support independent designers and brands where I can, there is, of course, still a need for the high street. Coming into my late 20s, I’m only just able to begin to buy from indie brands whose price points are higher – for a good reason, I don’t begrudge it! But high street lingerie will always have its place – for people who can’t or don’t want to spend more on their lingerie (because they’re prioritising other things or simply just don’t care all that much about it). And it’s just as important to review these pieces too – in fact, potentially more so! There are generally more in depth reviews of indie brands than high street ones. In addition, high street brands are the ones who are able to bring a larger sizing range to the market as they have larger budgets and capabilities.
I could make a whole post – a whole series of posts! – out of this discussion, so I’ll stop there for now and get on with the review.
ASOS Rita Fuller Bust Triangle Bra
The first thing to say is that, for a fuller bust bra, the ASOS Rita is surprisingly delicate. It can’t be helped that bras over a certain size start to look like armour in order to provide adequate coverage, support and lift. But the Rita bralette manages to overcome this and still has that pretty bralette look but still has plenty of coverage and even a little bit of support for me!
The bralette is totally wireless and padding-free. It’s a very simple triangle bralette on a wide elastic band, meaning that it looks no different from the smaller bralettes you see all over the high street at the moment that just won’t fit a small band, bigger cup combination well.
The triangle cups are lined with a sheer mesh-type fabric underneath the scalloped lace that tops it. This, I think, is one of the big features that elevates this bralette from pretty lacey coverage to an actually wearable bra for fuller busts, as it provides that smidgen more support for larger cup sizes.
The cups themselves have excellent coverage in my 30G size. Generally I find that in triangle bralettes with no wires, I get spillage in the centre. I think it’s because the cups have less “discipline” – if that makes sense! As in, the wires aren’t holding them in place, nor is a structured band. My breast tissue is pretty heavy, so I think throughout the day, in most bralettes, they push more delicate fabrics with no wires aside in a bid to escape. In the ASOS Rita, however, I’ve found that the cups have stayed in place all day and even have a little bit of cleavage with the uplift – boom!
But I’ve got to be honest, while I love this bralette and it works really well for me, it’s not perfect – what bralette for a DD+ cup size is?! It’s definitely the closest I’ve had to a good fit in a triangle bralette thanks to the separate band and cup sizing (30G as opposed to medium, for example). The main complaint I have though is that the band is too big, which is a shame considering that they’re offering this in smaller band sizes. I’d imagine it’s due to the band being a simple piece of elastic, meaning it’s difficult to get a firm fit without it overstretching the elastic so it digs in. Again, I completely understand this – it’s a compromise between looks and comfort here. But like I said, it’s much closer than any other triangle style bralette I’ve previously tried! It does have a normal bra fastening at the back which definitely helps as it can be adjusted – I wear it on the tightest of the 3 sets of 2 rows of hooks, so ideally I could do with more hooks or a smaller band, as it is riding up my back slightly.
Nevertheless, the bralette is really comfortable, has brilliant coverage, pretty adequate support and means I can wear the bralette trend in the same way that smaller cup sizes would be able to. It’s a HUGE win for me – my favourite and best fitting bralette so far, and only £12!
Plus they have it in about a million colour options as well as normal bra shapes – shop it below!
Primark Maxi Kimono Robe
As I said, I bought this on a total whim. I’m a massive sucker for anything robe because they’re super easy to wear any time, they look great on everyone, and they’re comfortable for lounging around the house. When I spotted this one in Primark for less than £20, when most robes cost over £200, I had to give it a go.
That’s not to say I don’t think that the £200+ versions of robes like this aren’t worth it. There’s clearly a huge difference in terms of fabric, construction and wearability between a Primark robe and a silk robe. BUT. As I said, for those that aren’t able to afford the expensive robes or don’t want to spend their money there, this is a pretty adequate replacement for lounging around the house.
The fabric is a cheap silk-feel polyester. Of course, it can’t be compared to real silk or proper satin, as it’s very static-y and clings to the body strangely at times. The design on the fabric though is beautiful, and from afar, it looks more like the real deal – it’s up close that you can tell it’s cheaper.
That being said, I really like wearing this. I often worry that my more expensive pieces of lingerie will get damaged with wear, so this is ideal for the times when I’m cooking or eating (and that’s most of the time when I’m at home!) and want a cover up. I feel like it also makes a great additional piece for photographing lingerie sets, whether that’s draped across me, like in the bralette photos above, or as a background piece of fabric.
And, annnoyingly for me, excellent for you, if you want to buy it, it’s been reduced now! I can’t tell you how much it was before or after, because I’ve forgotten (sorry!), but I think it was £18 and is now £12 – at least, in my local Primark. And for a cheap, lounging around the house but still feeling like a swishy goddess, that’s a pretty awesome price, I’d say.
PS: The knickers are random old white lace ones that I wasn’t expecting to get in the photos – whoops! Let’s just call this an “everyday” lingerie look ;D
