LC Review: Parfait by Affinitas Charlotte bra 30D

My first introduction to this bra was by way of a Facebook post from the very reputable brassiere merchant, Large Cup Lingerie, claiming this bra to be the world’s most popular, bestselling, favourite, all round magnificent creation. Ever. The world round. In the whole history of it*

* Denotes potential hyperbole.

Indeed, I’m a bit intimidated writing this review, because this bra is, to put it gently, the slut of the lingerie blogging world, I’ve noticed. I have seen literally dozens of girls parading around the Internet in it. Little minx of a bra, this one. She looks at you like you’re the only one who could ever wear her. ‘Come hither,’ she beckons, ‘I will look absolutely gorgeous on you, and you will look even more fabulous in me.’ She winks – a barely perceptible flutter of one eyelid – and whispers; ‘I was practically made for you.’

 

This bra is definitely saying ‘come hither’ … 

Parfait by Affinitas Charlotte Padded Underwired Bra

 Oh yes, she’s a seductive little minx, this one. She knows just how to draw you in. I can only assume that she changes her name for every buyer, because part of her charm for me was that she claimed she had been named after me: The Charlotte Bra. Now, with a draw like that, how could I possible resist? As she was so aptly named, and claiming to be the bestseller, Large Cup Lingerie offered to send me her to try.

And I have to admit, despite her flirtatious ways and coquettish charm, this is best fitting bra I’ve EVER had. A new, and absolute, favourite! It’s available in a few colours: Peach, Red, Dusty Rose, and Wild Pink. I found it a pretty easy decision to make though; for me, the contrast between the black piping and the subtle peach colour (closer to cream than anything too vibrant you might be imagining) was the obvious and most delicious of pairings. Definitely put me in mind of a gangster’s moll a la New York 1920s. Utterly fabulous. This was definitely the kind of thing Virginia Hill (aka The Flamingo), Benny Siegel’s moll would have been caught dead (or alive) in as her underpinnings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

No; I haven’t yet accessorized the set with a pistol, long fur coat and other moll-esque trimmings. Now I’ve thought of it though, I definitely need to find an occasion to do so.

 

I might as well continue talking about the appearance since that’s the real beauty of this bra (oh, the puns just roll out so naturally…) I’ve already mentioned the piping, and rabbited on about the peach colour. The straps are thick and black to match the piping – nothing special, and normally I’m not a fan of such wide straps, but they really suit the rest of the bra in this case. The fabric is beautiful, a really luxurious satiny look that’s lined on the inside with a more comfortable cotton-feel. There’s a black bow on the gore that, again, my natural un-fussy tendencies would normally object to / cut off – but it’s paired perfectly with the piping, and balances out the whole ensemble. The back on the bra is a black mesh; not that you’re going to see it all that often.

 

 

The peach / piping combo gives the magic effect of something like ‘that’ Kate Winslet dress from 2011; the black and white one which she wore to the Venice Film Festival. Now, disclaimer, I am not saying any of the following:

A)   That this bra fulfils a scientifically verified ‘optical illusion’.

B)   That this bra is magical, such as would be worn by the likes of Hermione Grainger that one time she went to the Yule Ball.

C)   That this bra will make your figure look better.

But, you know, I’ve found this bra genuinely makes your figure look better! Probably better for those of a pale skin tone like me; I find the peach blends into my skin and the piping performs that kind of optical illusion, drawing defining lines around the contours of your curves.

 

 

The fit is incredibly structured and supportive. I find ordinarily that full cup bra don’t fit me so well, tending to gape a little towards the top of the cups, but do NOT have that problem in this bra at all! In fact, I was absolutely gobsmacked at first wear at how well the bra actually fitted. I expected with it being full cup and a D (I’m normally somewhere between a 28 and 30; C and D) that it had the potential to be very gapey. But on the contrary, it fits so well it even gives me a nice, semi-cleavage! It’s lightly padded which accounts for the cleavage I suppose, but being the Little Cup in this it’s always nice to find a bra that doesn’t try to inject you with all kinds of gel and foam to give you a bit of an uplift! The gore sits beautifully flat for such a high gore: I do find normally that I struggle in the area, but yet again – The Charlotte triumphs! The band is thick and really comfortable – no complaints, no rubbing, no nothing in this area.

 

 

The only structural point I would complain about is the underwiring, which doesn’t suit my breasts entirely. I’ll forgive this though, because although Charlotte did flirtatiously claim to have been made for me, in actual fact I realise she was made for the mass market of consumers. The underwiring is very wide, and I’m going to liken it to the Simone Perele butterfly wing style of underwire, if you can imagine that shape. My breast tissue doesn’t extend so far across my body, but it isn’t a big source of irritation. I’m nit-picking here to help potential purchasers! The wires also extend quite high up, and although I don’t experience any ‘poking’, they aren’t padded to the extent that I’d prefer. I can imagine that after a fair amount of wear / washing they might start wearing through and becoming a bit uncomfortable.

 

This is one of those bras that just seems incomplete without the matching knickers (good excuse, ain’t it?) I chose the briefs, for the simple reason that I feel like I can wear them with more things. I love the look of the high-waisted pants coupled with the retro look, but I find the silky material means that wearing leggings etc with high-waisted knickers can lead to slippage. And I don’t enjoy hiking up my bottoms all day! No regrets though, because the briefs are perfect. I actually think they contribute to that optical illusion I was gabbling about.

 

So what I really love about this bra is both the look and the fit. I’d definitely recommend it as an everyday luxury; Virginia Hill / Kate Winslet casual eat your heart out. I also say that if you’re C or slightly smaller you can still try this out in a D; it fits me perfectly in a D cup, which is a rare occurrence, and makes me think its runs a shade small or is shallow in the cups.

 

Another plus point about this baby: as I said, she’s a bit of a slut, and you can find her all over the internet on all kinds of sizes, shapes and styles. So if you aren’t a small, little cup, ginger, pale-skinned person, check out some of the following and they might have and preferences closer to you: Petite & Plentiful in 28E, TheFullFiguredChest in 34J, Bras and Body Image in 32K, A Sophisticated Pair in 30J, Boosaurus in 28H,  Quest for the Perfect Bra in 30H, and Miss Underpinnings in 28G.