Today is a day just like any other, except for the fact that I ate multiple pancakes last night – didn’t you? Okay, let’s get real: it’s Valentine’s Day! Whether you’ve chosen to celebrate or not this year, you can’t hide from the fact that there is beautiful lingerie EVERYWHERE, especially when you’re a lingerie blogger and spend half your life on Instagram.
If you’ve been keeping up with us recently, you’ll have noticed we’ve shared a number of Valentine’s lingerie reviews from Figleaves – 3 each, in fact – and this is the final one of those, a brand I’ve been wanting to try foreverrrr and finally got my first chance: Scantilly. This is a brand designed by the ever-popular full bust brand Curvy Kate, who’ve featured many a time on this little blog, but with a more grown up and “scandalous” twist. Scantilly fills that gap in the market for full busts who struggle to find boudoir lingerie that fits them and supports their shape but also looks good and is affordable.
I was sent the Scantilly Peek-a-Boo bra in a 30G and the briefs in a small. The Scantilly Peek-a-Boo bra is currently available at Figleaves in sizes 30-40 DD-HH for £47, and the matching brief is available in sizes small to extra large for £21.
If you want to check out all our Figleaves Valentine’s reviews (ie. beautiful lingerie that all have 30% still!), here’s the run down:
- Figleaves Velvet Kiss review: 30G
- Freya Fancies Longline review: 28GG
- Dita von Teese Dahlia review: 30D
- Calvin Klein Vixen Plunge review: 32C
- Figleaves Tease Basque review: 32B/C
Shape & Appearance
The Peek-a-Boo bra from Scantilly has been out for a little while now – I believe it was one of their earliest designs when they launched and is still available now in a selection of colours. And it’s easy to see why – it’s stunning! It’s unlike any other bra I’ve tried before, in both design and fit.
The bra is so unique in that it is made of up two separate layers: the underneath is shaped and designed like a normal balconette (verging on half cup) bra. It has sheer mesh cups (which are, as you can tell from the editing, very sheer!) made up of 4 parts: the lower cup is split into 3 with vertical seams, then there’s a thin horizontal upper section. The construction of the cups is actually fairly similar to the Figleaves Velvet Kiss bra I reviewed recently, except in a balconette style rather than plunge. The gore is fairly high, true to a balconette bra, and sits level with the top edge of the cups. It has a shiny rose gold token at the gore rather than a bow or button which is a really nice detail that adds to the feel of the set.
It’s the second layer that makes this bra so unique though: it has an overlay of sleek, shiny satin that attaches at the underwire but is otherwise completely detached. This swoops in from the sides and under the bust, gathering it slightly inwards and upwards. It has a dart at the underarm to provide shaping and is cut on the bias so that it doesn’t pull anywhere but drapes beautifully. This design detail is what gives the bra its name, although it should be noted that there is another peek-a-boo element at the gore with a keyhole opening between the wires. All of these elements combine to create a really well thought-out and detailed design.
The shape for me is less pushed up than I expected – I was thinking it would be cakes on a plate for all the world to see, but in fact, it’s a fairly natural shape. It is very low cut across the bust so I do experience some push up, but like I said, not as much as I expected.
The straps are halfway adjustable and the bra fastens with three sets of three hooks at the back. It should also be noted that the hardware is the same rose gold metal to match the token at the gore and looks gorgeous against the black satin. In general, this feels like a very luxurious style and design.
I chose the briefs with a mesh back, but there are also options for a “bare face” brief, with an opening at the back, and a thong. My briefs are made from the same satin as the bra which has a small amount of stretch, with a mesh triangle at the front topped with a metal token, plus mesh triangle panels at the back too. Again, these are a fantastic design detail where they could have simply been mesh or satin.
Size, fit & comfort
I chose the Scantilly Peek-a-Boo bra in a 30G which is the sister size to my usual 28GG (although I seem to be getting a lot more 30Gs nowadays!). Since Scantilly’s range begins at a 30 band, this was my best option, but based on how my Curvy Kate bras fit, I was worried I might find the band too big. Luckily, it wasn’t – it fits really well in the band! I’m not sure whether a 28 band would actually even be better in this bra, I’m pretty happy with the 30 on the loosest hooks right now.
The cup size is also a good fit for me with no spillage and no gaping, however I do think I could potentially have gone down to a 30FF for more of a push up effect. If you’re between cup sizes, I think I’d recommend going for your smaller size with this one. I find the cups quite wide and shallow on this bra – I could have done with the wires being a smidge narrower. It is a trickier one to tell fit on due to the satin cup overlay which could hide fit problems, but based on the feel of it, it seems good. Aside from that, no complaints about it at all really!
I chose the briefs in a size small as I’d heard that they run large and these seem to be a good fit for my size 10-12 hips. I do find that they sit lower on the hips than most briefs I wear, particularly at the back – I kept feeling like I needed to pull them up! I don’t think this is to do with size, more likely the shape. I think if I’d gone up to a medium, I would have got bagging around the bottom. Nevertheless, they don’t ride up and are comfortable to wear, aside from my insecurities about pulling them up!
There are also quite a few other Peek-a-Boo reviews out there, so if you’re interested in knowing more about it, check these out:
