
One of the big problems of the fuller busted world is that we don’t have all that many “special occasion” bras, as in, bras that will go under strapless, backless and low cut garments of clothing. I completely understand why this is, because it’s often a feat of miraculous engineering to get one that will work for a fuller bust, but it doesn’t mean that I’m not still on the look out for them.
I already own a couple of “good enough” straplesses, but I’ve been in desperate need of something with a real plunge neckline for a while. I don’t often wear things that need a really low bra, but these occasions do pop up occasionally, like my work Christmas party. I was having trouble deciding on a dress, and it didn’t help that one of my options had a deep V neckline and every single bra I owned was showing with it. Fortunately, I got the Wonderbra Ultimate Plunge bra* from House of Fraser’s lingerie range recently and it did just the trick. At least, it does just about the trick…as long as you’re not looking too closely at the fit – oops! So let’s read on for a bit more about that:
Shape & Appearance
Now the one obvious thing about the Wonderbra Ultimate Plunge – it’s not supposed to be pretty! It’s not a piece of lingerie that’s to be shown off, but to be functional. It has the obvious very low plunge in the front and no proper seam lines except around the fastening at the side back. It’s meant to disappear under clothing and give the appearance of a push up bra effect without the bra being seen. We all know that’s near impossible, but it’s the illusion! The cup edge is in a different, shinier fabric than the rest of the bra and to be honest, I can’t see any other reason for this than it’s just a design feature, although it may stop fabrics bunching around there? Not sure!
The sides of the bra have boning in them to help keep its shape better, and the underneath of the cups feels as though it’s made from the same moulded plastic as the Wonderbra Ultimate Strapless (which Char reviewed here) rather than underwire, again to hold its shape better and to provide a more sustained push up effect than padding would do.
The back of the bra is really interesting as it doesn’t fasten like a normal bra. Instead it has a long and wide fastening similar to shoulder straps, with a slider to make it longer or shorter, fastening with a large plastic hook. This is really handy as it can be shortened quite a lot for those of us who need a small band size (more on how it fits me in a minute), but it can be a little bit difficult to fasten being at the side – I’ve had to have help a couple of times with it!
The shoulder straps are fully adjustable too, with the slider at the front of the bra. The straps can also be detached so it can be worn multiway or strapless, although it definitely doesn’t work as a strapless for me – the top of the cups just flares out and it slides down!
Size, fit & comfort
I chose the Wonderbra Ultimate Plunge in a 30F, and yes, I know it doesn’t fit! At the time, a 30F was the only available size that was anywhere near my own, and with it being exactly what I needed, I went for it. It’s a good 1 to 2 sizes too small in the cup, woops! But for what I need it for, the rare special occasion use, it’s definitely bearable. And at least the band size fits, which I actually find better than if I had a bra with cups the right size but band too big.
The cups are quite an odd fit – it’s a combination of being the wrong size and the wrong shape for my breast shape. It digs in at the bottom centre as the “gore” (I can’t really say gore as there isn’t one!) is far too wide for my shape which is quite close set naturally, even more so when I’m wearing a bra like this that creates crazy cleavage! The centre feels to be a continuation of that same moulded plastic as the rest of the underneath of the bra, so it has no flexibility at all. I think a couple of cup sizes up would help with giving me a bit more room here, but I think I would still have the same issue, just to a lesser extent.
As I said, the band actually fits really well, especially considering it’s a 30 band – I definitely wouldn’t want to go any smaller. I could have even got away with a 32 band since the back strap can be tightened to quite an extent. If you’ve ruled out this bra because it doesn’t have a 28 band and you need that or smaller, definitely give it a chance!
At the top of the post you can see the bra under a top, and here’s under a dress:
Becky at Becky’s Boudoir has also reviewed this bra in a 32F here. The Wonderbra Ultimate Plunge is available to buy at House of Fraser at £26.25, but you can also buy it from the retailers below:
the dress looks amazizng on you…. what size are you actually wearing.. i find it very difficult to wear clothes tight fitting as i feel embarrassed about my breasts
Hi Markete! Thank you 🙂 The dress is a size 10 from Missguided. I prefer to wear tighter fitting clothes as I feel like looser fitting ones will just hang off my chest and disguise my waist. I very rarely wear cut low items like this though – I’m actually planning to insert a bit of lace over the cleavage of this one for my work Christmas party!
Must say you look gorgeous in that bra
I’ve always wondered about this bra since it didn’t come in a 28 back, but now I’m deffo gonna try it out for myself! Btw, where’s your top from in the first image, and how long ago did you buy it?
The adjustable band really helps!
The top is from Urban Outfitters and I bought it last year – quite possibly sold out now, sorry!
superb takes!