My Curvy Kate sets

Curvy Kate is an amazing brand I’ve admired for a long time. Their body positive nature, their use of everyday women as models, and their dedication to making beautiful, girly lingerie for the fuller-busted woman – a lot of brands could learn from them. So today, I thought I would write about a few of my experiences with their lingerie…

The first Curvy Kate set I’ve owned is the Angel in Black/Ivory in a 28K with size 10 shorts, which I won in a Brastop competition. The set is also available with a thong brief instead of shorts, and a (gorgeous!) suspender belt.

Obviously, it’s a gorgeous set – the contrast embroidery, the criss-cross ribbons behind the cups – but the fit here is clearly completely wrong for me. I have to wear the bra with an extender, and the cups are much too small. I could also size up in the shorts. Though the wire width is okay, I also found the gore to be slightly too wide for me, something I have found on all the Curvy Kate bras I have tried so far.

My second try with the Angel set was the Black/Teal in a 30K with size 12 shorts, which is a much better fit for me. The bra was bought on Brastop, and the shorts in a current Debenhams sale.

The band is fairly firm and true to size, however I just don’t like the shape it gives me.  I find it very east-west, and, though fairly supportive, it doesn’t give a profile that I like. Though my breasts are lifted off my ribcage, they are not rounded – it almost gives my breasts a sort of upside down “7” shape. It seems like the bottom section of the cup is not large enough to really give a well-rounded shape. I can get a better shape by tightening the straps, but this results in overspill, and as this is a 30K I can’t exactly size up again. I also find the 30K wires to be too wide, resulting in excess fabric towards the sides. It seems that the unpadded styles are best suited up to about a GG cup, after which a good shape can be hard to get.

My third set is the Portia set in a 30K with size 10 shorts, which I won in Fuller Figure Fuller Bust‘s big blog giveaway.

The band is quite firm and true to size, and it seems to give a fairly good support with a nice rounded shape, however it (once again) very small in the cup, and would probably better fit a 30HH/J. I would need to size up at least another cupsize, but unfortunately Curvy Kate stops at a K. If I could get this bra in a larger cup I am sure it would be very comfortable and versatile – it is plain enough to be wearable under every day clothing, however the delicate detailing makes it a gorgeously girly set which wants to be seen. The only solution I can think of would be to cut the non-stretch ribbon across the top, in a bid to open up the top of the cup.

My last set is the Showgirl Thrill Me in Jade/Fuschia in a 30J (the largest available cup) with size 14 shorts. Even without properly scooping my breasts into the cup, it’s quite obvious the cup is too small. I would ideally need something like a 30K in this style to eliminate overspill. Ignoring the cup, I adore this set! The jewel-bright colours, the ruffles – sigh! I’m not usually one to buy a bra I am certain won’t fit me, but with a £22-for-£9 voucher from Groupon fast expiring, and nothing else I wanted…Well, a girl needs a good bedroom set!

Having heard the Showgirl bands were loose, it was firmer than I expected, though this could be due to the small cups. The straps seem very stretchy, which could be a problem for those who often need to tighten a lot. The cups are fairly shallow, with not a lot of forward projection. The wire width is fairly good for me, however the central gore is still slightly too wide (and, for obvious reasons, doesn’t sit flat). Though the fit is obviously less-than-perfect, I love this set, and think I may just have to get it in more colours!

From my experiences with Curvy Kate I’d say there is definitely a need for expansion in sizes – though I usually wear a 30JJ, I have found I need to size up to at least a 30K, perhaps even more in some styles. It also seems the unpadded bra construction needs adjusting, as my case is not the first I’ve heard of a poor profile in the upper cup sizes. However, for those who fit into the Showgirl range, and those who need a smaller cup in the unpadded, Curvy Kate’s bras are definitely some of the best on the market, and usually findable on sale at Brastop!