Freya 'Arabella' bra - reviewed!

  After hearing several rave reviews about the Freya 'Arabella' bra, I was very keen to try it out for myself. As a new convert to the world of small bra back sizes and big cup sizes, the 'Arabella' seemed a perfect option to go for. As a 28 back size, I was pleased that Freya stocked my size and offered band sizes up to a 38 and cup sizes from C to J. The choice of colours for the 'Arabella' bra is particularly impressive; black, pink, navy, red, noir, cassis - to name a few! I went for the navy 'midnight' colour as it was on sale down from the usual RRP of £30 at Leia Lingerie.

  The 'Arabella' bra is a full cup plunge bra and features sheer mesh cups with finely embroidered scallop edging, fairly thick straps for support and bow details on the straps and in the centre of the bra. Freya have been particularly clever to think about the way that the bra should be manufactured for GG-J cups, who may need a little extra support in the cups. For these cup sizes, an extra layer of mesh has been added to the cups at the bottom for reinforcement, but the cups still remain semi-sheer.

I purchased the 'Arabella' bra in both a 28F and 28FF. Due to sometimes varying between brands and different styles, buying both the F and FF enabled me to assess the fit. I ended up going for the FF, as it didn't cut into any breast tissue and gave a more rounded shape.

A picture of the 28FF:

  I had never tried a full cup bra before, but I found the 'Arabella' to be surprisingly comfy and gave a good, rounded shape - something I initially thought impossible due to the mesh material of the cups. The mesh is actually quite thick and is more of a 'power mesh' that supports the breast in the cup, rather than stretching (N.B. Most of the support should come from the band anyway!) My only criticism of the 28 band size, was that it felt a little looser than some other Freya bras I own, but the overall fit and comfort of the bra is so good that this can be overlooked. The straps are also very comfortable and I feel very supported!

Detail of the mesh and embroidery: 

  I love the fact that this bra is both a 'bedroom' and everyday bra! It is the perfect synthesis between aesthetics and support - sexy and supportive is a winning combination for any fuller busted lady! The colour combination of the dark navy mesh set off with light blue embroidery and bright green bows at first had me undecided, but when I tried it on, it looked really chic and classy!

  All in all, I am very impressed with the Freya 'Arabella' bra and would highly recommend it to any C+ cupped lady. I now have my eye on the 'Cassis' version, which I may well have to purchase in the near future..

Love,

Kitty xo

My story: A bra fit journey

Although I'm a self-professed lingerie-a-holic, I haven't always been ecstatic at the thought of buying new underwear...

 My story starts as a young girl being fitted into my first bra (a 34A). Throughout my teenage years, I'd never been particularly busty and the trip to buy new bras at M&S never really excited me. I'd never really thought much about my size and the way bras were fitted until I was feeling a bit uncomfortable in my 34C one day and I decided to go for a fitting - So off I trundled to M&S...

 In the fitting, the lady said that I was a 34C. On explaining that I was currently wearing a 34C, which felt loose in the back and too small in the cup, I suggested that perhaps I needed a smaller back size, to which she replied "Try the 32D" and walked off! I bought a couple of 32D's which still weren't quite right for me, but I didn't think much of it until I heard about Bravissimo.

 The next time I needed a fitting, I went to Bravissimo in London, wearing a 34D (which I assumed was my size). The lady who fitted me was absolutely lovely and made me feel very at ease, and surprise, surprise, I was wearing the wrong size! She refitted me as a 28F/FF (depending on the brand) and she recommended lots of different styles to suit my shape. I ended up buying the Freya 'Deco' bra in black, which to this day is my absolute favourite staple bra:

(Freya 'Deco' bra in black - £30, Bravissimo)

 Ever since my revolutionary bra fitting at Bravissimo, I've found that buying 28 backed bras have made so much difference to the way bras fit and support me. I really can't recommend Bravissimo enough to the larger busted lady!

 I think the problem is that most highstreet stores aren't aware of the need to stock smaller back sizes, making it even harder to fit women into the correct bra. There certainly needs to be a fitting revolution, because if the figures are anything to go by, too many women are wearing the wrong bra size. If around 80% of women are wearing the wrong size, there needs to be more done to ensure women are fitted corrected. From what I can see, the reason for this figure is due to the way fittings are conducted on the highstreet - 'add on' (+1,  +2, +3) inches to under and over bust measurements ultimately lead to inaccuracies. There should be more emphasis placed on retraining fitters and expanding the stock of smaller back sizes.

So what can you and I do? To help ensure you're not one of those fitted in the wrong size, be aware of how a bra SHOULD fit you. Take Bravissimo's bra fit guide, for a few preliminary tips:

http://www.bravissimo.com/perfectfit/

The important thing is to find a bra that fits you comfortably - with the underband of the bra giving the most support through a snug and firm fit and the bra cups fully encasing the breast tissue. Don't be part of the 80% who are wearing the wrong size, be part of the bra fitting revolution!

Love,
Kitty xo

Welcome to Undercover Lingerista!

Hello and welcome to Undercover Lingerista, a blog dedicated to all things pretty and lingerie-related. Previously I have owned a few fashion blogs and after reading some great lingerie blogs, I decided to venture into the realm of lingerie blogging! There's nothing like new lingerie to make any girl feel a million dollars, so this slice of the net is dedicated to just that..all things lingerie - new underwear trends, bargain buys, dressing for your shape, bra reviews, bra buying tips and lots more!

I want to focus above all on bras and lingerie buying for bigger busts, due to recently discovering that I am a 28FF. Finding out my new size has meant that I have been investigating bras to suit more 'unusual' bra sizes that aren't easily found on the highstreet!

Any comments and suggestions about what you'd like to see me cover in this blog are very welcome.

As I always say, feeling beautiful starts with the basics...and for me, that means gorgeous lingerie!

Love,
Undercover Lingerista - Kitty xo