Panache Loretta balconette review

My cut-sew bras were all worn with extenders, so I wanted an option when I just don’t feel like dealing with an extender. I tend to get on with many of the Panache frames. When I saw Loretta, I decided to finally give it a spin, since it gives me mad Spirograph nostalgia.

Construction

Three-part balconette. There’s also a plunge version, which I have not tried. Medium to full coverage on this one. The bottom of the cups, which are the part reinforced through GG cups, are upside down Us and joined on both sides to the middle of the cups. The rest of the cup is a plain mesh with some detail. In larger cup sizes, the cup is a heavier mesh on the upper cup, too. The straps are scalloped on the sides and fully adjustable. Two hooks in the back at my size, three in GG-K sizes.

Fit

True to size. I had no wrinkling at 34FF and I could fit two fingers under the band when it was new. There’s a point/line/seam in the cup through the geometric swirls where it cuts in if I shrug or raise my shoulders, and on some days it just cuts in in general. The wires are quite wide on me, and the top of the cup shallow. If you’re full on top or have front projection I wouldn’t recommend this bra.

Looks

Not too fussy. I do like the geometrics on the top on the cup and along the bottom front of the band. Half of the cup is sheer on me, and I’m ambivalent about that. I loved it with Dahlia, but Loretta leaves a lot more plain mesh around somehow. The shape is a bit east-west because it doesn’t have a side support (which has become popular in the last few years). The black and caramel are basics, but the cobalt blue version is a beautiful shade.

 Further Thoughts

I’ve had this bra several months and worn it a handful of times. Sometimes the gore pushes against my sternum too much, or the wires are uncomfortable because my rib cage is flared and the wires somehow feel like they are pointing into my sides and putting pressure there. Would an extender help while it stretches out? Perhaps the plunge version would have been a better idea than the balconette? I’m considering donating it since I’ve recently binged on bra buying and this doesn’t tick all my boxes. Loretta is often for sale on zulily and other discount websites, so you can probably get it for less than $20 in the US.

My Bratabase Giveaway

Just boosting signal here:

Due to the ‘I’m not wearing it because it really doesn’t fit’ problem, I’m giving away my once-or-twice worn 32G Fauve Bronte on Bratabase. If you think it would fit you, please go through the Bratabase listing.

Goodbye Masquerade

I’d heard that Fauve and Masquerade are being discontinued by Spring 2015. I wasn’t quite sure how and what to believe there or exactly what was going on, but I thought I’d buy myself a black Rhea just in case…and sure enough, the style was listed as Discontinued on HerRoom, as were other Masquerade styles. Several other sites are running low on stock.

I should also add that I tried on the Orla and found it ran a band size small and at least one cup size small. Scooping in a 34G left me with overspill, so I’d need two cup sizes up. Otherwise it seemed suited to me, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about the color.

Panache Black is apparently a follow-up to Masquerade and I’m guessing will contain very few styles. Maybe they’ll reissue the Rhea, maybe they won’t. On the chance that they won’t, I bought a Rhea from Amazon and will buy an Amor in my current band size shortly. Zulily even had a few Masquerade styles like Harem and Athena for sale yesterday. So, long story short is buy Masquerade while you can. My assumption is that luxury full-bust lingerie is difficult to sell, so there’s risk in producing a lot of styles. I know I have a hard time spending $90 on a bra plus $35 on the brief unless the bra blows my mind.

I thought I’d shout out to my favorite Masquerade styles over the years:

Delphi

Dreamy vertical seam shape, I had the graphite version and missed out on the black (more fool me), but it was also offered in white-and-berry.

Rhea

I’m still not sure whether this bra technically works for me because I’m bottom-heavy, and it probably doesn’t quite get two-cakes-on-a-plate, but I love the way it looks on me. My favorite version was the mulberry and graphite color.

Amor

This bra works for most shapes, I believe. Subtle, sophisticated, rich colors. I think this is the best use of shiny and matte I’ve seen together.

 

Many Masquerade styles seemed too lacy or fussy for me, but sometimes they hit the nail on the head. Dear readers, what have been your favorite Masquerade styles over the years?

Conflicting feelings about boudoir photography

Boudoir photo shoots seem to be all the rage these days. On one hand, it would be a fun look in the future at who I was in my thirties. However, thinking about it, I realize that none of my personas, even fantasy ones, seem to have anything to do with the boudoir aesthetics I’ve seen in any other shoot. My bedroom is not really a boudoir. I wouldn’t be expressing myself, I’d be acting.

This is my idea of an excellent chair.

I wear makeup once or twice a year. Once on Halloween, the second time maybe if I’m attending a formal wedding. My hair at most a few inches long and kind of spiky. I am figuratively allergic to lace. I don’t strive for soft, sultry, or sensual. I am a woman who would only choose to have born later than she was, not in any past time in history. What I want to have photographed and expressed, what parts of myself I can see exaggerating, are action cyberpunk and stark postmodernism. Me in a robe and bright colors sitting on an IKEA Vilmar, or in a duster wearing a longline and leggings underneath, but not intended to be seductive.

I am not sure how this post ended up showcasing IKEA chairs, but there you have it.

Are there postmodern or sci-fi lingerie photographers out there? Or am I getting the wrong idea of boudoir shoots from the brocade/sheer curtains, soft lighting, and plush bedlinens I’ve seen?