I was genuinely too lazy to edit out my nipples in this post so if you're easily offended then look away
So a while ago i was contacted by Bella Petite Lingerie and educated on their mission statement. The founder Stephanie Ballard has also suffered all the growing pains of living with a small bust and aims to give other small busted women the option of lingerie that isn't oft made in our sizes. She's set out to break the connotation that a small bust only exists within the early stages of maturation and thus only belongs to adolescents. Bella Petite Lingerie seems to want to produce lingerie designed to be "sexy" and appealing to the fully matured crowd. To give us all options so that we too can own the more frivolous pieces of lingerie and have it actually fit around the bust. Stephanie and I sound very similar, as, in learning to love our own small busts, we have both also wanted to help others too, so i am very impressed to encounter a kindred spirit who is actually making her way in lingerie business.
I was sent the Holiday Collection Sheer Chemise (pictured above) in an XXS and the Holiday Collection Sheer Babydoll (pictured below) in XXS too. As these garments are pretty free sized in the skirts, the sizing corresponds to the band size, with an XXS being made to fit those who wear bra bands between 26"-30".
For starters the Chemise is my favourite piece and it genuinely makes me happy when i wear it. It's the perfect length, just skimming underneath my bum (i'm 5'4 with a pretty average length torso) and moves in a really fluid way. I've been throwing it on as soon as i get in from work and using it to prance around my flat but it's definitely a piece that i'd be happy to wear within a bedroom situation too as even i can see that it does give a certain sex appeal (and i'm not easily attracted to myself). On the practical side, with the straps being fully adjustable and the band across the bust being fully elasticated with enough give, i find this exceedingly comfortable. However, i think i could have probably used a larger size, or larger cups as most of my breast mass actually sits outside the lace and this has a kind of flattening effect on my chest. Cups that extended a little further towards the armpits would encase more of my breast and probably give them a little more lift.
The babydoll sits a little further down the thighs but is equally as fluid in movement. One thing i'm not too sure about is the capped sleeves, they remind me a little of those overly girly nighties, with care bears or unicorns on the front, that my friends used to wear at sleepovers (i didn't like them then, not too fond of them now), i personally think this piece would have benefitted from thick straps, so i might enlist my mother and her sewing skills to alter that for me so i can really appreciate the adult appeal of this piece. I also found that the elastic hemmed around the neckline has twisted on one side so a few small stitches to stop this from happening will also be on my list. I feel the cups on this piece sit a little too high and so there's a little of my breast mass sitting below/underneath them. But other than that, an XXS seems to be a perfect fit for me. The fit is truly comfortable and i've worn this piece to sleep in a few times and, considering i'm someone that can only usually sleep in knickers due to finding everything else too restricting, i didn't experience any discomfort.
On both these pieces, the little bow at the centre gore is noticeably offset towards one side, which is something i often encounter on big brands like Agent Provocateur, but for pieces with more of a handmade feel, it's a little disappointing. As these pieces don't necessarily need this embellishment, it seems silly to include it only to have it detract from the whole piece. So i might remove or re-position them, if i find the time.
Bella Petite Lingerie definitely have my attention and what i'd like to see from them in the future is an expansion of their own ranges to include more styles (that i can prance around my living room to R Kelly in and y'know, if i ever manage to lure another man my way...) and possibly matching knickers for each style to really complete the look.
If you'd like to purchase your own Babydoll or Chemise you can do so at the Bella Petite website or their etsy.
Just a heads up to EU residents, both i and Marielle who reviewed Bella Petite Lingerie here were hit with pretty substantial customs fees that we weren't expecting so if you want to add some Bella Petite Lingerie to your collection, make sure to factor in customs fees for your country, so you're not caught unprepared.
*These garments were sent to me free of charge (except customs fees) to review and all opinions are my own