Does anyone remember my extended hiatus last summer (y'know when i somehow got my favourite lens stuck on my camera and had to wait 2 months to get it removed)? Well if you hadn't run for the hills over my inactivity, you'll have vague recollection of this post wherein i introduced Sugar Lace Lingerie and made some vague comments about pieces i'd seen on her instagram that i was obsessed with. Well look! I finally own those pieces and my gosh, they were worth the wait.
Something that really really attracted me to Sugar Lace's designs is their originality. To be frank, there's only so many sheer triangle bralettes with floral applique feature that a girl can see. Everyone seems to be doing the same thing, be it taking inspiration from Fleur of England's bralettes or Agent Provocateur's Annoushka and it's getting a little old. I feel like independent designers doing something truly interesting that i (personally) haven't seen before are far and few between. So seeing this design crop up and go through development was a really exciting experience for me.
The Peach Dream bralette and matching knickers are now available for sale and Sugar Lace were kind enough to offer to send me them to write a review on and it was definitely a high point in my blogging career. This set lives up to the hype that i gave it and on top of all of that, it photographs beautifully, both laid flat and worn.
I gave Sugar Lace my bra size (28C/30B) and dress size (UK4/6) and she sent me both pieces in an XS.
The fit, for me, is perfect. The knickers sit so nice and comfortably, none of the elastic digs in and the cut is super flattering on my bottom heavy frame. I'm usually not a fan of full bum knickers because i feel they just cut my arse in half and make me look flat/unappealing but the sheer fabric and the slight high rise of the legs appeases me and whilst from behind will never be my best angle, i feel cute in these and my bum feels cute in these.
The bandeau bra measures approx 23.5" and stretches up to 31.5" around the band so the stretch around my 27" underbust gives me a firm, secure fit. The cup size is also just right for small busts, i'm not swimming in them and the padding gives the perfect shape. Sugar Lace mentions that orders are best completed with a note stating your bra size but i would hazard a guess that if you happen to lie in the small band/large cup or large band/small cup you might have fit issues with the cups on this bandeau style. Although personally, i find that bandeaus are the most forgiving and flattering of all styles for smaller busts so, i'm biased towards myself and my babes and i ain't even going to attempt to think about or discuss the fit issues larger busts might have.
The construction is f.l.a.w.l.e.s.s. Not a single ruffle or thread out of place. The embellishments are firmly sewed into place and the marriage of peach and baby blue needs to happen far more often: a match made in lingerie heaven. The halterneck ribbon is doubled up for a little extra support, and extra long so you could easily cut it to your desired length (remember to cut across the ribbon at an angle to stop it fraying) or just tie an oversized bow. I am not good at tying bows behind my back so be thankful my hair covers my poor attempt. I will practice. The ribbon itself is made from a soft, non starchy satin material with the only downside being that it does tend to crease slightly, as with all ribbons of this nature. I think i'd like to see this design with a much thicker ribbon, just mostly out of personal preference but i can easily source one in the right colour from a haberdashery and try that out myself as the ribbon is looped through clear hooks that detach from the bra to leave it strapless.
Maybe not the greatest set for everyday wear during the winter months but come summer (if that happens at all) it'll be such a comfortable and pretty statement piece to wear under sheer clothing or deep cut vests. I am already eyeing up the other sheer coloured fabrics that are appearing in Sugar Lace's etsy store and thinking about starting a small collection. Watch this space.
*Items were provided free of charge for the purpose of a review. All opinions and writings are most definitely my own. No one could be quite as obnoxious and opinionated as i.