I regularly peruse through Etsy late at night to see if any new storefronts have opened that are designing and producing truly innovative designs. I'm sure i sound like a broken record when i drone on about how tired i am of twee lace bralettes and floral appliques. I want something with edge, something that gets stuck in my head for months and drives me mad with buyers lust. That's exactly what Recherche Clothing did to me. I included this set in my 2014 christmas wishlist so you can imagine just how wild it was driving me for months. Eventually i caved and indulged myself although the original listings didn't include my size so i requested the set be made in custom measurements to fit my awkward body type. The set was made and shipped within two weeks and arrived pretty quickly considering the distance between my Northern English home and it's place of origin in San Francisco (for non US residents, particularly those in the UK, remember there will be a hefty customs fee you have to budget for. Mine came to about £20 on this set) . Unfortunately there had been a slight mishap and the set had been made in their standard size small measurements meaning it was too large for me. I notified Recherche of this and they were very apologetic, explained it had been a mishap and i sent the set back. It's always worth remembering that little companies and independent designers are usually one person, or a few people, enterprises and so occasionally things go wrong. As long as there's a genuine effort to rectify the issue, then it's not something to hold against them. Where there are humans, there is human error. Anyway a few weeks later and i had a brand new set made to my measurements arrive (today actually, i'm efficient with blog posts occasionally).
I took these photos with the original, oversized set, because i was impatient and also because i could bully my beau into helping me out (although ~someone~ accidentally set the ISO to 1000 so apologies for the grain on these). I've had so many people desperately asking where this set is from since i teased these images on my instagram a while ago, so instead of take the time to re-shoot, i'd rather post up a review quickly and let my words on the new, improved fit speak for themselves.
So this, ladies and gentlemen, is the Sheer white lace bra and Sheer white lace underwear adorned with religious symbols (just a little note, i'm not a religious person). The bra top features a simple opaque front with a cross design in the sheer lace panel at the back. The high waisted knickers are all sheer lace, with a praying hands design on the front and an upside down cross design on the back. Rather than connecting the fabric, both of these pieces are left open at the side and given a caged element with multiple straps holding the panels together. I'm a big fan of lace and a big fan of cutouts so this is a winner for me.The polyester lace is quite starchy and rigid, so it keeps shape but without being abrasive against the skin. The opaque bra panel and the gusset on the knickers are made from soft jersey fabric, which has the breathable qualities of cotton so it's great for delicate areas like nipple piercings or genitals (it's also easy to handwash). The side straps are made from a super soft satin elastic which minimises the amount of compression on the softer areas of the body (like my hips). The edges of the pieces are all lined in the same satin elastic and finished with neat zigzag stitches.
Made to my measurements the bra fits snugly and comfortably around my bust, nicely compressing my nipples and rounding me out. Although as usual with the styles that suit very small busts, full busts may require a little more support and find the extra weight in the front of the bra puts some strain in the back lace panel. In the set that was too large for me, the back lace panel had a tendency to ride up which i was concerned was maybe just a consequence of the design, but made to a smaller back size and it all stays nicely in place! I was slightly over generous with my waist measurement (it's eternally fluctuating and i'm eternally like, am i just wishing it was smaller and so holding the tape measure too snug?) so the knickers now fit perfectly around my hips and arse, but are about 1.5 inches too big around my waist (my fault completely), but i'm pretty sure i can easily rectify this myself. I would say if you are slightly unsure of your waist measurements, because of how high this piece sits it's probably best to go with your lower estimate. Since the elastic stretches i find it's better to have the set a little bit smaller than too large and hanging loose.
I would say, from what i saw of it, the standard sizes offered in the listings (check the size chart in the images) do run true to size so if you find they work best for you, then you can buy them with confidence but i was given the impression that since each garment is made to order, custom measurements were no hassle at all.
There's a lot of lace lingerie in the world but i've never seen something as unique as the lace used for these pieces. I'm so into them for layering, outerwear and just lazing around my apartment watching Bob's Burgers. Part of my extended procrastination before taking the plunge and buying this set was deciding between the white set (pictured here of course) and the black (which is equally as amazing and i still really want). But i'm also lusting over this relatively new addition to their store so i'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on Recherche. Also they'd love for you to follow them on their instagram @Rechercheclothing.
Made to my measurements the bra fits snugly and comfortably around my bust, nicely compressing my nipples and rounding me out. Although as usual with the styles that suit very small busts, full busts may require a little more support and find the extra weight in the front of the bra puts some strain in the back lace panel. In the set that was too large for me, the back lace panel had a tendency to ride up which i was concerned was maybe just a consequence of the design, but made to a smaller back size and it all stays nicely in place! I was slightly over generous with my waist measurement (it's eternally fluctuating and i'm eternally like, am i just wishing it was smaller and so holding the tape measure too snug?) so the knickers now fit perfectly around my hips and arse, but are about 1.5 inches too big around my waist (my fault completely), but i'm pretty sure i can easily rectify this myself. I would say if you are slightly unsure of your waist measurements, because of how high this piece sits it's probably best to go with your lower estimate. Since the elastic stretches i find it's better to have the set a little bit smaller than too large and hanging loose.
I would say, from what i saw of it, the standard sizes offered in the listings (check the size chart in the images) do run true to size so if you find they work best for you, then you can buy them with confidence but i was given the impression that since each garment is made to order, custom measurements were no hassle at all.
There's a lot of lace lingerie in the world but i've never seen something as unique as the lace used for these pieces. I'm so into them for layering, outerwear and just lazing around my apartment watching Bob's Burgers. Part of my extended procrastination before taking the plunge and buying this set was deciding between the white set (pictured here of course) and the black (which is equally as amazing and i still really want). But i'm also lusting over this relatively new addition to their store so i'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on Recherche. Also they'd love for you to follow them on their instagram @Rechercheclothing.