Roufe

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I've had Roufe on my etsy favourites list for what feels like ages. At the beginning of January I was browsing through, well everywhere, looking for something to treat myself too as an after exam incentive. Roufe popped up on my activity feed (a feature I do love on etsy) and I figured it was high time to get properly acquainted. Being the spoilt brat I am, I couldn't just buy myself one piece, so I opted for a bodysuit and a full set instead. All of Roufe's pieces are handmade in your choice of colour and so there is a delay for production. That being said, I purchased on the 11th January and these pieces arrived on the 3rd February so the wait was not excessive at all! They came in a plain white envelope and were packed between a piece of cardboard. There was no invoice or message in the package, just the lingerie. So it lacks a bit of a personal touch but is perfectly inconspicuous and could be sent as a gift (although don't do what my friends/family do to me and not tell me they've got me something and then just send you a moonpie or a book. It can be a tad unnerving).

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So firstly i picked out the Cotton Jersey set. I wasn't a fan of the colours depicted in the listing so I inquired, in my checkout notes, if the set could be made in my team colours. I think my phrasing was mostly blue and white and I linked to a photo to clarify the shade of blue. From then on I received no correspondence back so assumed this was perfectly fine. Unfortunately when this arrived, it was pretty far from my team colours, which you can see clearly in the scarf i'm holding. I think my exact thoughts were, "nailed it" in a rather amused and sarcastic manner. I wasn't sure when ordering if the light blue or turquoise was going to be the closest to my colours so I opted to let the designer make that call, and obviously royal blue is rather far from powder blue. So big lesson learnt, specify exactly what colour fabric you want from the options given. I'm easy going, so whilst the colour wasn't ideal, I recognised that it wasn't a big deal (oh y'know just wearing Chelsea's colours, not like that's particularly unpleasant at this moment in time) and got over it. Unfortunately though, I don't like anything else about the top to this set either. It just looks horrendous and baggy on me (I wear a 28C/30B and measure ~27 inches underbust and ~29 inches overbust for reference), I bought a small (Roufe state that this will fit a US 2-6) and assumed from the product photos that it was going to be a set that fit quite tight and the fabric would stretch to accommodate. Didn't expect a baggy fit in the slightest. I also feel like the white panel in the centre sits much higher than on the version shown and frankly this is not flattering on small busts. I will be passing this on because it's not something i could even sleep comfortably. So any Chelsea fans with larger tits want a free top? 
The knickers are cute and comfortable. I doubt they're ever going to sit on my hips the way they do on the model (I don't know what deity gave her those hips but I would like to get me some please) but the construction is much better and i am always in need of super soft, comfortable knickers to lounge around in. 

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The Strappy Monokini, however, is a completely different story. As with before, i picked this out in a size small and went with a custom colour-way. I was completely torn between white middle panel with black straps or black middle panel with white straps. I ended up going with the former and this time i am so not disappointed. 
As far as construction goes, seams are kept to a minimum and a lot of the edges are just cut away and not hemmed. All of Roufe's pieces are made from Jersey material so they're guaranteed to be super soft and comfortable, that's a given. It also means that unhemmed edges will curl up slightly as opposed to fray. Where there are seams, they're nicely done and hardly noticeable, although on the blue set above, in particular the top, the seams appear to have been done with a little less care and overall i'd say the construction quality was a bit lower in those pieces than in the bodysuit.
The fit is much better. Around my hips (~32 inches) it is perfect, above my waist (~23-27 inches) the straps get a little loose but it's not really noticeable. The ruching at the bust is beyond flattering for smaller busts and it fits like a dream. I would say that if you are fuller busted or carry more of your breast mass up top then you might want to size up as this probably won't give you enough coverage. The straps are placed quite wide, I consider myself to be pretty broad shouldered for my frame and even I find them sitting a little too close for comfort to my arms and occasionally one will slip down. So if you have slim shoulders, this is also something to consider. The back of the bodysuit or "monokini" plunges down to just above where my hair stops and the coverage on the booty is most definitely akin to a thong but it's not tight or restricting. The material is thin, but not sheer, even in white! 
I really do love this piece and i'm very tempted to go back and pick one up with a black middle panel and white straps, just to complete my collection. I've also got my eye on a few other pieces but I might avoid all tops since they run a little too large for small busts. 
I'm a big fan of Roufe because they're doing something different and at an affordable price. Attractive and innovative lingerie is usually difficult to make completely comfortable so anyone who manages to achieve both of these things with jersey fabric definitely gets my approval!

Ludique Lustful

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I've had my eye on the Ludique Lustful since it appeared online. It was everything i'd ever dreamt of, white, bondage inspired and with little smatterings of delicate lace. When i first stumbled upon this design, promptly texted it to AmeliĆ©, and full on swooned, i just didn't have the cash to spend. Unfortunately Lustful doesn't come cheap, with her combined constituents: bra, knickers, suspender belt, totalling £184 (or $277). So i waited and saved up (hahaha who am i kidding, i'm terrible at saving, i just got lucky with a bursary). But when i came to actually seriously consider getting Lustful for myself, i realised that no where on the Ludique site was there any kind of size chart and all their pieces came in the generic Small, Medium, Large. So i wussed out, knowing that, with my small bust and small waist, at least two of the pieces were probably going to be way too large. I was half hoping someone else would take up the challenge and do a review of the fit but by January 2015, there was no Ludique on the horizon of any of the lingerie blogs. 
So i started 2015 whining religiously, every damn day, about how terrible both the Agent Provocateur and Mimi Holliday sales were. And when my student loan went in, well i had all this disposable income but nothing to spend it on (just to clarify, my student loan covers my rent, bills and a small portion of my food. However with that covered, i can use my work wages on ALL THE LINGERIE). D of Anteocularis (a new and great lingerie blog you should all follow) was particularly supportive during this difficult period and kept me going by directing me towards Brigade Mondaine, a french lingerie boutique having a rather heart racing sale. And of course, this would be a pointless anecdote if said sale hadn't included all three constituents of Lustful, available in in the smallest size. So without much hesitation, i snapped her up for somewhere around £120 including a ridiculous shipping fee and prayed with all my little Lamb's heart that it would fit.
(and hey, she's still available in the sale if you're wondering: bra, knickers, suspender belt).
At the time of writing this review, there is a basic size guide on the website (although this has been added prior to the garments going live back in early Autumn (?)) and so i'll refer all my fit comments to the sizes provided there.
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_MG_9202I picked up all three pieces in the "small" option. 
For the bra, "small" means suitable for A/B cups according to Ludique, which is a bit misleading for those who aren't familiar with how cup sizes scale with band sizes (Here is a pretty easy to follow article if you haven't already been introduced to this concept). This bra uses lacing up the back as a fastening and when fully laced together (how i, and the model on Ludique, wear our bra) the band measures 30" (inches) and stretches to approx 33-34.  The front lacing and open cup style means that a varying range of cup sizes are accommodated but i imagine anything above a 34B would require a size up. Now onto the information that is actually relative to small busts in the small cup/small band category. I measure to be about a 28C although have only ever worn 30Bs. I have to keep the front and back laced up fully (and tie the excess string around my neck like a choker) for this to fit. However, as you can see, the elastic with the eyelets isn't always ready to play ball and lay flat, preferring to buckle a little. I also find that the band and thus the cup structure rides up and moves around. This is a problem that commonly occurs when a band is too large (I measure approx 27" around my underbust for reference) but could also possibly be an issue with my lack of breast mass. I'm sure someone with slightly more breast would employ the force of gravity to keep things relatively in place (although i'm no expert on having breasts larger than my own so it's just an assumption).
The suspender belt in a "small" is supposed to be suitable for those who measure approximately 26" around their waist and approximately 36" around their hips. It measures 26" inches around the waistband, stretches up to 32" and the fit is completely unadjustable. In short, this suspender belt is legions too big for me. I'm 23" around my waist, which is where i prefer to wear my suspender belts (i know many like to wear theirs lower on their hips but i'm all about the high-waist look). This piece doesn't sit flat, sits close to my hips and buckles so the lacing detail is lost. Luckily, through some sheer wizardry, the design of the piece means that it does stay in place. I mean i can never wear this under clothes because of the amount it bulges outwards but it does stay on and look pretty cute. So as someone who isn't afraid to have lingerie that is completely impractical and only suitable for a boudoir occasion, i'm disappointed, maybe even borderline heartbroken but not regretting my purchase.  
The thong also claims to fit the same measurements 26" waist, 36" hips. This piece is adjustable, it has what i can only call bra strap sliders on both of the sides. But in actual fact this measures 30" and stretches up to 38" when the knickers have been adjusted to their largest size. And at its smallest, measures 22" and stretches to 26". As someone who has 32" hips, i'm screaming at you to size up if you want to purchase one for yourself. If i'd have seen the measurements given by Ludique for this piece i might have reconsidered my purchase on the grounds that the suspender belt would be way too large (correct!) and the thong equally way too large (Incorrect!). I have to wear this thong at it's largest and even when i do, unfortunately it digs into my hips and gives me that trussed meat kind of look. Less than flattering. I wish so much that i could magic it larger so that it didn't fill me with self loathing every time i wore it. Everything else about this set makes me feel amazing and want to stalk around like the ice queen i am, but that skin bulge is rather excessive (and yes i am soft around the hips, i carry some mass there, but i have other elastic/strappy styles that don't highlight the issue quite as obviously).

As for the design/quality/construction: can you saw f.l.a.w.l.e.s.s. Because that's what it is. I am in love. The elastic is firm and sturdy but not abrasive. It doesn't rub or cause discomfort (even on the places where it massively digs in, ahem, my hips) and let's be real, it looks incredible. The entire aesthetic points to delicacy and in some ways it's easy to be fearful of putting your fingers through the lace or pulling too hard on the laces. But i actually find the whole set to be really rather sturdy, definitely not something that you could easily break.
Even with some of the obvious fit issues, i still look pretty amazing and i do not regret my purchase.
 At all. 
However, i might have felt differently if i'd paid full price. Unfortunately the standard sizing, vague fit recommendations and ultimately the fit issues all three pieces have will make me think twice about buying another Ludique set. Not because i don't love Lustful but because i work hard for my disposable income and i'm not sure if i can personally justify the price with the fit issues. There have been rumblings that Ludique will custom make pieces to your measurements (this has been done for a well known independent lingerie designer) but i can find no trace of this on their website (aside from the very lovely gesture of making the Lustful bra sturdier for larger busts that need more support) and so i cannot verify whether this is correct information and whether this custom service would come with an extra charge. 

I'm sorry this a completely mixed review, i am very much the kind of person who does not equate fit issues with a poor product. I am aware that certain parts of my body are either not recognised to be normal at all (i promise, puberty and i did make ourself acquainted) or just not within the modal range of sizes that sell the best. So i can be both blown away and slightly disappointed at the same time. I have been slightly extra thorough and maybe a little harsh in mentioning all the fit issues this time, purely because, at the time of writing this review, it will only be the second of its kind, and the first for the Lustful set. So i wanted to be as informative as possible. For now i'm happy to own one of my dream sets and i might be able to haphazardly alter at least the suspender belt to fit my waist, although i'll have to consult with my mother first on how reducing the diameter of the waist band will affect the whole shape of the garment...
I would advise that if you are looking to purchase a Lustful set for yourself then to consider the measurements and the fit issues i've raised today before you make your purchase. Ludique create such beautiful lingerie and maybe one day they will be able to expand their size range or offer a more upfront bespoke service to ensure a custom fit. But for now i really hope this helps some of you who are on the fence. 

EDIT: Ludique do indeed offer a free custom service on all of the pieces sold through their website if you want to ensure a perfect fit! So now there is no excuse to not buy yourself Lustful or all of their other lingerie...