I don't really use Instagram in a personal capacity anymore (read why here). I follow a few close friends in the community, a bunch of lingerie accounts, a french bulldog that wears hats, onesies and booties, a domesticated raccoon and a whole lot of illustrators and artists. I double tap the photos i enjoy that appear on my feed when i check it once a day, I comment on friend's accounts if i feel the need, sometimes I reply to comments that aren't questions and i try to regularly veto all my followers, mostly to weed out any vile porn accounts, accounts who post any images degrading women, drug/gun accounts, etc. I do this wholly because i do not want them discovering anyone else in the lingerie community through being allowed to follow me and i don't want to be viewed as anything other than a human being who has the right to her own bodily integrity. But that means that i do try to check as many accounts who follow me as possible and sometimes, this leads me to discover a whole new indie lingerie brand that i hadn't previously been made aware of. And that is exactly how i discovered CASSANDRA the label.
CASSANDRA the label have their aesthetic down pat. Everything is ethereal and all their models look happy, relaxed, comfortable. There's nothing pretentious or over-posed about their imagery and that is reflected in their designs too. Each design looks wearable, durable and comfortable. I love all my highly strung, overly complex lingerie as much as the next person but sometimes i just want to see something that feels more real, something more suited to sleepily eating dinner and watching cartoons without making me feel like a total frump. Something i know i look good in but is effortless and chic.
CASSANDRA the label have their aesthetic down pat. Everything is ethereal and all their models look happy, relaxed, comfortable. There's nothing pretentious or over-posed about their imagery and that is reflected in their designs too. Each design looks wearable, durable and comfortable. I love all my highly strung, overly complex lingerie as much as the next person but sometimes i just want to see something that feels more real, something more suited to sleepily eating dinner and watching cartoons without making me feel like a total frump. Something i know i look good in but is effortless and chic.
Immediately upon viewing their instagram account back in January, i clocked the Dinah Bodysuit (now sold out but hopefully restocked?) and from thereon in it was heart over head. This may be the most impractical piece of lingerie i've bought in a long time. And i'm sure you're now baffled as to how all my other lingerie purchases aren't considered impractical to me but sheer, lace bodysuits that i'm not sure i have anything i can layer it with are definitely not going to get everyday wear unfortunately. But i could not resist this piece. The colour (a light turquoise), the cut (one that would flatter my pear shape) and the ribbon lace up back were just too much for me to pass up on. Also factoring in the fact that i bought this on my brother's birthday and through some weird, unconscious younger sibling thing, i actually can't seem to get through his birthday without buying myself a big treat (and no, i don't do it on purpose). Anyway, it probably took me less than 5 minutes from discovering CASSANDRA the label on instagram to buying this bodysuit. I was that lustful.
It took just over a month for the bodysuit to be made and shipped from Australia to the UK and it arrived wrapped nicely in (purple, eeep) tissue paper with an adorable hand written note. I love little touches like that, it always makes you feel a lot more connected to the person making your lingerie.
It took just over a month for the bodysuit to be made and shipped from Australia to the UK and it arrived wrapped nicely in (purple, eeep) tissue paper with an adorable hand written note. I love little touches like that, it always makes you feel a lot more connected to the person making your lingerie.
The bodysuit is constructed from four "panels" of stunning turquoise lace; the bra panel, the two torso panels and the knickers panel. The decorative lace hem on all these panels overlaps to hide the seams but unfortunately it does mean they don't lie flat and fold over occasionally. The lace itself is soft and insanely comfortable, as well as beautiful. The bodysuit has an elastic halterneck with a secure hook so it's easy to fasten behind your neck. The back of the bodysuit is a beautiful low scoop cut which dips down to meet the decorative edge of the lace on the knickers panel. This cut does look slightly different to the apparent v-shaped one in the product pictures but it may just be that the model has hers laced tighter at the bottom or just a much smaller waist than i. My bodysuit was nice and snug laced as is in these photos. The long ribbon is laced through 16, 8 on each side, elastic eyelets and fastens at the bottom. The ribbon itself is a little coarse for lingerie in my opinion, i think a velvet or satin ribbon would be slightly better suited for the job but it doesn't pose any irritation and it's durable enough to take any strain on the bodysuit. Which is important because the lace used has very little stretch so there'll be no little elastic fibres sticking out over time but you will have to unlace a bit to get into the bodysuit!
When purchasing from CASSANDRA the label she requests you send her your exact measurements so there's no worries about the standard XXS to XL being a good fit for you. I love the cut of this piece, the way the entire back and shoulders are exposed with that stunning lace-up detailing and how nicely it follows the curves of the body (no mean feat for lace with little stretch). I love how flattering the knickers panel is, the vintage feel of the little shorts and the cheeky cut on the arse. My bodysuit fits perfectly snugly around my hips, bust and bum but unfortunately is too short in the torso. I think the halterneck straps or the cups are too short on me and as a result the under cups seam sits straight across my nipples and the gusset is permanently wedged up my goodies. Which is a big shame because i'm not sure how long i can wear this piece for before my vagina goes numb.
Another little disappointment is there are two rips in my bodysuit, both on the knickers panel. I noticed a small rip where the lace had come away from the seam in the front before i put the bodysuit on but it's very small and thus barely noticeable so i just made sure i was extra careful (i unlaced all the way and then awkwardly laced back up when putting the bodysuit on, which was unnecessary but i didn't want to put any extra strain on the rip). It was only after reviewing these photos that i saw the very large rip in the behind of the bodysuit (i'm sure you can see it in these photos too) and was sad to see that about 2 inches of the lace has ripped away from the seam and split in a y-shape. Overall the lace does seem durable and can withstand a decent amount of strain but i suppose seams are always going to weaken the structure of any fabric and seams that lie on my arse are always going to be load bearing! Lace pieces are always delicate and it's very possible my arse created the second rip, it does like to bust out of things (it's a terror and i always size up on my measurements too).
CASSANDRA the label has been operating since mid 2015 and so i can firmly say that i'm not surprised i've experienced a few minor faults. It takes time, and time brings the experience, to iron out any potential issues with designs and fabrics. So overall i am pleased with this bodysuit. I will have to lengthen the halterneck so it works for my torso (i'm starting to believe i might just have a slightly abnormally long torso...or shoulders i reckon) and wear it very carefully/patch up the rip in the arse somehow. But i will be wearing it and i'm somewhat excited to layer it over something, switch out the ribbon to lots of different colour combinations and wear it as outerwear this summer (weather permitting of course!).
I'll definitely be keeping CASSANDRA the label on my instagram feed (a high honour if i do say so myself) and checking in once in a while to see what new designs they're imagining up. I've got my eye on the Lolita set next (love the design, dislike the name) because to me it looks like the perfect combo of comfortable and exciting and y'know, it comes in red (but i'm praying for a white version one day too). I can totally envision myself lazing around, eating sandwiches in bed and feeling extra fine in that set (because when i'm not at work, that's basically what i'm doing 96% of the time and i definitely need more lingerie that looks amazing but also feels amazing for this).