Recently Martha Rose contacted me and asked if i'd like to try out their lingerie. I've recently been all about ridiculously architectural lingerie that looks amazing but isn't the most comfortable for summer lounging. So when I visited the Martha Rose website for the first time and saw the adorable home page photo of a stunning model looking oh so comfortable and relaxed, i was pretty sold on them. Martha Rose hand makes all their lingerie in the UK out of men's cotton shirtings and their own bespoke prints. I'm a huge fan of lingerie made from natural, breathable fabrics, it's always guaranteed to be comfortable and also pretty damn good for 'feminine hygiene' too. So basically i cannot say no to an indie UK based lingerie designer who makes comfortable lingerie in breathable fabrics. And clearly i didn't say no.
Martha Rose makes three styles of bra, The more structured plunge Anemone and the full cup Meadowsweet bra are adorable and perfect for those with bigger busts who want more shape and support but unfortunately for us small bust owners, only go down to a 32B. So i opted for the soft cup Dahlia and prayed it fit sub 32B sizes.
Two days after i confirmed my interest with Martha Rose, and on my birthday no less, my lingerie arrived in an attractive metallic package and came with a perfect little drawstring storage bag made from the same shirt material. It felt like a lovely birthday present to open it and my immediate impressions were very very positive. I see a lot of lingerie, it's kind of my sixth sense, so for me to be giving immediate heart eyes to a set that is as simplistic as this one, well you know it must be pushing my buttons.
So i ordered the Dahlia bra in white lace in an XS and the matching Patchwork Knicker in white lace in a Small. I was a little apprehensive because the size guide says the XS in a soft bra is best suited to a size 32B/34A and the size small knickers were best suited to 35" to 37" hips but i'm glad i had a bit of faith. The Dahlia bra fits really perfectly, it is snug against my bust sitting flush everywhere and giving me a nice lifted, rounded shape. The band measures 25" flat and stretches up to 34". The Patchwork knickers fit wonderfully too, they're a little loose but in a comfortable not digging into my soft bits way. The full bum doesn't sag anywhere and is a much more flattering fit that i had expected, it doesn't cover my entire bum but nicely cuts across the cheeks. They measure 25" flat and stretch up to 38" around the waistband.
The set is constructed out of a soft but stiff shirt material with complimentary large flower lace panels. The big lace panel on the Dahlia bra sits perfectly at the top of my nipples and with wear only slips down a little so they cutely peek out the top. Because the lace is just as sturdy my nipples peeking out doesn't affect the fit of the bra or shape it gives my bust. All the seams are perfectly finished and tiny, honestly some very impressive construction goes into these pieces. The fully adjustable bra straps are covered in ruched shirting material so they're both comfortable but also fit in with the rest of the design. The only thing i don't like about this set is the colour of the bows. But i'm terribly, horribly biased about the colour purple so i don't have a leg to stand on and although i'd love my bows to be a pale pink or blue, i can live with the purple for this level of comfort.
I am anticipating spending most of my free time this summer lounging about in this set and i'm actually, genuinely excited to see what Martha Rose have in store for AW16 as clearly i also need to spend my winter lounging about in something this comfortable too. I think it's so easy to get hung up on lingerie that pushes boundaries and looks very complicated but everyone needs comfortable, breathable lingerie to lounge in, to sleep in, etc and instead of the ugly high street basics that fall apart, i'm so pleased i found Martha Rose. Now my 'lazy' lingerie is beautiful, ethical and flattering.
*These items were gifted to me free of charge for the purpose of a review. All opinions and writings are my own