Curvy Kate & Me, Part 1: Reviews of some recent unlined offerings (Bardot, Daisie, and Dare)

It’s been a bit more than a year since my bra-velation, and since then I’ve had the opportunity to try 8 or 9 bras from the dazzling full bust brand, Curvy Kate.  I am very sad to report that none of these beautiful bras ended up “sticking.” Rather, after trying a Curvy Kate bra, I usually end up feeling like this:

Emile Schuffenecker, “Female Nude Seated on a Bed”, 1875

While I have found great fits in Panache, Cleo, Freya, Fantasie, Gossard, Claudette, et al. it appears that Curvy Kate is simply not my brand.  And she’s close!  She’s definitely oh so close every time! And there are about 5,000 things to write home about what Curvy Kate does well!  But it just seems like every time one of my fit problems is diminished, another fit problem pops up.  Instead of being my unicorn, Curvy Kate, for me, is an unconquerable hydra.

In what follows, I will review some of Curvy Kate’s newer unlined bras.  In my next post, I will look at the padded bras.  I will attempt to point out why the bras don’t quite work for me, and also for whom they may be a success.

Let’s start by taking a real good look at Bardot:

Seriously beautiful.  I wasn’t very attracted to Bardot in the marketing pictures, but in real life Bardot is a stunner. Just look at those bows! Are they not the most perfect bows you have ever seen? They are not normal, standard bows. I almost want to keep just the bows…maybe Amazon won’t notice? 😉

The light, cheery purple color chosen is truly unique, especially when mixed with the sheer black.  The result is minimalist, sultry, and fresh-looking. Definitely a good Spring/Summer black bra! Note that the purple continues as a lace frill outlining the entire bra – even the band.  This is significant, because I have seen so few full bust bras that do not look intolerably boring from the back view.  Can we please have more bras with a little “this and that” on the back, like Bardot?

The black sheer cups speak for themselves – this bra is sexy. But what is also remarkable is the shiny black satin at the gore and on the wings of the bra. This satin shine is a nice luxe detail that was unexpected. Curvy Kate, more than any other brand, consistently offers these pretty finishing touches.

Here’s what Bardot looks like from the front, in size 30G:

Not bad! From the front, Bardot has a typical balcony shape, with a slightly lower-than-average gore (in this size range). Looks a bit like Cleo Lucy, but less uplifted.  The cleavage here is definitely more on the subtle side, but it looks nice.

From the side view, we get a sorta round shape (oh, that bow!):

Pretty good so far.  But that’s my small boob side!  My larger boob is not faring as well:

Now there’s some pretty bad cutting-in. But I still think that the bra is true to size, however.  This is the right size for me; I do not think going up a cup would be the solution, as there seems to be a shape mismatch. The top of the cup seems to be bit too closed off, and so I would be wary if you are full on top or have tall roots.  For reference, Cleo Lucy fits me well in 28G without cutting in, so it appears that Bardot is less full on top friendly than Lucy.

There is a nice amount of projection at the bottom of the cup (which appears to suit me perfectly), so in this size range you may want to have at least some moderate projection to make this bra work.

Like all Curvy Kate bras, the bra feels sturdy, and is holding my breasts nicely in place. The wires are about average length. The band is firm (3 rows of hooks – Curvy Kate does that well!), and the straps are strong and thick.

As for comfort, this bra is not as bad as other Curvy Kates, for me. As we shall see, Curvy Kate bras are usually too wide for me, and the straps and tops of the cups cut into my armpits.  This is certainly the case for Bardot, but perhaps it’s not as bad as some of the others.  Take this fact with a grain of salt, as I am high set with a petite torso.

Here’s how Bardot looks under a shirt:

I swear, I’ll let that purple bow peek out the side any day!  Bardot looks nicely rounded under a shirt. There is uplifting, but in a much more natural and subtle way compared to Cleo.  Surprisingly, the seams don’t seem to show all too much. Pretty smooth!

All in all, while Bardot is not the best for my full on top shape and petite torso, I think that Bardot is going to work beautifully for many other ladies.  If you’re interested, some sizes are under $35 on Amazon, at the moment.

Next, we will look at two of Curvy Kate’s newer unlined plunges: Dare and Daisie.  Now, just a warning, they aren’t quite going to work for me, but apparently they signify great improvement in Curvy Kate’s unlined plunges, and are worth trying.  For example, Florence from Science and Silicone seemed to make both of them work, and Erica from A Sophisticated Pair had a lot of praise for Dare, even giving it an A!

Please forgive the terrible quality of these photos – I took them before I brought this blog into being!

Here’s Dare, in 30G:

Again, a really pretty aesthetic. I absolutely love the shiny silver overlaying the pink. And for an unlined plunge, this is giving some awesome cleavage! I love it from the front!  You can, however, clearly see the cup cutting in to my bigger breast – so the nice cleavage here may be an accident caused by a bad fit.  It appears that I can do with a little more flexibility in the cup for inner and upper fullness – although this may in turn compromise structure and support. Harrrumph. Gosh, bra engineering is hard!

Let’s take a look at the side view.  On my boobs, this bra takes on a slightly projected look. There is not a whole lot of lifting up going on, either. Like Bardot, there is definitely some room for projection at the bottom. Note, however, that the wires are wider.

Here is Dare under a shirt. Sweet from the front! Definitely great for a deep V-neck. Dare is also not showing too much in the way of seams.

I was not too thrilled by the side view, however. There is a pretty deep ski-slope look to the silhouette. I am wondering if it is my shape that is making the bra do this, but Erica from A Sophisticated Pair also pointed out how the stiff upper fabric leads to a more downward pointing shape.

As for comfort – again, the bra is too wide for my frame. Literally (in the figurative sense!) eating my armpits.

I would venture a guess that Dare (in this size range) is best for those with moderate projection, even fullness, and for those who do not mind wider wires. A certain amount of firmness would also contribute to success, it seems. You can try Dare here on Amazon for around 20 bucks in some sizes!

I’m so sad about Daisie, the last bra I’ll show you today. Daisie in 30G is a dream come true from the front:

That is some holy grail unlined bra cleavage.  Alas, it comes at a cost:

See that pointiness in the second photo? What is that? Why is that happening to me?

I honestly do not know how to interpret the problem here. I imagine that not everyone gets this shape. Is the bra too projected for me? Are the cups too small? It’s such a tragedy, because I love it from the front!

The wires here are fairly wide (in this size range).  The bra, again, is also very wide, which compromises comfort significantly.  Sigh. If you think you may fare better, Daisie is hovering around $30 in some sizes and colors here on Amazon.

I probably won’t give up on Curvy Kate unlined bras. They are too pretty. I’m interested in trying some more of the balcony bras (like Jewel), as well as the newest unlined plunge, Dita.  Dita is supposed to be similar to Dare, but I hope that it is different in the right way. 😉

Anyone else have either success or failure with Curvy Kate?  How do you fare in the newer unlined bras?  Stay tuned for a look at 5 different padded bras from Curvy Kate!