A new year often means a new start for many of us. Beginning a new chapter a year on from last with another list of high hopes and resolutions. January is the ideal time for freshening up after a gluttoness and overdone festive period, to dust away the cobwebs and detox your life. It's also the perfect time to be acquainted with new brands, which brings me to the introduction of large cup bra brand
Alexis Smith!
Lingerie brands that cater for the fuller bust can be few and far between so it's always exciting to hear about a new DD+ on the block. Established in 2010, to be fronted by Jessica Wright of
The Only Way is Essex fame in 2011, Alexis Smith has quickly earned a reputation for sexy lingerie for the big boobed amongst us. A reputation I was keen to test myself!
Busty girls from a DD to a G cup will be interested to know that Alexis Smith is not your usual large cup bra brand. If you're tired of broad straps and full covering cups, take a look at the cute capsule collection which features both staple and fashion designs including my favourite, the
Candy Stripe -
Alexis Smith sent me the White Satin bra which is a classic, fail safe style that most of us like to have in our lingerie drawer. Think push up 'hello boys' and you're on the right track!
The similarities with Wonderbra and other plunging bras ends there though, because there's a few reasons why Alexis Smith is different. The first I will mention is the sizing. Where I can normally wear a 30G quite happily I found the 30G in the satin bra to be extremely tight. I couldn't manage to fasten the back at all, whether this was solely because of the little give in the elastication of the band, I'm not sure. So I exchanged the 30G for a 32G - a back size I order from Ewa Michalak, or in UK terms, a size I've not worn since I thought I was a 32F! So this was very strange for me. The 32 fit much better but I'd probably say a size in between what the 30 and 32 fit like would have been perfect. The 32 felt a little too loose. Catch 22!
The cups were fairly okay, I would have preferred bigger but a G cup is the largest available. The low cut style was something very alien feeling but quite nice to experience again. This is exactly what I consider a 'normal' bra, the bras I remember wearing when I was smaller in the boob department. What I don't like about larger cup bras generally is the armour feeling structure and this bra is as far away from that principle as it could be. Why can't all large cup bras show this amount of fantastic cleavage?!
I can appreciate the benefit of slimmer straps - after all, wide straps can be pretty granny looking - although I'm not sure they're right being so thin. I would probably change my mind about this if I was more confident with the band firmness, as the straps should never provide the main support system for boobs anyway.
What is refreshing to feel is the lightness, this is one very weightless bra! The cups are lightly padded but not heavy and cumbersome and everything about the fabrication is just like a feather. No other plunge bra feels this light, I can assure you.
In my overall opinion Alexis Smith is a brand to watch, I can see some stunning designs coming out of this label yet. It may not provide you with everything you want or indeed need in a large cup bra: the smallest back is a 30, styles are currently limited to plunge only and support isn't strong to withstand your household chores. What this is good for is an awesomely sexy bra for the days when you want to feel more feminine and show off your natural curves. Going out with the girls and painting the town red - The Only Way is Essex style in a nutshell.
Becky x
