Today I’m excited to review one of the sets I selected for my Springtime full-bust round-up a few weeks ago: the beautiful Daisy Chain from Curvy Kate!
Curvy Kate Daisy Chain in Sherbet/Rose
While I’ve long liked Curvy Kate’s bright, colorful bras and wide variety of styles, I had a really hard time finding a style that gave me the fit, shape, and support I wanted. I’ve never had much luck with padded or half-cup styles, so the Showgirl styles and I just didn’t get along (even though the designs were right up my alley). Last year I had the chance to try the lovely Portia, which, while a definite improvement, still didn’t give me the lifted, centered feel I prefer. I wondered at the time if the mesh wasn’t quite supportive enough for my fuller boobs, and resolved to try one of Curvy Kate’s styles featuring a laminated fabric, which tends to be sturdier and offers more stability.
Curvy Kate offered me one of the new season styles to try, and I decided to go with Daisy Chain, a non-padded plunge bra available in sizes 28-38 D-J (UK). I’d originally hoped to try the black version from Fall/Winter, but alas, my size wasn’t available, so I decided to try this season’s Sherbet/Rose colorway.
[NOTE: Curvy Kate generously provided this set for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Appearance
Daisy Chain is a classic three-part cup with solid, laminated fabric on the two lower sections and a sheer embroidered top cup. Right off the bat, we need to talk about the color– this is not my first pick, I gotta say. I know that’s weird coming from someone who painted her bedroom pink, but I tend to keep pink out of my wardrobe. I’m so pale, and my height and stature lean towards the grand rather than the girly, so pink just feels … odd, and a little juvenile, at least to me (although I LOVE it on others!). When I do choose pink lingerie, I go for peachy pinks, which feel more retro and vintage-inspired. I’d really hoped for the black version, because I wear a lot of black for work and a black plunge bra would have been a really useful addition to my wardrobe, but unfortunately it was sold out before Curvy Kate could ship it to me. This season’s Daisy Chain is a very light bubblegum pink, with contrasting dark pink embroidery. It’s very lovely, to be sure, but at 29 I feel like it really doesn’t fit well with the rest of my personal style
I love the sweet ribbon flowers trimming the briefs and center gore– this detail is much more fun than the traditional bow or rosette!
Fit
I wound up trying the bra and brief in what I think of as my “usual” size (same as I wear in most Panache styles). Based on my experience with Portia, I’d originally requested the bra in one cup size larger than my norm, but to my pleasant surprise the bra feels very true to size, and I had to exchange it for my usual cup size. The band was nice and firm on the loosest set of hooks (much firmer than Portia was, yay!), the cups are deeper and more projected than past-season Curvy Kate styles, and the fully adjustable straps are a fantastic length for me. Like some of Bravissimo’s non-padded styles, this is a shape that really works well for me: the wires sit comfortably on my body, the top of the cup doesn’t dig, and the cup is deep enough.
Both bra and brief fit really well when I first got them. I think I’ve lost a little weight in the last two months, though, and now I’m finding a I have a little extra room in the bottom and top of the cup, and I’ve needed to tighten up both the band and the straps. Even more unfortunately, the briefs are now quite big, and they actually start to slide down my hips throughout the day (once, memorably, as I was sprinting up 5th Avenue to get to an appointment. It was not cute). The Daisy Chain briefs are made of a much stretchier fabric than the mesh used for Portia, so I find they fit generously. I will size down one (or two) sizes in the future.
Comfort
Daisy Chain really, really suits my shape, so I find it a very comfortable bra to wear, especially when I first got it and the size was better for me. One thing I will point out is that (in my size, at least) the sides of the cup and the straps are set quite wide, so if you are someone who has trouble with bras cutting into your shoulders and armpits as you move throughout the day, I’d be cautious trying this style. Because the center gore is so low, some unpadded plunge shapes have to have more coverage elsewhere to provide stability and support, so sometimes you have to compromise on a fit criterion here or there. I should also note that the bra shows pretty clearly under most of my sleeveless tops and dresses, so that’s another thing to consider if visible bra straps are an irritant to you.
Before the briefs got too big (sorrow), I found them extremely comfortable. I’ve pretty much given up on Cleo’s briefs, for example, because as cute as they are, the rise is so freaking low on my long body that they simply won’t stay up. The Daisy Chain briefs have a slightly higher rise, so while they’re not high-waisted or full-coverage by any means, they will actually sit on my hips where they’re supposed to, and they also offer a bit more belly coverage. I love them! Now I’ll just need to try the right size next time…
Overall, I heartily recommend Daisy Chain. Curvy Kate has always had such a fantastic, specific design point of view, and I think they’re really pushing their fit to get better and better with each passing season. I get a lifted, round, supported shape from Daisy Chain, and I can wear it under lower-cut tops without it peeking out. This is going to be a summer staple!
Daisy Chain is available in sizes 28-38 D-J, and the matching thong and brief are available in sizes 8-22 (UK, so approximately sizes 4-18 in US sizes). Curvy Kate is a British company, so the cup size progression goes like this: D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J. Daisy Chain is available at Bare Necessities, Figleaves, and Forever Yours (in black), among others.
