Calling all E and F cup ladies! You may have heard that one of my favourite independent lingerie brands, Playful Promises, have expanded one of their new bra ranges into F cups. The cute and frilly black satin Lily range is available in sizes 32A-32F, 34A-34F and 36B-36DD, adding four new sizes on top of their usual range. The press release explained a bit more about how/why, and got me very excited about the new range…
Fans of the brand have continually voiced their desires for larger cup sizes, which is quite a financial undertaking for an independent company. Larger cup sizes require different and more expensive fabric and components in order to provide extra support. The new bra sizes also feature different patterns and garment construction, which is key when moving into a different size range.
Staying true to their cheeky style, the bras in the range will feature one full cup balconette and a naughty quarter cup with matching nipple pasties. The range is comprised of black satin with frills and bows, and the bras can be mixed and matched with a choice of brief, thong or ouvert brief. Playful Promises’ founder and designer, Emma Parker, hopes that the new size range proves popular enough include F cups in future collections and to consider developing a full-bust size range.
So, with my usual size being a 32E, I jumped at the chance to review a set. I went for the cheeky open cup bra and the frilly briefs, but there is also a balconette bra, thong and ouvert briefs (yes, that does mean what you think it does!). The parcel arrived with the set wrapped in tissue paper and tied with a pink Playful Promises ribbon, which made it even more exciting to open. The satin used on both the bra and briefs is beautifully soft yet thick, reminding me of the L’Agent by Agent Provocateur bras that I tried on last year. Glamorous and also comfortable. Oh yes, even though the briefs are a bit skimpier than I’d usually wear, they were super comfy when I put them on trial for a day. The frills and large bows are a super cute feminine addition to what is definitely a classic set, and the ruched satin on the bra straps is a nice touch. Amazingly, even though the straps only have an adjustable section at the back, I still managed to get them just right for me. The back band was a great fit too – nice and firm so that you get maximum support without discomfort. The wires sat perfectly, with the centre gore sitting flat against my chest and nothing pressing on breast tissue.
Of course, choosing the open cup bra meant that I had trouble trying to take a photo for this review because, well, it shows a lot! I pondered rummaging through my old burlesque wardrobe to find some tassels, but decided that I would just share these lovely images that Playful Promises’ photographer Anna shot with gorgeous F-cup model Emma Glover. Actually, looking at these photos again, I may have to get the Lily nipple pasties too, so that I can show the set off properly!
DISCLOSURE: I was sent a Lily open cup bra and briefs free to review by Playful Promises.
@lipsticklori Question: do you ever have to buy pants or is review stock enough?
But still not in small band sizes 🙁
^Inadequate band size for the cup is my perpetual problem!! Dammit. Is the review an anime character or something??? I don’t know anyone with an E-cup under a size 38…
RT @lipsticklori: Blog Post: My review of the ‘Lily’ lingerie range (available up to F cup), by @PlayfulPromises http://t.co/jj7ya4E8cj
I’m a 28E :/ I am not ‘huge’ either, if anything, I’d say they are ‘nice but not far from average’. If you want to read more about bra fittings, you can start at an awesome subreddit called A Bra That Fits: reddit.com/r/abrathatfits
The reviewer is me! As I said, Playful Promises are trialling new cup sizes, so they’re not available in all band sizes. If the Lily sells well in the new sizes, they are hoping to expand this further.
Lori: Playful Promises have never made sub 32 band sizes, do you think you could have a word with them for us petite ladies? 😛
Dang girl! That’s impressive! Still wish I could stand a chance of finding my size in cute lingerie manufacturers, though…
Melon Devine: Cup size is relative to band size, so the cups of a 28E will be much smaller than those on a 38E. What’s your size? I’ll see if I know of any brands.
Jessica Brown: I’ll see what they say.
Kate Borland liked this on Facebook.
i’d suggest that if you don’t know anyone over an E but below a 38 band, then many of them are wearing the wrong cup size. i know so many people who are a 28/30 back and E cup or above. melon, also interested in helping you find pretty bras. if i can find some (28H) anyone can 🙂
I’m a 30HH – we definitely exist! I’m basically Bravissimo’s captive market :/
miranda, try brastop!
Oooh, thank you!
also figleaves is pretty good and debenhams. john lewis have just started stocking curvy kate
Bravissimo etc use a different system to other brands. It looks the same . . . but for example, we have someone in my offices who is a 28K in bravissimo, a 34E in Fraulein Annie, and happy in a Large bralet in our stuff (which was designed for a 36 B-DD!).
i dunno, i’m a 28H everywhere. fraulein annie might be an odd fit (the Polish brands for example fit differently) and bralets are a completley different thing as they are based on volume and aren’t wired. Bravissimo own brand can run about a cup size smaller than other brands though. the system that bravissimo use is fitting on sight rather than a tape measure. in my experience, the tape measure rarely works as boobs are 3D!
oh and what katie did tried to convince me to try a 32G as they are vintage sizing. the band was huge 🙁
Jessica – If we could, we would do all the bra sizes ever, but each new size is an investment and a financial risk. We are a very, very small brand, and we just can’t afford to make everyone happy! The first step is to create larger cups, which we have done (but we will refine further), and if they continue to prove popular we can look into either creating a larger cup size line OR look into creating smaller back sizes. It would likely be a one or the other situation to begin with. I hope that helps 🙂
thanks Anna, i sitll think that many customers might be squeezing themselves into incorrect sizes. might be worth some more research?
Sarah – To do research on that scale (in order to get correct data) would probably cost a lot of time and money, I’d imagine!
yeah, i know. it’s just that if customers buy the wrong size so they can fit into your bras, how do you know what demand there is for other sizes? i used to buy AP bras in a 34F just so i could wear them
The Lily is absolutely the next thing on my shopping list <3
I don’t blame you at all. There is such a massive size range with bras and I know/understand how difficult it can be! Either way I can still hope and pray for the day of pretty lingerie in my size (and so that I can help support small businesses…!) 🙂
Sarah – Good point – We based it on the feedback we had been receiving from our facebook and emails, which was generally people asking for larger cup sizes (and for some of those that have, for example, 30F, they seemed happy to try out a 32E in order to show support for the new sizing developments). Clearly we understand there is a need for smaller back sizes, and luckily our E and F cups have sold well, so we can consider branching into different sizes. Just out of curiosity, did you email the same queries to AP?
iT was years ago before i went down to a 28 rather than a 30/32. i think i mentioned it in the shop. 28 is particularly bad as at 30 at least you can size up to a 32! no brand does vintage lingerie in below a 30 or above a ff/g. i think it’s a big oppotunity but of course it takes a lot of money. tutti rouge launched last year and did down to a 28 and up to HH, they’ve just expanded to a J.
I’d suggest sending an email to their head office (or whichever email you can find), as they are a giant compared to us, so they don’t have much of an excuse regarding extended sizing.
I should also mention that as we only did 32/34 E & F this time, the next thing we will do is add 36 E and F as that’s the main feedback we’ve received 🙂
Tutti Rouge are focussing on a specific size range, they do sizes 28-38 in DD-HH (is that correct?), so people of those sizes would know to go to them. Part of the risk is marketing our new bra sizes to people that haven’t heard/automatically assume we only do a certain size range.
Yeah, i might do a round of emails to places. another issue is that so many people wear the wroong size that what they ask for isn’t actually the right fit. the best luxury brand for extended sizing for me is mimi holliday 28-40A-GG. The only people who make soft cup bras who fit me. i appreciate that you aren’t known as a large cup zie brand but interestingly Cleo have just gone the other way and are sizing down to a B! also, i’m interested in the hyper luxury end of custom made bras. wondering if there’s some way of asking people to sign up to buy bras so that minimum orders can be achieved. SO MANY THOUGHTS. MUCH BRAS. VERY WOW.
I tend to think that if women are happy in the size they are in, then it’s the right size. It’d be a bit strange if we started refusing to sell people garments in the colours they liked just because they weren’t the “right’ colour for them, for example.
the problem is that a lot of people aren’t happy though. i have friends who find their bras uncomfortable, the shape and fit poor, have back pain but just think “that’s how it’s meant to feel/fit”. i’ve resized a lot of people and the difference can be amazing.
I have lots of friends who are disabled. Does this mean most of the 30-something population are disabled, or that I’m more likely to have a social circle who shares my concerns, experiences and issues? And/or more likely to remember those who talk about these issues versus those for whom it’s never raised as a topic?
I feel like that’s an issue of education/knowledge though, no? Shouldn’t the emphasis be on women understanding that if a bra doesn’t feel right, they can find out why and rectify the problem? Especially now there are brands that cater to various different sizes. I think the problem is that a lot of women who aren’t in the “standard” bra size range haven’t realised that the lingerie world has changed.
yeah, there’s an element of that. i know people who are a fairly common size (34DD-F) who say it’s hard to find bras. most brands cater for those sizes now (even asda and primark!). the problem is that certain things are impossible to find in smaller/bigger backs and bigger cups eg vintage soft cup etc and that a lot of shops ~(i’m looking at you john lewis, next and debenhams) stock freya, curvy kate etc but only keep a limited size range in store.
Yeah, that really annoys me that Debenhams only take limited sizes (and styles) from the likes of Curvy Kate and Freya. Also… this comment thread is turning into a potential blog post of its own! 🙂
It’s an ROI thing, and sales-per-square-foot in stores. Can explain but might take a while 🙂
Talking of stockists… telling your favourite lingerie boutique to stock a certain size/style of ours is a really really helpful way to help us make more sizes! 😉
catherine i’m an accountant so i understand ROI, but if they are taking a style that freya offer up to a J then they should stock it (at least in flagship stores), especially as places like john lewis offer a fitting service. they can’t fit people properly if they don’t stock the sizes. also a lot of brands go up to a G now, so it’s not that uncommon, i’d expect a freya stockist to partly stock them in order to fill that G+ gap. i asked in john lewis and they said there was “no demand”. there is not a single shop in either london westfield that stocks my size. not one. Lori Smith i agree and i note that figleaves often sell out of my size very quickly!
Why should they, if it doesn’t make enough money?
they haven’t tried so how do they know? i’d say it’s a missed opportunity. i’m just asking for them to try. curvy kate has just started to be stocked in john lewis. they have persuaded them to take limited stock in 3 stores. interesting to note which sizes have sold out online http://www.johnlewis.com/curvy-kate-smoothie-moulded-bra-blush/p1163333
How do you know they have never tried it?
because i’ve been going to john lewis oxford street for years and they have never stocked above a G. since the 28 backs have sold out in the one style that curvy kate persuaded them to take it’ll be interesting to see if they order more 28s in other styles.
house of fraser are the same too.
But for example if they only ordered much smaller amounts in the fringe sizes and made a big PR deal about introducing them( which is what most retailers would do for high risk extensions), then you’d expect them to sell out faster. It would make them more likely to restock and extend ranges, but it wouldn’t be tremendous evidence for store space or much larger orders.
As for well they never have – unless you’ve been going weekly, I really don’t think you can know that for sure. I’d be happy to take their word for it though if they’ve told you they’ve not yet tried it.
(additionally, if I was making enough money per square foot in a store selling core sizes, I’d really have to question the rationale/risk/potential profit margin by extending into fringe sizes)
because you can capture a large proportion of smaller market.
RT @lipsticklori: Blog Post: My review of the ‘Lily’ lingerie range (available up to F cup), by @PlayfulPromises http://t.co/jj7ya4E8cj
Lola PoodleGirl liked this on Facebook.
At what cost? And how big really is that market? It’s a risky proposition if you already have a healthy business – which John lewis definitely does (not so much debenhams, which means they’ve been cutting their buys).
I thought that the private sector was all about risk taking. David Cameron lied 😉