Review: Sculptresse ‘Pure Lace’ lingerie

Following on from my recent reviews of Masquerade and Panache lingerie sets, here is a review of another brand in the Panache line up: Sculptresse. Crafted for fit and styled for curves, the Sculptresse range was first released in 2013 and offers lingerie for the stylish full figured woman. As this range doesn’t come in my size, I enlisted the help of a guest blogger, Vikki VonVixen.

Sculptresse is Panache’s plus size lingerie range, introducing six fashion and everyday designs in back sizes 36-46, cups D to H, with briefs available in sizes 14-26. Though the range is currently only small (no pun intended), the available designs are all lovely and vary from plain black and nude basics to colourful lace and bright prints, so there is likely to be something for every taste. Three of the six lines are also available in more than one colour-way, so there is plenty to choose from.

After much deliberation over the lovely designs on offer, I chose the Pure Lace Moulded T-shirt Bra in the pink/purple colour-way, whose striking colour colour combination doesn’t disappoint in real-life. When I opened the package, the vibrancy and quality of the layered pink and purple fabrics was immediately obvious. The design is beautifully simple, but it’s the colour that really makes it pop – the bright pink shimmering through the purple lace is striking and playful without being garish. The briefs have the same layering of purple lace over a silky pink mesh at the front, with a little pink bow centred on the waistband, and a sheer purple spotted mesh back panel. The High Waist Briefs are generous, comfortable, and cut pretty true to size, though I wouldn’t necessarily call them ‘high-waisted’ particularly – they come up to just under my belly button, so possibly closer to a full brief. Regardless, they are a lovely shape that glides over love handles without digging in to my bumpy bits.

As someone who tends to wear bras with some kind of foam ‘structuring’ for extra support, it seemed unusual at first that this bra has no moulded padding at all, and is really just the two layers of silky fabric. Once on, though, I forgot this, as the fabric is incredibly well cut and made, and what the website describes as a ‘concealed sling’ between the fabric layers really does work in providing impressive support and comfort.

I requested a size 40DD, which is one of the sizes that I most commonly wear, though I have a range of bras in sizes 38-42 D-E. The Sculptresse seems to be fairly true to size, though if you are often on the borderline I would advise going up a cup size – a D cup, which fits me in some other brands, would have been a little snug for me here. I would also say that I am usually most comfortable in balcony cut bras (which I now have my eye on in Sculptresse’s Flirtini design), but this bra didn’t cut across the top of my breast like some other full cup bras do.

The bra gives a fantastic shape, and feels comfortable and smooth, providing a great line under clothes. Due to my shape I often struggle with the under-band of bras curling up and digging in even when they are the correct size, but this wasn’t a problem here, as the band is wide and well-placed. The straps slightly padded with soft lining and a good width, striking a balance between comfort and looks.

Overall, I am delighted with this set, and particularly pleased to have such gorgeous designs and matching knickers available in this range of sizes. It is comfortable, beautiful, and feels lovely on, and I will definitely be checking out some of the other styles to add to my collection. I hope it proves popular enough to encourage Panache to expand the range in the future, as pretty bras in larger back sizes with matching plus-size knickers as a rare find!

DISCLOSURE: Vikki was sent a Pure Lace bra and high waisted briefs free to review by Panache.

This post was written by a RWL Guest Blogger – Vikki VonVixen is a queer fat femme-inist writer, activist, and performance artist whose primary interests include glitter, gin, and trashy pop culture. Keep up to date with her performance work at vikkivonvixen.blogspot.co.uk (she promises to update it soon). Photos by Vikki. The Pure lace range from Sculptresse range is available now at figleaves.com.