I was so excited that EF added so many new lingerie items. I was especially thrilled by this bustier. I love the Aqua color. The only thing I was hesitant about was the formed cups. Formed cups have been hit or miss for me. Sometimes the cup size is too small, and to get the cup size to fit the proportions of the rest of the piece is just huge. That was not the case here.

Well, let's get to the important stuff.

Sizing
Coquette lists a Large as
Bust - 38-40"
Cup Size - C
Waist - 30-32"
Hip - 40-42"

My measurements
Bust - 40"
Cup size - 34D
Waist - 28.5"
Hips - 39"

Actual measurements of the bustier (true to size)
Cup Measurements
Across at the widest point - 8.5"
Center of cup to bottom of cup - 5.75"

Waist on smallest hooks not stretched - 28"
Waist on largest hooks fully stretched - 35"

Hips on smallest hooks not stretched - 33"
Hips on largest hooks fully stretched - 42"

As you can see from the above measurements, the cup size is very generous and the piece has a lot of give. It would work for anyone with a C-DD cup size. If you are smaller than a C, this will likely not work for you.



Here is the inside view of the bustier.




Material/Quality
90%Nylon 10% Spandex. Hand wash only and hang to dry.

The quality of the materials used is excellent. The bustier is soft and stretchy. There is one quality concern that seems to be common in almost all Coquette items I own; the boning. Before I even tried it on, I noticed that one of the boning pieces had poked through the material and was sticking out. When I rubbed my finger on the end of the plastic boning, it was obvious why it poked through. The end was poorly finished and quite sharp. I am glad I was not wearing it when it poked through, because it would have been painful. Coquette really needs to change their boning or put soft tips on the boning ends so that it will not poke through. I will file down the end and sew it back together. Other than the boning, the quality is top notch, and it is just easier to repair than to return. Given my past experience with Coquette, the replacement would likely have had the same issue at some point.

You can see how the boning poked through in the above photo.

The lace is see-through. The cups and center rushing are solid fabric and not see-through. The color is true to the photos. The color of the lace and the solid color fabric are not an exact match, but do look good together. I mention this because some people are very picky about fabric colors matching. Once it is on, I did not notice the difference in color.

Design
The cups are molded and have an underwire. There is thick padding on the lower half of the cup for nice lift. The upper portion of the cup has light, molded padding. There is a small bow of the same color between the cups.

Down the center of the bustier is a solid colored fabric that features rushing. This is great if you have any flaws that you want a bit of extra help in hiding. The center back of the piece features the same solid material with two rows of 18 hook/eye closures. The closures stayed together well when I was hooking them, which was a pleasant surprise. There are 10 plastic boning pieces around the bustier that are covered with the same solid colored fabric. There are three rows of 1" fabric that are gathered into ruffles at the bottom of the bustier. There are no garters.

The rest of the bustier is made of a soft, stretchy, floral lace.

The straps are not detachable. They are very thin, at 1/4". As the rest of the bustier is very supportive, the thin straps do not present a problem. The straps are adjustable.


It does come with a thong made of a thin mesh, which is also very soft and stretchy.

The boning and the molded cups do present a challenge in travel and storage. This is not an outfit you can roll up into your bag and take with you. If you mash down the molded cups in either your luggage or your drawer, they will sometimes lose their shape. I have not tried it with this piece, but it is something to watch for. I store my corsets in a separate storage container, as they need to lie flat and tend to take up a lot of drawer space.

I LOVE this bustier. The deep aqua color is great to wear year round. It fits very well and is super comfortable for a piece with boning. The plastic boning does bend easily, making good to wear under clothing. The ruffles at the bottom might limit some of the outfits you would wear it under. You could also wear it as a top, as it has good coverage and is very sexy. I would not wear it to sleep in due to the boning. I do not find any pieces with boning comfortable enough to sleep in.

The design is great. It gives lift and support in the cups, and the rushing hides my tummy. The boning helps to give nice shaping. Due to the stretch in the material, you are not going to get the cinching of a corset, but then again it is much more comfortable than a corset.

I actually like the thong. It is comfortable and fits well. I prefer a thong to a g-string, so this was a great bonus for me. The thong stays in place well and does not cut into my hips.


I rated this 4 out of 5 due to the boning poking through the fabric prior to even wearing it. This seems to be a problem other reviewers have also had.