One of my favorite things about the Erotique Butterfly Bikini is its color. I love the entire purple color spectrum. The intensely deep shades scream passion to me and the vivid shades (such as heliotrope, violet, orchid, and lavender) are mesmerizing. The latter shades describe the color of purple Wisteria, a gorgeous deciduous vine often used to add drama to columns, arbors, exposed rafters, and eaves of the grandest of homes to increase curbside appeal.

I mention this because the best way I can describe the color of the Erotique Butterfly Bikini is to say that it is the color of Wisteria -- a color that flatters most skin tones. The hue is somewhat brighter than I was expecting after viewing the enlarged photos on the California Exotics website -- and this was the first thing I noticed when I pulled the bikini set out of its packaging.

STYLE / CONSTRUCTION

How fitting it is that Wisteria attracts butterflies like crazy -- because the Erotique Butterfly Bikini features quite a few of them, considering the paucity of material which could possibly accommodate them. Alighting between the breasts in the center of the bikini top is a cotton embroidered butterfly. Another is poised on the tiny triangle that covers the pubic mound, while yet another adorns the G-string above the crevice of the derriere.





Even the sheer, stretchy material that forms the cups of the bra features a butterfly theme. The tiny triangle forming the front of the panty is also made of this stretchy lace material, but it is such a tiny swatch of fabric that the butterflies are much less apparent (though the cotton embroidered butterfly adornment makes up for that!).



The top is a classic bandeau bikini style. The material is gathered in the middle between the breasts, creating a slight ruching of the sheer fabric. This gathering also lends a triangular appearance to the cups.



The gathered material between the cups is secured on the inside seam by a short strip of black elastic. This same type of elastic is used to provide shape and contrasting trim to the entire outfit. One long continuous strip of it forms the back ties of the garment, the sides of the cup, and the halter-style neck strap. The neck strap is a simple non-adjustable loop.





The bikini bottoms are a very simple affair. The front of the panty is formed by a tiny triangular swatch of the stretchy lace, which is overlaid with a butterfly applique. The sides of this triangle are lined with the elastic; but, for some reason, the elastic band does not form one continuous circle around the hips. Instead, the black elastic ends where it connects to the stretchy triangular crotch. As a result, the lacy material and the butterfly applique bear the tension caused by the elastic bands around the hips.



MATERIAL

As previously mentioned, the Erotique Butterfly Bikini is made of a stretchy butterfly-themed lace. There is a discrepancy between the list of materials on the packaging versus the list of materials on the garment tag on the top. The tag states that the set is made of 90% nylon and 10% spandex.

According to the package (which I believe offers more accurate information), the stretchy lace material is comprised of 14% Spandex and 86% polyamide. The sheer Wisteria material showcases the nipples and is also fairly soft and supple.

The embroidered butterfly appliques are made of cotton, with no Spandex to lend them any degree of elasticity. The butterflies feel soft to the touch, but they are fairly delicate and the ones on the panty are showing slight signs of becoming distorted from being stretched during wear.

The elastic trim that forms the straps and ties consists of 25% cotton and 75% nylon. I found the elastic to be slightly itchy and uncomfortable when wearing this outfit for an extended period of time (for example, when worn while lounging around in it for over an hour).

When worn for shorter sessions, however, my overall impression was that this set is reasonably comfortable. While I would not be too keen wearing this all day under my clothing as undergarments, the slight discomfort I experienced during longer sessions was not a deal-breaker for wearing it for longer foreplay and during sex.

The backside of the garment is formed by the classic T-shape arrangement of the elastic and one of the butterfly appliques is sewn on top of the elastic bands where they intersect. Since there is nothing to anchor the lateral tail of the butterfly, I have noted that it tends to curl after washing. This can be remedied with an iron on low heat. But the curling has not been too bad so far.

SIZE

The set is labeled One Size Fits Most. However, for this bikini to hold up well and to look as intended, there are size limitations imposed by the style and construction.

The top (excluding the ties) measures 11" in width across the ribs when measuring the unstretched elastic band from the lateral edge of one cup to the lateral edge of the other cup. It stretches up to 15.5". By placing a measuring tape beneath your breasts, you can get an idea of this range.

When tied in a small bow in the back, the elastic band around the ribs stretches up to 53”. It can also be tied to fit someone who is tiny. But the best way to tell if this set would work well for you is to determine whether the above cup-to-cup measurements would cover your desired area.

The unstretched height of the cups is about 6" and expands to 9". The unstretched elastic band along the outside edge of the cups is 4.5" and stretches up to 6.5".



Since the material of the cups expands more than the bands, if you are larger than a smaller C cup, your breasts will alter the triangular shape. I wear a D cup and the top looked quite different on me than it does on the model. The overall impression was that I was wearing a skimpy size. While skimpy can sometimes look kinky and sexy, other times it can look cheap. Since the material is already sheer and leaves nothing to the imagination, it is not as titillating (pun intended) for my breasts to be partially uncovered.

Thus, this top would be most flattering on someone who wears a smaller cup size, as the black bands would retain the triangular shape to frame the breasts.

The loop of elastic that forms the halter is 14.5" when unstretched and expands up to 30".

The panties are 25” in circumference when unstretched and stretch up to 45”, though this would be uncomfortably tight and would shorten the lifespan of the garment by stretching the butterfly. They will last much longer if worn by someone with slender hips.

CARE

The garment tag suggests hand washing in cold water. I washed the set by itself in my washing machine on the hand wash cycle and then laid it flat to dry. It came out looking just as it did before I washed it.

PACKAGING

The bikini comes in a plastic pillow-shaped container with a sensual, yet tasteful, photo of a willowy girl modeling it.



EXPERIENCE

Despite the fact that this bikini did not fit me ideally (since I do not have the figure of a woodland nymph), my husband still found it arousing enough for an impromptu quickie upon arriving home from work to find me trying it on. We found that the G-string can be pushed to the side for easy access in any position.