Though this was not my first choice for an assignment from Coquette's Holiday Collection (actually, I believe it was my 10th choice, to be honest), I liked the design of the Holiday Starburst Chemise enough to give it a try. I should have held out for something else...

The Basics

A chemise, by definition, is a loose-fitting, sleeveless garment that is unfitted at the waist. Depending on your thoughts as to what constitutes "loose-fitting," the Holiday Starburst Chemise may or may not fit that description. This piece, as sold by EdenFantasys, does not come with a thong, g-string, bikini, or any other sort of panty. It is simply the chemise. The color palette for this piece is silver and black. The shoulder straps are black and adjustable. The cups are solid silver and lightly padded (so nipples won't show through), and underwire-free. The inside lining is extremely soft and comfortable - it feels like cotton, though the care tag lists this piece as being 82% nylon and 18% spandex. One inch black lace trims the top of the cups. Aside from the solid cups, the rest of the chemise is more of a sheer black mesh. It more or less falls straight from the cups, and is decorated with various sizes of shimmery, silver starbursts (hence the name). At first, I was afraid that these starbursts were formed by glitter glued on to the material...that would come off all over everything. I am pleased to say this is definitely NOT the case. It appears that the shimmery starbursts are actually created by black and silver threads sewn into the fabric. They are not going anywhere.



Sizing and Measurements

Eden offers this chemise in three sizes: small, medium, and large. The small is meant to fit sizes 4-6, with up to a B cup, and measurements of up to 36-28-38. A medium should fit someone who is a size 8-10, again with up to a B cup, and measurements of up to 38-30-40. The large is meant to fit those who are a size 12-14, with up to a C cup, and measurements of up to 40-32-42. As you can see, there is not a lot of difference in the sizing. I selected a size large, although with a D cup and measurements of 42-34-40, I am a little bit outside of the size range. The 18% spandex does have enough stretch to allow for some degree of variation from the given measurements.

The Holiday Starburst Chemise has a length of 32" from top to bottom. The front of the chemise measures 16" across the bust, and it expands to 17" across the hips. At the bottom hem, the chemise is 21" across. Each of the cups are 8" across and 5" from the top to the bottom of the cup.



Packaging, Care Instructions, and Storage

The chemise arrived in a clear, plastic bag, hanging on a lovely padded hanger. It had a product tag safety pinned to the chemise. This is always preferable to having the tag attached by a plastic fastener that goes through the clothing. The tag notes that this piece was made in China. The care instructions are simply to hand wash the garment, then hang it to dry. This may be folded to store in a drawer, or you can use the accompanying padded hanger to keep the chemise in your closet.

My personal experience with this piece was that the quality was not up to Coquette's usual standards. When I first took the chemise out of the package, I discovered a 1 1/2" hole along the side seam. It does not appear that the seam came undone; rather, it appears that this area was never fully sewn in the first place.



Additionally, I feel that if you are outside of the size range at all, particularly in the cup size, you will not be happy with this piece. I found that the cups were too small to cover my D-sized breasts. More than spilling out, my breasts were pouring out over the top of these cups. For this reason, I will not be including pictures of me wearing this piece.

Also, the "loose-fit" of this chemise was not so loose on me. Granted, I was a little over the given measurements for the waist, but I feel like this piece could use a little more room, regardless of a person's size.

Overall, I feel this piece will work best for someone who has small breasts and no other curves to speak of. Otherwise, I fear that you will, like me, be disappointed with this chemise.

I am generously giving this piece three stars.

As this piece was unflattering from the beginning, I have not worn it again. Since it also had a hole in it when I received the piece, I couldn't pass it on to anyone else. I will probably just toss it out eventually.