Lingerie Review: Playful Promises Heather Vintage Stitch Bra and Bloomer Knickers

I have always loved Playful Promises: they have such wonderful vintage-inspired designs, a great price point and a fun, woman-positive attitude that always makes me feel like they get me. I still haven’t figured out why it took so long for me to actually try something! It wasn’t until they offered to send me something to review that I got a chance to test out a brand I’d admired so long from afar.

I chose the Heather Vintage Stitch Soft Cup Bra and matching Mini Bloomer Brief because I love the soft purple color and the stitching on the bust reminds me of the details of a bullet bra without the dramatic shape. I also have been interested in trying out soft cup bras because I’m such a fan of wired bras that it’s fun to see what the other side has to offer (especially for someone small-busted like me, who often relies on wires for shaping).

Although the set looked gorgeous when I first put it on, the first day I wore this set, I didn’t like it at all. I was uncomfortable all day and I just couldn’t figure out why! Then I took my shirt off at the end of the day and breathed a sigh of relief– and suddenly realized that it had been my shirt that was annoying and chafing me all day and not the bra at all! (Don’t worry, I have already gotten rid of the offending shirt). So, of course I had to take it on another test run and immediately fell in love.

One of my main concerns when trying the bra was the shape under shirts, but when I tried it under some of my (non-skintight) tees, the shape is actually quite nice. It doesn’t have quite the perkiness of a wired bra, but the stiffer (but not scratchy) interfacing and the stitching makes sure it doesn’t flatten and creates a pleasing silhouette.

Comfort-wise, it was perfect for my job where I sit at a computer all day. Sitting all day can sometimes lead to underwires digging into my abdomen a little and the fact that I’m not running about all day means that a little less control makes no difference (given that I’m already small-busted). My only quibble would be to say that the straps a mite farther apart that I would like, so that although they look nice, they have a tendency to slip down my shoulder every once and a while. This is not uncommon with me and doesn’t bother me hugely, but if this is a giant pet peeve of yours, you might want to avoid.

Edit: In a moment of forgetfulness, I failed to include the sizing information! I found the fit perfectly true to size as I ordered an M (UK12) in both top and bottom and I usually wear a UK12/US8/34B. As for as cup size with the bra, I think you have to use your judgement on whether your cup size would fit appropriately because there isn’t really a different between the cup and band sections.

And because I love everything associated with bloomers, this knickers are perfect! I think they’re a very flattering style, and a nice adaptation of the “bloomer” shape so it’s actually wearable under jeans and such. I think Playful Promises does a great job of actually paying attention to the knickers instead of just having them as an afterthought to match a bra.

Although I was initially unsure about how this soft bra would work out, I think that it’s really a great piece for someone who usually wears wired bras and wants to try something softer or someone who wear soft bras normally but needs something a little more smooth and structured.

What do you think? Would you try this Playful Promises bra? How do you feel about soft bras vs. wired bras in general?

Heather Vintage Stitch Soft Cup Bra and matching Mini Bloomer Brief c/o Playful Promises