For a longtime, while living in the Caribbean, and having a limited access to pretty full-bust lingerie for young women, PrimaDonna was one of those brands that represented exactly what I didn’t like about the full-bust lingerie industry: super simple padded designs or extra feminine embroideries covering only half of the cups, bras that were only pretty under a F cup and provided a lot of coverage while loosing their daintiness after this cup. I now blame it on the poor style and colour selection at the local lingerie stores, but let’s say that I didn’t like this brand, although I knew their bras were highly recommended by bra fitters for their good quality and comfiness. I think it was either too grown up or too girly for me. Even after becoming a lingerie addict, I shamefully admit that at some point I purposely ignored the brand progression because it reminded me of bad memories in the fitting room. Last year though, I rediscovered PrimaDonna after seeing their Bang Bang collection on Instagram which was more modern and appealing to me and realized that I was probably missing out on this brand.

[This set has been generously provided by Claudia May Lingerie for the purpose of a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]

Although my taste has evolved, I truly think that the brand tried to reach a wider range of customers during the past years. They now carry more fashion styles, longlines, and completely sheer bras, as well as sophisticated and classier ones. They obviously keep up with their signature cuts but I feel like I have now more styles to choose from and some of them are definitely gorgeous. So when Claudia, the lovely owner of Claudia May Lingerie offered to send me a PrimaDonna set to review, I was more than happy to give a second chance to the brand.
CML has a narrow but diverse luxury lingerie selection even for fuller busts and I immediately fell in love with the PrimaDonna True Romance set. Claudia sent me a 32G bra and a Medium thong which both works pretty well for my 30GG and UK10.

The set arrived wrapped in silk paper inside of a big white gift box which also contained a cute box of tea and a Soak wash sample. I am a huge tea drinker so I found this to be a delicate and so uncommon attention for a lingerie store. It always feels good to unpack your lingerie like it’s your actual birthday, and this set arrived 4 days before mine so I was over the moon.

The first thing that attracted me in this bra (well, maybe after its regal navy blue), was its construction. As I said before, I have not always been happy with the full-bust industry offer in my size range. Three-parts balconnets featuring semi-plain cup with embroidered sheer top, although I love the support they provide, aren’t always attractive to me. This bra on the contrary is made of two parts and features one vertical seam in the middle of the cup. I think this allows a more rounded uplifted shape. I am also all about the gorgeous placement of the embroidery.

True Romance balcony bra is a perfect hybrid between an actual balconnet and an half-cup bra. That said, I believe another word should be created in the English language to describe bras that are in between balconnet and half cup in term of coverage. It is a little confusing, in my opinion, to call half-cup any bra that has a vertical seam as well as all the bras that actually cover only half of the breasts. (This was my two cents…)
True Romance construction is beautiful and makes the bra very pleasant to wear.
The wires are medium width which is perfect for my bigger breast and a bit too wide for the smaller one. I genuinely don’t mind especially since the wires are also super soft and comfortable. The gore is rather narrow and tacks without hurting my skin. Every time I have tried the brand, even when I didn’t like the designs, I found them to be very pleasant to wear and touch. Comfort seems to be PrimaDonna forte.

Sizing wise, the band is made of a firm but soft fabric and feels snug at the loosest set of hooks and eyes. It does run smaller than a usual 32 band and I wouldn’t prefer it to be tighter. After trying their swimwear and reading some reviews, I realized that PrimaDonna bands run consistently small.
The cups feel soft to the touch both from the inside and the outside. I am ridiculously in love with this blue embroidered lace. I find it so elegant and romantic, so “old Europe”.
I know it doesn’t look actually “old” but somehow every time I put this set on I picture myself as an elegant rich lady living in a cosy but gorgeous house with a garden of delicate flowers and drinking tea while reading Pride and Prejudice  (absolutely normal 23yo fantasy, right?). Plus the colours reminds me of a beautiful summer night sky.

The flowers and leaves of the embroidery are made of a very light blue thread contoured with a darker electric blue one. Seen close-up, this darker shade enhances the contrast between the delicate floral lace used as a frame and the big embroidered flowers, which gives more dimension to the pattern. As you can see, the embroidery continues on the straps like some kind of cute ivy. The top of the cup has some stretch and would surely be suitable for fuller on top breasts. I think this size fits my bigger breast properly but the smaller one has still some room at the top. When I have another chance to try the brand, I might try a 32F to see how it fits.
I love the subtle transparency of the cup and thong in contrast to the thick embroidery, the French word “parure” (which means “set” but in a fancy jeweller-ish way) immediately comes to my mind when I look at it.

The matching thong is a size M fits me perfectly. It is the comfiest thong I have tried in a very long time. It has the perfect amount of coverage at the front, crotch and back and I completely forget about it during the day. The back is made from a great quality microfiber which is cut in a very flattering way. For the little story, I originally told Claudia that I preferred a brief but my size (Small) was unavailable and as I found PrimaDonna bikini in a size S to be snug, I thought maybe the thong in a Medium would work. Fortunately it does and in a lovely way! That said, I would not recommend to size up for other bottom styles since they run bigger than the thong.

I feel really grateful that Claudia May Lingerie chose to send me this amazing set. It contributed to change my opinion on PrimaDonna lingerie in a more positive way and made me want to get more lingerie from this brand. Oh and for my fellow North American readers, Claudia May now offers international shipping for 10,70£ !

Have you tried PrimaDonna before? Is there a particular style/cut that you’d like to try?

Sending good vibrations, as always <3

Tschüß!
Wen