You might know it or not, but I fell in love with Ellesmere lingerie a year and a half ago. I discovered the brand through Instagram and eventually got to meet the designer as we live in the same city. Seeing the person behind a business is always very interesting to me. Ellesmere lingerie is currently a one person business and I am amazed by the magic this brand still accomplished.
Last year, I have been lucky enough to model for the first time for the Fruit collection. From my point of view everything was just really a sweet, soft and refreshing and most of all, well-fitting. Before discovering Ellesmere, I have been suspicious of every indie brand claiming to offer my size, but it didn’t disappoint.

[I received this set as a gift. All thoughts and opinions are mine.]

One thing that I love with Julia, the designer, is her dedication to perfect fit. I have seen major differences between the samples I shot for our first photo essay, Lemuria and the final product that she perfected later. Obviously, you can’t really tell from the pictures, but the construction has been very much improved.
Today, I want to introduce you to my very first Ellesmere crush, the White Rose set.
The Rosa bra is a three-parts balconnet bra, that can also be seen as a demi bra, with its vertical seams and beautiful neckline. It’s kind of an hybrid and it is for the best.
Actually, this bra is a custom 30GG with asymmetrical cups. The left cup is a 30GG and the right one is somewhere between a 30G and a 30GG. I always thought that asymmetrical cups would look weird or show more the difference between my breasts but it worked like a charm. I was so mesmerized by the result. For once, I don’t have to compromise. My two breasts are looking amazing, I don’t feel annoyed by the shallower one. This bra was made for me and fits ME. It feels special. Now, the size is the only customization on this bra, so every other detail I am discussing in this post is what you would get if you order from the regular size range.
The external 2/3 of the cup is lined with fine, un-stretchy tulle which help to give and maintain the structure of the cup. This construction particularity is also responsible for the cleavage this bra gives me. Note that I have full on bottom, rather shallow breasts, so I do not get cleavage from most bras. The three-vertical seams also provide a very rounded shape. The wires are extremely comfortable. I would define them as medium width and length. As a result, the gore, that tacks without hurting is also low enough to allow my close-set breasts to live peacefully.
Unlike my other Ellesmere bras, the band features 3 sets of 2 hooks and eyes instead of three. The support is still great and I really don’t feel the difference when wearing it. The straps are fully adjustable and short enough for my taste.
This construction is nothing but simple. The attention to detail is delightful, and clearly this full-bust range is not an after-thought. It is the fruit of a lot of work and improvement. I have reviewed Ellesmere Black Plum set before and while the pattern of the lace is the same, it’s incredible how different they look. In the Black Plum, I feel like a million dollars. In the white Rosa, I just feel like the cutest, most sensitive little fairy. Lingerie is also about feelings. For me it’s quite a love story. I cherish all my sets, some more than other, but they all carry memories and impressions. This one is definitely one of my favourites. I wear it when I struggle to give me strength and when I feel happy and pretty. It still looks so good after one year.

I don’t know if it’s common knowledge but it’s better to wash your bras after a couple of wear and not much later. This is even truer for light colours and white. It’s really easy to stain the armpits or the elastics of the band if you don’t wash them often enough. It’s actually not so much trouble. If you use brands like Eucalan or Soak, it won’t hurt to wash your white bras after each wear or couple of wear. I did it for this set and it looks still so amazing after all this time. Obviously I don’t wear it everyday, but you know, still often enough.

The coordinates:

I own the high waisted brief and suspender belt in a size Small. The brief fits my waist very well, though it usually sits under my belly button after I start walking. I would love it to be a reach my natural waist but at the same time, this height makes it easy to wear with most of my pants and jeans. Since my hips are narrow, I can wear this size but I believe my bum would prefer a Medium. Now the good point is that it doesn’t create VPL thanks to the flat seams and elastics. The cut of this brief is rather flattering and somehow uplifting. It’s sheer at the back which kind of balance the full coverage.
I would advice you to size up if your bum likes eating briefs. I believe that this pattern will be improved in the next collection to be more coherent with the sizing of the bikinis briefs. For reference, Ellesmere bikinis briefs in a size Small fit my bum more comfortably and actually don’t get eaten.

Last but not least, the fabulous suspender belt. This piece is like the cherry on the cake. I CANNOT get enough of this ruffles and hand-made flowers embellishments. At the flowers’ core, you can see adorable pearls that definitely put this piece at the level of a fairy wardrobe. It reminds me of a tutu. The details are dreamy and so well-made.

I tend to wear this piece with hold ups, and you can also pair it with beautiful white garters from the brand. Unfortunately, my hips are always too narrow for 4 straps suspender belts to stay up. They tend to slip and only stop when they find resistance before my bum starts so I need unstretchy suspenders that really are tight at the waist. I have found bad 6 straps suspenders in the past that were so stretchy they couldn’t do anything for me either. So that’s mostly a question of stretch for me. If you are like me I would size down in the suspenders. Though, they might be improved in the future.

All of this being said, the perfect finishes and gold hardware look luxurious and I actually think Ellesmere lingerie prices should certainly be higher. I have bought more expensive sets with a way lower quality and attention to detail from indie designers in the past. I know I would pay a higher price for such a great fit and quality. Everything is ethically made in Ellesmere studio in Montreal.

I hope you enjoyed this rather long review!

Sending love,
xx Wen