Aubade is the first brand that drew me to lingerie. I remember the very first collection I fell in love with. It was the Spring/Summer 2010. I also adored the Asako range, which was older, I believe. At this time I was seeking more sophisticated designs in my size. Pleated details, dainty half-cup, luxurious embroideries… I was feeling really left behind by the French lingerie industry. From the moment I discovered the lingerie section of the Galerie Lafayette, I started to collect lingerie lookbooks and hoped I could one day transform this collection into a closet.
It took until 2016 for the brand to introduce G cups. I had been waiting for this to happen for so long. When I saw the Christian Lacroix x Aubade collaboration I was immediately conquered. My favourite thing about Aubade is really the way the make deep suspenders. They are always so glorious. I sadly missed out on the Idylle Parisienne set but I managed to put my hands on another beauty: Aubade à l’amour. 

[Change room selfie: Idylle Parisienne collection. Christian Lacroix x Aubade. S/S16]

I bought this set during a trip to Paris (Summer 2016) but sadly got the wrong size in the bra. I initially bought a 32G because after spending 2 months eating pastries my breasts were a little fuller when I went to the store. I had so many bad memories of me buying Aubade lingerie a cup too small and then regretting it bitterly that I preferred going for bigger rather than smaller. However, my breasts really got smaller just a few weeks after I got back to Canada and I was totally depressed to realize that the bra was now too big both in the band and in the cup.

I got in touch with Claudia May lingerie and asked if they could order my size since it was impossible to find a 30G in any online store. I eventually gave the bigger one to my mum, as it was almost new and fitted her way better.
When the 30G arrived, I was so incredibly happy with the fit! 30G is definitely my Aubade size, at least for the three-parts balconnet version. French brands tend to be quite consistent. If you prefer less coverage, Claudia May currently stocks the half-cup one that looks incredible too. (I might go for it in the red colorway if my wallet permits it.)

Aubade à l’amour is a timeless beauty. I love that the brand made this style continuity. The gorgeous Calais Leavers lace and tulle superposition is breathtaking. As a fuller bust woman I have rarely seen such delicate fabric used for lingerie in my size range.
The attention to detail is beautiful. The bra straps are covered with tulle and at the apexes you can see lovely guipure detailing. I absolutely love the mysterious vintage vibe this set exudes.
Apart from aesthetics, I have to say that I am positively surprised with the fit of this new range. I have never considered Aubade as a fit-focused brand but they did their homework to create this range. I wasn’t expecting such a comfortable fit.
In a 30G, the cups are fairly deep and the wires are medium width, allowing a good projection. The gore is comfortable and tacks securely. The straps are half adjustable and short enough. I find Aubade bras to always have very long straps and I think they resolved “the issue” (it is one for me but maybe not for you) with 30 bands. In 32G the straps were rather long actually. They also are very wide compared to all my other bras’ straps.

The band feels true to size, though it runs on the large side if you compare it to British or Polish 30 bands. The band is wide but features 3 sets of 2 hooks and eyes. As often with French brands, it’s quite stretchy and I would always go down a band size if you like a tight fit. In my case, the 30 is quite ok.

Now my only complaint about the fit is that there was such a huge difference between the 30 and the 32 band measurements. You know I can sometimes wear a size 32 in UK or Polish brands but for this bra, I don’t know how I let myself buy the bra in a 32G in the first place. I think I was having my period that day and maybe I felt bloated or something because I quickly (but too late) realized that I didn’t get the right size.
Also, I believe, the cup lace tends to stretch out a little through wears, so you need to be careful, if you are in between size, maybe the smaller one will do.
I heard that they improved the fit of their bras recently as they noticed that the bands actually ran big. I am really glad to know that and I hope I get to try another set from them to judge if really the change has been made.

The coordinates

So I got a little crazy when the Aubade sale person gave me -20% off on the new collection and decided that it was the right time to get a 3 pieces set, 2 days before going back to Canadian online shopping drama. The suspender was utterly beautiful and I wasn’t seeing myself getting only 2/3 of this set.
I bought the suspender in size S and the “St-Tropez” short in a size S/T2. I can actually wear the deep suspender at the tightest setting so I would say it runs a bit big. The shiny microfiber used for the back of the suspender is the same as the one used for the band of the bra. I find it to hold my thinner stockings pretty well. The shorty fits nicely and is very light weight but doesn’t provide much bum coverage. I actually like that it’s more covering at the front than the back. The back of this shorty also features a gorgeous tulle and Guipure detailing that feels very elegant!!

Although I don’t necessarily agree with Aubade heteronormative vision of lovers relationship, I have to admit that their aesthetic can still speak to me. That being said, I haven’t been in love with their full-bust range since the SS17 collection. I feel like they should put more efforts in their photographs with full-busted models as they often wear huge bras that do not fit which makes the lingerie look a bit sad and unflattering.

If you are small busted, you might be interested in reading The Lingerie Raven review of this set! It’s lovely!

Anyway, I am pretty content with this set and if it had to be the only one I get from Aubade, I wouldn’t be bothered.

Have you tried Aubade full-bust range? What are your thoughts on the brand?

Yours truly,
Wen