Can you believe we are already in August? I am about to leave NY again after 4 days of hanging out in trade shows and meeting great people. This city always inspires me so much. I am going to be back in Montreal with all that beautiful energy and I am so grateful for that. Anyway, we are here for a review of this gorgeous lingerie combination!

[Disclaimer: I received this corset as a gift from Orchid Corsetry. I bought the Bluebella piece with my own money. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
You guys have already seen this Orchid corsetry Perle corset on my blog before. I actually wrote a lingerie-as-outerwear piece about it this winter. I meant to review it soon after but wasn’t satisfied with the pictures I took of it. So here we are 4 months later, with these pictures I love much more. I think it was worth it.

The Felicity Bralette

This might just be my first Bluebella review. Buying the Bluebella Felicity bralette was kind of an accident. I actually bought this piece to go with my Evgenia Rebelle dress (review to come soon). I was looking for a low back bralette with no shoulder straps, but that also provides great breasts separation. I saw this bralette in Bluebella outlet and considering its very affordable price, I thought it would be worth it to try a size 12 and see what happens.
The Felicity bralette is actually part of Bluebella 50 Shades of Grey collection. It is made of mesh and elastics and does not have cup seams, which means that you can expect a very natural fit. However, it does dress the breasts quite beautifully. I would say that it provides light support and just a tiny bit of shaping. I am loving that the construction allows a naked back.

The underbust band is actually large enough to be comfortable, although of course a size 12 might not be the best for me. Now, I didn’t find this size 12 to be true to size because I don’t feel the need to wear it as tight as possible. The band features 3 sets of 2 hooks and eyes and I am wearing it comfortably at the middle set of hooks.

Now, this is a halterneck bra, and I know some people find this uncomfortable. I personally wear it without issue, taking in consideration that it’s not a bra I have ever worn for a full day. For 14£ I would say that was a smart purchase, although the quality doesn’t make me want to pay 30£ for it. Now it is a really nice piece and 30£ isn’t a bad price in itself. You can’t usually have the best finishes for this price anyway.

Orchid Perle corset 20″

Orchid corsetry is a brand I have been admiring for years. Their pieces are incredible and my personal favorite is the Seirian waspie. However, experience taught me that I am more comfortable in full corsets for some reason. My main reason for loving the Seirian corset is actually the V drop suspenders and the huge rings that compliment them. So when Bethan, the lovely woman behind Orchid told me I could have these suspenders even on the Perle corset, I jumped on the occasion.

I decided to go for the Mink colorway for the coutil because it seemed to be super versatile and elegant, and picked black hardware to match the lace and suspenders. I would usually go for gold hardware but in the end, this is a beautiful color combination. It’s something that would be more discreet as outerwear and it just works so well with many pieces of lingerie. The Perle corset is a 12 panel underbust corset in sheer black mesh with coutil front. I received a size 20″ which is great for me. It features 6 suspender straps that actually have gold hardware and hold stocking very efficiently. The straps aren’t removable but honestly, I don’t mind. I just love them the way they are: stylish, strong and reliable.
The back of the corset features a modesty panel which is appreciated as I know that some companies don’t include them automatically.
The waist band seems to be quite solid and I can tell that the pattern is very well made as I am getting a beautiful hourglass shape from it even before lacing it tightly. I do not naturally have a very defined waistline so if a corset was to be plastic boning and badly constructed I would probably look like a tube.

The first time I put it on, this piece felt so light and easy to lace. I have to say that because of that I naively thought I didn’t need to season it and wore it for too long on that day. Unfortunately, little holes appeared in the mesh under the waistband close to the boning. The holes are very little (you can’t even see them in the pictures) but it means that the corset is now more fragile and less suitable to be worn for an extended period of time. I have to say that I was a bit desperate when I realized what happened and I felt pretty stupid. But well, I learnt. I just wish it was with a less luxurious piece.
Otherwise, it’s really an amazing piece to wear. It really feels great. I love its weight, and the shape it gives to my body. I think it’s my sexiest corset so far. I don’t even like the word sexy but honestly, it does feel this way. I love the attention to detail in this piece. The stitching is impeccable and the pattern is just great. However, I would advise you to see it as an occasion piece instead of something you would wear regularly. I love to play dress up with it, and I am so glad I got such great pictures to immortalize its beauty, but I would go for a satin corset if I wanted a more practical piece for everyday wear.

Sending love!

Yours truly,
Wen