I haven’t written for this blog in almost a month. However, I did wrote a couple of articles for The Breast Life! December is always a very busy month and I have been completely overwhelmed with Christmas preparation and my personal struggles. Anyway, I haven’t forgotten about you guys or lingerie. I have many things to show you before the new year, although it’s not realistic to promise that I’ll publish more than a couple of pieces on here before 2020. So if this is the only review of December, at least let’s make it interesting.

[Disclaimer: This set has been gifted to me by Empreinte. All thoughts and opinions are my own.]
I put my eyes on Empreinte Carmen collection a year ago, at the Salon International de la lingerie in Paris. Empreinte is a brand I have featured many times on this plateform. It’s my favorite French fullbust brand. Their designs are luxurious, reliable, and their sizing is extremely consistent. Empreinte appeals to both my rococo obsession and need for modern styling. Carmen is closer to the first one.
Available in soft pink(Rose amour), purple(Iris) and ochre (Havane) this collection goes up to a 38H cup. I love that Empreinte made their balconnet bra up to a H cup instead of going only up to a F cup and then offer a full cup for bigger cup sizes. They do offer a full cup up to a 46G though.

Aesthetic

This style comes from their Soleil d’hiver (Winter sun) collection and I think this title is very appropriate. I picked the Havane colorway, which feels warm and flattering. This color would do a great fashion nude for a lot of brown/black women. I understood that beige and black lingerie are still the most bought in North America and I wish people would also consider fashionable beige and brown options. You really don’t need a plain t-shirt bra to look professional in your work clothes. I mean, sometimes it’s required to achieve a certain look but not always.

Carmen features a gorgeous embroidery both on the cup and on the band of the bra. This is something I really appreciate about this design because it’s so rare to find full bust bra brands that aren’t plain. Empreinte’s attention to detail has always been outstanding and that is also the case for Carmen. The bicolor floral embroidery looks like jewelry against the skin in this colorway, and even the straps are slightly ruffled and embroidered.The embroidery pattern is quite particular, for it’s a bit different on every part of the bra. It’s not the same repeated motif and every difference make perfect sense in this style aesthetic. The top of the cup shows a great reminder of the gore and bottom of the cup but the lower two third of the cup matched the coordinated brief.

Fit

I haven’t talked about fit yet, but I received Empreinte Carmen set in 30F and XS (75F/XS in Fr sizing). If you have read my previous Empreinte review you’ll realize that I never wore another size. Sometimes I wear a Small in the brief but that’s about it. The 30F is a bit big for my smaller breast but I know a 30E would be too small for my bigger breast. Note that I am not a 30FF in UK sizing. Empreinte runs bigger than UK brands -just like most French brands really. I wore a 30F in Empreinte even when I was in between a 30G and a 30GG. Their three-parts bras are great for full on bottom breasts so even with my sizes fluctuations I still fit quite perfectly in this size. If I was fuller on top this would be trickier.

The brief is a classic shape and fits perfectly without much VPL. I love that the designer added a drop-shaped pendant at the center of it, which matches the gore of the bra. The ruched detailing and the embroidery are subtle and pretty. Now, I particularly love Empreinte shorties, so I suggest you check them out especially for this range.

Empreinte Carmen collection is really in trend and perfect for Fall/Winter. I am glad to see the brand offering consistently delicious designs year after year. Full bust babe aren’t missing out anymore if I am being honest. There are now many possibilities to find great fashion bras, for many different budgets. While Empreinte is definitely a luxury brand, I think the quality of their bras is totally worth the price. It’s also not too late for a lingerie Christmas present!

Love always,

Wen