Last October, I told you how I finally saw the light with regard to seamed bras.  The seamless Empreinte Melody was responsible for my conversion away from seamless to seamed bras.  However, when I heard about the new Empreinte Kaela, I decided to put myself in temptation’s way.

In the comparisons below, bear in mind that the top left picture looks much larger because I’m closer to the camera.  You may think this is obvious, but I needed Imogen Lamport’s recent post on how to pose for photographs to figure that out. 

I expected an amazing difference in the profile view but didn’t get it. This surprised me because I felt as weightless in this bra as I did in the Sofia that I wrote about in March (which the store doesn’t carry, and as I mentioned on Friday, won’t special order).  However, I think you’ll agree there’s a pretty nice difference between the front views.  I actually had more room in my shirt in the Kaela . . . it seems to have a minimizing benefit without the squish.  That’s good because the way the bra’s wavy pattern showed up under my white shirt, I would need to wear a camisole.

For practical purposes, I would have preferred the bra in a nude color, but the store only had it in a gorgeous pale pink (and, as you know, won’t do special orders).  Reader, I succumbed to temptation, cashed in my store credit from the Prima Donna Madison that I was returning, and paid the difference.

And it’s that difference that ultimately led me to return the bra.  I’m embarrassed to admit it, but La Petite Coquette charges $170 for the Empreinte Kaela, and I would have totally justified keeping it if I hadn’t discovered the exact bra for sale at the Town Shop for only $142.  All my justifications crumbled against the fact that I would be paying 28 extra dollars for no good reason.  When I sadly returned it the next week for yet another store credit, even the sales assistant couldn’t give me a good reason.

So I’m back to my two everyday bras and daydreaming about how I will use my La Petite Coquette store credit.  Maybe it’s for the best.  I feel like I’m about to go through a phase of eating more healthily and exercising more regularly, which means a smaller cup size for me.  Imagine how sad it would be not to be able to wear a $170 bra after weight loss.

Finally, I have to give one more plug for my Prima Donna Satin.  It’s definitely not as flattering as the Empreinte Sophia or Kaela in front, but when I asked the La Petite Coquette sale assistant if I needed to replace it, she said no.  This is a bra that I’ve been wearing 3-5 times a week since October.  It really does make a difference to invest in quality.