Pretty Bras for Big Breasts: Empreinte Again

Empreinte was the inspiration for my very first “Pretty Bras for Big Breasts” post in 2011. Once I saw their bras in person, I longed to own one. As it turned out, I ended up owning the same one twice. First I purchased (and returned) the Kaela and showed you the difference between it and the Melody on me. Then Empreinte gifted me with the Kaela, and I learned the sad lesson that if an Empreinte bra doesn’t tack, it doesn’t fit. My cup size had grown, and I was sized out.

Three things happened recently to cause me to stare longingly at Empreinte again:

First, I’ve drunk the Kool-aid . . . or rather, the champagne! To celebrate the launch of Lingerie Francaise’s new blog, Truly French, Lingerie Francaise invited several bloggers to a dinner with its member brands. I may some day be able to persuade myself again that a bra is just a bra, but right now I’m still inebriated by the idea of lingerie that is “truly French”.

In Empreinte’s case, ALL of its cutting and 20% of its stitching is done in Brest, France, which helps guarantee their quality (the remaining 80% is done in Tunisia, Morocco and Madagascar). Something else “truly French” is their L’Atelier Lingerie that I would love to visit in Paris. Could you imagine having every single bra in your size wheeled into your dressing room?

Second, when Patsy went to Town Shop to find her swimsuit size ahead of our June swimsuit reviews, Empreinte was having a trunk show. She walked away with four Empreinte bras, and she can’t stop raving about them.

Third, as I walked past the Empreinte booth at Curve, I caught a glimpse of this bra hanging on their racks. If Cinderella were to have worn just a bra to the ball instead of a gown, it would have looked like like this. It’s called the Pompadour, and the color is “sky”.

Pompadour will be available in C-G cups and 30-46 bands (depending on the shape, eg., 3/4 balconette or classic with side panels–this applies to all size ranges given below as well).

Sky and “powder” (below) ship in January. They are one-time colors.

Black ships in December and will be available seasonally.

If the Pompadour is my fairy tale bra, the Lily Rose is my dream “everyday bra”. The seasonal color “argent” ships in January and comes in C-G and 30-48.

A friend once mocked me for purchasing the matching briefs for my Kaela set. Admittedly, those bottoms were pretty basic, but I can’t imagine owning the Lily Rose without the matching bottoms below.

Here is another beautiful “everyday” option: the Elsa in “petal”. It also comes in “smoke” and white. It will ship in February and be available in C-G and 30-46.

The use of embroidery (vs. lace) and microfiber make Elsa a little less expensive than the more elaborate styles. It retails for $150.

Here is the Grace in the one-time color “smoothie”, which ships in March. It will come in C-G and 30-44.

Excitingly, Empreinte is contributing the Grace in blush (below) or black to our raffle on September 26. If you’re in the area and haven’t already rsvp’d, be sure to do so!

Finally, the ever-popular Melody isn’t going anyway anytime soon, but Empreinte has added a new continuity “color”: gold thread.

They took things a step further at Curve by beading and embroidering the Melody live at their booth.

You’ve probably noticed that every bra I’ve mentioned goes to a G cup, but Empreinte currently offers two styles that go to an H in their full cup shapes: Thalia and Irina (C-H from a 32; to a G in 30). The Thalia “lagoon” color has been out for a while, so it may be difficult to find in an H cup in anything other than neutrals, but look for a gorgeous turquoise called “Pacific” in March (you can see it peeping out from beneath the smoothie Grace above).

As for Irina, when I saw it in “Byzance” on the Bits of Lace website while researching for today’s post, I realized that I have been seriously behind in covering Empreinte! This FW15 color just shipped on August 15, so it’s still available in H cups from a 32 band and to a G cup in the 30 band (in the demi shape).

I made up for lost time by contacting Empreinte for information on the FW15 styles, and I post the pictures they sent me after the jump for those of you who love looking at luxury lingerie that fits big busts as much as I do. I also post some of the SS16 swimsuit styles . . . just because. Enjoy!

Empreinte is now offering some of its swimsuit styles up to a G!