Lately, I know it’s going to be a good bra day if I can answer yes to two questions as I get dressed in the morning:
- Do I need to wear a black bra?
- Did I give my Empreinte Grace a break yesterday so that I can wear it again today?
Honestly, it wasn’t love at first sight for Grace and me. With all the gorgeous Empreinte bras that I showed you in August, I only gave Grace a second look because the company offered to set us up–they said I could keep the display model that we used for our raffle in September. Now I can’t live without her!
Let’s begin with measurements and fit. Today my under bust measures 33″ if I pull the tape measure super tight, and my over bust measures 41″. The Grace in 32F fits me perfectly. The center gore tacks comfortably against my chest, and there’s no bubbling at the top of the cups, which is great since the lace and tulle have absolutely no stretch. I have the full cup version, which lessens the chance of quadraboobing because the top of the cup crosses the breast tissue closer to my chest where I’m firmer. There’s also no empty space at the bottom of the cups.
With Grace, there was none of the typical break-in stiffness that I often experience at the end of the day with new bras. I completely forgot that I was wearing a new bra. Some of the comfort may be attributable to the looser band that French brands are known for, but I’m not sure if “looser” is the right word for it. The Grace band simply stays in place without needing to cinch. That being said, sometimes after a long day of sitting in the car (traveling home from Thanksgiving, for instance), the underwires feel slightly lower than the base of my breasts, but a single readjustment puts everything in place again.
Besides comfort–my boobs feel almost weightless in the Grace–there are two other things that I love about this bra. First, I love the lift and rounded profile.
Second, I don’t know if this is specific to the full cup version, but the wings are nice and wide so that, combined with the non-cinching fit, they actually smooth out some of the back bulges that I thought were here to stay. I also like that even the 32 band has three rows of hooks. (Speaking of hooks, I’ve worn it on the loosest column for the last two months, but I’m trying the middle column today and feeling more secure.)
You can see how back bulge is less apparent in the Grace on the right side of this screen shot from a recent Meredith Vieria Show (Town Shop fitter Alba Salas puts the volunteer in the “Rolls Royce of bras” beginning at 3:50 in the video). The microphone and fitter’s hand are in the way, but you can still see a difference in the spot between her left strap and underarm, which is where I see a big difference on me.
Here’s a before-and-after from the front that doesn’t do ANY justice to the delicate features of this bra because they inserted a pad to hide the volunteer’s nipples. However, you CAN see the difference in lift and centeredness.
Here’s what the bra looks like without a modesty insert.
The straps are sturdy and comfortable, but Empreinte adds lace to keep them pretty.
Here’s a closeup of the power mesh wings.
The fitter in the video says that this is not a molded bra, but that’s exactly what it is. Empreinte is the only lingerie company I’m aware of that can create a seamless molded cup from a single panel of lace for women who wear DD+ bras. (On the other hand, if the fitter meant that this is not a contoured cup like the volunteer’s original bra, she is completely correct. There is no lining or padding in its construction.)
I haven’t worn full cup bras in a long time, and I forgot about how secure the full coverage makes me feel. The tulle strip across the top of the bra doesn’t really mitigate the “too much bra” look, but it certainly mitigates any bouncing. Interestingly, the un-stretchy tulle also makes it challenging (but not impossible) to scoop and swoop.
With its delicate materials and special details, I love wearing the Empreinte Grace as an everyday bra. Because I usually wear it under dark or textured clothes, the lace never shows through. If Grace were offered in my skin tone, the sheer cups and lace would keep me from wearing it under one of my white shirts. However, I would gladly wear Grace in other colors under most anything else.
The Abyss colorway is currently on sale at Bare Necessities, plus an additional 30% off today with code CYBER.
Great review! Empriente Grace looks like a bra that I would just love to have. I know that Empriente bras are highest of quality. Expensive but well worth it.
Is 32F your usual size these days Darlene? I ask because my underbust is a tight 32 and overbust is 41/42 depending, and I wear a 32 H or HH UK (34 H in Anna Pardel with adjustments to make the cups less tall). I’ve been curious about the empriente brand, but didn’t think it would fit my frame well (I’m high set with a short torso and soft shoulders).
I’m sorry for this super late reply, leftcoaster. I tried to respond via my phone the day that you commented, but everything disappeared as soon as I pushed the button and I kept hoping it’d show up.
Right now I’m definitely a 32F in the Empreinte Grace and the Freya Rio. However, it seems like I’m all over the place in other brands and styles. For instance, the cups of the 32F Eprise Guipere Charming demi are way too small on me, as are the cups of the 32FF Panache Idina demi–and even the 32F Panache sport bra cups feel too small (and too generous in the band–I ordered a 30G sport tank on Cyber Monday, so I’ll see how that works out). I’m anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Empreinte Capucine that I also ordered on Cyber Monday, so I’ll report back on whether I fit the same size in a different style in Empreinte.
Empreinte’s cups have a reputation for being deeper than other brands, and a saleswoman at Rigby & Peller confirmed this the other day when I discovered the Prima Donna Divine there (it looks like Empreinte isn’t the only one doing molded lace anymore!). She said the Prima Donna Divine is their answer to the Empreinte Melody, but the Empreinte Melody cups are definitely deeper.
Thanks for getting back to me Darlene! I almost pulled the trigger on a 32G (I couldn’t wrap myself around the idea of being an F cup) but didn’t do it. I’ll keep it in mind for the next time Bare Necessities offers a markdown that works for Empreinte.
also the size chart says EU sizing not UK. obviously it is not