Kris Line is a Polish bra brand that has the largest size range that I’m aware of, going from A cups to O cups and 28 bands to 50 bands. It follows the UK letter schema from A to HH, then has an I before moving to J (most UK brands skip I), JJ, K, KK, and single letters L – O. So their O, I think, is approximately a UK N. There are 197 sizes in total. Pretty amazing!
Considering that I get my best fit in Polish brands Ewa Michalak and Comexim, I’ve been wanting to try Kris Line for quite some time. They offer cut-and-sew, semi-soft, and molded-cup bras in luxurious, sometimes over-the-top designs. They’re also frequently on US flash sale site Zulily.com, so I recently took the plunge and bought two different styles in two different sizes to try them out.
I’d been advised that the cut-and-sew bras are inconsistent in fit, that the semi-softs run small in the cups, and that the molded ones run really small. Since I generally consider myself a 28G (though really I’m between sizes in both band and cup), I got a semi-soft in 30G and a molded push-up in 30GG. Either Zulily offers few 28 bands, or they’re actually quite rare among Kris Line’s offerings, because the smallest band available on any design, except one or two, was a 30. Here are the manufacturer’s photos and descriptions of my choices:
Merlot Floral Sheer Bra
(Semi-soft, size 30G)
Decorated in feminine floral embroidery, this delicate peekaboo mesh panel, full-fit bra will light up any boudoir. Adjustable straps and a modifiable back closure create a custom fit, while the underwire offers extra support.
Emerald Cleopatra Push-Up Bra
(Molded, size 30GG)
Luxe lace lends allure to this top-drawer staple, while molded, underwire cups and adjustable straps create supportive comfort.
They’re both really gorgeous with plenty of effort put into the details. Unfortunately, neither one fits me right.
First up, the Merlot. It features a padded bottom half of the cup with removable pads and a sheer, embroidered top half. The gore is lace with a bow and small crystal charm, while the wings are a solid, smooth fabric.
Even though it’s a 30-band, it runs tiny, like a small 28. It stretches from 22” to just barely 29”. The cups are small on me, though not by much. However, they’re such a weird shape that even in a size up, there’s no way this bra would suit me.
The cups are not tall enough, and the sheer lace top half is way too restrictive, especially considering how much space and projection there is in the bottom half. In fact, the bottom, padded portion seems to fit just fine. But the sheer portion is insane. Observe:
What is that?? Why is the sheer section at such a sharp angle? It’s a nice change not to have bra cutting into my armpit, but these cups are not the right shape or height to hold all my tissue in, as such:
At least the gore tacks and the band is made of a decent fabric (unlike the Emerald, as you’ll read below). The band feels silky and is opaque and not too stretchy, just the way I like it:
As for the Emerald…Ugh, you guys this bra is so pretty. It’s a tone-on-tone leopard-esque splatter print in the loveliest shade of petrol blue:
It also has a navy and petrol lace gore:
And removable, fully-adjustable straps, so you could wear it cross-back, halter, etc:
The cups have that Victoria’s Secret-style graduated padding where it’s thickest at the underwire and fades into light padding at the cup edge, to give incredible Y-cleavage. Unfortunately for me, though, the fit again is all wrong.
This time the cups are a little too tall, so there’s empty space in the outer corners:
But if I throw my shoulders back to force it to sit flush, then I get major pillowing. The bra has a slightly east-west shape to it, and my boobs are more front-and-center, so I’d say that’s what’s causing both these issues, as I do think this is the “correct” cup size for me.
Next, the cups eat my armpits. It’s not so bad that it’s painful, but there’d be major visible side-bra under any sleeveless top or dress:
This also contributes to the issue of the straps being way too wide-set for me. They’re really on the verge of sliding off:
Finally, I am not impressed with the band. It’s made of a very soft jersey fabric with no lining. While this may be really comfortable, I can’t imagine it would last very well, and would likely stretch right out:
Additionally, the band is a completely different length than the Merlot even though they’re both size 30. It starts at 24” and stretches to 33”. Um, what??
As for the famous narrow Polish wires, these are more narrow than most British brands, but still wider than my Ewas and Comexims. Overall, I don’t think these are inherently “bad” bras, but they’re definitely not for me, and I won’t be spending any more money experimenting with the brand.
I recently tried Kris Line via Zulu,y and Amazon – I think it’s difficult to find 28 bands because KL doesn’t import to the states much or something like that?? Anyway I tried two soft cup nursing bras that look nearly identical but fit SO differently. With the first one, I had the weird triangle boob thing that you had with the Merlot bra, and the side sling made a noticeable divot in the side of my breast. I’m glad I tried them again though, the second style (I need to look up names!) fits like a dream aside from the band being too big (I’m a 28 and had to go with a 30 as well). It’s not the comfiest bra but my boobs look great, and when you’re in the market for a 28K-KK nursing bra your options are extremely limited…so I’m very happy. Haha.
I feel like I would LOVE being able to try on KL bras in person, but online ordering is so risky with the styles being so inconsistent.