Bow chemise - chemise discontinued by Coquette - review by ~LaUr3n~

After trying a few under-bust pieces from Coquette and loving them, I really wanted to add this to my collection. It looked cute and comfortable to wear. In truth, it is scratchy, ill fitting, and somewhat unflattering since the design is a bit off. It does have some good points though. But in the end, I would have returned it if I had not bought it so long ago (December). When I first tried it on and didn't fall in love with it, I decided to hold onto it to try it at a different time. I wish I had not waited so long. My collection could go without this, and I would not miss it.

*Contents/overview: One piece, bustless chemise

This item is made by Coquette. This particular piece is a bustless chemise with underwire. It has a somewhat retro look and also looks very girly with its many bows, frills, and light pink color. It does not come with a matching thong or stockings like is shown in the pictures.

*Material: One piece, bustless chemise

The tag says this it is made of 82% latex and 12% nylon. It has some lace, ribbon, and a bit of velvet in the pattern. The mesh is stretchy, but not as soft as other Coquette products. The lace ruffles are very abrasive and can be quite uncomfortable.

*Design/craftsmanship Solid, but a bit off in the design

The front has a solid body with two faux seams (semi-corset boning look) of black lace intertwined with pink ribbon going down either side of the front torso. They start a bit off to the side, on the edge of the outer bust cups. This causes them to go downward at a slight angle, off design part #1. This actually makes the hips look larger and can be unflattering. It CAN be flattering if your waist is very defined compared to your hips. If you are wanting to hide a belly, this might make it worse if you don't get the right size (smaller). It could "puff" out between the seams and lower layer of ruffles.

Continuing down, the "seams" meet at the bottom where there is a scalloped middle. This is lined with the same lace and ribbon seam combo. Below this are two thick layers of black lace. This creates a slightly flared look. The seams go straight down and turn into garters which cannot be adjusted and are quite delicate. This is design flaw #2. Short or too tall people may not be able to use them without altering them. At the end they have gorgeous pink bows. Right below them are the garter attachments made of a metal hook and rubber backing. They are covered with black ribbon guards.

The breasts are put on display through the bustless cups. There is a line of flexible lace at the bottom that somewhat supports the breasts, but it is so small that it will likely get lost under real breasts larger than full C cups. Under this underwire cup, is the same ribbon and lace seam followed by a layer of black lace frill. In the center of the cups is a pink bow. The straps are VERY thin and made of ribbon. They do adjust like a bra in the back. Also in the center of the back at the top is a peep hole about 2" in diameter. At the top of it is a single tier eye and hook, like on a bra. This allows for adjustment of the band, but I don't think it works that well or offers much adjustment. I didn't need it though, so maybe it would make a difference for someone else.

At the bottom of the back is the same trim and ruffles as the front. the front and back are kind of a tunic length-too short to be a tank and too long to be a babydoll. Overall, the construction seems pretty good. The lace is annoyingly coarse and the straps are thin, but I constructions seems solid.
The most annoying part is the ribbon that goes through the lace. It seems a bit too long and bunches up without a good way to fix it.

*Cleaning/care/storage: Hand wash, plastic bag

According to the tag this item should be hand washed. I would do so in cold water and would obey the hand wash warning. The ribbon that runs through the ribbon would be a nightmare to try to correct after a run through the washer. Don't ever use an iron on this, the mesh will melt. It came in a clear plastic bag. You can use this for storage, fold it for tucking away in a drawer, or hang it on a hanger to place in your closet.

*Sizing: Runs small, disappointing

For Coquette, I was totally disappointed. For an item like this I normally fit in a medium, and sometimes need a large. I ordered the large because the medium was not in stock. In some parts it felt like it fit, but for the most part it fit odd and ran small. I don't think I own any Coquette products in a XL (maybe one corset and that ended up being too big). That says a lot for the off sizing. I'm the same size as I was before... If you are between sizes, order up!

The size large says it will fit a 12-14 dress, C cup, 38-40" bust, 30-32" waist, and 40-42" hips. It really is more like a medium. I weigh ~155 pounds (size 8/10); curvy but fit, and this felt snugg in all the wrong places. I am well below the dress, bust, and hip measurements and on the low end of the waist range. My breasts are ~34/36 D.

While these are cupless and notice to the bust size is less important, it still should be noted to a point. My D boobs are a tad uncomfortable. I actually think this might be due to the scratchy ruffles more so than anything else. But if your boobs are smaller, less contact with the ruffles will likely occur. The lace on my piece looks a lot smaller than the lace in the picture where it is worn on a model. Even without the piece of black lace showing on the lower part of my breasts (it hid underneath), they looks really sexy. The bust portion was just fine which actually means the size range is off. I did have to really shorten up the straps though. Those puppies are long! Also, the garters were too long for where I like to wear my thigh highs. I has to wear stockings without a thigh band in order to use them.

The torso of the chemise is tight compared to other larges or even some mediums of other Coquette pieces I own! This was very surprising. The hips were the same way. I was not even in the size range because I was below it and it was tight on me...very off! Heed my re-sizing chart...

My chart:

Dress: 6-8 (10 if your hips fit this chart)
Cup: B-D (C is probably most comfortable)
Band: 34-36"
Waist: 27-29"
Hips: 34-37"

*Conclusion:

I really like the idea of this since I love boob play during sex and this can be worn during play. However, it is too uncomfortable to feel sexy in. It was a strange length and the hips were too tight. To make them comfortable, I had to pull it up slightly which made it bunch. No matter how I tried to tweak this, it always was a tad off somewhere. I am working out a lot and so I think I'll keep this around for another try a few months down the road. Maybe it will fit better then, that still won't change the fact that the sizing is way off and the lace is irritating.

While I do like this a little more because I have lost some inches in my hips, and it fits better, that doesn't change the fact that it still runs small. It still fits a bit odd and I', not a fan of the front lace lines that go up and down the torso. The material hasn't softened much when I had hoped it would, but it has held up to hand washing.