Lace back chemise - chemise discontinued by Coquette - review by lilly555

Overview

The Lace Back Chemise by Coquette is made of 80% nylon and 20% Spandex and comes with attached, non-removable garters. Unfortunately the stockings and thong featured on the model are not included with your purchase.

Material and Texture

The nylon spreads along every black surface of the chemise and, according to the manufacturer description, creates "powernet side-panels." The shimmery nude pieces are Spandex but they feel soft to the touch. The ribbon on the back of the chemise and the floral print covering the nude Spandex both seem to be made of lace. While the sheer lace-up back is smooth and pleasant to run your hands along, the floral black lace along the bust and waist feels rough in comparison.

Sadly, the very top of the lace stitching is already starting to come undone a bit and I have only had this for about two weeks. It is not enough that this will be the case for everyone; it could very well just be mine. From what I can tell the powernet and Spandex seem to be firmly in place and secure. Likewise the back of the chemise where the sheer nylon meets the rest of the garment is securely fastened, with little give. However, the stitching along the garters is hurried and uneven which leads me to believe that while they may stay in place for a time, at some point you might have to patch them up with your sewing kit.

Design

The chemise is 23.5 inches long from the front portion where the lace and straps meet to the edge, and not including the length of the garters. The design is lovely with a sweetheart bust covered in lace, and the shimmery Spandex underneath all held in by the powernet side panels.

There are two sets of garters in the front and back of the chemise where the black powernet and Spandex meet. They are V-shaped and hold the clamps at the tip. The garters in their entirety are each 3 inches long with the fastening pieces accounting for 1 inch. Now the garters are non-removable, and are not adjustable so please keep in mind the length of the chemise in correspondence with the length of the stockings you choose to wear with it. I would say the garters are relatively easy to use: the back portion just slides out, secures, then slides back in with very little effort.





The top of the chemise does have straps that are adjustable but non-removable. The bust has light padding, which is 4 inches long at the stitching shown in the picture. Probably the itchiest portion of the chemise is the padding which can be irritating. There is no underwire support and really very little room for the breasts without some adjustment.





The back of the chemise has a sheer nylon line with black ribbon that laces up, giving the back a faux corset look . The ribbon laces through small nylon half-circles which run up and down the sheer middle. The nice thing is you can adjust the ribbon detail as you see fit; either leaving them in loose patterns or tightly done up. On the model, the sheer back is made to look more transparent than it actually was when I wore it. While there is still a peek-a-boo effect, it is not as pronounced as pictured.




Packaging and Cleaning

Now, the packaging is a very simple clear plastic bag. It contains the chemise held in place on a lovely black cushioned hanger. The hanger has a ribbon tied around it with the word 'Coquette' patterned across. It is a very nice extra and has two metal pins on either side to keep the chemise in place. This provides you with something soft and secure to store the garment in your closet. There is a small tag attached to the chemise via safety pin through the floral lace. This is a nice touch, rather than placing the tag through the garment which can potentially cause a snag. Cleaning instructions for the piece can be found on the built-in tag which says to hand wash the chemise in cold water and hang to dry.

Sizing

This chemise is offered in sizes small through 2X. I chose the small which on Coquette's sizing chart reads 34-36B bust, 26-28 inch waist, and 36-38 inch hips. My own measurements are 34C bust, 28 inch waist, and 38 inch hips. Now I measured this piece and laying flat, the bust is 13 inches, with a waist of 12 inches. With the powernet there is very little room for stretch on this garment, so try to get as close to your own measurements as possible. I would say this chemise is pretty true to the measurements provided on the chart. With the exception of the bust, which was likely to be tight on me, I found this garment to fit me quite well. The lack of give in the material makes it a challenge to wiggle your way into this chemise. I would most likely recommend the small size to women a smidge smaller than me in the bust. For example, if you have 38 inch hips rather than the 36 recommended for a small, consider the next size up, as the powernet does tend to bunch up a bit.




Likes and Dislikes

I love this piece. I am 5'3 and 112 lbs and find that the chemise hits me at the upper part of my thighs making it the perfect length. It's both titillating and sexy. Wearing this makes me feel HOT; my bust looks prominent, it shows off all my curves, and the sheer lace-up back gives a bit of a show. The weird thing is for almost all of the reasons I love this garment they all lead me to the attributes I dislike as well.

The problem with this piece is that it was not designed for women with curves. Or maybe it's that when they say hips 36-38 inches it is highly recommended for those who are 36 inches. Anyhow the side panels bunch up around my hips. This is bothersome since they tend to ride up after I have had it on for a bit. This is not a dealbreaker for me since I like what the grip of the material does for my body as a whole. But if this piece rides up on me at 38inches then perhaps the sizing needs to adjusted to 36-37inches. Another problem I have with this chemise is one partially of my own creation. As I mentioned above, the bust is itchy and it is not a great fit. Now I knew going in that the Coquette small was made for a B cup but I figured I'm a small C and all my other measurements are correct so maybe I can squeeze in. I did and the bust fits, but in order for that to happen I have to wiggle and grope my boobs into the proper position, then make sure my nipples don't pop out unexpectedly, which kinda sucks.

All in all, I would say that while there is a lot of room for improvement with this piece, I still think it's a fantastic chemise. I can live with the fact that it rides up a smidge and has itchy boobies, because I love the way I look in it and the little details.

I have to say that I still love this chemise. While I do wish it had an underwire the material and padding fits me like a glove making it so there’s not a noticeable lack of support for my breasts. A part of me now realizes that I should have listed the fact that the garters are non-removeable as a con. But really that’s just for aesthetic reasons; what if I don’t feel like wearing stockings with this garment? Then they just hang loose on my thighs, which can be annoying. Small grievances aside, this is one of the best lingerie pieces I’ve owned to date. For that reason I would say I know feel that this is more of a 5 star product than the 4 stars I originally gave it.