Holiday velveteen bustier - bustier discontinued by Coquette - review by Pete's Princess

I am in love with this. This has been on my wish list since before Christmas. Finally, it came back in stock in my size. All good things come to those who wait. Although it is for winter due to the velvet fabric, I could not resist ordering it. Neither should you, if EF has it in your size.

I ordered a large. Coquette sizing for a Large:
Dress Size - 12-14
Cup - C
Waist - 30-32
Hips - 40-42

I wear a 8/10 dress, 34D, Waist 28" and hips 38". It fits and looks great.

The cups do not have an underwire. Being a larger breasted woman, I am always weary of getting enough support without an underwire. The exception, I am finding, seems to be with corsets and bustiers. If they are shaped with a cup area and straps, then you can tighten the rib area enough to give you support. Those made straight (without extra material in the bust) will just flatten and push you down. The Holiday Velveteen Bustier has a defined and beautifully made breast area made of a velvet fabric. It does not flatten you out. It is gathered in the middle. This gathering makes it flexible enough to fit from a B to a D comfortably. The cup area is lightly padded with a seam in the middle for shaping.

This is a bustier that you will want to order to your waist and hip size. I did find that the hips were snug. Coquette sizing says 40-42" and I am 38". The fabric is flexible enough to for about a 27" waist up to a 32" waist. If you are much beyond the measurement in either the waist or hips, you may find this won't work.

The style is great. It is a bit on the dressy side if you are wearing it as a top. The bustier is elegant and well made. There are six plastic bonings in this bustier. They are thick and retain their shape well. Two are diagonal in the front going from under the breasts on both sides of the lace overlay in the center. There are two along the sides and two in the back. The body of is made of a lightweight velvet fabric on all but the back two innermost sections. These two sections are made from a stretchy satiny material. There are 15 hooks down the back and two sets of eyes to choose the right fit. There is a defined cup area made of velvet. It is gathered in the center. The top is trimmed with satin and there are two removable straps. I like the flexibility of being able to wear it with our without straps. It gives enough support for me to wear strapless which is a big plus. The center has a black floral lace overlay with diamond crystals affixed. The crystals are firmly affixed, and I am not worried about them coming off. The diagonal boning gives extra support and firming to the tummy area. This is great if that is one of your "challenge" areas. There is also the same lace and crystals in triangles at the sides. That design also helps you to look slimmer.

No matter how much you love something, there is always at least one drawback. I was very disappointed to find that one of the plastic boning pieces had worked its way out. That can easily be fixed with a needle and thread. I found this flaw after just modeling it. I have had the same issue with some of my other Coquette items. Perhaps if they added tips to the ends of the boning or used stronger material to cover the boning. This is not a deal breaker, but something to be aware of.

It came in a clear plastic bag, with the black Coquette padded hanger that we all love.

Did I say how much I love this? I wish EF had it in stock earlier, but I will be putting this away until it gets cold again. This will definitely melt some ice.

I have 5 dogs and it is shedding season, so I was very concerned about the velvet being a magnet for hair. It does pick up a bit of lint but not much considering it is velvet. The fit is great. I was also concerned that the velvet would be too heavy to wear for an extended period. This is not the case. The velvet is very light and does not make you hot (in the temperature way).

The boning coming through the backing was the only drawback. It was easy to fix and it is so great in all other ways, I gave it a 5.

The best part is that I have the flexibility of wearing it out in public. My husband likes me to be more modest in public and a slut in the bedroom (definitely old school). Although I always enjoy the second part, occasionally I enjoy being a bit more daring in public. This is a great compromise for outside the bedroom. It is very sexy and elegant.

I still really like the bustier. Due to the time of year, it has not gotten much use. I did manage to wear it for some photos recently and discovered some additional quality issues.

One more of the bonings has popped out. The other issue is that the straps have plastic hooks which connect them to the front of the bustier. This is quite unusual for Coquette. All of my other Coquette items have metal hooks that attach to the bustier. One of these hooks broke, and was not repairable.

I must give Coquette a big thumbs up for customer service. I notified them of the issues, and they are sending me out replacement straps at no charge. They did suggest that I send it back for replacement. With the time and cost involved in shipping it back, it is easier to repair the boning issue myself. The folks at Coquette did respond quickly to my concerns (in less than 8 hours). They are aware there have been some issues with boning, and are working with their supplier to get that corrected.