Black midnight mistress chemise - chemise discontinued by DreamGirl - review by ellejay

As soon as I saw the Midnight Mistress chemise, I knew I had to have it. I'm pleased to say that it is a beautiful piece of lingerie as far as materials and design go, though it's not quite perfect for me in the sizing department.

Material

The chemise's tag indicates that its shell is made of 92% polyamide and 8% spandex. The trim is near-identically composed of 93% polyamide and 7% spandex. For those of you wondering just what polyamide is...well, join the club. A Google search yielded many over-my-head scientific results. However, I can say that it is a soft, sturdy, mesh-like material that should not pull or rip if cared for correctly. The strappy bits on the front of the chemise (the trim, I assume), are soft and elastic.

As can be seen in the product picture, the chemise has two distinct patterns. One is stretchy mesh-like, and the other is a beautiful floral lace. Speaking of the product picture, be warned that the chemise is much more sheer than it suggests. When I hold it up to sunlight, I can see every detail - front and back. While you will get some coverage in less direct light, nipples, tattoos, and other such things are going to show. On the plus side, the floral lace on the sides and back does help camouflage imperfections such as scars and stretch marks. Along with the two materials listed, the chemise also has underwire in both of the cups.

To care for the chemise, the tag says to hand wash cold and line dry. Since I'm conservative about lingerie care, I'd recommend following the tag's instructions.

Design

The design is what truly drew me to this chemise. The product picture of strappy trim and feminine lace absolutely won me over as soon as EdenFantasys added it to their stock. Now that I own the piece, I can honestly and happily say that the actual chemise lived up to and exceeded my expectations. The chemise comes fixed with two removable shoulder straps and four removable garters. The trim that crisscrosses across the chemise acts as a flexible skeleton for the sheer material and lace. The band has three columns of hook-and-eye closures (two per column), so it's much like a standard bra closure. The overall quality is impeccable with every stitch sturdy and intact. If you like the product picture, then you'll like the product.

For those of you wanting more specific details, I've taken a few key measurements of the garment. If anyone is interested in knowing any additional numbers, please feel free to ask.

Length down center: 18.5”
Width across bust (end of cup to end of cup): 11.5”
Length of cup - center: 4”
Width across waist: 11”
Width across bottom: 18”
Garter width: 1/4”
Garters at shortest: 4”
Garters at longest: 7 3/4”

Fit

I ordered the chemise in a size small. According to DreamGirl's size chart, a small will fit the following measurements. My measurements are in the parentheses:

Dress size: 2-6 (2/4)
Cup size A-B (full B)
Bust: 32-34" (32")
Waist: 24-26" (25.5")
Hips: 34-36" (35.5" at fullest point)

As you can see, my measurements fall perfectly into the recommended measurements. I found that this was enough to get a perfect fit on some (but not all) parts of my body. As for the good, the bust and cup size measurements are right on. Since the cups are stretchy, they should form nicely around smaller breasts. My large Bs sit nicely inside them, but I'd caution anyone with larger breasts against ordering the small. The stretchy band at the top of the cup tends to cut in, and someone with C cup breasts would really notice it. When I remove the shoulder straps, the cups cut into my breasts even though they fit the size chart. As for the band, I'm about 29" around where it lies. I feel securely strapped into the chemise when I wear it on the smallest hook-and-eye option. Given that it's adjustable and quite stretchy, I'd estimate that it would fit those up to 5 or 6" larger than me in the band area. The chemise hugged me somewhat closely in the waist, though it wasn't quite skintight. If your waist is smaller than mine, I'd keep this in mind when ordering. The waist stretches quite a bit as well, so those a good few inches above the 26" measurement should be fine. Finally, there's the overall length of the garment. It just hit the bottom of my butt. I have a small frame and am 5'3", so taller folks will probably find this chemise to be quite cheeky.

(continued)

While the chemise does fit up to a certain point, the way it falls makes me appear boxier than I really am. Also, the bottom of the garment does not hug my curves even though I'm on the large end of the hip measurement. This is perfectly okay when I wear it without garters (giving it the look of a flowing nighty), but wearing it with them makes me look ridiculous. The garters pull down on the chemise and subsequently pull the material away from my back, making me feel like a crazy lady in a lingerie balloon. I should note that my lower back curves in (think of the letter S - top curve = back, bottom curve = butt), so someone with a straighter back-to-butt shape should have less of a problem in this respect.

So, there's the good and the bad of my personal fit. As far as the neutral thoughts go, I recommend that you only order this if you are reasonably satisfied with the sides of your body. In my opinion, the lace on the chemise gives a little too much definition to my love handles and outer thighs. It doesn't bother me enough to discard the chemise entirely, but those who are uncomfortable with their sides might want to keep this in mind.

All in All...

Despite my own personal fit issues, I really do think this is a lovely piece of lingerie. Even though I cannot wear it with garters, I find that it functions perfectly well as a flowing outfit. If you like the look of it and keep the size chart and stretchiness in mind, then I would definitely recommend you take the plunge for DreamGirl's Midnight Mistress chemise.