La bella vida bra, skirt, garters and g-string - bra and panty set discontinued by Seven 'til Midnight - review by ellejay

Materials, Design, & Craftsmanship

Bra

The bra is made of 90% nylon and 10% spandex. The spandex is most noticeable in the stretchy band and straps, though the cups do have a little bit of give. The lace on top of the cups is also quite stretchy. They shouldn't cut into the breasts as long as your measurements fall in line with the size chart. The ruffles and the outer layer of the cups are made of an incredibly soft and stretchy material. Each ruffle is finished with a sturdy black seam at the bottom. The meshy material on the band and between the cups isn't quite as soft, but I didn't find it to be abrasive, either. The cups themselves are lightly padded. They won't give you any additional lift or cleavage, but they'll keep hard nipples concealed that is, if they cover your nipples (more on that later).

As far as the the nuts and bolts go, the underwire is very firm but could be molded for a more custom fit if necessary. The stitching along the bottom of the bra is done with contrasting black thread in a zig-zag stitch. The remainder of the stitching is done with a pink thread that blends in with the bra itself. There are two black bows where the straps meet the cups. Thre standard hook-and-eye closes with three adjustment settings are in back.

The bra seems to be mostly well-made, though I did find one area of black stitching that is a bit off. About one inch of the stitching was gone over twice. This creates a thicker black area at the bottom of the bra. In this same area, there is also a black stitch that runs from the bottom-front to the bottom-back. The stitch will be easy enough to cut and the imperfection doesn't ruin the piece for me. One design choice (see: not flaw) that bothered me was that the bra straps are not adjustable. While they are quite stretchy to fit several sizes, fitting my small frame nicely, this may be a problem for some.

Skirt

Like the bra, the skirt is made of 90% nylon and 10% spandex. The same black lace used on the tops of the cups is used at the top of the skirt. The skirt has a strip of black elastic running along with the lace as well. The softer pink material is used all throughout the skirt in three tiered ruffles. While each individual ruffle is pretty sheer, the skirt as a whole is closer to being opaque. The skirt is impeccably crafted with no discernible issues.

For the hardware, there are four plastic garters on the skirt. They attach via four loops in the waistband. The front two are topped off by tiny black bows. I was pleased to see that the garters were detachable, especially after I experienced an issue early on. Made of cheap plastic the garter clips are rather flimsy. One of them broke after I used it twice and the other three don't seem like they'll last too long. You can attach your own garters in the loops if you so choose.

G-string

Made of the same materials as the rest of the set, the g-string is a pretty standard piece. There is a triangular piece of soft pink fabric bordered by a stretchy yet forgiving black elastic. It is well-crafted and successfully survived a ride in my washing machine's delicate cycle. There is also a decently sized cotton panty liner for those who might want to add this to their underwear rotation.

Basic Sizing Information

I ordered the size small in this set. Seven 'til Midnight recommends the following measurements for their small, and my measurements are in the parentheses:

Size: 2-6 (2/4)
Cup size: A-B (B)
Bust size: 32-34" (32")
Waist size: 24-26" (25")
Hip size: 34-36" (35")

Fit

Bra

Let me start off by saying that this is definitely a demi-cup bra. I can usually fit an entire breast in other demi-cup bras. I found that my mid-set nipples were brushing against the black lace in this one. A big arm stretch is more than enough to show everything. While this is a minor nuisance when I'm trying to create a bit of mystery, I can not fault the company for true-to-life advertising. That said, I would recommend the size small to an A or B cup if you're hoping for any sort of coverage. I believe that a C-cup could fit into the cups, but you will almost certainly spill over and may not be comfortable. An A-cup may find that this functions as a skimpy bra that still preserves your nipple decency.

Now, on to stretchy things! I was pleased to find that the band hugged my body snugly given that I am most comfortable in a 30" band. Even more impressively, it manages to do this on the loosest of three settings. Don't let that dissuade you if you're larger around. The band stretches about 7" back when I have it on, so it should fit a large range of bodies. The straps (thankfully) fit given that they don't have any sort of adjustment option. Unlike the garters, the bra straps are attached and can't be easily swapped. If you find that you need them tighter or looser, you can take them in or replace them, but I think this is a bother since even the cheapest bras usually come with plastic strap adjusters.

Skirt

Unfortunately, the skirt runs small when compared with the size chart. It looks best when worn at the bottom of my hipbones. On me, this area measures 32.5" around. While it is not uncomfortable here, the elastic does cut in to my love handles. The skirt will stretch about 4" out when I'm wearing it, but you'll have to be rock solid if you don't want it to cut in. Your mileage will definitely vary here depending on where you wear the skirt and whether this area is soft or toned. I believe that love handled ladies who are smaller than 32" around will have far less of a problem with cutting in, but nevertheless, the size chart is a few inches too generous for a flattering fit. I didn't have a problem with it cutting in to my lower abdomen, but this may be a concern for those who carry weight there. All that said, wearing the skirt higher will eliminate many of these issues. The flowy part of the skirt should fit a multitude of rears, though don't expect it to cover much! The entire skirt is only 5" long and covers about 1/3 of my backside. It even showcases an inch of my vulva when worn without panties.

G-String

The g-string is definitely the low-rise kind. The band doesn't even touch my hipbones, but this works well with the skirt. The circumference of this area is about 33.5" around on me and the panties don't show any sign of the dreaded cut in. I can stretch the band 5" out while I'm wearing the g-string and think that women who usually wear a smaller underwear size (5/6) will do will with the sizing. As long as you don't have a problem with the up-the-butt style underwear, these ouhjt to fit comfortably if you're in the size chart range.

All in all...

I think this is an absolutely adorable set. The pink is girly and playful, and the bold ruffles only serve to enhance the vibe. As long as you take the sizing information into account (especially with the skirt), I think those who are interested in the La Bella Vida set will enjoy it just as much as I do. Finally, here are a few pictures of the set. They feature the sewing defect, the front of the entire set, and a comparison of the bra to a Baci 32B bra.