Friday, March 9, 2012

Guest Post: Review of Alegro Lingerie

(Today we have a fabulous Guest Post from Claire Dumican of Butterfly Collection Lingerie!)


There is one reason I’m a big fan of this blog: The name dispels the myth that big boobs only live on big bodies. It’s one of the most common misconceptions that cup sizes over a D are enormous when in reality cup sizes are always relative to your body size. For example, the volume of a B cup on a woman with a 40+ band size is substantially bigger than the volume of a 30F cup size.
When women realize that they are wearing far too big a band size, and get over the surprise that they’re actually a couple of cup sizes bigger, their next task is to find brands that make small band sizes and big cup sizes. This is where a blogger like Brittany is essential. The bra industry is taking a while to catch up with the fact that there are lots of “Thin and Curvy” women out there. The number of brands doing band sizes under the traditional 34 inch threshold is small but growing.

Introducing Alegro Lingerie
Alegro is a Japanese brand with a presence in the UK and North America. Their mission is to combine sexy and quality to give you a “choice of fashion and comfort”. They are relatively new so are still working out where their sizes start and end but they are evidently targeting the full bust market. We have carried the Alegro line for a year now and have seen a full array of their styles from lacy full cups to molded balconettes. There are pros and cons to the range that I’m going to share with you.

The Pros

The biggest thing I love about Alegro is that they understand having a bigger bust does not mean you want to forego gorgeous underwear. Sure, every busty girl needs a trusty basic or two but you also need the fun and diversity of a colourful bra. They use bold colours like bright pink and blue (I particularly love the Pink Boudoir Starlet bra that was reviewed for us by Holly at The Full Figure Chest).


They use very elegant details that feel more grown up than say the youth feeling of the Cleo range. I think the Sweet Nothing Bra is a very modern but grown up design with silver cross-stitch and ribbon rose details on the straps.
One of the big pluses is that they are relatively affordable. Here in Canada we get taxed a lot for importing lingerie (which is about 90% of all lingerie sold here!) so having a reasonable price point means bigger busted women can have choice.


The Cons
Most of their styles start at a 30 band which is better than average but doesn’t cover the range of brands like Freya and Ewa Michalak/Effuniak who have 26 and 28 bands. There is no sign that they will branch out into 26 and 28 brands in the near future but as their popularity grows they may respond to feedback from retailers and customers. Not all the styles go up to a G and H cup which can be very frustrating from a retailer’s point of view. We want to offer our customers all the styles in all sizes.


How They Fit


Size-wise there are some things to be aware of. The lace full cup bras (Boudoir Starlet, Innocent Lily) tend to be generous in the cup. I would say a G is more like a GG etc. Their balconette bras (Sweet Nothing, Jewels) are more true to size in the cup, however, their straps are set particularly far apart which is not ideal for smaller frames. I would say that under 5ft 6” you’d have trouble with how far apart the straps are.

The Conclusion
I think Alegro still has some kinks to work out as it grows and find out which of its styles are repeatable etc. The fact that they are on a mission to give fuller busted women a choice of affordable, sexy and supportive lingerie is fantastic. I think they have some really beautiful designs and a good manufacturing standard so it won’t fall apart after a few wears. I hope this new kid on the block has time to become a staple brand for thin and curvy women.

Claire Dumican is the co-owner of Canadian online boutique, Butterfly Collection Lingerie, specializing in D-K cup lingerie. www.butterflycollection.ca

17 comments:

  1. Small band size/large cup doesn't always mean "thin and curvy," either. I have a small frame but wear plus-size clothing because I'm overweight. Yet I wear a 32HH. Remember that bra size is based at least in part on bone structure, not overall size. We just all have to be so careful when we label each other's bodies.

    According to the drop-down menu on Alegro's website, the biggest cup they carry is GG. Do they really carry cups bigger than that?

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    1. Hi B - Thanks for your comment. Given the context of this blog I was applauding Brittany's efforts to dispel the idea that large cups always = bands 38 and higher. They don't. Height, bone structure, health concerns (like osteoporosis) all affect your bra size.

      Alegro has created bras up to an H cup and this year they are launching collections up to a J cup. Check out their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.310679188971098.67745.143237735715245&type=3

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    2. Do you know of any places like herrroom.com where I can buy bras that go up to an M cup? I know that this sounds ridiculous, but, I am currently remigrating my migrated breast tissue (due to wearing the wrong bra size ever since the very beginning- since I was 11-15years old). I am 17 now and a lot of the migrated breast tissue on my tummy has been moved back up to my chest area, but I've still also got a lot left. I estimate myself to be about an 8 (32) M when I finished remigrating completely so that my small frame will finally be in proportion to my tummy! 2 years ago, I was even skinnier than I already am right now, but I had a huge tummy- it looked like I was pregnant!!! It all had happened since I was wearing this paper-thin "bra" that I'd been wearing since I was 11!! and noone bothered to take me bra-shopping :'( I will make sure that any of the daughters I might ever have in over 10 years (when I'm married) won't have to suffer through what I had to!! lol sorry this is so long. so, basically, do you know where I can buy 8/32 bras that go up to an M-cup size ? I live in New Zealand, and, since I am only 17, I don't have much money so I wish to buy something that is as low-priced as possible, but have the best quality for that price... Sorry if I sound too picky!!

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  2. Thanks for the education about this brand! I first discovered it in January 2010 (http://hourglassy.com/2010/01/remember-to/) but still haven't tried it. So many bras (fortunately!), so little time!

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    1. I think the latter part of this year and 2013 could see a big surge for Alegro especially if their H-J cups are a great fit.

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    1. I love the Alegro shape in their lace collections because the cups have enough elastic to accommodate uneven sized breasts and keep each breast supported. The wires are narrow and fits more like Panache than Curvy Kate (but that's only in my opinion). Their balconette range fits more like Curvy Kate though! Shallower cups and lots more cleavage - super fun and sexy! Alegro always delivers great colours in every season so I know there will be great J cups to choose from.

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  4. Wow! First of all thank you Brittany for such a great website and of course, thank you to Claire for your in depth review of our lingerie. Yes, it is true Alegro 2012 collection is now available in 30 - 46, cup sizes C- J. The decision to go larger has come as a result of a couple of key reasons, firstly we have been listening to the feedback from our lovely customers, like some of you above, who have been asking for our collections to have their size range extended. The second reason, is because our brand has been refocussed by celebrated lingerie designer Karen Ellis (Karen was the designer behind some of Curvy Kate's most popular styles, Princess, Emily and Portia). A UK designed brand (with HQ's in the UK, US & Hong Kong) the 2012 collection has taken influence from precious stones and jewels, to create a sophisticated, classically elegant range at an affordable price and as Claire quite correctly pointed out, the glamorous detailing of our lingerie is aimed to appeal to the feminine woman, rather than girl. With reference to 28 bands, this is something we are also looking into, should we believe there is a sustainable demand, 28 bands will be included in our range - watch this space! Finally, if you would like see all of our 2012 collection, please pop over to our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alegro-Lingerie/143237735715245 and let us know what you think. Thank you again for all of the feedback, it is great to hear your thoughts and we are always listening. Kind regards, Alegro Lingerie

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    1. Yes, please make 28 bands! There are a lot of us smaller boned women who need smaller band sizes. We are not unusually thin... just have a smaller bone structure. Would love to have designers recognize this. Also, a smaller frame usually needs other things scaled in as well. Thank you.

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    2. Great response Alegro! Thanks for always listening to customer feedback. Having Karen as part of the Alegro story is a big achievement. I see great things ahead for Alegro! xx

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  5. Hi. This is a great concept. I visited the website. However, when I look up the store locator, it does not provide a store location. I am in the USA, Illinois.

    Thanks!

    Patricia

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  6. Among provided photos, the first one is nice. The breast is looking beautiful and sexy, because the bra is fitting well. Two others, to my mind, are looking too heavy.

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    1. There is bigger problem with third one. Look at the model's posture - shoulders are far back with stomach too forward, nobody's able to stand or walk in such *diagonal* fashion in daily life. But in this weird posture her breasts are parallel to the floor, so should she stand normally they would be ... pointing down (!!!) because the upper parts of cups force them to. Very sad.

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  7. Yup I am agree with lingerie Manufacturer, but I think third one is not looking that heavy, I mean its looking good.

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  8. Wow... All of those models are wearing the wrong size lol :P you can see how the breast tissue squashes out on the sides, which lead to lines being formed from the upper outer breast to the armpit... grrr annoys me hahah... dat breast migration

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