Lingerie Review: Urban Outfitters Navy Satin Bralette

I will admit that the first thing which attracted me to this Urban Outfitters bra was the price. I had a discount code for shipping and it was on sale for £9. Usually I won't buy online, I'm a fan of supporting the high street and the bricks and mortar shopping experience, not to mention the endless fit issues you can have. On this occasion however I saw it, it was beautiful, it was also half price and in my size; I had to take the risk. Luckily it is just as lovely in the flesh as on the website and the navy colour really suits my pale skin tone, as I would imagine it would suit others.

The term 'bralette' refers to any non-wired bra. This can range from a simple unpadded one like this, to fully padded sports bras or longline bras, as long as there is no wiring. They are also sometimes called soft bras, and it's commonplace for them to only be stocked in sizes XS, S, M, L etc. Rather than regular band and cup sizing such as 34B, or 75B if you're in metric. They also as a general rule offer much less support and uplift than an underwired bra as there is no wire to cup the breast and hold/push it into a supported position, which is why bralettes are usually more suited to smaller chested women, such as myself.

Small gathering along this seam

Considering I bought this garment online the fit was surprisingly good. I bought an XS, and I usually take a 34A, UK sizing. The band began to feel a little tight after 5 or 6 hours wear which is unsurprising considering my usual size, but as there is no underwire it's not a particularly uncomfortable sensation. I think the XS would be more suited to a 30 or 32 inch band. The fit in the cups is a little off, but not by much, just enough to cause some small gathers in the fabric as you can see in the picture above.

The construction is not of the highest quality, you can see how the stitching pulls in the centre gore below. I didn't notice any other problems and I think small issues like this are fairly typical for a high street brand, especially when I payed so little.

The stitching is pulling at the centre

Now onto the important part, which is how it makes me feel. I personally think this is a really sexy look. The satin is such a nice colour and I love where the line between blue and black hits just above the nipple. The scalloped edging is a beautiful detail and makes it look far more luxurious than it's real value, and I like the continuation of the black mesh around the band at the back. It doesn't change the shape of my breasts at all under clothing so has a very natural look and feel, and if you minded about your nipples showing through your clothing I would think twice. But then, I'm not really sure if this is the kind of garment which is intended to be worn under clothes.

I would rate this bra 6 out of 10 as it is beautiful and very good value for money, but there were quite a few small issues and I did expect it to provide minimal shaping. 

I know that Urban Outfitters have released some very morally questionable garments recently but that aside, what do you think on their lingerie range?