[Disclosure: Tutti Rouge generously provided this set for review. I was not compensated for this post, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.]
Welcome to the fourth and final Tutti Rouge review! So far I’ve had the chance to review three different styles from the current season: Liliana, a lightly padded bra featuring stretch lace, Betty, a beautiful satin padded half-cup bra, and Jessica, Tutti Rouge’s ground-breaking push-up bra. Today I’m taking a peek at the joyfully red Fifi collection, a non-padded half-cup style featuring pretty dotted mesh and lace (earlier this year, I also reviewed Nichole, a non-padded balconette bra). It’s been a real treat to have the chance to get to know the full scope of one brand’s offerings, and I hope you find these reviews helpful if you’re trying to decide which style you’d like to try.
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APPEARANCE
Fifi is a non-padded half-cup style bra in a luscious, vibrant red. The bra is lined with a non-stretch red mesh with an outer layer of sheer dotted tulle. There’s a sheer mesh interior side panel connected to the straps that helps pull breast tissue in from the sides towards the center of the body. The top of the cup is trimmed with red floral lace, and the very top cup edge is lined with thin strip of non-sticky silicone to add a little support and stability (I’d be interested to know if this is a GG+ only feature– anyone in the DD-G range tried the style who could report back?). The straps are fully adjustable and feature Tutti Rouge’s signature heart-shaped gold-toned adjusters, and the band, constructed of red powermesh, fastens with three rows and three columns of hooks and eyes. The straps and center gore feature small leopard-print bows. The bottom edge of the band is trimmed with a petite lace ruffle, similar to the one on Betty.
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The coordinating thong is super sheer– just a single layer of the dotted red mesh, with floral lace at the waistband and the small lace ruffle along the legline. There are matching leopard bows at the waist and center back, and the gusset is of course lined with cotton for comfort and breathability.
FIT
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As with the previous three Tutti Rouge reviews, I requested my current most commonly worn sizes: 32GG and 14/L (all UK sizes). As was the case with the other styles, the band fits firmly on the loosest set of hooks and required a little bit of a break-in period. The cup volume feels true to size, although I find that the cups are fitting better now, 2 months and a couple hundred miles run after I first received it, so if you find you’re between cup sizes, you might want to experiment with sizing up, particularly if you’re fuller on top. The bra is light but very strong: the internal side panel does a phenomenal job of shaping, and the vertical seam provides a lot of lift. I’ll note that one cup provides a rounder shape and the other cup flattens me out a little, but I attribute that to a normal slight irregularity consistent with factory manufacturing. As with the other Tutti Rouge styles I’ve tried this year, the wires are very rigid and the center gore presses firmly into my sternum, but once I bent the center gore outwards a little bit we were in business.
The thong feels true-to-size compared to my other UK knickers, but the mesh isn’t quite as stretchy as the fabric used in Jessica, so it sometimes feels a bit smaller. The front is a little low-coverage for my taste– I’d prefer a little more coverage, both vertically and horizontally, just for comfort and my own aesthetic preference, although I realize that some people choose thongs precisely because they’re a smaller knicker, so your mileage may vary.
COMFORT
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I really like wearing Fifi. I like the shape it gives (low-profile and secure, but uplifted), I like how light it feels, I like the openness of the neckline, and y’all KNOW I love me some red lingerie. There are a few comfort points I’ll make since I know they can be issues for some: as noted above, the center gore does tack firmly, so if that is a troublesome fit issue for you, be aware you may run into it here. One of the reasons Tutti Rouge’s gores tack so securely is because of their rigid underwires. These help the bras provide strong support and shaping, but if you need lighter support, especially in GG+ sizes, you might need to explore options outside the brand. If I wear Fifi for a long day I sometimes find that the outer ends of the wires dig in under my arms, so if you’re particularly active or are looking for a bra for long days, this may not be the one for you. Finally, while it hasn’t bothered me, I know some people are sensitive to any trims or embellishments that run along the bottom of the band under the cups. Because of the lace ruffle, Fifi is not perfectly smooth there, so if you frequently experience irritation or chafing, this is something to keep in mind.
I mentioned in my review of Jessica that I am strongly Team Thongs-Are-the-Worst, and while the Fifi thong is very pretty, if the GORGEOUS brief were still available in my size, that would be my first choice by a landslide (the back of the brief, in particular, is stunning). I find I’m really conscious of the thong when I wear it for a full day, and I’d be way more comfortable in a knicker that offered a little more coverage both in front and over my rear. However, I can’t deny that it’s cute, and if you’re a fan of thongs, I think you’ll love this one.
OVERALL
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It was really been such a pleasure to have the opportunity to get to know a brand so well, particularly since the bras have all been slightly different from each other. Tutti Rouge has done a great job of creating a diverse line that will suit people with different fit preferences and body types without sacrificing the whimsy, color, and cheerfulness that are the brand’s hallmarks. I think they’ve made truly impressive fit improvements from season to season, both in terms of bringing band sizes and cup volumes more in line with their competitors’ and tweaking fit issues that arise in G+ sizes. I’d like to see them continue to refine some ongoing underwire issues that crop up in fuller cup sizes (namely the wide wire spread and aggressively/painfully tacking center gores). Across the board the brand comes up a little wide for me, but then again my body type isn’t everyone’s body type, and the Tutti styles I’ve tried have gotten a lot of wear this winter, particularly Jessica and, to my surprise, Betty, which might be the only padded bra I’ve ever worn that’s fit like it was made for me. I’m excited to see where the brand is headed in future seasons, and I’m particularly excited for the debut of the yummy Spring/Summer 2016 collection, modeled for the first time by a plus-size model, the lovely Felicity Hayward.
Do you have a favorite set from the Fall/Winter collection? Which Tutti style is your go-to?
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Bra and Thong: Fifi in Scarlet by Tutti Rouge (c/o), 38-38 D-HH, XS-XXL. Tutti Rouge is a UK brand, so the cup size progression goes D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH.
Photos: Studio Rezin