Review: Tutti Rouge Liliana, a unique & quirky style

I've reviewed many of my ultimate comfort go-to's, some fairly obscure. And now I'm going to review some of my comfy enough go-to's. Bras that I enjoy for their particular beauty aesthetic, that are also comfortable enough, and useful enough, to be in regular rotation. 

In this category, the most unique (in both shape and styling), and the one I have bought in three different colorways, is the Tutti Rouge Liliana. 

 This is how it fits me in a 38GG. Technically, it hovers perilously close to the dreaded beige. However, it's actual name is Vanilla Cream, which is accurate: it is a warm cream with darker cream ribbon along the top. This also allows me to insist it is not beige, or even 'skin tone'. Which makes me happier.


It comes in many wonderful colorways, from candy pastels to deep dual-tone jeweled hues. But Vanilla Cream was the only color on sale in my size. These are the other two colorways in my closet: Periwinkle Blue (sadly, the wire popped in this; I repaired it, 7 it popped through again. This is a very rare occurrence for me, and appears to be due to a fabric defect (casing edge unraveling) as it is not a sizing issue); and the original coral-pink shade which runs a full cup size smaller, and is more shallow, than the current version, which is true to size. 

Comfort:  

Fabric:  It's comfy. Maybe a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10. This is a padded-ish bra. One of the few I wear. I almost hesitate to call it padded; it's really something between lined and padded. It's much thinner than the Freya Deco. The cotton knit lining in the cups renders the seams and highly textured outer fabric non-irritating. I can wear it fairly comfortably for around 5 hours before it's main flaw begins to become noticeable. 

Band:  A nice soft mesh. Not Natori-soft, but soft. A good medium width, and stable.  

Cups:   Very unique shape. It's rather minimized, but this is accomplished in an unusual way. Not smooshed down and east-west - as I mention below, the wires are especially wide - but rather, held close to the chest, in a nice rounded shape by uniquely angled 3-part seams.

Tacking:  It tacks. And perfectly, too. Not too hard, not too soft. Juuuuust right. And it is a lowish gore, so nestles nicely between closer together boobs. I get no double-bubble, just a nice touch of cakes-on-a-plate cleavage, and a very secure bounce-less fit.

Wires:   I do not find them wide, but more medium; far narrower than Panache or Anita, wider than Natori. A really good width, actually. And a very nice medium height and gauge. Not too low, not too high. Not too rigid, not to soft. Kind of the Goldilocks bra. 

Beauty:

Style:  A unique plunge/balcony hybrid.A semi-horizontal neckline that dips lower into a slight sweetheart shape.

Tutti touches:  the heart-shaped strap adjusters that are the brands trademark are just, well, fun. And the fact that they include pink tissue paper, plus pink rock candy, and 'Love, Tutti' card with each bra makes their frothy confection aesthetic, well, even more fun. (Love you too, Tutti.)
 
Fabric:  a quirky embroidered fabric, with the top 1/3 being a sheer, embroidered, non-padded panel. It has no stretch, perhaps just a little give, and yet it accommodates my full-on-top shape very well.The fabric is highly textured and will show under think knits, as will the seams. I don't care about this particularly, myself.

 

Compromises:   

Cup edging/underband:  There's a sharpish edging to the bottom of the cup. And without a substantial underband to soften it, this is the main flaw of the bra - the only one, actually. And because the wires dip down slightly below the underband in front, as all of my Tutti's do, this becomes a source of discomfort if you are sitting for long periods and especially if you are short-waisted. 

Shipping:   This is not related to the bra itself, but is a major factor. Frankly, I've never been gouged for shipping to this extent with any other brand (although I imagine Ewa Michalak charges might rival this because I've read they do not waive the steep Euro VAT (luxury tax) for buyers outside the EU). And since you can only purchase Tutti Rouge from the Big Cartel site, you're stuck with the pretty outrageous shipping fee of around $18. Buying several at once, at deep discount, is the only way I can justify that. 

When Do I Wear It?

Under floaty tops when I do not want a boob-tent.  Under thin knits when I would like a little extra nippie coverage.  With knit T's that don't have a lot of boob room and need a rounded shape. 
Size:  38GG or 36H