Remember how I was all “I’m 30 now, I’m trying to make my lingerie drawer more sophisticated, what would Miss Fisher wear, I’m now into darker colors and elegant lines and fancy lace and less about the brights and the frills and the froof”?
I liiiiiied to youuuu.
[I purchased this set under my real name with my own money pretty much the instant it hit the EM website because OBVIOUSLY just look at it. Ewa Michalak is unaffiliated with this review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own.]
APPEARANCE
SM Amorek (Google tells me that Amorek translates to “Cupid”, and I swoon again) is a three-part totally sheer cup (I’m wearing nippies in these photos so I can share them without Instagram clutching its pearls) crafted from bright pink tulle with red satin trimming the seams and wire casing. Red lace runs along the cup edge, and the same lace traces the waistband and center front of the coordinating briefs. The band fastens with three rows of three columns of hooks and eyes, and the red straps are fully adjustable. Instead of bows or rosettes, small red hearts trim the center gore and front of the knickers, and as cute as this set is from the front, nothing prepared me for how much I’d love:
THE BACK OF THE BRIEFS, MY FRIENDS. This is where the playfulness of the set just goes all out: a giant red heart, an adorable ruffled curtain framing a totally sheer seat, and red elastic along the legline, creating the illusion of a cage or ouvert knicker.
Y’all, it’s as if a lingerie set woke up one day and decided to be a cupcake. This is the best.
FIT
I currently wear a 32H or 32GG in most UK brands, and I follow the lead of other bloggers like Fuller Figure Fuller Bust when it comes to Ewa Michalak, which means I take one band size up, but keep the same cup size letter. I ordered a 34H/75H for the bra and a 42/L for the knickers.
I probably should have gone with 32HH/70HH, in all honesty, but I didn’t want to bother with an exchange. The band is a little loose, and I’m more comfortable wearing it on the middle column of hooks. This isn’t a bad thing, it just means the bra might not last as long as one with a firmer band, since bands stretch with wear. The gore tacks nicely against my sternum, the underwires rest against my ribcage, all my breast tissue fits comfortably within the underwires, and there’s no spillage or empty space at the top of the cup. I will note that I find this style a little shallow in the bottom of the cup, which means that as the day wears on I get a visible tissue fold where my breast tissue can’t fully settle into the cup. This doesn’t bother me, since it’s something I get in lots of bras, but since the bra is so sheer it’s more visible here than in other bras.
The briefs seem to fit about the same as the other EM briefs. They’re a very comfortable rise on me: higher than some UK/American bikini briefs, but not super high-waist. The seat is comfortably full-coverage, because otherwise it would lessen the impact of the ruffles. This is such a great marriage of design and fit– comfortable, whimsical, and coquettish all at the same time!
COMFORT
Honestly, I’d wear this set anyway even if it were a bad fit and uncomfortable to wear all day, but happily that’s not the case! As I mentioned, I’d prefer a tighter band, but that’s an I-chose-the-wrong-size issue (that I don’t care enough about to bother fixing), not a construction or materials issue. I’m a big fan of sheer, non-padded bras: there’s no extra bulk, plus they’re light and breathable, which, as we head into summer and New York City turns into a giant concrete oven, is key. The briefs stay up comfortably throughout the day without digging in, riding up, or rolling down.
OVERALL
This is the third shape I’ve tried from Ewa Michalak (the SM style). I really liked the two sets Ewa Michalak sent me earlier this year (BM Bibi Tulipan and PL Jagodzianki), but in addition to trying a new cut, I also wanted to see what the process was like placing an order for myself as a general customer, as opposed to a blogger receiving a review sample. I placed my order on March 30, and it shipped April 16 (while some styles are available for immediate delivery, many Ewa Michalak bras are made-to-order, which means the bra is only cut out and stitched once you place your order). I received the order on April 24, so total wait time was around 3 1/2 weeks, which, considering this is a made-to-order lingerie set shipping from Europe, seems pretty reasonable to me.
As I mentioned up top, my tastes have been shifting from bright and colorful to darker, more elegant lingerie sets, but the bold, cheerful, almost campy exuberance of the Amorek collection fills my heart with so much joy. I must also point out that the bra is available in the 3DM cup shape (suitable for smaller busts), there’s a coordinating thong, and there’s also the ruffliest, most delightful babydoll you’ve ever seen in your life. I really can’t recommend Amorek highly enough– this collection is one of my favorites of the year.
* * * * *
Bra and Brief: Amorek by Ewa Michalak. Available in sizes 30 D-GG, 32-34 C-K, 36 C-JJ, 38 C-J, 40-42 D-H. The full set retails for 228.00zł (around $61.50, not including fees and shipping. My total including fees and shipping to New York was around $79). Although Ewa Michalak is a Polish brand, they helpfully use UK sizes on their English website, so the cup size progression is C, D, DD, E, F, FF, G, GG, H, HH, J, JJ, K.
Photography: Studio Rezin