Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
I have always been a fan of purple so this black/purple set looked right up my street. I went for the PL Ametyst bra in 30L/65L and the matching high waist briefs in 16/44.
These pictures show something I did not initially notice with this bra: the cup shape is slightly off. Can you see how they pull my boobs down a little, rather than giving them that signature Ewa Michalak rounded appearance? I must admit that I do notice this when wearing the bra so it's not my first choice when I am selecting which bra to wear in the morning. The photos may also give the impression that the 30L/65L cups are too small for me; they are absolutely not but I think this appearance is due to a combination of the fact that these cups are not quite cut correctly and I am wearing the removable pads. When wearing the bra on a day-to-day basis I don't usually wear the pads as I need all the room I can get for my boobs!
Fit/cut issues aside, this is a lovely set. The purple is very pretty in real life and is a very deep shade which looks gorgeous under the overlaid black lace. The cups are lightly padded with foam and as previously mentioned they have removable pads which can help correct asymmetry and/or provide extra lift if required.
The straps are only half adjustable and they have little stretch. The front half is completely unstretchy, whereas the back section, which is adjustable, has some give but not a lot. The adjusters stay put all day, much to my satisfaction as I do get frustrated when bra straps loosen themselves over time. The straps are black and have a pretty line of ribbon interwoven down the front, which is a nice feature.
The band does not have much stretch either and is very firm. I've found 30/65 bands to be great for me in the past but the PL Ametyst is much firmer than these and so I have to wear it with an adjuster in order to get a comfortable fit. I don't mind doing this but I would prefer it if all 30 bands fitted in the same way, particularly those bought from the same manufacturer.
To fasten, the band has three hooks and four rows of eyes. When I use my extender I am only the equivalent of one row away from the bra fitting without one, so I think a 32KK/70KK (sister size of 30L/65L) would have been my preference on this occasion.
The central gore sits flat against my sternum and is very comfortable as it is narrow enough not to sit on my breast tissue. The wires are a great width for me: not wide at all and encase my boobs perfectly. There is no digging in under my arms as the sides do not come up too high.
I found the cups of the Ametyst a little higher than my previous EM bras but this is because I have sized up and obviously a larger cup has more material. Saying that, I did not expect the cups to be quite so markedly taller than they are when comparing a 30KK/65KK to a 30L/65L but there we are. They are not so high that they are a big problem but I do have to sometimes adjust my clothing to make sure there is no bra show along the top edge of vests and dresses, which is something I rarely had to do when I wore a cup size down from this.
I did find a slight quality issue with my PL Ametyst, as shown in the photos below.
There is a small hole in the casing of the bra's hooks, which gives the appearance of the bra having some wear. Now, this would be impossible as the bra was brand new when it was sent to me so I can only put it down to a fault during the manufacturing process. This is something I have found with one or two of my EM bras in the past. It does not make them unwearable or affect the fit in any way but it is disappointing when an item either arrives with a fault or develops one very quickly through wear.
You may be wondering if the cut issue I mentioned earlier in the post affects the appearance of the bra under clothing; well, let's have a look...
Apologies for these images being a little blurry but I think they still clearly show how the bra looks under a vest. Now, this vest is too big for me and I usually only wear it around the house, but it's still clear what a fab shape the PL Ametyst gives me, despite the problems of the cut. My breasts are supported, uplifted and fairly rounded, albeit slightly less so than with some of my other EM bras, and they look great under clothing.
I also got to try the Ametyst high waist briefs in a size 16/44. These were a complete revelation as they have a smoothing effect on the tummy, which gives great results! My tum feels much flatter in these briefs without feeling squashed and uncomfortable. Unfortunately, however, I do find the back of the briefs are rather higher cut across my butt cheeks than I would have liked and I constantly feel like a wedgie is developing! I also wish the sheer fabric at the front sides of the briefs was continued across the backside as there is something very cute about sheer briefs.
In conclusion, I am very pleased with my PL Ametyst and would highly recommend it to others. I don't know of another lingerie brand who makes bras in such a wide range as Ewa Michalak, who offer band sizes 30-42/65-100 and cups AA-LL as standard (although some will need to be made to order), and even offer smaller bands if they are required.
I appreciate that there was recently some controversy on Facebook between Ewa Michalak and some of their customers. You can read about it here and the subsequent follow-up here. Personally, I have not found the straps to be too wide, but I am perhaps not the best person to comment as I tend to pull all of my bra straps towards my neck, regardless of whether they are wide or not. I don't feel that the straps cut off the circulation to my arms and I do not experience chafing around the armholes. In fact, my EMs are the most comfortable and supportive bras I own, with the added bonus that they make my boobs look amazing!
Like anyone who wears a bra, sometimes my shoulders ache at the end of the day and on occasion my band might rub, particularly during the hot weather we are experiencing here in the UK at the moment. I put these down to the trials of having large, heavy boobs as opposed to a design issue. However, I do appreciate that other women have experienced more extreme issues than me and I hope that in the future these will be dealt with by EM in their bra designs and strap placements.
There are always so many pretty bras on offer at Ewa Michalak and I love following the tempting pictures posted on their Facebook page. My particular favourites at the moment are these potential 'coming soon' samples:
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
What do you think of them?
