Image courtesy of BiuBiu
The shadows in this picture at the bottom of the shirt almost make it look like there is ruffling down the front, but this is not the case. The Modena is a very simple long-sleeved shirt.
I haven't tried a fitted shirt like this for many years. The reason is that they are not cut for women like me; I have a 46-30-47 figure and tend to need stretchy fabrics like jersey, rather than cotton, in order for clothing to have a chance of working. In one of my previous jobs we had to wear 'fitted' cotton shirts and in order to get a decent fit on the bust I had to order something like a UK size 24, which meant that the shirt was huge elsewhere on me and therefore not fitted at all!
Non-fitted shirts are no better as the lack of shape ends up leaving me looking like a sack of potatoes. Yes, I can always add a belt but the excess fabric, especially around the middle, always causes unfortunate puffiness and bulkiness.
I was therefore rather cautious when I tried on the Modena shirt as I had high hopes and did not want to be let down.
I was sent the Modena in size 42BBB. The B/BB/BBB size option refers to how busty you are and therefore how much extra boob room you require in your clothing. The idea is to order your regular shirt size and then to choose a busty level to allow for your boobs.
The colour of the Modena is absolutely lovely. It's a very vibrant orangey red and instantly makes me look tanned and wide awake. I love it!
The buttons on the cuffs are very difficult to fasten so my top tip is to do them up before putting the blouse on. The buttons down the front are cleverly placed close together in order to minimise gaping. However, as you can see from my photos, the gaping has not been completely eradicated and if it existed I think I could have done with a BBBB or even a BBBBB as I definitely could have done with more boob room.
Besides that, the Modena shirt fitted me well overall. I haven't been able to button a shirt across my boobs for years so even though this one was a bit tight it was an absolute revelation! The shirt is somewhat shaped but it ended up feeling a little snug across the hips for my liking, but again that is a common gripe of mine with the fit of tops and shirts. My crazy figure is so difficult to clothe!
The back of the shirt also fitted far better than anything else I have tried for years. It is great across the shoulders and tapers beautifully to my waist. I did find that the fabric bunched up around the waist so it may be that it is too long for my short-waisted high-waisted torso. Or perhaps it was because it was hard to pull down over my hips as the fit was on the small side in this area.
The Modena shirt is an unspecified cotton elastane mix but I would suggest it has minimal elastane content as I didn't notice any stretch in the fabric. The quality is absolutely superb - the shirt is beautifully made and the fabric is lovely and soft.
I've photographed the shirt here without any adjustments but in order to make it wearable in public I'd have to not button it over my boobs and instead wear it partially open with a vest underneath. I also think I'd undo a couple of buttons at the bottom so the fit was not quite so tight there.
So, although the 42BBB was not a perfect fit for me, I do think the Modena would be a great option for most women. My advice would be to size up as it seems to be on the small side but it's definitely a lovely shirt that would be work appropriate for anyone office-based.
Stay tuned for more BiuBiu reviews coming soon!
