I have written many a review of Ewa Michalak's padded bras here on my blog since I got started. If you're a regular reader you will be very familiar with my love for her bras and how much I adore the rounded, uplifted shape they give me, along with the superb support provided by her beautiful-looking lingerie.
Being in the K-L cup range means that I have very little choice when it comes to lingerie so Ewa Michalak has been somewhat of a godsend to me. I can't buy bras on the high street and although I occasionally find a UK branded bra that works for me more often than not there is some kind of compromise with fit.
It was such a revelation to me when I finally discovered Ewa Michalak bras around two years ago and I could not believe the magical powers they had to transform my boobs from looking ok into show-stopping! Surely it's impossible for boobs as large and as heavy as mine to look pert, rounded and - if I say so myself - pretty amazing? Well, Ewa Michalak has indeed achieved the impossible and all my bra dreams came true at once as not only did I discover that she made magical bras but also ones that LOOK beautiful.
Honestly, I would have been quite happy if Ewa's bras had all been drab and dreary because they made my boobs look wonderful under clothes; something I had not properly experienced for many years, partly because I was wearing the wrong size bra but partly because UK bras weren't engineered to work in my size.
But no! Ewa Michalak lingerie is STUNNING and she constantly comes up with new designs to wow us time and time again (and to make our purses weep!). In fact, the lingerie is so flipping gorgeous that I adore showing it off whenever I get the chance...which isn't often as I am a single woman but I flash my friends (and sometimes strangers) at every chance I get.
More recently Ewa has brought out new styles of bras, included an unpadded option for larger cup sizes. Initially, the SM was not available in my cup size range so I tried to avoid looking at the droolworthy pictures of lacy loveliness as I knew I would only be torturing myself. Although I absolutely adore my padded PL plunges and S balconette, what I have been wishing for is a sheer lace bra. Nothing fancy; just a simple, lace mesh bra with matching bottoms in my size that looked great.
Before I knew about 'the war on +4' I used to wear the Freya Eleanor a lot. I had it in a few colours and even dyed some of my white ones to get more colour options. I loved the semi-sheer cups because they made me feel very sexy as there was a hint of what laid beneath. However, these cups were indeed only semi-sheer as Freya double-lines their larger cupped bras in order to provide extra support. This is something I always felt was a shame because I'd fall in love with a sexy sheer bra from the promo pictures, only to find that it didn't look quite the same on me due to the extra lining. Bras I Hate & Love has written a post about the issue of double-lining here and subsequently another on how she has removed the extra layer on some of her bras here.
So, unless I was willing to chop up my bras, I had no options whatsoever in terms of buying a sheer cup bra in my size range. Or, so I thought.
Just before their recent holiday, the wonderful people at Ewa Michalak contacted me to let me know they were sending me a new bra to try: the SM Margot.
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
I was asked what size I'd like so I requested 30L/65L if the band was stretchy and 32KK/70KK if not. I have bras in both sizes and wear my 30Ls with an extender on most occasions, although I have several 30KK/65KKs that are super comfy without one, so I decided it was best to go with whatever Ewa Michalak thought was best.
A few days later, I received my SM Margot in the post; the bra in 32KK/70KK and briefs in 18/46:
Don't forget you can click on any of my photos to enlarge them if wished.
I actually squealed out loud when I opened the packet (yes, a packet; not a cardboard box like the padded bras arrive in) and saw the lacy loveliness in my hands. I was utterly delighted that at last I might have sheer cup bra that was in my size...but I was also wary of the disappointment I'd feel if it didn't work. Throwing caution to the wind I immediately stripped off and donned my new lingerie...
...And all my sheer cup bra dreams came true. It is AMAZING. Thank you, Ewa Michalak!
The sheer cups are NOT double-lined and are made of a beautifully delicate single layer of black mesh lace. A lovely pink and green floral design has been embroidered over the cups to provide modesty; as you can see from my photos there appears to be no nipple show whatsoever. I'll admit that I have spent quite some time staring at the photos to try to spot my nipples and eventually managed to do so, but the embroidery is incredibly clever at disguising their exact whereabouts (more magic!). The one thing you can always be sure of with a properly fitted EM bra: your nipples will never be facing downwards.
The side wings are made of a thicker, stretchy black mesh so there is a little give in the band but it is one of the firmer EMs I have tried. I am glad I requested a 32/70 band as the 30/65 would have been way too tight on me. As it is, I will need to wear an extender with this one until it has stretched out a little so be warned that the SM Margo runs small/tight in the band. I think I would have done best with a 34K/75K.
The band fastens with three hooks and four rows of eyes, which offers great support and of course the option of tightening the band as it inevitably loosens with wear. The band is shaped at the front to allow for a protruding tummy - a feature that I am always very grateful of when I've eaten a big meal!
A large dark dusky pink bow sits on the central gore (which is joined together by non-stretchy thick black mesh) and there is a cute small black bow at the base of each shoulder strap.
The straps are fully adjustable and wider than some of my previous EMs. They are also nice and thick so there's no chance of them folding over and causing pain, as has been the case with one or two of my older EMs. They stretch sufficiently to be comfortable but are firm enough to offer good support. There is a lovely ribbed embellishment along the edges to ensure that the adjuster does not slide out of place with wear.
A new feature is the way the cups are attached to the straps. Instead of the stretchy strap being joined to the top of the cup, as with all previous EMs I have tried, there is a triangle of fabric attached to the strap, which is then fixed at the base of the triangle to the cup (see my photos above for a better, visual explanation!). This features provides much better support to the bust and greater comfort for the wearer in terms of the straps. The wideness of the strap attachment helps to pull the breast upwards, which in turn gives that wonderfully rounded and uplifted signature Ewa Michalak shape I so adore.
The cups are typically narrow (oh, Ewa Michalak, I love you so) and are taller than those on my PL bras. I would say the height is comparable to my 32KK/70KK S Wiśniówka/Starter bra, so the cups come up quite high on my breasts, but thanks to the sheer lace there is less of an appearance of empty space at the tops of the cups. I do still get this issue but it is definitely not as noticeable due to the flexibility of the soft fabric as opposed to foam padded cups.
Under my arms, the wires encase my breast tissue comfortably. The tops of the wires do not poke, but instead keep my boobs in place perfectly.
The wires at the central gore are as narrow as possible and they sit flush to my sternum. You might notice in some of my photos that there is a bit of a gap between my boobs and the wires at the front but this is because I had not adjusted my breasts properly before taking these pictures as I was so eager to get some snaps of this beauty!
As you can see from the 'looking down on the girls' shot, the SM Margot gives my breasts a lovely rounded up front shape. They are almost pushed together (in a good way, not a 'too small bra' way) and are centred on my body.
And so on to the briefs; they are a size 46/18 and fit very nicely thanks to the stretchy fabric. They are completely sheer at the front as I am sure you will have seen from my photos (apologies to anyone who found them too much but as always I like to be accurate with the items I review) and have the same pink and green floral embroidery at the sides, as well as two small dark dusky pink bows on the front and a larger one in the centre at the back.
Fabric-wise on the back the briefs have an additional layer of sheer black mesh on top of the base layer. It is only joined at the seams and so creates a kind of frill effect that is so pretty. I do suspect it would show under clothing, though, so may not be the most practical design. But who cares? They are beautiful.
The briefs have a lovely lace edging along the waistband but I found this folded over very quickly, as can be seen in my photos. However I was very impressed with the fact that none of the materials used in either the bra or the briefs were itchy or caused any kind of irritation, which shows that high quality fabrics have been used to make this stunning set of lingerie.
As I am sure you can tell, I am completely in love with the SM Margot. It makes me feel amazing and to have the option of an unpadded bra in my size is a real treat. I can't wait to try more SMs from the wonderful Ewa Michalak.
But...I do have one final request. Yes, the SM Margo is a beautiful set of lingerie, so what on earth could be my one wish to make this sheer gorgeousness even better? Ewa Michalak: please make a COMPLETELY sheer SM bra in my size with no embroidery. Yes, it would show everything off, without a doubt, but the pervy bad girl in me wants to be able to feel sexy in an entirely sheer way on the odd occasion :-)
UPDATE: I wrote this post back in August when I first received this set and have been waiting for the SM Margot to be available for purchase before publishing my review. Since then some VERY exciting photos have appeared on the Ewa Michalak Facebook page...
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
These designs are getting very close to the sort of thing I had in mind - I'd love one like this in black mesh, wow! But all kudos to Ewa Michalak who continues to excite us with her beautiful, sexy and appealing designs and her efforts to create support and uplift for even the heaviest of breasts.
Image courtesy of Ewa Michalak
This bra is not sheer but it IS a padded PL bra in 95J, which is the equivalent of 42J! It's wonderful that Ewa wants to help those with large boobs and a higher band size, as well as those on the lower end of the scale.
Thank you, Ewa - long may your amazing work continue!
