So regular readers will know I recently raved about Bravissimo’s continued dedication to good fitting advice, and fellow bloggers may have seen my (very sincerely meant) quote on the Boob School press release. It wasn’t necessary, but Bravissimo’s team sent me some lingerie as a thank you: their classic style Alana.

Alana is sort of a legend, because she is the only L-cup bra available on the high street. But I’d never actually tried her until this new, lime green beauty arrived on my doormat. I am super in to neon at the moment, and this looked like just the refresher my lingerie closet needed.

Sadly, it was not meant to be. Alana is a classic style, similar to a Freya Gem or Freya Jolie in shape -however, she has an extremely high center gore compared to those other styles, which (as I’ve written about often) doesn’t suit my body at all. I’m relatively petite with flared ribs and a prominent sternum, and a high center gore really cuts in and becomes uncomfortably very quickly. (FYI, a bigger band size doesn’t help this: in fact, with less anchorage my band will tip backwards and exacerbate the problem). A pity, as I really do love the colour. It looks like sorbet, which screams sunshine even if the weather refuses to…

In terms of fitting, because Alana reportedly runs small in the cup, I was sent a 30GG. But while the back was firm (though not tight) and the underwire tracked perfectly, the top of the cups were slightly baggy on me – enough to show under my top but not enough to really justify sizing down. Or saving exclusively for those two wonderful days a month where G-Unit becomes GRRRRAAAAA-Unit. Either way, it’s awkward.

I wondered if this is actually something to do with the height of the center gore – perhaps Alana is better suited to taller/longer bodied women than I am – because the top of the bra starts that much further up the chest? Or perhaps it’s just better suited to women who are fuller in the top? Either way, I put Alana back in to her box – pretty as she is, she’s never going to be the girl for me.

The upside of this disappointment is this though: I know this bra is wrong because of the lessons Bravissimo have taught me over the years. And I know – despite the unsuccessful review – that they’d be proud that I have the knowledge and confidence to know when something’s just not right for me. That’s what fit education is about after all: giving women the tools they need to know their perfect fit every single time.

Alana in lime is available from Bravissimo, in sizes 28 FF-HH, 30 E-KK, 32-40 DD-L.