Cleo Marcie

Next up is a workhorse of a bra by Cleo (by Panache) named Marcie. This is probably my best fitting bra at the moment. It's not the most comfortable though... at least not after a few hours.

Candy Pink Cleo Marcie in 28HH

I'll start off by pointing out the immediate projection along the center gore. The cup comes straight out from the wire instead of splaying them away from eachother. This is what I need in a gore area and it shows, because this baby tacks like no other.

As I've mentioned before, I tend to have empty space at the strap. This is probably a similar amount of empty space as I have in the Halfek. Despite this being a balconette, the cups aren't as tall as others, so the space is pretty minimal. The cups on most bras are usually too shallow for me and can ride down a bit in the front over a few hours. Marcie is no exception to this, which is one reason why this bra isn't the most comfortable after a while.

Rounded and uplifted shape. Very secure feeling with more coverage without being too tall.

Another bra that's wider than I like. This one's wires are about 6" wide, but it looks wider than the Halfek and I believe it's because they're swooped in at an angle instead of a U shape. I actually prefer the U shape because that is closer to the shape of my roots. It's also possible that the band is tighter on me than it was designed and so the wires are being stretched and widened.

The wing is 4.3" tall which is taller than I'd prefer. Because the wires are also pretty stiff, it chafes, pokes and rubs under my arms after a few hours of moderate movement.

Marcie has only three rows of two hook and eye closures. It's not as tapered as the Halfek though, so it's a little more supportive and comfortable. The band on this particular bra stretches to 29.5" which I quite like. While I've mentioned that I've been tending towards looser bands lately, I do have a 30GG Marcie and it doesn't feel as good. Granted, the cups are too small for me, but it stretches to about 30.5" but doesn't feel as supportive as 65/70 Ewa bands that stretch further. There's something about the construction of Polish bras that makes them work even when they're looser. British bras don't have that same quality, to me.

Overall, this is a great bra. While I'm not a fan of the color, the general design isn't shabby and the fit is really secure, contained, lifted and rounded. I reach for Marcie when I know I need the security of it's firmly tacking gore and slightly more conservative coverage. That's a bit sad to say, now that I think about it. THis is the only bra I have in which the gore actually tacks the way it's supposed to. sigh

Before I go...

The color I have, as you have probably figured out, is the Candy Pink. Marcie also comes in red, turquoise, purple, cobalt, raspberry and will be coming out in black and beige in the coming seasons. I'm actually dying to get my hands on the beige one:

                                Beige Cleo Marcie - Image Source: 2cakesonaplate