Ewa Michalak HM Halfek Fioletowy

My first review is of the HM Halfek Fioletowy.
This is a beautiful, half cup bra from the Polish brand Ewa Michalak. I purchased it used via the Clothes for Boobs Facebook group.
Unfortunately, it will soon be headed off to it's new home as it's not quite right for me. I'll get into the why, shortly.

HM Halfek Fioletowy

The Halfek has some great detailing on it's mesh cups. There's black embroidery along the upper part that reminds me of something you might see on a dress from centuries ago. At the very top of the cups and at the bottom of the gore, there's an eggplant purple ribbon woven through it for a subtle but nice pop of color.

Pictured in 65H

The half cup is very open and short which is great for those that are full on top and often struggle with bras that cut into them because of a lack of room where the bulk of your tissue is. I'm more even in shape so I'd consider the Halfek workable, but not as perfect as a FOT shape would be. 

My roots are also quite short - they project out abruptly from my chest and there is no tissue above armpit level - so I feel a half cup is more flattering on me than taller cups are because I don't end up with as much empty space at the top; especially by the straps. 

Note the empty space by the strap.

Speaking of the straps, they're connected to the cups by a wider piece of triangular fabric, which I suspect gives more stability and lift than you might otherwise get.

You can also see a bit of the empty space I referenced earlier, in the above picture. That is also the result of having considerable center fullness, which leaves the outer sides of my breasts more empty. When you pair that with my short roots, you might see why I have trouble filling out that space. My breasts can even fold onto themselves there a little, but that varies from bra to bra. I've mostly come to terms with it and just try to lean towards bras like this half cup that mesh a little better with my shape.

*I would like to note that a previous owner had altered the straps by sewing to the cups, closer toward the center. That alteration resulted in the top of the cup being closed off a bit, so I removed it. 

Rounded and lifted shape. Perhaps slightly minimizing.

The wires are a bit wider than I need. The ones in this particular bra measure in at 6.4" which I was told is unusual for this size and style as they're usually closer to 6". My ideal width is around 5.5", but that's hard to find as you go up in cup sizes. 

The wing height is pretty low compared to what I'm used to, which is great. Normally I'm stuck with anywhere between 4-5" while this one measures in at 3.8". It's a nice change of pace because while I'm not the shortest person in the world at 5.4", I'm short enough that rubbing, poking and chafing under the arms is a common occurrence... or should I say annoyance. 

Apologies for the noise on the black. Still working out the kinks!

I believe because it's an older model, this bra has four rows of only two hook and eye closures. You can see the band taper considerably where they connect, which isn't the most ideal construction. I find three hook and eyes to be more comfortable and supportive as it gives the band more material to disperse the weight of the bust onto. 

The general fit of the band, I would say, is a pretty true 30/65. It stretches from 24" to about 31" and doesn't feel overly loose or snug for me. I used to be a die hard 28 bander when I started my quest, but I've grown to appreciate the comfort of 30s, since then. 

For reference, my break the tape underbust measurement is 27.5".

Ok, now on to the reason why I'm not keeping this bra. 

If I weren't as picky and looking for perfect or near perfect fits, I would keep this bra. Unfortunately though, the gore doesn't tack and I suspect it to be the result of one or two things...

There isn't enough immediate projection along the gore for my considerable center fullness and/or it's a cup too small. 

I'm not entirely sure which it is, if not both, but a floating gore is a deal breaker for me. If it's really close to tacking and I'm madly in love with the bra, then I'll give it a pass, but this one is just a big ole floater. 

When I press the gore flat to my chest, I only get the slightest big of quadding, which leads me to believe the size is pretty dead on. I do think if I went up a cup, it would be less of a half cup on me and more of a balconette and all the positives, like the low wings and cups, would turn into negatives because everything would be bigger. Not to mention that this bra is discontinued, so it's not like I could just order the next size up.

I'm pretty sad this bra didn't work out for me because it's really comfortable and pretty, but I've become perhaps a little too obsessed with finding a better fit and I know it would bug me too much to wear it. Hopefully it's new owner has better luck than I.

See the bra on Bratabase