Parfait by Affinitas Charlotte Review

32F padded bra, XL high waisted briefs

Woohoo! A set that fits! I must admit that I’m still in the honeymoon phase with Parfait’s Charlotte. It’s so beautiful, it’s practically perfect, all of it’s flaws are just adorable quirks, I’m neglecting all of my other underwear because I want to spend all of my time with Charlotte, shut up, you don’t understand our love! That said, I will do my best to give an accurate and non-biased review.

You may have noticed that the photos for this review are a bit more, well, sexy than normal. I usually don’t feel a need to put on stockings to show you guys how a bra fits. Really, it’s not necessary at all. But Charlotte practically demands it. I can almost hear it saying “wear me with stockings and heels!” “Put on red lipstick and too much eyeliner!”“Stand in awkward poses and make pouty faces!” “Run away and join a burlesque troupe!” Woah, easy there, undies, we can’t do that!

Oh, Charlotte! You're so silly!

Ahem. What I’m saying is that it’s a sexy design. And the red is a great color. In fact, all of the colorways (peach, dusty rose, and wild pink) for this set are nice; I can’t think of a color that would look bad on here.

Bra fit is pretty good for me. Based on reviews I bought one cup size up from my normal 32E, and that seems to have been a good move. This, like the Curvy Kate Showgirl bras, seems to be at least partially due to the shallowness of the cup. Even with the F there is still a bit of overflow along the top of the cup. I also have a bit of empty space near the strap, but that’s just something that happens with my soft breasts in bras with a more v-shaped neckline. Breasts that are either firmer or fuller on top would fill that empty space better, I’m sure.

Another word of warning: The underwires are narrow! When I got my first in-person look at the Charlotte I feared that they would be too narrow. They aren’t, I’m fine with it. Unfortunately if you have a wide breast root this bra probably will not work well for you.

The initial run of the Charlotte had some additional fit issues that Affinitas/Parfait has since corrected. Many of the reviewers of the earlier model warned that the bands ran rather small (about one size) and that the cups were are much as two sizes too small. This appears to have been corrected in more recent releases (though I would recommend sizing up one cup size), so if you buy this pay attention to which design you’re ordering.

Like I said, the band issue has been corrected. I can fit two, maybe three, fingers under the band. Perfect. And the gore is tacking nicely. I have no complaints about band fit at all.

For a bra with a somewhat plunging neckline Charlotte is very supportive. The band is nice and wide. The wings and the gore are pleasantly tall, for me. The pleasantness of those may vary depending on body type; I have seen some complaints of rubbing under the armpits. The straps are fully adjustable, which is always nice.

Check out the shape I get from the side!

Great lift, pretty nicely rounded, just a hint of a vintage-feel “torpedo” look. I dig it.

Standing up straighter so you can see the briefs better.

Now let’s talk about the briefs. Super comfy, but I wish they came up another inch or two. They hover right around my belly button which, for me at least, means they don’t quite hit at my natural waist. I don’t feel like I get an optimal “high waisted” look when the waistband is only sitting partway up my hips. But again this is my body. Someone with a shorter torso or lower hip shelf might find these briefs sit perfectly. And even though they don’t hit at what I consider the “correct” height, I am not opposed to buying more of them. I’m debating sizing down, though.

Plenty of room to grow in there. According to the size chart a Large is US 8-10 and XL is 10-12. I usually wear a US 10 in pants, so I ordered the XL because I’d rather my panties be too roomy than too snug. Pretty sure I would have been okay in the Large. I do want to try the bikini style at some point, too.

Where can I buy this?
I got mine from Beauty Full Bras on eBay ($45 for the set!)

There is a large list of online retailers on the Affinitas website.

The padded bra is available in 28-40 D-K and the briefs are available in XS-2XL. Charlotte is also available as a half-cup balconette in 30-40 D-G and bikini panty in XS-2XL.

I want a second opinion!

Faustine’s Foundations
Bras and Body Image
A Sophisticated Pair