Today on “Life: The Destroyer of Plans” we revisit photos taken way back in December and finally publish the review on Comexim’s Moulin Rouge. Also in my backlog is a review of pajamas, but afterwards fresh content will be forthcoming, including discussions of new brands, off-topic posts on chronic illness, and musings on our upcoming seven year anniversary. Stay tuned, dear readers, come hell or high water, I am back to blogging!

When I first saw Moulin Rouge on Comexim’s website, I was drawn in by the use of minimalist color blocking details and the gorgeous combination of rich crimson with black. I’m still in that whole “Flowers and lace? Meh” phase, so the subtlety of the Moulin Rouge resonated with me. Furthermore, as much as I love my lightly padded Comexim styles, nothing is as cool and breathable in hot summer months like a sheer bra. Years ago, I purchased the Comexim Cherry which was my last foray into the brand’s non-padded styles, and I admit to being curious at how the designs changed and improved with time.

Since my then and current UK size is a 34H (Comexim 75K), I should have been sensible and ordered a 36H (80K), but I was high on unsubstantiated optimism and convinced I would be losing weight imminently. “If I order the 36H, it may not even fit by the time I get it, so a 34HH (75L) is better! I mean, I am gonna lose mad weight, right body? Body? Hello?” Clearly, that never happened. Nevertheless, the band on Moulin Rouge is so uncharacteristically generous that I was able to wear the bra immediately on the second set of hooks. Comexim has switched to using four columns; otherwise, I would have reordered in the 32J (70M).

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I sometimes experiment with alterations, especially with padded cup bras, but for Moulin Rouge I opted to order the classic cup which fits beautifully. With Comexim’s softer gauge wires, I usually only achieve perfect tacking if I have the gore height reduced, but for this delightful gem, the underwire rests comfortably against my sternum at normal height. On the side, the wires encapsulate the tissue without leaving extra space, being too tall under the arm, or generally aggravating me. A three section cup design offers superb lift and support while also contouring well to my shape; however, the upper section is more open which may create issues for very soft or bottom heavy breasts. Then again, in my experience, people with those breast shapes almost always need some kind of alterations in the padded cups too.

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Standard deep cups allow my center heavy tissue to project forward comfortably for a modern, rounded profile. Mostly adjustable straps are a smart choice, but these are the textbook definition of “stretchy.” In fact, I compared the fabric against the straps on the other Comexim bras I have, and the straps on Moulin Rouge were by far the most elastic. Customers preferring a restricted stretch material should consider an alternative style. The neckline sports a nice but not overly dramatic v-shape, making it perfect for most of my necklines, and the unlined cup gives me a softer cleavage profile than my padded Comexim bras.

Did I mention this bra is hella comfy? The ultrafine mesh is so freakin’ light I never even felt the bra after a long day. One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that you need the molded cup to give support and lift, which is simply not true. Sometimes a heavier molded cup is just heavy whereas a bra like this feels better against the skin. As with the straps, the wings are also stretchy—most likely the result the thinness of the powermesh. My other Comexim bras feature either a 2-ply wing or a 1-ply restricted stretch fabric, which tightens the band and keeps it firm over time. In fact, my only personal gripe with Moulin Rouge is how fast the band stretched. I am still wearing it on the tightest hooks several months later, so perhaps I shouldn’t complain too much but after a few hours wear, the band rides up. That said, I spent the better part of the year either acting as a caregiver for my dad during his cancer scare or then later being sick and injured myself. Moulin Rouge was my absolute go-to bra for comfort. Next time, I’ll just size down in the band.

Finally, I ordered the underwear which matches, and they were made from the same lovely fabric as the bra. Unfortunately, I discovered my thyroid based weight gain means hipsters are not feasible. So I’ve been rocking more high waist styles (a breakdown of those is also on the blog docket) and haven’t enjoyed the Moulin Rouge ones as much as I expected.