[Originally Published: May 7, 2019]

Despite stocking Elomi for many years, I never reviewed any of their products, partly because it wasn’t until the last two years that I was able to wear them. In fact, Elomi was one of our best-selling brands for the entire shop, particularly their Cate, Matilda, and Amelia styles. My friend Sweet Nothings offered to send me a sample of the new Elomi Tori in size UK 34GG (US 34J). Several of our clients special ordered this style, and I have admired not only the fit but also the overall aesthetic and was excited to have one of my own.

My standard bra size these days is a UK 34H (US 34K), and with the GG cup, I fully-expected it to be small in the cup. On the smaller side, the cup is almost perfect, but the larger definitely has minor overflow, more if I fully scoop. However, I recently changed up my eating plan and am hoping to lose weight. The 34 band fits wonderfully snug on the loosest set of hooks but is quite comfortable too, providing just the right amount of support without digging into my sides.

In the center, the plunging neckline fully tacks between the breasts without pressing too hard into my sternum, and the lower coverage shape works well with my close set breasts. One of the reasons I had not reviewed Elomi yet, even though I have been wearing 34 bands for two years now, is that they do have a wider underwire on the side, and I usually need to stay with something more U-shaped. However, since it was free, I figured I would see if it would still work okay for me. As expected, I do have extra space between the underwire and my breast tissue, but the lowness on the side for both the wire and the cup prevents the fabric from digging into my arm. In fact, the overall fit of the bra is more forward than I expected and quite comfortable.

Tori is based on the existing, best-selling Elomi plunge shape and features a four-section cup design, including a side panel for added forward projection. Lower two-section cup offers vertical lift, and the upper fabric panel has less stretch for more containment. Because that upper section is less forgiving, it may not suit people with fluctuations in shape or who have more pronounced asymmetry. Instead, consider trying the Elomi plunge with stretch lace upper cups which has the same great shape. The side panel and two lower sections are composed of a single ply, translucent but restricted stretch mesh while the upper panel has a 2-ply mesh to prevent the embroidered design from interfering with the fit.

Ultra-wide powermesh wings smooth the sides and support the bust while still remaining breathable and comfortable. In the back, there are three rows of hook-and-eye closures for more support, and the straps are fully-adjustable for maximum customization. Unlike similar style Matilda, Tori does not feature a racer-back option, which may irritate some, but Matilda often has a fit quirk on account of the racer-back, namely the straps are super long. For some people, they simply can’t be tightened adequately enough to pull in the sides of the cups, and we need to instead focus on a styles without it, which lacks that feature. Since Tori is a more specialized style, I think minimizing fit issues was a smart decision for Elomi.

At $78, Tori is definitely one of Elomi’s higher-priced options, particularly since the other plunge styles range from $66 to $69, but what you’re paying for here is the decorative bells and whistles. The light colored fabric with contrasting black exterior seams and the tattoo like rose embroidery is simply stunning and can look almost like the bra is painted on lighter skin. If you have darker skin, the contrast is going to be more pronounced, and I hope that next time, Elomi will offer more skin tone variations on a design like this. Furthermore, Tori also features a removable chest design which mimics the rose embroidery on the cup but near the top of the chest, almost like a suspended necklace. It’s super cute and a fun transition of the strappy trend we’ve been seeing for a few seasons now.

As a final note, I am loving that many companies are starting to listen to their plus-size customers and innovating not only new designs but also ways in which existing trends can be incorporated into their lines. I am looking forward to what the future holds both for Elomi and for the plus-size market as a whole.