Bra Review: Comexim Irish Coffee Plunge, 65J

For this review, I will take a brief interlude from my ongoing Comexim Victoria 3HC fit saga to introduce a discontinued Comexim favorite that I was extremely excited to get my hands on: the unforgettable Irish Coffee.

I fell in love with Comexim’s Irish Coffee bra long before I had figured out my Comexim size or even seriously considered ordering bras from Poland. I had seen pictures online and it quickly became “the most beautiful bra I’d ever seen”. I read reviews and longed for it from afar, but back then was also of the opinion that a Comexim plunge would likely not fit me. I always had poor luck with plunges when I was a FoT 30GG. With my soft tissue, I never found a plunge that I didn’t slip right out of.

I didn’t start ordering from Comexim until Spring 2016, at which point the Irish Coffee was no longer available on the website. I put it to the back of my mind as another one that got away. Then, after my penultimate Victoria fail (review coming soon), I heard rumblings around the interwebs that there was still some Irish Coffee fabric left. I decided to put in a request via email, and was told that they could accommodate my order for an altered Irish Coffee Plunge. Yay!

Appearance

In terms of beauty, Irish Coffee does not disappoint. The name is perfectly fitting. The base fabric is a delightfully soft chocolate brown foam covered with a creamy beige floral lace overlay that extends to the wings. A smooth, chocolate brown satin ribbon trims the 3-part cups and pale salmon-pink bows complete the feminine touches at the base of the straps and on the gore.

The gore is also adorned with a dangling diamante starburst charm. The fully-adjustable straps have a textured embroidered finish. This attention to detail makes Irish Coffee both feminine and luxurious.

I requested this plunge bra with cookie pockets, to the cups are lined with a thin layer of the softest cotton to accommodate asymmetry pads. I also made other alteration requests including overlapping gore, which appears to have been done, although I wasn’t sure at first because the first Victoria I received had a more dramatic overlap. In addition, I asked for the cups to be reduced and the straps moved in, but I doubt that these alterations were done since the cups are still very tall. Finally, I didn’t request it, but the bra came with 3 rows of 3 hooks, which may be standard for this size range.

The bra looks very true to the other earlier reviews I had seen online, and I think it is more likely an “original” 65J, as it seems other recent renditions of Irish Coffee as a plunge or 3HC have a slightly different floral lace used in the overlay. I can’t confirm which one I got for certain, but the lace is thick and substantial and looks like the original style to me.

Size & Fit

I was devastated to find that I greatly overestimated my cup size in this plunge style. The reviews I had read all suggested that Irish Coffee runs both a full cup size small and is very closed off on top due to the ribbon. I did not find either of these to be true, but admittedly the cup is huge on me. Based on the fact that my 65HH Victoria 3HC was too small (and one normally sizes up in the 3HC in comparison to a plunge … but I was reverse-engineering here), I began at a 65H. Factoring in the fact that it’s supposedly closed on top and runs a full cup size small, I thought a 65HH in the Irish Coffee would be a good fit. However, I was requesting more alterations – reduced cups and straps moved in – that are known to reduce cup volume and make the bra feel even smaller. Since I was majorly quadding out of my 65HH 3HC, I sized up to 65J and had them add cookie pockets just in case.

In the end, however, the bra arrived without those two key alterations as far as I can tell, or if it has them, then I just really did the math all wrong for figuring out my size. Part of the problem is – as I now know – that I estimated a size based on my first Victoria 3HC, which was a total anomaly (blog post on that coming soon). At any rate, I have since learned that my Comexim plunge size is a 60HH if ordered with standard cup height (probably 60J if I were to get a plunge that successfully had the cups reduced and straps moved in).

As a result, the 65J is minimally 1.5-2 cup sizes too large for me. With my boobs being very soft and fairly projected, they fill out the depth of the cup well even though it’s more than I need, and then the top 1/3 of the cup all the way to the strap remains empty.

Other reviewers have said that the ribbon causes the top to “cut in” or the cup to be more “closed on top”. It didn’t do that on me, probably because it’s way too big, but on my larger side, the cup edge pushed out at the center where I was most full. It didn’t cut in nearly as much as the ribbon on my first Victoria 3HC. I actually prefer a plunge that is more closed on top now that I am fuller on the bottom after weight loss, and found this Irish Coffee to be as open on top as other Comexim plunges I’ve tried since.

The band runs snug for a 65, which is great for me. It is more like a stretchy 28″ (60) band. For this reason, I think the 65J may fit closer to a 60K.

Comfort

This is a little hard to assess given that the cup is too large for me, but the materials on this bra are very comfortable. The band is soft and has a good amount of stretch to it while remaining firmly in place. I think the three hooks probably help with that although I generally prefer 2. The interior of the cups feel extra soft and cushioned due to the cookie pocket lining that I had added. That said, the foam that the cup is made out of feels much softer than that of my Victoria, so overall the bra just feels very soft. Where it is naturally uncomfortable for me is in having so much empty space at the top of the cup. The cups are far too tall for my frame at 7.25″, which is why I question if the cup alterations were done.

Quality

In addition to being soft and comfortable, the materials used on my Irish Coffee have a thicker and more substantial feel than my other Comexims. The lace also appears to be less vulnerable to snagging than Victoria. I am impressed with the quality of this bra as with the other Comexim bras that I have ordered, even if I ended up paying more than I believe it used to be listed for back when it was in stock.

Final Thoughts

How can you not love this beautiful bra? I would love to try it in my actual size, and even more so with the alterations that I requested. It would also be great to see more lace overlay bra styles from Comexim as I think they are truly stunning and unique.

Since this bra didn’t work out for me, I’m selling it on to a good home. Interested? Check out my listing here.

Measurements