Hello, intrepid reader. Today I have for you a review of one of my latest acquisitions from my favorite artisan bra maker, Comexim. If you’ve been following along, a majority of my reviews on this blog turned out to be for bras that ultimately didn’t fit. My reviews are all fit-focused, so this is a feature, not a bug. Nevertheless, I’ve struggled to find a style that fits my size and shape even as I am often apt to give great fit advice to others. Isn’t that always the way? The past year or so, I’ve also been on a no-buy because I just simply have way too much lingerie. Finally, the time came recently to take the plunge once again and try something new. I’m so glad that I have, because I finally get to review some beautiful pieces that fit! First up, Matthiola.
Appearance
Even though I haven’t been buying a lot of bras, I’ve been keeping an eye on new releases from Comexim, because as regular readers will know by now, this Polish bra-maker is my absolute favorite brand. Anna and Joanna (who has now taken over the shop) are wonderfully accommodating of custom alterations requests, their designs are beautiful, and the quality is always outstanding. What more can you ask for?
When I saw Matthiola appear on the Comexim site, the materials and design reminded me a lot of a previous style called Ardea, which I missed out on during my no-buy. I’ve been surprised that I haven’t heard anyone else talking about Matthiola or reviewing it around social media. It was too pretty not to try, so I contacted Anna for some size and alteration help as per usual. Have I mentioned that Anna is the best? Joanna has taken over, and she’s amazing, too!
Matthiola has a soft lavender and blue floral print over a slate-gray-blue background. The trim along the top edge of the cups is a beautiful pink satin ribbon. The edging wraps around the inside and outside, and this gives this particular cut a slightly more closed edge.
The colorway is so perfect for springtime, don’t you think? There is a matching demure ribbon bow adorning the gore. I like the feminine simplicity.
The interior of the cup is a pale beige soft finish cotton. As per standard with a 3HC, there are two vertical seams and 3 sections making up the half cup. A half cup generally has a cut that is straighter across the top, with a taller gore than their plunge style. I have to be careful with tall gores. This one at nearly 3” is at my max, yet thankfully it is also very supportive and comfortable. I requested the gore to have overlapping wires so that it would be narrower to further accommodate the close-set center fullness.
The straps are a solid slate gray that complements the design perfectly. I love the softness of these straps. I know some people prefer a less stretchy strap, but I like to get most of my support from the band and therefore find soft straps preferable due to sensory issues.
The band has a standard 3×2 hook closure.
Speaking of softness, the materials on this beauty are absolutely stunning. From a tactile perspective, they are just so supple and soft. They remind me of Florence in that they have a smooth satin-finish, but they are even softer and more cloud-like to the touch. I love how lightweight yet supportive Comexim bras are.
Size & Fit
She fits!
At the end of my last post, after my umpteenth Comexim plunge just wasn’t quite perfect, I was determined to try the 3HC cut again in my new size. Matthiola comes as a 3HC or 2-vertical seam half cup as standard. The only alterations I had to request were my usual overlapping wires at the gore (makes for a narrower space between the cups); and a new request from me: added depth in the cup at the wire.
Although it’s always difficult to tell precisely how alterations like “added depth” compare to an unaltered bra since I haven’t ordered one, I have to say that the cups are very comfortable. My other favorite half cup bras have quite a deep bottom portion above the wire that allows the space for my fuller-on-bottom shape. A deep, narrow half cup is consistently my best fit. For example, Fauve half cups and the Cleo Breeze longline fit this shape model.
The cups on Matthiola give a wonderfully round and uplifted profile, often described as “cakes on a plate”. This is actually one of my favorite profiles. I have a slight asymmetry, but after settling into the cups, it’s not noticeable. As described above, the satin ribbon trim of the edge of the cup does allow it to close in slightly, yet it does not cut in on my roots and holds my soft tissue in comfortably without spillage.
When I first looked at the bra, I was worried that the gore would be too high. Compared to my other half cups and to my other Comexim plunges, it looked much higher. I’m close-set so I have to be careful with gores lying on tissue. I was pleasantly surprised that this slightly taller gore is actually a benefit. My soft tissue does not have the opportunity to spill over the gore which is a problem I have with many bras.
The only part of this bra that unfortunately is not a perfect fit is the band. I ordered two bras in the same cut and the same size (60HH), but Matthiola is much smaller in the band and I need to wear it with a full extender. Thankfully that doesn’t affect the rest of the fit for me, and the band will give over time. Side-by-side with my other 60HH, the band is visibly shorter, and it only stretches to about 24.5” (I have a ~26” underbust).
Comfort
Since I’ve already noted that the band is too small, I can only comment on the comfort when worn with an extender, and in that case, this bra is supremely comfortable. The materials are wonderfully soft and supple, and the fit is otherwise spot-on, so I get the perfect amount of support. I also enjoy the smooth straps which don’t irritate my skin in any way. It feels like wearing a boob cloud!
Quality
Comexim is my favorite brand for a reason. On top of the beautiful designs and unbeatable customer service, the quality and thoughtful attention to detail for every garment is always outstanding. I can’t rave about this enough.
Final Thoughts
What more can I say? This is the dream. A perfect fit, at long last. I am already planning my next order. I might also need to get the matching bottoms for this set, which for some reason I neglected to request this time.
You can purchase Matthiola here!
Let's talk about bras 
Hi! Thanks for the review! I have a question about something you said. You referred to liking cups with deep bottom portions. Are you referring to projection at the wire? I ask because I have only ever found one bra where the wire stayed in my IMF (CK Ellace, although it doesn’t fit terribly well everywhere else), and if that’s what you’re referring to, I may think about trying this bra or the Cleo Breeze. On Bratabase, the Cleo doesn’t look very projected at the wire. 😦
Thanks!
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Hi Kimber! Thanks for your comment 🙂 Yes, that’s what I’m referring to, the projection just above the wire. CK Ellace is one of my worst fitting bras (particularly at the top of the cup and the band), but I do know that people like it for having more space above the wire. It was hard for me to assess this because the fit was otherwise so awkward. Compared with Comexim’s plunge cut, the 3HC has always been known as having most projection at the wire. Yet the first time I tried the 3HC in my old size, it was unaltered and the bottom of the cup was too shallow (I was a 65J then, though). This time I took the risk to request more depth after hearing a lot of people rave about the alteration and I’m glad I did. Although you can never quite tell with Comexim if all the alterations are done exactly as requested, in this case I definitely have enough space at the wire. I wish the Cleo Breeze hadn’t been discontinued while I was on a no-buy. It’s my favorite longline and recommend trying it. The wires are firmer than Comexim’s, so it took some breaking in not to irritate my sternum (another reason I appreciate the overlapping wire alteration). I have also heard that Cleo Spencer is the same cut as Breeze (again, d/c before I got to try it. I would love to find the gray or navy colorways) and the Cleo Mimi padded balconette. I did try Mimi when it first came out, but the cup edging seemed bulky under my shirt (I was a 28G then). Finally, I have heard great things about the Ewa Michalak CHP cut for depth at the bottom of the cup. I haven’t tried Ewa yet. It was next on my list, but I will probably postpone an order given my latest success with this bra and the other one in my order turning out so great. 😀 I have also reviewed a couple Gorsenia half cups on my blog that were decently accommodating for my bottom fullness. Good luck! Please get in touch again if you find anything that works for you as I’m always searching for similar fits. 🙂
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This review compares the Mimi with Comexim 3HCs: https://mythoughtsonbras.blogspot.com/2017/03/cleo-mimi-and-comparison-to-polish-half.html
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