Tara Starlet Bow Bodice Top Review

I'm always tempted by the Tara Starlet sale section, and recently tried out their 'Bow Bodice'.  This cropped bodice top originally came out in pink and blue gingham, but is currently available in black, purple, pale blue and bright red.  Originally £48, I snapped it up in the sale in purple for just £12.  Read on to find out how I got on.

On opening my package, I noticed that the cups were quite squished from travelling through the post, and try as I may to push them back into shape, they didn't quite spring back as expected.  I thought that this issue would be solved when I wore the top and my bust would push it out into the correct shape.  Alas, this is where it all went wrong.  I'm small busted, which I freely admit.  My A cup bust was simply not big enough to push the fabric back into the right shape.  I popped on my most highly padded bra, which takes me up to a B cup.  This still wasn't enough.  I am not sure what material they've used as the padding, but it really doesn't work.  I can't conceivably see how anyone under a C cup can wear this top, without risking deflated bosoms the moment you knock into something or somebody hugs you!  Allow me to demonstrate more clearly with the below pictures, and a short and comedic video clip that shows how one side was stubbornly refusing to spring back into shape.

Apart from the issue of the collapsing bust, I liked the fit and the lovely bengaline fabric, which has just the right amount of stretch.  I am a size 12 and chose their size medium, which I found true to size.  With a high-waisted skirt, I had just a sliver of bare flesh - if you're more petite than my 5'9" frame you might find that you don't get any gap at all.







I also can't see ladies who are D+ welcoming so much extra padding in the bust area, so I'm struggling to see just who this top is catering for.  Normally I wouldn't do a video, but the effect on me was so comical, I had to document it!  If I wore this top, the first person I hugged would completely squish my bust and it wouldn't restore itself.  I felt a bit like a Fembot.

My verdict: Return!  This one's not for me, but if you don't have my boob issues then it's a bargain to stash away for next summer.

I'm sad that this top isn't for me.  I'd love to hear from you if you've tried it, let me know how you got on in the comments.

UPDATE:
Tara herself responded to my review with this comment:

"I bought these cups following lots of customer feedback that was asking for more support in our bodice tops, they were very expensive and I'm now selling the tops at a loss. Unfortunately these 3-Dimentional bust cups do not lend them selves very well to being flat-packed for storage and shipping so rest assured I won't be using them again! We have found a great little trick for manipulating the squashed cup, it involves rolling a tennis ball inside it to pressure it back out. I know it is not ideal and unfortunately these cups have been a bit of a learning curve for me which is why the tops are so heavily discounted."

I did ask customer services to refund my postage because of the fault, which was known about as Tara herself admitted, but I wasn't made aware of before purchase, and received this response:

"We did have a look at the top you sent back and unfortunately we couldn't identify a fault."