After posting my second favourite Canadian lingerie brands list in January, a brand I didn't mention, Coquette Lingerie, contacted me and asked me to review some of their pieces. I did come across them while researching for Canadian brands, but as I usually feature indies, I didn't include them in that list. For those posts I generally want to include brands for people to discover as opposed to those they already know about.
Coquette is already an established brand, they formed in 1979 and is a family owned company. The brand started with a pair of crotchess panties in a small one-bedroom apartment in Kitchener-Waterloo. Catherine and Peter Horea, decided to sell these panties, and then other lingerie, to neighbouring lingerie shops, and eventually began selling internationally. They offer a wide variety of sizes and styles in their lingerie, and often make the same styles in straight sizes, and plus size. Their website even says that they specialize in plus-sizes, and this is a great option for plus-sized folks looking for lingerie on a budget. The brand has won several awards, and has been featured on Saturday Night Live, the Today Show, True Blood, and seen in the pages of Cosmopolitan, the National Post, and Lou Lou.
Coquette sent me a few things to review, the Botanical Boudoir Bra, Garter Belt, and G-String, the Regal Lace Babydoll, and the 7049 Gown in black. Everything is in a size medium for reference.
To start off with the Botanical set, which is what I'm wearing at the top, I do quite like this set but it's not something I would wear in my regular rotation of everyday lingerie. The bra just doesn't support my breasts the way I need in my day to day life, but could be something that would better suit someone smaller busted. My boobs wanted to pop out of this bra, and you can sort of see it happening in the photo above!
But the set still is quite beautiful, I love the three-dimensional flowers and swiss-dot mesh on the bra and suspender belt. These details definitely make the set unique. The suspender belt fits nicely and the clips were fairly easy to do up, though I did have some trouble with the clips at the back. The clips are also plastic, which isn't surprising at this price point. I'm personally not crazy about g-strings, I actually think this is my first one! So while wearing this set, I'd likely swap out the g-string for something with a little more coverage and less likely to give me a wedgie. Overall, I think this set is quite lovely, but not something I'd reach for to wear out and about, but a beautiful set to wear in the bedroom or for boudoir photos.
Moving on to the babydoll, this was actually my favourite piece. I really do love babydolls and I have no idea why I don't own more of them. This one is made of a beautiful lace with a scalloped eyelash hem. The skirt is full and pleated and wonderful to twirl around in. The cups have support, which was a nice detail, and comes with adjustable straps and a ribbon under the bust. The ribbon is fun because it can be tied multiple ways to create different looks. The babydoll also comes with a g-string, which I likely won't use much. Though I have to say, the g-strings are less uncomfortable than I thought they'd be. Overall, I'm quite happy with this piece and I can't think of any issues I have with it.
Last is the gown and it's giving me some serious Angelina Jolie vibes with that leg. I do love a good leg. This was a surprising piece because it wasn't too long on me! The slit in the leg comes up in just the right spot and I wasn't tripping over myself in this gown. That's a major plus for me, because as I mentioned in my Yandy review, I often have trouble finding clothes because of my height. The gown also has wired cups which add a surprising amount of support, and I like the lace on the top of the cup and at the band which has a hook closure. It gives me a nice amount of cleavage but I don't feel like my nipples are going to pop out.
What I'm not so crazy about is the type of fabric used, it's a microfibre that does feel quite soft against the skin, but clings to lumps, bumps, and rolls. I personally don't like these ideas of my body highlighted and this is the type of thing I'd feel like I'd need to wear shapewear under. Perhaps this issue could be solved by sizing up, but I'm not sure.
Still, I'm quite pleased with everything and I think it's great value for the price point. I also think that they have a great range of sizes, which go up to 4X in most styles, and is a good brand to know about if you're lingerie shopping on a budget. I also like supporting Canadian brands!
What do you think of Coquette? Let me know in the comments!