In recent years many of the major full-bust lingerie retailers have started producing their own, in-house lingerie labels. I love to see this: it gives shoppers more options while the retailers get the opportunity to offer market exclusives. Bravissimo’s own range is one of the best in the business, with a fantastic size range. Figleaves, one of the largest e-retailers in the world, got into the act as well with Midnight Grace, their in-house brand offering cute, affordable lingerie in sizes 30-38 B-G and swimwear in sizes 30-38 D-GG.

Over the last few seasons they’ve slowly (and quietly) been adding D+ clothing options to the Midnight Grace line, including some simple jersey dresses and beach cover-ups, but this week saw the launch of an official landing page, complete with size charts and lookbook images.

It feels really smart for Figleaves to get into the D+ clothing game right now. Lots of their major competitors, like Bravissimo/Pepperberry and Simply Be, are already there, and while there are more and more lovely full-bust designs coming out of Poland from Urkye and BiuBiu, some customers may still prefer to order from someone they already know (guilty as charged).

The first collection is wonderfully cohesive and contained. Apart from two bold prints, the colors are classics and widely flattering: black, ink (a rich dark navy with teal undertones), oxblood, charcoal, and purple are some of my favorite colors to wear. Miss Underpinnings pointed out to me while we were chatting yesterday that Midnight Grace, Pepperberry, Urkye, and Biu Biu all offer a classic faux-wrap jersey top, and while it’s true that none of these shapes are complete game-changers, some of them feel a little more contemporary and fashion-forward than Peppberberry’s (as do the colors!).

The collection features five different top shapes and five different dress shapes, each available in one or two colors, including a wrap dress, a ruched-waist dress, and a dress with an empire line and a floating, gentle drape, which I’m really glad to see. Many full-bust clothing offerings are super nipped-in at the waist, so it’s nice to have at least one or two less-clingy options.

As with Midnight Grace’s lingerie and swimwear, the prices are very, very reasonable: tops are all $55 (there’s one for $35) and dresses are $62-71. They also have the jump on Pepperberry by offering most of their pieces in sizes 8-22 (UK, so approx. sizes 4-18 US), which is really lovely for full-bust women who are sized out of Pepperberry and some other full-bust stores.

I’m really interested to see what direction Figleaves take with the brand. I love the collection’s colors: the Usual Suspects for full-bust basics seem to be turquoise, purple, and bright red, and it’s interesting to see how Figleaves puts their own distinct spin on the palette, by offering oxblood and ink. The prints I can do without, but then that’s often the case with me personally (I’m tall and broad-shouldered and full-busted, and sometimes when I wear prints it’s just, like, A WALL OF PRINT), and I’m sure there are others for whom they’ll be very appealing. I also like that they’re trying some unusual silhouettes: Lily’s drape is dramatic and billowy, but I’m not sure about the Poppy swing tunic, above. It doesn’t look like it’s really been modified for a full-bust figure, and I’d worry about its being baggy or shapeless, but maybe that’s just my own personal figure flattery preferences coming into play. If I had to pick a favorite piece, the lovely oxblood “Fern” wrap dress in the top image is a classic silhouette in a color I adore.

I tried a version of the “Lily” dress last year, when it was on Figleaves’ site without much fanfare or size guidance. I remember it felt a bit big, but I may have chosen the wrong size. The new site specifies, “The Midnight Grace collection is fitted on a range of models including a size 18 with a G bust. To showcase how the styles fit, our model Olivia is 5’11” and although a size 10, wears a 32E bra.” This is a great start! I’m looking forward to hearing how my fellow full-bust women find the styles to fit, and I hope that down the road Figleaves might expand their sizes even further, perhaps offering some shapes for women in the G-K range.

Have you tried one of Midnight Grace’s new DD+ dresses or tops? What do you think of the collection? I see at least four or five pieces that would work beautifully in my wardrobe, so I may be making my Christmas list a little early this year.

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