Comparison- Ewa Michalak CHP Marcepanowa Magnolia & S Marcepanowa Magnolia

Hey everyone!  It has been a while, for all the AEE ladies. The holiday season is a booty kicker! But we are getting back in to the swing of things and are ready to start the year with a big bang!

First up is a bra comparison post, the Ewa Michalak CHP Marcepanowa Magnolia and the Ewa Michalak S Marcepanowa Magnolia. Before we get into crazy details, you can check out Chezbella’s Ewa Michalak study of styles post if you are looking for general information about the EM style options. The purpose of this post is to really show the same bra, in the same size, on the same boobs, but in different cuts so you can easily compare. 

I purchased my S Magnolia from Brava Lingerie but it is now available on the Ewa Michalak website. Brava also has the CHP version available. This particular bra is also available in a KM version for nursing mothers and the BM version. Chezbella has done a review of the S version which you can read here. If you’d like a specific review of the CHP version please let us know!
  Some details for the purpose of this review. Both bras are a 60HH, photos are taken with the pads in. For fit purposes, I really should have removed the pads. I have 700cc UHP silicone implants, which means my bras need to have a lot of depth for the projection of my implants. I tend to prefer the CHP cut because it ends before the bra starts to curve in around the breast. I find that this fits me better in the upperpole of my breasts. The top portion of the cup in the S style can sometimes start to curve in before my breasts are ready for it to, which can cause some quad boob even in the right size.

I do have higher set breasts and no breast crease. I find that most bras will have a gap in the bottom of the cups along the wire. Ladies with more breast tissue or natural breasts often experience this gap when the cup depth is not correct (deep enough) for their breasts. This is a fit issue for many women with implants, it isn’t an issue that can be fixed by changing sizes. My photo above shows that the gap is more pronounced with the CHP, but it is still there with the S style. The cut is a shallower shape in my size, so this is expected. So ladies with implants, do try and assess that gap and see if another style bra may work better for you. Something with more cup depth of a band that sits higher under your breast may be a better option. There is often a point where no increase in size or projection will improve the fit in that area, so it will be a personal preference for you.

Another personal preference, I prefer the CHP cut under clothes over the S. I find the vertical 3 part cups show less seams than the 3 part shape of the S style. I do apologize in these photos my shirt is pulled down a bit lower for the CHP photo. The S style actually provides more lift from under the breasts, but I have less cleavage. The CHP is not as lifted but the cups shape the breast closer to the chestwall which creates a bit more of a rounded look.

The side photo is where I can see the most difference with these two styles. The S is more relaxed through the upper portion of the breast and the projection is more apparent. The CHP you can see that the bra pulls the breast in toward the chestwall more, which minimizes the projection, both pushing the breast up but also downward a bit. This gives almost a minimized look, but also makes my breasts appear to take up more height on my chest. (My obvious need to take the pads out of this bra is much more evident here.)

On to some good stuff!  The S bra is on first with the CHP over it. Of course the fit and shape of both bras will factor into the shape of my breasts, but the point of this photo is to really show the cup shape differences. You can see how the CHP cut stops just lower than the S. The top cup section of the S starts in the middle of the lace of the CHP. This will be perfect for some ladies, while the openness of the CHP will be perfect for others. The gore placement of these bras is essentially the same for me, because of the height and width I will always have a soft tack or a slightly lifting gore.

Same photo, S below the CHP. The fact that the straps have not pulled the cup shape tight exaggerates the different cup heights between these two styles.    From the 3/4 view you can see how much more cup there is on the S style. But the important thing I want you to see is the height under the arm. The CHP is just a touch shorter, ideal when you are a shorty like me (I am 5’1.5″). That smidgen of extra height there is just enough to make the S less ideal for me. Add in the extra cup height and the fact that the cup curves in at the top and I am not sure if this S style is a keeper.
The biggest complaint I have read about the CHP style in my size range is the wider placement of the straps. It really doesn’t look like much, but when you are measuring bras in cm, that is a large difference! This is my one complaint with the CHP style, the straps can push into the soft tissue right at the armpit. But let’s talk about the look the CHP is supposed to give. The wider strap placement is necessary for the lifted, round, cakes on a plate cleavage that this bra is designed for. If you read the description from the Ewa Michalak website:

A delicately padded halfcup bra, perfect for low and broad neckline. Comes with removable push up pads for correction of asymmetry.
Vertical seams of the cups lift the breast and give them rounded shape, just like apples in a basket.

Keywords here, low and broad neckline. If the straps on this bra are moved inward you run the risk of having them show on the neckline/chest area of a wide scoop neck top. In the winter time I love wearing a scoop neck thermal top, the CHP shape is ideal for this. The S style is more suited for a higher V neck top which often has the top of the neckline in a narrower shape.

Both of these bras offer a set of 4 hooks and eyes for closures, removable push up pads, and fully adjustable straps. You can see that the pockets for each style are created differently, with the CHP pocket being place low on the breast for a lifted, rounded shape and the S pocket being larger and placed toward the front of the bra. I find that the S pads can be shifted around in the pocket, so you can place them as needed to suit your breast shape. 
The lace on both bras is the same, but placed in different locations. On the left is the top cup edge of the CHP. On the right is the bottom of the S under the center gore. 

 The bras have the same bow at the center gore, with the same small “diamond” jewel. The KM has the same bow and jewel, Chezbella’s recent BM Magnolia has only the bow.

Bottomline, this is where we see the versatility that is Ewa Michalak. The material choice for the base of these bras is a basic material that makes for an easy swap to several styles. with the price staying the same. The BM is slightly more expensive because the switch of the material to all over lace with a firm knit lining. The KM is the highest priced, with the addition of nursing clips and the strap down the side of the cup to hold the bra in place while nursing.

I know many of us fall in love with a material but want a different cut, an email to ask seems to have a 50/50 chance of being told it is possible. The more complex the material, the harder it is to pattern match at the seams, the more time it takes to swap the cut of your bra. (We all know that time = money.) While it never hurts to ask, you may just get a yes, you have to respect the work that goes in to making a specific material fit the cut of a bra.