I purchased all of the items featured in this post.
Firstly, I should acknowledge that this review is way overdue; I actually started writing it in June 2024! That unfortunately means that the thong featured is now sold out and the bra only still available on the brand’s EU website, though as you will read below, the bra can be styled with various other Bordelle pieces or, if you’d prefer this set in either Black or Morello (dark cherry), I’ve found both items still available via multiple third-party stockists. You can also just think of this as a general review of the brand’s fit, quality, and sample sales.
As with other recent years, I’ve bought very little new lingerie in 2024 and 2025. I’m just being a lot more truthful with myself about what my wardrobe is really lacking – and underwear it most definitely is not! But one thing I have wanted for a very long time, even if I didn’t need it, is more Bordelle in my life.
It’s extremely difficult to pin down by very favourite lingerie brand. There are so, so many that I adore. And yet… Bordelle may well be it. I have been a huge fan of this brand since before I even started this blog back in 2012, and I still covet it like crazy. I’m not sure there’s any other label about which I can say the same.
Despite that, until last year I only owned one Bordelle lingerie set (Thorn, purchased over a decade ago and still a favourite) since this very much an expensive brand. But buying less means being more able to splurge on the things you really want, so during a sample sale in spring of 2024, I added this Cadi Bodice Bra and matching thong to my collection along with a couple of small accessories.
I chose this set specifically because it epitomises a lot of what I love about Bordelle lingerie: the strappiness, the lavish use of hardware details, the back that’s every bit as interesting as the front… All in all, I spent 216€ on the order plus 111€ in customs fees*, which makes it both one of my more expensive lingerie purchases ever, and also still a fabulous deal since the bra alone originally retailed for 553€ or £468.
*Thankfully, they have since launched an EU site with local shipping, and my more recent 2025 sample sale order arrived without any additional duties to pay. It’s worth noting though that the stock available varies between the websites.
I really adore the modular approach that Bordelle takes to creating some of its product ranges, where you can pick from a range of items and layer them in different ways to really make a set your own. Even in ranges with less variety, you will often find that they coordinate well with others; this Cadi bra for example could also be paired with this Kleio brief in the same Lemon colour and with matching hardware details. Cadi in fact was actually intended to be mixed-and-matched with pieces from the Dia and Circe ranges, which all three together formed the ‘Circadian’ range. Clever, right?
Now, in Bordelle’s sample sales, there are both actual samples – pieces sewn specifically for things like photo shoots and fit testing, possibly with damage/signs of wear or not made to the usual factory standard – and leftover stock from past seasons. Both the pieces I bought were labelled as samples but only the Cadi bodice bra actually seemed to be one, coming with a more basic label that simply indicates the brand, size and “sample”, while the thong has regular retail-ready labels.
Since I had opted to buy samples, I wasn’t overly surprised to find that the bra came with some small makeup stains. That’s the kind of risk you take when shopping a true sample sale, but the 553€ to 100€ price drop on that piece more than made up for it in my eyes! Luckily, the stains were easy to wash out.
Construction-wise, I have no complaints. If it weren’t for the ‘sample’ label (also sewn in a bit haphazardly rather than neatly tucked into a seam) I wouldn’t have known this was anything other than a regular retail item. So, if you can’t afford Bordelle at full price, definitely be patient and wait for their annual sample sale – you’re still getting a good-quality item.
The only issue I have with this set is that the hardware, despite being 24k gold-plated (including the zip), has tarnished and turned the elastic next to it green in places. It took many wears and washes, I think more than a year, for that to start happening but it’s a bit annoying that it did.
What about the fit? I was really unsure which size to pick for the bra. I wear a 30DD most of the time which is not a size that appears on Bordelle’s size chart. My choices were between an S, which the chart indicates fits a 30D (and 32C or 34B) so it could be a little small in the cup, or an M, which the chart indicates fits a 32D (or 34C), a sister size of 30DD which should fit in the cup but might then be too big in the band.
In the end I picked the S and hoped for the best… and it paid off, yay! This bra is an excellent fit on me. The underwires actually fit, and the cups are a very stretchy mesh which helps. As a side note, the two bras I’ve bought from Bordelle since have both also been a size S but while the stretchy, wirefree one pictured below also fits well, another with push-up padded cups was much too small. So I wouldn’t choose a Bordelle size S in anything without that stretch flexibility as a size 30DD.
The thong is also a size S. I would usually wear an XS but it was sold out and the sliders on the elastic sides on this design mean it works for me just fine. This adjustability (the luxe hardware isn’t just decorative – every strap detail is adjustable) means you can really customise the fit which makes for a more comfortable wear, alongside both the elastics and fabrics being very soft.
With three Bordelle lingerie sets now in my collection, my verdict is that this brand is worth paying full price for, if only I could afford it. (Two-piece bralette sets start at £219 which isn’t so bad, but naturally my magpie heart wants the hardware-heavy looks that will run me £600+ or four figures with a suspender). I also appreciate that Bordelle has stuck firmly to its aesthetic over so many years, and become better and better at it. Truly, they’re masters at what they do.
All in all, I’m super pleased with my purchase, have zero regrets about splurging despite knowing I’d be hit with customs fees, and am eagerly anticipating the 2026 sample sale!
Will you be shopping the next Bordelle sample sale alongside me? If you’ve ever bought from one in the past, did you have a good/bad experience?