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April 10, 2014

Reviewing my new What Katie Did Coco Chocolate Bra and Knickers from Mio Destino


Unlike many fashion related products that I've reviewed here over the years, today's post does not include a series of photos in which I'm sporting said piece. That's because the item, two items actually, that I'm here to chat about are undergarments and modeling them in a way that would still make me feel the degree of modesty I'm personally comfortable with in public (or online) is simply impossible when it comes to bras and panties. That doesn't mean though that I don't adore wearing them behind closed doors and then reporting my findings back to all of you, which is what I'll be doing in this post.

A few weeks ago I was contacted by the popular online UK based women's clothing shop Mio Destino, who specialize in lingerie, bras, underwear, shapewear, swimwear, loungewear, and stockings, and asked if I'd be interested in receiving and reviewing an item or two from their extensive inventory. I get similar inquiries from other lingerie stockists on a fairly frequent basis and generally decline, as they're offerings aren't of the sort that tend to appeal to me or my primarily vintage loving audience. Such is definitely not the case with Mio Destino though, whose inventory boasts a wide number of vintage inspired and appropriate underpinnings, including many from the highly beloved and world famous brand What Katie Did.

For years now, I've been reading reviews and seeing photos on the sites of some of my fellow vintage lovers for this brand and while I'm very well acquainted with it through the web, I didn't actually own any of their alluring beautiful offerings myself yet, so for my selection from Mio Destino, I opted for the What Katie Did Coco Chocolate and Peach Cathedral 1950s Bra and matching pair of Retro Knickers.




Most of my undergarments are either genuine vintage, reproduction or vintage inspired, so every last offering from What Katie Did is right up my alley. I remember seeing this elegant brown and soft creamy-peach line when it was first released a while back and falling madly in love with it at the time, so when I spotted it on Mio Destino's site, my eyes positively lit up with delight and I knew that it was the review product for me.

The lovely folks at Mio Destino special ordered in my size from WKD for me (as they didn't have in stock at the time), shipped the set out to me quickly, and were an absolute pleasure to correspond with through a series of emails discussing their products and the post I was going to be writing (aka, today's). My package arrived in great shape, with each item being thoroughly swaddled in tissue paper inside of a plastic mailer bag. The items were clean, brand new, in perfect condition, and precisely the sizes I'd specified.

The What Katie Did Coco Cathedral 1950s Bra features a pair of chocolate satin panels, sheer peach organza, and thoroughly mid-century approved shape. The bra cups are conical, but not overwhelmingly bullet bra-ish, in my opinion, and could easily work underneath of many 1930s through mid-60s outfits, as well as plenty of modern day fashions as well.




High waisted, very comfortable, and pleasingly flattering (on my short, curvy hourglass figure), the Retro Knickers are a total delight to wear! Equal parts sexy and practical, I've been sporting them under my Freddies jeans and more glamorous garments alike lately. I love this classic cut of panties, which come well up the waist and down to the top of each thigh. It's a cinch to slip on under the majority of fashions and instantly conveys such an appealing old school vibe.

Both the bra and the panties are wonderfully lightweight, soft to the touch and extremely comfortable to sport. The bra is wire free, too, which I flat out adore (I rarely wear wired or boned undergarments, as I find they're too hard on by body due to medical reasons), and the knickers have a little bit of a smoothing effect to them by way of the satin material used and their classic shape, which is an added bonus.

I'd long imagined that I'd be impressed with What Katie Did's products and I'm wholeheartedly happy to report that they did not disappoint in the slightest. One senses the quality and workmanship in their offerings the moment you try them on and I'd be very surprised if both the cathedral bra and the retro knickers don't end up lasting me for many years.

At £43.00 for the coco and peach bra and £27.00 for the matching panties, these items are what I'd call middle of the road in terms of pricing and what I'll personally spend on lingerie. Though I received both of these items as review gifts and sincerely appreciate that Mio Destino sent them to me (thank you so much!), I would have no qualms investing in future What Katie Did pieces from them at similar price points now that I know how marvelously constructed and designed, not to mention comfortable to wear (by still being all kinds of fabulously alluring), they are.

In addition to What Katie Did, Mio Destino stocks a wide range of products, as mentioned above, that are sure to tickle the fancy of many a vintage lover, included classic seamed stockings, retro swimwear, corsets, garters, shapewear, robes, and garter belts, as well as scores of other items that are more modern. I was also impressed with the fact that they stock a wide range of bra sizes, including plenty of options for those with particularly generous sized busts (something that, for better or worse, as a not-too-full C cup, I rarely have to worry about). A vast array of sizes also extend to many of their other offerings, too, which is no doubt part of the reason this online fashion retailer has found such a degree of success with customers both in the UK and internationally (they ship worldwide, with very reasonable shipping cost rates).

I must say, it was a sincere pleasure to receive and review these two old school appropriate What Katie Did items by way of Mio Destino. They've fast become firm undergarment favourites for me and while I won't be modeling them on camera any time soon, I can assure that they'll be invisible players under many of my vintage outfits from here on out.

21 comments:

  1. Cor they look so pretty - and as they're comfy too they're a win win all round.

    How lucky to have been contacted by them, and glad to hear you like them! :)

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  2. Oh my goodness! It's absolutely gorgeous! And the colour combination really appeals me. Wonderful review, dear Jessica. I love the Cathedral Bra for quite some time now, but because is a little expensive for me, I never purchased it being afraid of not liking it dressed on. But your review definitely clarified my ideas about it! :-)

    Miss Beta xx

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  3. I reently got hooked on what Katie did and was going to do a post on my garments after I get back from my spring blog break. I think you covered the bases very well though! I never really had any vintage underwear before but Im hooked on what Katie did I have the cone bra panties 40s bras and knickers and a corselette. My only issue, which I was going to mention on my blog, is that I need pads for the cone bra as I have a small b cup, I may try the padded cone bra next. This is a great and informative post

    retro rover

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  4. Wering the right underwear makes a woman feel more confident, and it is even more important with light weight clothes...

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  5. lucky gal!
    the brown and cream colors are very pretty and classy. the only thing i don´t like on retro bras is that they cover the whole bosom. i´m more for the later balconette shape.
    xxxx
    <3

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  6. I so want to take the plunge and buy a What Katie Did bra but an so afraid it won't fit. Every brand out there has a different cup size so that worries me. I'm very happy that you truly are enjoying the bra and panties.

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    1. Super true (re: sizing varying wildly from brand to brand). I sometimes wish bras were just measured in plain old inches and that every brand was spot on accurate to the millimeter. For what it's worth, I would say that both of the WKD items I received fit very true to size for me.

      Best of luck if you order!

      Have a beautiful weekend,
      ♥ Jessica

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  7. Beautiful! I'm a fan of high waisted "grannie panties" too. Although those hardly look like grannies.

    Don't you feel special wearing lovely underpinnings? I know I do- even if no one knows but me. :)

    Sarah

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  8. Sounds great - always like reading reviews, especially "What Katy Did" items. "Mio Destino" sounds like a nice place to visit, I'll try surfing on over there and check them out this weekend...
    Thanks for the post! :)

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  9. Nossa muito linda essas peças, eu tenho muita dificuldade em encontrar lingerie confortável e bonita, sempre gostei de usar calças de cintura alta, para não deformar o corpo. acho muito importante investir nas roupas intimas.
    Beijos Viviane

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  10. Oh my gosh what a gorgeous bra!

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  11. I'm so in love with What Katie did... but in fact, I've never bought one of their creation (money certainly) but this one is so marvelous !!! And I'm very happy that those old school underwear are now in your wardrobe !!! bisouxxx

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  12. Great review! I've admired WKD underthings from afar and would love to splurge on a set. Sadly, the bras do not come in "A" so I haven't gotten to try them out. The set you chose is gorgeous and I can see why you love it. (And I can empathize with your desire not to review these pretties on-camera!!)

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  13. this set is so pretty! it always makes you feel so nice and feminine to wear pretty undergarments, especially if they're as lovely as these! i have a few vintage bullet bras that i honestly don't wear all that often, but i do love dita von teese's lingerie line and wear the pieces i have all the time. based on your review i feel like i'd love this lingerie too, and i'm so glad to see they have such a big range of sizes, it can be really hard for me to find the right size because most standard bras don't go past a D cup which is super annoying!

    little henry lee

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  14. I have dreams of getting some of these. I have a bullet bra pattern, thanks to Va-voom Vintage, but I'm so scared to start it despite how easy Brittany says it is. I'm such a chicken when it comes to sewing. I'll take chances with knitting, but not sewing.

    I tried so hard to win this when it came out last December and unfortunately did not win a set. :-( I guess I'll have to add it to my ever growing wish list.

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  15. What a lovely set! Great choice. Really interesting to read a review. I have always liked their items but last time I looked they didn't include my size. Hoping that changes!

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  16. How lucky! I wish some vintage lingerie companies were emailing me to review products...I usually get gambling sites and eyeglasses...lol!! ah well...good thing I don't blog for the freebies. ;)

    I've always wondered about WKD lingerie, so I'm happy to hear you were pleased with them.

    Lisa.

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    1. Oh my gosh, I get emails from those kinds of companies (plus UK home decor, Asian based accessories, and spammy ebook sellers) ALL THE TIME, too!!! You're not alone there in the slightest. If Mio Destino asks me, as some companies I've worked with in the past have, for suggestions as to other blogs for them to work with, your name will be the first one on my list, dear Lisa.

      ♥ Jessica

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  17. I have received newsletters from WKD for several years, I love them and since they are UK based I have often wanted to order their beautiful products, but unfortunately they are way too expensive for my purse. I'm glad to hear you love your review gift, I've seen it before and have been in love with it too, just like you. I cannot help feeling just a bit envious. ;)

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    1. I certainly hear you loud and clear there. WKD's price tags have been the only thing keeping me from purchasing from them up until now. Having tried one (as in one set) of their offerings now though, while I still feel like they're a hefty investment (especially for me, when I factor in the currency conversion rate, shipping costs, and important charges), I would be much more apt to buy from them now that I know firsthand just how well made their offerings are and how nicely they fit me.

      Perhaps they'll have a big sale one of these days and we can both avail of it. Fingers crossed! :)

      ♥ Jessica

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  18. Hi Jessica! I'm a pinup model & a burlesque performer and I have to say that I absolutely agree with your review 100%! I wore this set for a routine at a show last night and I'd absolutely recommend these to anybody on the fence about investing in a great high quality and well built vintage lingerie set.

    I'll be writing my own review later this week but in the mean time I hope you won't mind me sharing your review on Facebook and Twitter. Have a great rest of the weekend!!

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