Marina Scallop Lace Cup Chiffon Babydoll with G-String Curve P272

What the Marina P272 is

The Marina P272 is a plus-size lace babydoll supplied with a matching G-string, and it belongs to Curve, the plus-size line made by Fantasy Lingerie. Down the spine of the hanging pack the manufacturer names it "Marina Lace Babydoll & G-string"; the pack front carries the Curve wordmark and is marked Plus Size.

The construction is two unlike halves joined at a single seam under the bust. Above the seam: two sheer lace cups and a pair of narrow straps, and nothing else at all. Below it: a wide, finely pleated sheer skirt gathered onto that seam and left completely unfitted down to a hem that lands around the upper thigh. The waist is never taken in and the hip is never followed. Other cuts in the same silhouette sit together under Babydolls, and the rest of the line is on the Curve by Fantasy Lingerie page.

One detail runs through the whole piece and sets its character: the lace, the skirt, the straps and the bow are all worked in the same single shade. There is no contrast binding, no trim in a second colour and no print anywhere on the garment. In a department largely built on contrast, that tone-on-tone treatment is what makes the Marina read as quiet rather than loud.

The lace cups

Each cup is a soft, unstructured triangle cut from an openwork floral lace, and that lace is the only pattern on the garment. It is drawn at a large scale, so a single cup carries roughly one complete motif instead of a small repeat, and the ground between the flowers is open mesh rather than filled fabric. One layer, nothing behind it, no lining.

The upper edge of each cup is scalloped: rather than being cut off square, it follows the shaped border of the lace, so the neckline arrives as a run of curves. The cups meet low at the centre front in a deep V, and a small bow is set into the gap where they join — the single applied detail on the front of the piece.

The consequence worth knowing is that these are soft cups. Nothing is moulded, and no panel seams run through them to force a shape, so the cup conforms to the person wearing it rather than the other way round. That makes it far more accommodating across different busts than a rigid cup would be, and it also means the garment imposes no shape of its own up top — it drapes at the bust in exactly the way it drapes lower down.

The pleated skirt

The skirt is a fine sheer fabric worked in narrow vertical pleats that run unbroken from the under-bust seam to the hem. The pleating is what governs how it behaves: folds pack a great deal of fabric into a short length of seam, so the skirt springs open into a wide, weightless bell the moment it leaves the bust and then moves on its own rather than with the body.

The fullness is even the whole way round. There is no slit, no opening, no panel cut shorter than its neighbour — front, sides and back all read the same. Unlined and see-through, it works as a veil over the body rather than as covering, and the pleats give it a fine vertical texture that takes light differently depending on how the folds happen to be sitting.

At the bottom there is a narrow rolled edge left free to wave instead of being pressed flat, so the hemline ripples slightly rather than finishing on a ruled line. That is the right finish for pleats: a flat bound hem would pull against the folds and hold them closed, while a soft rolled edge lets every pleat end on its own terms.

The back, and getting into it

The back of the Marina is open. Nothing crosses between the shoulder blades — no band, no panel, no fabric of any kind. The two straps travel from the top of the cups, over the shoulders and straight down to the gathered seam where the skirt begins, and the skirt falls from that seam. Everything above it is bare.

A small flat fitting sits on each strap, roughly level with the shoulder blade. The straps are plain, narrow and set wide apart on the cups, which keeps them inboard of the shoulder point.

Nothing on this garment fastens at the front or at the back, so it is a pull-on piece. The sequence that works is to bunch the skirt in both hands, lift the whole thing past your head rather than dragging it down over your face, let the skirt drop, and only then settle the cups. The G-string is easier to deal with before the babydoll goes on than after, since the skirt then lies over it rather than snagging behind it.

Choosing a size

Almost none of this garment has a fit to get wrong, which is the genuinely useful thing to know before picking a size. From the under-bust seam downward the skirt is cut wide and hangs free, so waist and hip measurements play no part in the decision at all — two people with matching busts and very different hips wear this skirt identically. The bust and the strap length are the entire question.

At the bust, soft lace triangles are not read the same way as a moulded cup. They hold no fixed volume, so they cover a broader range than a shaped cup can, and the familiar advice about sizing up for a rigid cup does not transfer. The real constraint is the under-bust seam, because that is where the skirt is gathered on and the one place the garment actually grips. Judge the fit there before anything else.

Even up the two strap fittings before forming a view on the cups. Mismatched straps lift one side higher than the other and will make a bust that fits perfectly well look as though it does not — and since both fittings sit behind your shoulders, the mismatch is easy to miss.

Whichever size you choose, the sewn-in label is the final word on what was supplied in that particular parcel.

Lace, pleats and how to wash them

Wash this one by hand. Its two halves are delicate in different ways, and each gets damaged by a different thing.

• Openwork lace hooks onto anything with a point or an edge, and a thread pulled out of open lace travels much further than it would through a woven fabric. Take off rings and bracelets before handling it wet, and keep it clear of anything sharing the water.
• Pleats live in the fabric itself, and the two things that flatten them are heat and hard wringing. Squeeze the water out between flat hands without twisting the skirt at all.
• Hang it to dry the moment it comes out of the water, so the skirt's own weight draws the folds back into line. Keep it in moving air and well away from any heat source, with space around it — a damp pleated panel pressed against a surface will keep that mark.
• Store it on a hanger. Folding a pleated skirt crossways puts a crease exactly where no crease belongs, and a long stretch lying flat takes the spring out of the fabric.

The label stitched into the garment carries its fibre content and its full set of washing symbols. If anything there contradicts the above, go with the label.

Who it suits

The Marina rewards a buyer after something soft and romantic rather than structured. Lace, a single quiet shade and a wide pleated skirt put it at the gentle end of the plus-size range, with no strapping, no hardware beyond the two strap fittings and nothing about it that reads as severe. The same qualities make it an uncomplicated thing to buy for someone else.

Look elsewhere if you want coverage or shape. The lace is one see-through layer, the skirt is see-through from the bust down, the back is bare and the hem is short on purpose; this is a garment that skims rather than one that holds. Buying the babydoll and the G-string in one go does spare you matching a top and a bottom across two separate orders. Sold for adults 18 and over.

Good to know

• Both pieces arrive together — the babydoll and a G-string made to match it.
• Nothing on the garment is lined. The lace and the skirt are each a single see-through layer.
• No hook, zip or tie anywhere at the front or the back; it goes on over the head.
• With the back open between the straps, this is not a style that will sit under fitted clothing.
• Hand wash only, and keep it hanging rather than folded so the pleats hold their line.
• This is apparel for adults, not a plaything — store it where children cannot reach it.
• Everything we send goes out in plain outer packaging: unbranded, unlabelled as to contents, and carrying nothing that names the product.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the G-string part of this listing?

Yes — the babydoll and the G-string are sold together as one two-piece set. The manufacturer's own pack settles it: the spine title reads "Marina Lace Babydoll & G-string", so the matching bottom is supplied alongside the babydoll rather than bought separately.

How does the Marina fasten?

It has no fastening at all — it pulls on over the head. There is no hook, zip or tie at either the front or the back of the garment, and the back is open between the shoulder blades, which leaves the small flat fitting on each strap as the only thing on the piece that can be set.

Are the lace cups lined or padded?

Neither. Each cup is one layer of lace with nothing behind it and no moulding in it — a soft triangle rather than a formed shape. That is why it accommodates a wider range of busts than a rigid cup, and equally why the garment contributes no shaping of its own at the bust.

How much does the pleated skirt actually cover?

Very little — it is see-through along its whole length and ends around the upper thigh. The fabric is a fine pleated sheer with no lining behind it, cut full so it stands away from the body instead of following it, and the fullness is the same at the back as at the front.

Will hand washing flatten the pleats?

Not if heat and wringing are avoided. The pleats are held by the fabric, so press the water out between flat hands instead of twisting, then hang the skirt immediately and let gravity pull the folds straight while it dries. Where the sewn-in care symbols say something different, follow them.

What will the parcel look like when it arrives?

Plain and anonymous. The outer packaging carries no images, no brand marks and no wording about the contents, so neither the delivery driver nor anyone else at the address learns what is inside it.

Product information compiled and reviewed by the Gear Isle product team. We transcribe product specifications directly from manufacturer packaging. Found an error? Tell us.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Adult novelty device for adults 18 and over. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before use, especially if you have a medical condition. Keep out of reach of children.