ROADTEST: 'This swimwear collection promises to be game-changing for bigger busts. Here's our verdict.'

Having big boobs and trying to find the perfect swimwear for your next vacay is probably one of the most anxiety-inducing missions known to humankind. Other noteworthy mentions include changing room breakdowns, nip slips in the ocean and the feeling of disappointment when it comes to mainstream labels never quite getting it right for us bigger-busted babes. 

If you're nodding along right about now, let me introduce you to MARVELL LANE. It's a small Australian lady startup founded by Rachael Calvert, a fellow big-busted gal, that designs swimwear, lingerie and clothing specially for busty sizes 8D through to 16J.

Made sustainably and ethically, MARVELL LANE is full of on-trend and timeless swimwear pieces created with the goal to make you feel confident, sexy and supported. All of their garments are designed to embrace support straps and back bands, quality fabrics and finishes, and most of all, celebrate your curves. Hell to the yes.

So it was only natural that we test it out for ourselves. Coming into the Mamamia offices like some boob-adjacent superhero, Rachael fitted the bigger-chested women from the team to see if a) they were actually wearing the right size and b) if her range of swimwear is all that life-changing. 

Here are our findings. 

Lara: A 10G who didn't know her correct cup size.

I’m a fashion influencer who overshares on the internet about the struggles and triumphs of being bigger-busted. I even have a designated 'busty approved’ playlist on my TikTok full of my favourite recommendations and finds.

So you can imagine how excited I was to discover MARVELL LANE. 

When I met Rachael to get fitted, she glanced at my bust and immediately knew I was wearing the wrong bra size. She told me my current bra size underwire wasn’t sitting right at the front and was cutting too deeply into me. I was wearing a 12DD to which I learnt I am a 10G or 12F. Mind blown. 

Rachael then introduced me to the Ava Bikini Top in Powder Blue. As soon as I put it on I felt so comfortable, supported and confident. I was surprised as well, because typically I haven’t been the biggest fan of underwire in bras. But this Ava top has been the exception.  

Unlike other ruffled and underwire bikini tops, the sweetheart neckline and tapered ruffle looks so flattering. The material is also so buttery smooth and doesn’t dig into your skin. Bonus points as well because the straps are adjustable, so you can control the tightness you are looking for. 

I also love how cute and easy it is to style. I wore the Ava style over the weekend, added my oversized shirt, platform crocs and colourful tote bag and loved how it all looked. 

Lara. Image: Supplied.

I have a trip booked to Thailand at the end of this month and you best believe I will be packing my new Ava. I can see myself exploring in this bikini top all day long and not having to worry about my boobage spilling everywhere. 

I am so obsessed I’m eyeing the Ava in black, just because I think it's such a timeless style that will always be in fashion. 

Katie: A 16D who stalled on getting her bra fitted correctly.

Okay, I have a confession: I’ve been eyeing up MARVELL LANE for approximately two years now and have been desperate to nab some of their swimwear. However, due to the old COVID lockdowns triggering some changes to my body and honestly being a bit cautious of getting measured up for my new bra size (terrible I know), I have stalled.

So when I heard THE Rachael of MARVELL LANE was coming into the Mamamia office to do some fittings, I leapt at the chance. Turns out, I did have the wrong size bra on (classic), so Rachael measured me up for my new perfect fit size. 16D. Delicious. And paired me up with a swimsuit that actually fit my boobs and body equally brilliantly.

I’ve never owned a swimsuit that actually felt designed for my body. I’ve always made sacrifices and compromised on the body fit to house my boobs and vice versa, so to slip into a suit that hugged and hoisted up all the right bits honestly felt transformational. And, without sounding too boastful, I reckon it looked pretty damn good too!

Katie. Image: Supplied.

The cups are so supportive, but strangely not restrictive and the tummy section has a genius double layering so you feel cinched but not squeezed. I put the suit to the test with a dip in an ocean pool and in the waves on a surf beach near me and can confirm: no nipples made a cameo appearance during the swim. Which is honestly a rarity for me, who has become a chronic accidental flasher because of my poor past tog choices. 

A side effect of this swimsuit that I wasn’t expecting is such confidence. I’m usually tugging at straps and readjusting my boobs to feel like I’m locked and loaded in a swimsuit, but with this Sienna One Piece, I just chucked it on and (literally) ran into the water, happy to splash around non-stop. It’s such a joy to feel so at ease when you’re at the beach. 

Now I know my proper right-now bra size, I’ve ordered actual bras from MARVELL LANE too – because of course they do lingerie, because they are a GIFT TO WOMANKIND. 

I nabbed the Evie Bra in Sage, because excuse me that’s the most gorgeous big-boobed bra I’ve ever seen. 

I couldn’t recommend MARVELL LANE more. Totally addicted and very happy boobs right here.

Erin: A 10G who hates buying swimwear.

If there's one thing I've learned to be true about myself it's that I hate buying swimwear more than I hate buying bras. 

I’ve been unsure of how to handle my boobs since they arrived in my early adolescence, an uncertainty I’ve channelled into a lot of sports bras and avoiding bra shops until the need for something specific came up, like a strapless.

In fact, it was while buying a strapless this year that I found out that the 10DD sizing I’d held onto since age 15 was long gone. I was now a 10G, apparently, even though the bras I bought in the correct size still felt heinously uncomfortable and ‘wrong’.

And swimwear? I could rant for hours about how much I resent the stringy bikinis of the moment. In the thick of summer, I find it impossible to brave the surf in something secured with only flimsy ties – one big wave and it’s a skinny-dipping session.

I was nervous to get fitted for my MARVELL LANE bikini, expecting more confusion to arise about the boobs I’d struggled so much to love and accept, but in the end, it was just a relief to talk to someone who got it. 

From sizing up in tops and dresses to make room for my boobs, to telling me why I’d found the size 10 band completely unsupportive, Rachael seemed to know what I needed from one look, and it was an 8H size Emelie Bikini with a high-waisted brief.

Erin. Image: Supplied.

And the result? Well, the bikini fits me like a glove. 

After I was done at the beach, I just slipped my top back on and went about my day – did my groceries and all my chores wearing it like a regular bra (and my most comfortable one at that). The high-waisted briefs are also so comfy, and I love the amount of coverage they give me, which leaves me feeling relaxed about my stomach at the beach.

I can’t wait for the weather to get warmer so I can spend every weekend wearing my new, perfectly-fitting bikini.

Shop the new MARVELL LANE swimwear range, where style and functionality meet for busty babes now. 

To get 10 per cent off your MARVELL LANE goodies, use the code MAMAMIA when purchasing directly from the website.

Feature Image: Supplied.