Review: Bodysuits by Les Lunes

Disclosure: I received these items free of charge for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

The ethos of Les Lunes resonates strongly with me --- the brand aims to make garments that are both stylish and easy to wear. There's overlap between their lines of Lingerie, Active Wear, Casual Wear, and Ready to Wear, with the groups mingling and styling with both each other and an average wardrobe in a complementary way. For review purposes, I was sent three bodysuits in Les Lune's signature soft, drapey bamboo jersey.

We have positioned ourselves at the epicenter of three sister cities, each of which are leaders in shaping the future of the world. Each Les Lunes element resonates with the strong fashion heritage of Paris, the motion and innovation of San Francisco, and the craftsmanship of our privately owned workshop in Shanghai.

-Les Lunes

Let's take a minute to talk about bamboo and bodysuits. Les Lunes touts the sustainability factor of bamboo, but as I mentioned when I reviewed Underprotection (another fashion forward, eco-friendly lingerie and loungewear line), the advantages of the bamboo plant don't necessarily translate when it becomes a fabric. Unless things have changed in the last few years, it's my understanding that the process of turning bamboo into fabric is a bit of a toxic process. Of course, there are plenty of reasons to love bamboo besides its sustainability street cred: it it a wonderfully soft, smooth and comfortable fabric with a lovely hand, which refers to the tactile quality of a fabric, and it has a light sheen which gives it a faintly luminous quality. Aesthetically, I don't think I've ever met a bamboo jersey I didn't like.

As for bodysuits in general, I confess I feel a little conflicted about them as well. It took me a long time to overcome my mental link between a bodysuit and a cliche teddy with an 80s-esque high-legline, made of cheap polyster lace. These bodysuits, of course, are nothing like that, but I still don't quite understand how they fit into a wardrobe from a practical standpoint. Perhaps for some people, bodysuits are their perfect loungwear, but I tend to go for styles that are looser and offer more coverage. (This is mostly because I get cold easily.) I eventually decided that for me, the logical place for bodysuits is with my high waisted jeans and fitted skirts, where they will be sleeker and better anchored than a tucked-in shirt.

And that's exactly how I wore these bodysuits when field testing them. In general, I found it to be quite an effective look. I'm mostly talking about the suits as a group rather than individually because their fabrication and fit are very similar. By my measurements (34-26-38), I was between sizes, but I was sent the smaller: XS/S, which fit very well. This was definitely for the best, since I lost about ten pounds (and an inch from my waist and hips) shortly after sending my measurements. Overall the fit through the body is fairly slim and straight, with a gently shaped side seam. The fabric composition is 95% rayon from bamboo, 5% spandex. Each bodysuit is extremely well-stitched with attention to finishing details, including an assortment of elastics and binding techniques to suit the various cuts. The crotch closes with snaps --- a must for a functional garment.

The care instructions say to hand-wash cold and line dry, but I tried a round of machine-wash gentle/tumble dry low for this review and it was fine. I'm really lazy when it comes to hand-washing my clothes (not to mention we only have tiny sinks in my apartment) and anything I own that isn't tumble dried will end up just as covered in cat hair as it was before washing. I suspect the stretch lace on the 3/4 sleeve body suit will eventually fray little elastic hairs if machine washed and dried too many times, though.

One of the styles I was sent to review is no longer on the site: the Sheer Heaven Mesh Bodysuit. It's a pity, because this piece probably has the most interesting and detailed construction and the most modern/on-trend design. There are four different kinds of elastic on this thing! Picot at the leg, 1/2" wide plain elastic at the neckline (brushed side out at the front, then brushed side against the skin at the underarm/back neck placement), satin strapping, and 1" wide waistband-esque elastic at the bra band. The high quality satin elastic straps are convertible, though I find they are too snug for comfort when worn as a cross-back. I like the mesh detail at the top of the cups and, best of all, the full coverage of the bottom portion. The bra portion offers moderate support, though the snugness of that armhole/back neck finish does make for a little bit of spillover.

The V-Neck Wrap and Scoop-Neck Lace bodysuits ($135 each) both feature thong bottoms, which is not at all made clear on the website. I tend to wear basic bikini briefs or boyshorts on a day-to-day basis, so the thong didn't fly with me. Since I'm a slightly bottom-heavy hourglass, the elastic cut in on my butt to create VPL when worn with my high-waist jeans. I'm not the sort to go commando so I don't relish the thought of either having conflicting panty lines or buying thongs just so I can wear these body suits. Design-wise, the thong seemed especially incongruous combined with the 3/4 sleeves of Scoop-Neck Lace style. Aside from my thong pet peeve, though, both pieces are very easy easy to wear and style, being comfortable and cute but low-maintenance.

I particularly like the V-Neck Wrap style, which I received in a lovely vibrant green that has just a drop of teal to it. The angled neckline is fairly open, with a little mandarin collar, but the degree of bust coverage can be tweaked by adjusting the overlap. I used a vintage brooch to pin the neckline in place for the styled photoshoot.

All told, I was pretty pleased with the bodysuits from Les Lunes, though I'm not sure if it's enough to make me a body suit convert. The Les Lunes price point is definitely not low-budget, but I think it's very fair for the quality of materials and construction. Ethical production is also part of their sustainability practices. There are a lot of other pieces from the Les Lunes lines I could see myself wearing, and I think they've really nailed a broad appeal for a modern audience who seeks casual elegance in their clothing choices.

How do you like to wear bodysuits? What do you think of these styles by Les Lunes? Do you have other garments made from bamboo rayon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!