This week, bargain supermarket Aldi released their purse-friendly range of Valentine’s lingerie. Starting at a more-than-reasonable price of £3.99, the collection includes lace bras, satin underwear and silky kimonos.
While the campaign imagery looks lovely, we wondered; just how great are these inexpensive pieces in real life? Two of our readers put the range to the test by seeing how they fit on different sized bodies. They also asked their partners what their thoughts of the pieces were – before telling them the price – leading to some interesting answers…
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TEST ONE
The items: Printed Balconette Boost Bra (36D) and Brazilian Briefs (8/10)
(Image: Aldi)
Our tester says: ‘When I first got my hands on the set, I was surprised at the quality considering its low price tag. While I wasn’t too sure about the floral design, the bra cups were sturdy and didn’t have any annoying excessive padding. The cup size was also quite generous though I did get a slight gap under my boobs, which required a fair bit of adjusting. However, for the price, I really couldn’t complain.
'The set has a pretty lace trimming around both the bra and underwear and also incorporated delicate features, such as a little bow and see-through back on the Brazillian knickers. Other than a lack of long-term support, this bra isn’t far behind high street alternatives and for £3.99, its decent quality will serve you for far longer than you would expect.’
Her boyfriend says: ‘The lingerie set looks really nice and classy but I can't help but think the flowers take away the whole “raciness” that lingerie is supposed to bring. I would change the flower pattern on the bra, perhaps to make it all lace, or even a different design or colour. However, the feel of it is nice, and I do like that it mixes different material textures. I'd say it would cost around £70.'
And when he found out it was Aldi? ‘It certainly looks more expensive than the £3.99 price from Aldi. I really didn't expect that but it definitely seems like good value for money – I don’t even mind the floral print as much now!’
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TEST TWO
The items: Black Lace Trim Padded Bra (34C) and Thong (8/10)
(Image: Aldi)
Our tester says: ‘I didn’t tell my partner where the bra was from. He predicted it was low-end, because the expensive bras I buy tend to be more see-through and lacy. I was impressed with the quality compared to cost, but hated the excessive padding. It was actually a cup smaller than my usual size and fit once I readjusted my boobs to sit above the padding. If you don’t do that it leaves a gap.
'I probably wouldn’t wear a bra like this purely for my preference in lingerie, however you cannot go wrong with the cost. While the size looked a bit small - I don’t think it would fit a size 10 - I liked the appearance. It looked nice and is definitely good value money - even though the material around the crotch came too far forward.’
Her boyfriend says: ‘I can tell the bra is low-end because of the material, and the large amount of padding. From looking at her other bras, which I know she pays a lot of money for, they’re lacier, with no padding and more under-wiring. I’d say the bra is around £15 because they’re expensive aren’t they? It’s a nice bra, I’d say it was from somewhere like Ann Summers because it is so push-up. The briefs look like they’re from somewhere like La Senza and cost minimum £12.’
And when he found out it was Aldi? ‘I’m pretty impressed that it’s from Aldi. Yeah the bra doesn’t look high-end, but I wouldn’t think it cost as low as £3.99. I don’t know what it’d be like in terms of comfort and support for the woman, but aesthetically I’m pretty impressed!’
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