Influencer Karylle Banez bullied over racy Instagram snap

An influencer has been slammed for wearing “lingerie” to a restaurant — but the eatery claims the backlash is nothing but “bullying”.

A popular Adelaide cafe is under fire after sharing a “tacky” photo of an influencer dining at the eatery wearing a “skimpy bra”.

The furore started late last week after South Australian restaurant Fine and Fettle shared a Facebook post from food blogger and fashion influencer Karylle Banez who had dined there a few days earlier.

The picture shows the young woman surrounded by a number of dishes and was accompanied by the caption: “Love cafes getting onto the dinner scene! Fine and Fettle dinner tonight was next level. Don’t forget to tag & share your Fettle experiences!”

But instead of focusing on Ms Banez’s meal, social media users were quick to criticise her choice of outfit — a white lace bralette.

Many claimed it was an “inappropriate” option for a restaurant, with others saying the post was “tacky”.

“Look, I get you have the rights to advertise whatever the way you would like to, but honestly putting a beautiful girl wearing a bra? I can see she is beautiful sexy and attractive but what does this has to do with your marketing? What type of clients do you want for your business? What does it say about your business? By all the response, you got to understand that you kind of asked for it.....” one Facebook user posted.

“You just lost a weekly customer. Chicks in skimpy bras are tacky,” another wrote, while another said: “If you want your place to look classy then use a classy lady. You were obviously going for the ‘cheap’ look.”

However, many followers defended the restaurant and Ms Banez, arguing her outfit was “fashionable” and she had the right to wear whatever she chose.

“She’s a woman, she can wear whatever she wants, that’s her choice … moving on,” one Facebook user wrote, while another added: “Karylle wears fashion and this is fashionable at the moment — get with the program … Women can wear what they want.”

Fine and Fettle also hit back at the social media backlash, posting management were “shocked at the negative comments” and explaining it was “never our intention to offend”.

But the restaurant also slammed the “offensiveness from our community” and urged people to remember Ms Banez was “a real person, with real feelings”.

In a statement sent to news.com.au by Fine and Fettle management, the eatery defended Ms Banez and slammed the trolls who attacked her.

“Karylle is a long-time supporter of Fine and Fettle. She dined at Fine and Fettle on 26 April at our invitation to sample our new dinner menu,” the statement reads.

“The online bullying that Karylle has experienced as a result of her outfit is absolutely unacceptable.

“Fine and Fettle does not have a strict dress code. We do not discriminate against our customers.”

Ms Banez is an Adelaide-based food blogger and fashion influencer who boasts a 62,000-strong Instagram following.

According to The Advertiser, Ms Banez also made headlines last year after prominent Australian restaurant critic John Lethlean posted an Instagram review that included a message she allegedly sent to an Adelaide restaurant asking for cash payment and free food in exchange for photographing the meal and sharing the snap with her followers.

Fine and Fettle is a trendy cafe in the South Australian capital’s inner east that boats a “diverse menu curated by (owner and chef) Sam Worrall-Thompson” with offerings that “push the boundaries of breakfast and lunch staples”.

News.com.au approached Ms Banez for comment.

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