Friends, Fittings, & Flirty Bras

There are lingerie boutiques, department stores, online store fronts, and eBay. With so many places to shop for lingerie, why are so many of my friends still telling me that bra shopping can be intimidating? The answer lies in the store itself and customer service.

Over the weekend, I took a friend of mine lingerie shopping after I discovered that she had creases on her bra band and it kept riding up her back. Know what was wrong? That's right, the band was too big and her cup was too small.

Like me, she went into a very pink lingerie store looking for sexy bras and returned home with ill fit, matronly bras. Poor customer service by a sales rep told her, "We can only help you with what you have." She left so traumatized that she hadn't stepped inside a lingerie store since.

I made it my personal mission to help her find some sassy lingerie that made her feel luxurious and confident. Equally important, it had to be in her correct bra size! What was her bra size? The pink store measured her at a 36B. My guess was that she was probably a 32C or 32D.

So off we went to find her a flirty, fashionable, well fit bra.

Since I always like to visit boutiques while traveling, I planned for us to visit a local lingerie boutique first and Nordstrom later--in case we didn't find anything. Usually, I like to visit boutiques because they have highly specialized fitters and exquisite selections of lingerie. If you aren't used to boutique shopping, sometimes going into a high end lingerie store can be intimidating. Here is a good way to tell if you're getting quality service and if the store associates know how to measure.

QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

1. Do you feel like the sales person has more important things to do?
2. Do you have to repeatedly ask to get fitted or for a specific bra?
3. Are the sales people too busy drinking champagne or chatting to offer advice?
4. Do you ask for a fitting and they send over the one sales person who has the least experience with measuring?
5. Are you fitted for one size (ie. 32D) and the sales person brings you another size (like a 36C) because that is all that is available?
6. Does the fitter tell you it looks good when there are creases on the band or are gaping cups?

If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, then you are not with a good fitter. Ask to have another person at the store fit you or leave and go to another store. Just because someone has a beautiful store with high priced lingerie doesn't mean that they know how to fit. Use your common sense, you can tell if someone is just trying to sell you lingerie because they want to make a sale or if they're genuinely trying to help you have a positive experience.

As it turned out, my friend ended up trying on around 30 bras thanks to Sonja, a fabulous sales associate at Nordstrom. She wound up with some Calvin Klein bras in 32D that look stunning on her!

The bras that she bought are featured on this post. The Calvin Klein Perfect Fit T-Shirt bra in black is $38 (above left). The 365 Microfiber Stretch Convertible Contour Bra, also by Calvin Klein, is on sale at figleaves.com for $25.20 (above right). Comfortable and beautiful, the Francesca All Over Lace 3/4 Demi Bra by Le Mystere looked gorgeous on my friend and is $75 (left).

BRA TIP

I told my friend, and I'll tell you, when getting fit for a bra, try on several types. Write down the brands, styles, and size that work best for you. Everyone is shaped differently and various designers and styles will work better than others, based upon your body type. This takes a little bit of time, but it's worth it!

Now my friend has some sexy bras to celebrate passing her bar exam! Here is a big "cheers" to her "Celebrating Her Inner Eve!" You can too if you take a little time and find a good fitter!