September 20, 2010

SKYE BLUE

Among the many fabulous stores I visited while I was on the other side of the pond, was a lingerie shop called Bravissimo. And ladies, after visiting the store, I can attest to the veracity of the claim they make on their website, which reads:

Bravissimo is a company that provides a wide choice of lingerie and swimwear in D-KK cup, as well as clothing designed especially for big boobed women so that they can celebrate their curves and feel good about themselves!

Trust me girls, no truer words have ever been spoken.

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Prior to leaving for vacation I’d been told by an acquaintance, a fellow member of the epic boob set (whose puppies always looked amazing I might add), that I should look into two brands of bras in particular – namely Freya and Masquerade – while I was away. She explained that once I’d been sized in a shop, I could easily order them on e-bay for $30.00 (that’s Canadian folks) a hit. This got me real excited. You see here in Canada, retailers often tell women that because we’re such a small market, they are unable to get the volume discounts that their U.S./European counterparts do. As a result the prices for almost everything worth buying are much higher than you’d find anywhere else – except maybe Australia, where they have to import everything and the higher price points (which I admit are a cruel reality) actually make sense. So, when it comes to getting high quality bras that fit and support my girls, and also look good, the price generally ranges from $50.00 (if you catch a sale) to as much as $150.00. It’s like they’re punishing women for having big guns. Therefore, the idea of having unlimited access to an inexpensive supply of awesome puppy holders had me stoked.

So about a week after I arrived in London, Elizabeth Rose, trotted me down to Covent Garden, in the heart of the city, to the Bravissimo shop there. Once we arrived we headed downstairs to the fitting room and our names were taken. Moments later my name was called by Vanessa, one of the lovely customer service assistants.  I was little sceptical when I noticed how young she was (I’d always been fitted by women with over 20 years of experience in the biz. So I didn’t think a Gen Yer could pull it off). But, Vanessa soon showed me and my girls that she knew her stuff when it came to bras.

Once we were in the change room together, Vanessa explained to me that Bravissimo did not use tape measures to size women as every woman and brand of bra was different. Next she asked me my size (or at least what I thought it was) and then told me to turn so my back was to her. She then instructed me to lift my shirt so she could see the back of my bra strap. After pulling it a few times she seemed satisfied with her work, at which point she announced “I’ll be right back with a few selections I think will work for you.” As she went through the change room door, she pointed to a well worn catalogue on the stool beside me, she added “In the meantime, pick out some styles you like yourself.”

By the time Vanessa came back with the first two bras for me to try on, I had picked out 10 more from the catalogue – they were so many gorgeous styles. But before Vanessa hustled back upstairs to get the bras I wanted, she helped me try on the ones she’d brought down. The two bras she’d picked out for me, based only on my best guess about my size and the pulling of my bra strap, fit perfectly. And speaking of perfect fits, Vanessa taught me many things that day, like:

• When you are wearing a bra that fits properly the boning in between the cups should lay flat against your breast bone (who knew?).
• A proper fitting bra will not have any boob bulging out at the top and your boobs will not seep out of the bottom when you raise your arms. (Sadly, I have to admit I’ve experienced a little seepage upon raising my arms in my time.)
• The size of your bra will change depending on the cut. Your full cup size will always be smaller – generally one size down – than the size you need when you are wearing a bra with a deep plunge/demi-cup (yet another revelation).

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I tried on over a dozen bras that day, while Vanessa stood by to give me her shrewd advice and honest opinion about every single one. At least eight of them were great and I would’ve had a really tough time deciding which ones to take if it wasn’t for my girl Vanessa. After picking out the four best bras in the bunch and paying a mere £112 (Ladies, please note that in Canadian dollars that is ONLY $179.04. I’m sure I would have paid more than double that here in Toronto.) I skipped happily out of the store.

Now, here’s the real good part girls. That night I was heading out to meet The Single Filez for dinner and I decided to wear one of my new bras.  I’m not sure if knowing I had a better fitting bra on made me walk taller or hold my shoulders back more, but I was out of the house for only five minutes (at best) mincing my way to the tube, when I turned a corner and came face to face with a rather tall, gangly and mop-haired brunette man-child. We both said excuse me and as we side stepped around each other, he boldly eyed my girls and said…

“Better min’ that Miss. Careful you don’t tip over.”

Shocked and a bit embarrassed I darted down the sidewalk away from him. But a few moments later when I knew I was at a safe distance, his comment replaying in my mind, I realized something. It slowly dawned on me that my new bras were going to be a hit –  a very big one at that.

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Bless you Vanessa and Thank God for Bravissimo!

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