Bra Review: Gorsenia Margo K280 padded balconette, 30E/65E & OtherEden.co.uk Giveaway!

I’m excited to introduce another Polish lingerie brand in this post. I tried my first Gorsenia bra in the beginning of 2017, but it didn’t work out and I didn’t have the chance to try again at the time. So I was thrilled when OtherEden.co.uk offered to send me a set of my choice to review. Read to the end for a giveaway!

Spotlight on The Fitting Room & Bra Review: Freya Fearne Half Cup, 28G

Freya half cups were my first bras that truly fit and they will always hold a special place in my heart. When I saw previews of the Freya Fearne half cup for AW16, I fell in love with the print and the understated details. My love of this bra also serendipitously brought me in touch with Clare, owner of The Fitting Room, a lingerie boutique in Stevenage, UK.

Store Review: Bravissimo in Cheltenham, England

I’m currently in the UK, and while there is plenty of history and culture to take in, naturally I’m all about the full bust bra offerings. Top on the list of UK retailers for me is Bravissimo. Whenever I’m in the UK, I try my best to figure out a way to visit one of their stores. Yes, this is a brick and mortar store that sells a wide range of fuller bust brands, including their own house brand. Luckily I have been able to shop there about once or twice a year for the past few years. This week I returned to the Bravissimo store in Cheltenham for the second year in a row and thought it would be a good time to write up a store review regarding my experience there, which was an overall positive one.

Store Review: Helen of Troy Bras, Long Island, NY

It may surprise many people to learn that NY is not an endless treasure trove of amazing lingerie shopping destinations for fuller bust brands. There are a handful of lingerie stores in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and that is not a lot for a big city that is supposed to have everything. Once you get about 20 minutes outside of the “city”, options dwindle rapidly. Head east, and you’ll find yourself in another world entirely. Looking for bras on Long Island is especially disappointing because, despite some of the largest concentrations of malls and luxury shopping in America, there is a baffling paucity of lingerie retailers catering to non-matrix cup and band sizes.

I found out about Helen of Troy Bras when I was passing through NY on a visit about a year and a half ago. I should interject briefly here that Long Island’s privately owned boutiques are, well … hit or miss. Having already had terrible experiences elsewhere, I was hesitant to try a new shop. Helen of Troy Bras was a bit of a drive from where I was visiting. Would it be worth it?

Why this blog?

I used to hate bras. Lots of women that I knew and met also hated bras. Bra shopping devastated us. And our common bra hatred united us.

From the time I was a teenager, I can remember trying on bras for hours and hours until there were none left untried on the rack. I would leave the stores in tears. I was told by expert fitters after exhausting sessions with a tape measure and overflowing cups that they couldn’t help me. Friends remarked that it was strange that I couldn’t find a bra that fit me right. After all, they agreed, bras were meant to be uncomfortable.

So I settled on a poor fit, and even the bras I bought and convinced myself that I liked, I actually hated.