Bosom Buddies (Bravissimo Underwear in general)

Member Name: ruth_cole

Product:	Bravissimo Underwear in general
Date:	05/10/04 (2480 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: gorgeous bras, good service

Disadvantages: price...

Bravissimo, the lingerie shop for the D-up brigade, makes the kind of underwear women with a little extra up top always wanted and never got. It’s long been held that if you’re over a D cup you must only want industrial strength breast-crushers and couldn’t possibly get away with the pretty, sexy, sheer frippery that the rest of the female world enjoy… until shops like this came along, anyway.

We all know, then, what Bravissimo stands for, and what it means to provide. So what about it as a company? Well, there are stages to the bra-buying process, so my op will proceed accordingly: fitting, products, prices, service and website.

Just so you know, I’ll be talking about the shops in general, with specific reference to my experiences in the West London branch.

FITTING:

Every woman worthy of the name knows that a good bra fitting is absolutely essential. Most have tagged along to some shop or other for a fitting and had some smiling woman squeeze her with a tape measure and announce that she is some size or other, and off she goes, never to be measured again. This is wrong. Just 10lbs of weight either way can have an enormous effect on the size you usually wear. It’s sometimes not practical to try on a bra, but I would recommend you at least get the advice of a sales assistant about how close to the standard measurements the bra actually is- stretchy materials and so on can make a 34D feel more like a 36E, and so on. So if you don’t try on, at least keep your fitting up to date, and check it once a year or so.

Bravissimo fittings do not use a tape measure. A kindly assistant (thank you Colleen of Ealing Broadway) takes you into a large, comfortable changing room equipped with a huge mirror, stool, and hooks for your clothes. You’re also provided with a T-shirt (for checking the shape a bra makes under clothes) and a satiny dressing gown for a cover up, in case you have to emerge for help. She will ask to see you in your normal bra, and evaluate whether the back and cup sizes are correct. If your bra is riding up your back, it’s too big, if it’s digging in, it’s too small. She’ll then choose one of the ranges of comfortable everyday bras for a general fitting, or a specific type of bra if that’s what you’re after, and bring each one in the range of sizes she thinks you could be and you can try them on.

In my case, she was spot on straight away. (Only on dooyoo would I have to reveal this kind of information about myself!). I’d lost a fair amount of weight, and had guessed that I was about a 38D… No, no, no, says Colleen, you’re a 36DD. And bless her, I was. She asked me about the different kinds of bra I might want. I needed a new sports bra as well, and she brought me the two most popular ones, in different colours, and correctly predicted that as one tended towards tight backs and large cups, I’d be a different size.

Colleen stayed in the cubicle as I was changing, and although she was the tiniest of women (except, of course, where Bravissimo counts) and I’m not, I never for a moment felt self-conscious, which is somewhat unusual for me. But the friendliness of the staff and the fact that they have excellent training, product knowledge and a professional attitude meant that I felt like I was in a changing room with a cross between my best friend and a teacher. On one occasion, the wide back of the sports bra meant she helped me to do it up, and that didn’t feel awkward, as well it might. But don’t worry if you’re thinking “over my dead body is some woman going to watch me strip”. Had I asked her to, I am certain she would have stepped out or turned around (and she wasn’t watching me, anyway!) while I changed. They do have to see you in the bra to assess the fit.

This is a wonderful way of doing things. I’ve been measured the old fashioned way twice in Marks and Spencer, on one occasion the same morning Colleen measured me… The woman in Marks proclaimed me a 42D, even though I was wearing a 38 back that rode up and even though when I tried on the size she recommended it was so enormous I might as well not have been wearing a bra.

By the way, do remember that going up or down a back size also means adjusting the cup- the cup of a 34D is not the same as that of a 36D (you might need a C).


PRODUCTS:

The Ealing branch has recently expanded so that the mid-size ground floor is heaving with bras, and the huge basement heaving with breasts… in the many, many changing rooms (at least twenty) and lovely comfy waiting area, complete with stacks of magazines to read while you’re waiting for your fitting, or for someone to search through the stock room for you. Most of the products I have listed below do now or have previously appeared in this branch- turnover of products is fairly swift, so I can’t guarantee that the complete range will be available in that branch. However, it is well stocked, so you should find at least one section on each type of products. The layout is clear, neat and roomy, with not all sizes displayed to keep clutter to a minimum, so do ask at the counter.

Bravissimo products have recently become even better. There is a sound range of black/white/flesh coloured everyday sets and sports bras, which on the whole cover from 30-38 in a D-G cup (some ranges are slightly more restrictive, others are planning to extend even further). This is good, functional wear, and if you take to Bravissimo as you should, you’ll have a few of these making up the basics of your wardrobe.

The stars of the show, however, are the pretty, luxury sets. Coming in every colour imaginable, the bras are beautifully constructed with full underwiring for absolute support, but still using all kinds of fabrics and materials: sheer, lightweight, satiny, lacy or silky, which are usually overlooked for more supportive ranges. All these bras are part of a matched set, often with more than one kind of underwear, from thongs to shorts. Since Bravissimo don’t make their own bras but track down the best designs, many brands are represented, from Freya to Fantasie, and this season a new range of “younger” designs, with brighter colours and patterns was launched. My last extravagance (in a fit of post-tutoring spending glee) was a wonderfully stripy bra from the new range. Going into my local shop and seeing the shelves heaving with pretty lilacs, cool blues, sexy reds and girly flowers is so much fun after years of trying to find my size and coming up with the kind of thing my grandmother might wear (not that my grandmother isn’t funky- she got a Matthew Williamson jumper the other day!).

Bravissimo also stocks a decent range of swimwear, from basic black all-in-ones to bold print halter neck bikinis. These are generally mix and match sizes, all with good support, of course, and some with matching accessories. They include brands such as Footprints, and I got my summer tankini from one of the ranges.

Something Bravissimo prides itself on is its range of vest and halter tops. The vest tops with built in bras are a revelation. They look a little bizarre when you see them on the hanger; they are sort of square in shape, but once on the fit is incredible. They come in a variety of colours, including black, white, brown, lilac, orange and so on, including, recently, some striped versions. You simply choose your normal bra size, and put it on, doing up the back inside. The straps are slim and adjustable, and once on the bra is completely invisible with no lumpiness or second set of bra straps. Since it’s a one-size-fits-all arrangement, being an average size 16 I was a little worried about the stretchiness of the top, but I needn’t have been. The fit was designed to be a little loose, fitted slightly at the waist and flared at the hips. Obviously you should try it on, but using the back size as a guideline, the sizing is pretty spot on. The halter tops are a newer addition, so come in fewer colours for now, but the range is constantly expanding with details of new lines to be found on the website or in the catalogue.
Bravissimo have just produced their first properly tailored women's shirt for the amply bosomed, available in dress sizes 8 - 16 and in bust sizes "curvy", "really curvy" and "super curvy" (I'm a 16 and 36 DD, ergo, apparently, "really curvy", just to give you an idea! I'm not complaining, mind...!). This should eliminate the horrible gaping button syndrome, whilst retaining a very feminine, sexy shape.

The shirts are reasonably long in the body and fitted so that if you tend towards hourglass they nip in beautifully at the waist and accommodate hips as well as bust. They are expensive at £39.99 but are available in a range of colours... I have a black and a white and they've both kept shape and quality beautifully.
These have been joined on the rails recently by fitted sleeveless tops (again, with a fairly long length through the body) and even tailored suit jackets and trousers. The range is forever under expansion... anything I write here will probably need updating within the month...

There is also a range of basques, bustiers and wedding lingerie, all of which the staff at the shop will help you wade through. Most of it looks extremely sleek and pretty…


PRICES:

Ah, the sad moment when you look at the price tag. Prices in Bravissimo are varied, but at the top end of the high street. Bras range from around £15 - £35, the average being around £20, which is a lot for a bra, although I must say that quality is such that, as long as you stay the same size, the bra will stay with you. Buying a set can be an expensive venture, with the knickers costing between £8 - £25… however nice a pair of cute little shorts is, it is a luxury buy, and it’s probably best to either save up and treat yourself, or put a shopping spree at Bravissimo on a presents wish list.

The number of men I saw in there near Valentine’s Day looking smug…



SERVICE:

Well, so far I’ve had nothing but good things to say about the staff: polite, helpful, well informed and and professional. So now I’m going to… carry on saying good things about them, and about the business as a whole.

To illustrate Bravissimo’s attitude to customer care:

A friend of mine who is a 42-something had asked Bravissimo about larger back sizes, and had been told there were no plans to introduce any. I emailed Bravissimo through their website for more information and within 2 days had received a long, personalised email, explaining that the company mission was more about finding bras for women who might be outside the normal ranges, including those for larger women, e.g. a 30D, or something. It also suggested that my friend get herself fitted to be sure, as many women overestimated their back size. Finally it gave three internet sites that carried bras in larger back sizes and details of these are kept behind the counter at individual branches if you ask. Although I was disappointed at the company policy, I was so impressed that I’d been treated with such courtesy. My email was swiftly acknowledged, and I was dealt with as a person with a legitimate query who deserved a properly couched and detailed answer, and I was not fobbed off with a half-baked, short “company policy” mailshot.

Service in the shops is no less courteous, and the whole experience feels luxurious right to the end. You are not hounded in the shop, but an assistant is on hand if you need one. If you decide to buy your purchases are wrapped in crisp white tissue, sealed with a logo sticker and put in a proper stiff bag with string handles, the turquoise-and-cream of which you are proud to have swinging from your fingertips. The receipt is neatly stapled into a little booklet explaining your consumer rights and slipped in the bag, and if you want to you can be put on the mailing list for their catalogue.


WEBSITE:


I’ve included this as an idea of what you might expect if there’s no shop in your area (see areas below), but for a full account see the ops in the relevant category.

www.bravissimo.com is an attractive, well-organised pink website with the full catalogue appearing on it. When you order something it appears in a new window so that going back to the catalogue is easy, and there are always links to matching items- although if you have popups disabled, this may interfere with the system. Often the items are pictured in different colours to make buying decisions easier. Navigating is child’s play, and there is plenty of opportunity to read up on company policy as well as clear contact details and requests for customer feedback, which, judging by their responses (the halter necks are a direct result of customer request) are taken seriously.

If you do sign up for a catalogue, either through the website, while shopping, or by calling 0700 244 2727 (as they point out, this is 0700 BIG BRAS!!), you’ll get a slim, glossy catalogue promptly through the post each season, with all the relevant information.


Stores are located in:

WEST LONDON
020 8579 6866

MANCHESTER
0161 839 7050

WEST MIDLANDS
0121 711 3299

LEEDS
0113 247 1259

OXFORD
01865 790 023

CUSTOMER SERVICES: 01926 459 859

(Full contact details can be obtained from the website, by picking up a “where you can find us” card in your local one or by calling those numbers, it seems unnecessary to repeat them here).


So, to sum up, this is a great shop. I’ve thought about docking a star for the expense and the relative difficulty of finding a store in your area, but decided the good factors meant I couldn’t give this shop less than an “excellent”. Besides this, these are factors I expect to improve, if the popularity of the chain is anything to go by.

NOTE: Having never returned anything to Bravissimo, I have to assume after-sales service is as good as sales service. I will update this as and when I have experienced it!

So happy bra shopping, treat them to something comfortable to hang around in (or treat your girlfriends, you know they deserve it and it’s really a present for you too…)

Thanks

Alex
xxx

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