Why we ask you to make an appointment for your Bra~vo Experience:

Where to go for a good fitting bra?

Where do most people go for new lingerie? The mall or department stores may no longer be the place we want to be shopping. Large stores run by even larger companies have been hit by low footfall in this pandemic. We don’t want to be cajoled into the wrong fit by a pushy salesperson that just wants to get the fitting room free for the next customer to try on a pajama. That’s not the environment that makes you want to spend hard earned money in or feel like you’re getting treated as a beloved customer. The faceless, do-it-yourself shopping experience is becoming a turn off to consumers globally.

We’re savvy enough to know what we want; we just need some help in getting it. Further to that, we want a positive shopping experience and preferably with someone who knows what they’re talking about: someone with expertise or passion in the field and this new outlook has led to a surge in shopping locally or with independent brands, especially women-led businesses.

The thing is that the retail world is not necessarily designed with women’s bodies in mind. Most of the time if a man goes into a shop to buy a shirt and it’s done by collar size, a 15” collar will fit him here, or the UK or France. If a woman tries to buy a 34DDD in the US, it’ll be a 34F in the UK and possibly a G in France. 

We’ve all been there, in a store, getting frustrated as the size we picked up isn’t flattering or fitting, trying to decipher what the alternatives could be, becoming more irritated and upset as the fitting room fills up with things that just aren’t working for us.

Not all of us are lucky enough to have started out in the right sized bra from the beginning. But our hope at Bra~vo Intimates is that we can help free women from ill-fitting bras and slowly transform how women feel about being in the right size and shape bra for them.

Bra fittings, but not as you know them

Maybe you’ve seen us on social media or online. Perhaps you’ve heard about us from a girlfriend who has visited. Maybe you’ve driven past our store on Woodward Avenue and thought to yourself, whilst adjusting the uncomfortable underwire that keeps digging into you in the front or side of your bust. “I really must get a new bra. I should pop into Bra~vo Intimates…”

We’d love to see you, we really would. We know that bra is giving you all sorts of issues and we want to fix them! But we’re going to have to ask a favor first… please book an appointment with us.

The reason we ask is because it breaks our heart every time a customer comes in and thinks we’re just your regular, run of the mill, pick-up-the-size-you’ve-always-worn bra shop. We’re not. At Bra~vo Intimates we want you to walk in through our front doors and truly have the Bra~vo Experience; a service by expertly trained ladies with 25+ years of fitting know-how. And when we say service, we mean it. More on that in a second.

We are not your typical store

We are not a typical hang and sell environment that you would see in a mall or department store. 95% of our stock (over 200 sizes and 150+ styles) is behind closed doors. We are not set up for clients to shop around, but instead showcase a few styles to whet your appetite. We decided to take the confusion out of the sizing of bras for our customers because we know how often ladies are wrongly fitted and stick to those sizes that do not fit them.

What we offer at Bra~vo Intimates is an experience because we make the magic happen. The service is in the fact that we do all the leg work for you. Our fitters bring you all the right bras for your requirements, size and shape of bust. All you have to do is tell us if you feel comfortable, whether you like it and what colors you might need. Through this process we eliminate all the frustration and confusion you would have shopping alone, creating an experience that leaves you feeling confident and comfortable.

What’s it like to be properly fitted?

We begin with the measuring tape but please note that’s just the starting point. A measuring tape ultimately has no flexibility in it to tell us if your bust is wide set or close together, whether you have a difference in size from one breast to another (the average is a cup size difference and it’s completely normal) or if your ribs are slightly flatter or rounder; all things that can vastly affect your bra size.

This is not something that a hang-sell environment caters to either and this is where our expertise plus hundreds of hours training comes into effect.

In the Bra~vo Fitting room

Our appointments are 45 minutes long to ensure you don’t feel rushed into a decision and we will tell you if we think we can do better in terms of the fit. We fit your shape first, then we work with you to understand what styles you like to wear and what is needed for your wardrobe. We can often try on 10 – 15 bras to ensure you walk away with exactly what you need.

Part of this time is also used to educate you in how to get the absolute best out of your bra, to ensure you get the most amount of wear as possible from your garment. We educate you on how to put it on correctly (yes, there’s a right and wrong way!) and why, and how to wash it correctly and why.

We make sure to leave you to it in the comfort of the fitting room so you can put it on properly – unfortunately, we don’t come along with the bras to put you in them every morning (and yes, it’s something fitters do get asked!) and double check everything has been adjusted into the bra correctly.

Then we let you know that anything you don’t want, simply leave in the fitting room. Anything you do want, just bring up to the front, ensuring a complete service. More often than not, our ladies want to wear a new bra out of the store and we’re more than happy to do that for you. It’s such a joy to see our ladies walking out as new women, looking great with better posture, body confidence and ready to take on the world.

“It’s not an exact science, it’s an art.”

We say this a LOT because it’s true. If all sizes were created equal across the board and there were no differences in US or European brands, you would still find major differences in fit thanks to styles, colors and most importantly because no two people are shaped the exact same way.

The average lady will walk in wearing a 38DD, walk out wearing a 36JJ and sometimes is completely shocked by the new size. Please don’t be – remember that a letter or number is not a measure of your fabulousness, but simply a starting point for a garment that can make you look and feel better.

Your underwear is the foundation for your clothes

A good foundation is needed so everything else fits correctly. Wondered why your shirts always gape? It’s usually the bra you’re wearing, sending you east-west. Correct this with a style that lifts and brings you forward. Wondered why your bust can look like a shelf? The bra is creating one long monoboob. It’s not flattering and can often make you look like you’ve lost shape and sharpness in the waistline. A good fitting bra lifts and separates your bust to give you clear definition between bust, waist and hip making clothes fit better.

It’s not a luxury, but a vital part of your wardrobe - as essential as a well-cut suit, a little black dress or workout wear. How can you feel comfortable and confident to go about your day if you’re always having to adjust your bra every two minutes? You wouldn’t put your little ones in poorly fitting shoes, why treat yourself with any less love? Start seeing good lingerie as investing yourself and part of your self-care package.

Buy cheap, buy twice

The bras we stock are quality made products with superior grade fabrics and components. Did you know, in some bras like the Panache range we carry there can be up to 30 components compared to less than half of that in cheaper, mass produced styles in supermarkets?

This means that you’re more likely to enjoy wearing for longer and less replacements. The average life of a bra is approximately six to twelve months depending on care, the quantity you have in rotation, the number of uses and the support it must give.

If you pick up a bra from the store that is $25 for example, wash and wear it daily until it decides to warp or stick you in the chest with a wire two months later, you’re getting a cost per wear (CPW) of $0.41. Over the year it’ll cost you $150. Buy a quality bra that lasts you the full year at approximately $70 and your CPW is down to $0.19.

Shopping this way is also the simplest way to shop sustainably: by investing in key, quality pieces that are treated with care and do the exact job they are meant to – make you look great and feel great too.

A weight lifted off your shoulders

Lots of ladies who come to us after a lifetime of wearing ill fitting bras often have divots in their shoulders from wearing bras that took the weight of their bust on to them. If your bust has dropped onto your middle and looks terrible, it’s most likely wrong.

Once in the right bra size (because the support of your bust comes from the band around you and not the straps) we are so happy to see the literal and figurative weight lifted off their shoulders, standing tall and proud. It’s these ladies and many others we fit that say you don’t know the value of it until you get fitted.

The proper time and attention

And that’s why we would love to give you the proper time and attention with a booked appointment. Nevertheless, we understand that all too often, life gets in the way so we do accept walk-ins, but please be aware that you may be subject to a wait as these are slotted in between appointments and we won’t be able to give you the full service if a customer is due in shortly for their booked time, so availability is limited.

We will always endeavor to have you leave our store looking and feeling fabulous, but it would do you a disservice to simply say walk in and browse alone. We’re not the hang sell environment that leaves you to try and find something that fits by yourself.

That’s why we ask you to make an appointment. Trust the national bra fitting experts with over 25 years of knowledge and bra fitting expertise to put you in the right bra.

Book your appointment with us now here or call the store on 248-582-7286.

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