Not sure what your bra shopping experiences have been like. Maybe you had a slew of supportive female Aunties who brought you bra shopping at age 13 to the perfect little bra shop where they measured your growth inch by inch, hand crafted you the most supportive and comfy brassiere, and then showered you with red velvet cupcakes til you exploded into a fluffy glitter princess of menstruative femaleness. Or maybe you were like us, and you tiptoed into Victoria’s Secret when your boobs were a bit too big to go commando, and bought whatever fit in a 34B (cuz that’s what everyone else wore, right?) and ran out covering your eyes. The GirlieGirl Army crew runs the gamut from full on itty bitty titty committee members to gals with more silicone behind their pecs than we thought imaginable, and of course we love our boob-less masses of men folk too. For those who care, or struggle with the search for a truly sensible over the shoulder boulder holder; our Chloe weighs in on her recent breasttastic experience here;

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I have been the Queen of free balling it - fed up with uncomfortable bras and unknowledgeable saleswomen just looking to make a phat commission at Vicky’s Secret, too cheap/ practical for Agent Provocateur or Kiki De Montparnasse, and too busy to troll for other options. It’s always felt just fine to go braless, but since I’ve hit 30, I worry about my currently very high bounty of boob soon becoming ankle weights. After a week in a particularly see-through sundress and feeling a bit too overexposed, I finally put the call out to my VIP glam squad for an underpinning Fairy Godmomma.

It read something like this;

“Have you gals been to one of those places where they fit you perfectly for a bra and find the best one for you, or is it all hype? I haven’t had a great bra since ‘Nam. Someone please recommend your favorite bra or bra shop… I know Trashy Lingerie isn’t the place for a comfy everyday jam.”

An angel in the form of Deidre responded thusly;

“The (chain) shop Intimacy was featured on Oprah. I have yet to make the trip there but a friend made an appointment and was hooked from there.”

Boy was she right! I took my tuchus there today (with the poor GirlieGirl Husband in tow with nothing but a blackberry to amuse him) and I got a TOTAL boob make over; from nip to pec.

Intimacy is a small national chain of Lingerie boutiques (NYC, Atl, Miami, Boston, Chicago, etc) that practice “a proprietary holistic method of fitting that is focused on more than just the right size-we teach women how to wear a bra, how to eliminate back fat, how to wear and care for a bra to “double the life” of a bra, but most importantly, we select the right styles and the right fit to provide comfort, improved shape and overall body appearance and the types of bras for every wardrobe need.” They also carry sizes from 26A to 44J (Hello Dolly!), and they are convinced that the right bra can change your life.

I’m not sure I crave sweets any less or more than I did pre-fitting. But I can tell you my taytas are plum overjoyed. Little did I know, I am in fact a 32D, not a 34B! Little did I know, I was wearing entirely the wrong bras (when I did wear them). My adorable “Bra Fit Stylist” (aka Fairy Godmother) Heather Comeaux (at the New York Madison Avenue location) was a doll. She immediately had me strip down, sized me up, and brought in the perfect bras for me. It was that simple. No freaking out going through piles of department store crappily made bras. No over zealous sales women trying to sell me the new diamond vagina apex assless bra chaps. No $300 swatches of mesh. Just really GOOD solidly constructed bras. Of course they carry really sexy undergear as well, but I was all business this time around. I was looking for a bra so comfy, I barely knew it was there - not one that would place my moneymakers up under my ears.

From a feminist perspective, I still don’t want to be bound to my bras. I’ll wear them when I want a bit of extra support (PMS, anyone?) or a bit of protection from leering construction workers. The main thing is, it’s so good to know Heather and Intimacy exists. Now I know I can pop in anytime to upgrade my “tee shirt” bras to sex kitten wear, and not feel any stress about the experience. It’s really a luxurious easy process. I ended up buying two bras that made me sigh a breath of relief; true support, no digging, and knowing I will actually want to put one of them on tomorrow. A downside? The bras are incredibly well made, mostly from Europe, and not cheap. You’ll be hard pressed to find a bra at Intimacy under $75; mine cost $120 each (including the one below, though not in pink), and I definitely had to weed out a couple of $250 jammies. At the same time, a Victoria’s Secret bra that will not fit well will cost you $50. You’ll go through them like water. Why not have a couple expensive ones that truly feel blissful? Your back, rack, and 80 year old body will be thanking you in the long run.

The Ines Bra by Marie Jo courtesy of Intimacy

Intimacy claims after a fitting;

“You’ll look terrific in clothes because breasts are lifted and centered within your body frame. This improves your figure by making you look taller and thinner. There will be no show-through in front bustline (no nipples) or on your back from band digging into your back tissue. You won’t be struggling to adjust the bra on your body all day long, and you’ll feel comfortable! Every bra you purchase will be wearable. So instead of owning 12 bras (and only wearing the one “comfortable” one) all of your bras will be comfortable. That means the bras you own will last longer because you won’t overwear some and not wear others, and that saves you money in the long run. The Result: With a properly fitted bra, you can feel comfortable all the time, look your best, and know that your bra investment is worthwhile.”

I am totally buying the hype. I love the before and after bad/ good bra pix here, cuz now I totally feel like an after! All I can say is, what took us so long to find out about this place?

Get thee to an Intimacy. Report back. xo