Wednesday 25 July 2012

Fitting Challenge: ID Lingeri



I would like to give my 2 cents on  ”fitting challenges” – I will let myself be fitted at the various lingerie stores around here, to see if it is indeed impossible to find a good fitter.
The first will be “ID lingeri”: A single store located in the center of Roskilde. The appeal is that they stock several brands, for example Marie Jo (up to EU I-cup/UK G-cup) and Fantasie (Up to UK K-cup/EU O-cup).
I didn’t go there as part of a fitting challenge, I went there a while ago to see if it was possible for me to not have to order all my bras online. So, I come in, wearing my 80H (EU 80K/UK 36H) Ewa Michalak, with a band so loose I can take it off my head, so I ask if they have any 75L’s (UK 34HH). The answer is “Umm, can I take a quick measurement of you?”. She measured me loosely to 90cm (~35.5”) over my clothes, which seems reasonable, as at the time I normally measured myself at about 85cm (~33.5). But she then says:
“You definitely need at least an 85band (38band)”
“Really? Because this 80band (36band) is pretty big on me, and I usually wear 75(34)”
“Well, they can differ a bit between brands…”
^Yes, true, so why didn’t she ask what brands I usually wear? Instead she gives me an 85F (UK 38E) from Marie Jo. So, 2 band sizes up from what I asked for, and 4 cup sizes down? Really?
I struggle a bit to get it on, because the cups are so darn small: I keep sliding out of them when trying to close the band. The fitter asks me if I am done, and I say I am struggling a bit, to which she say “Yes, I figured you probably needed a bigger band”. That’s not the issue, lady!
When she finally sees the result, she agrees that it’s definitely not a good fit (hardly covering my nips, so I’ll say I agree!) She then calls in the whole team to examine “the problem” (=my breasts), trying to estimate how wrong the size is (only the cup, mind you, no one ever looks in the band). In comes the heavy armory, the only H-cup (UK FF-cup) in store, I assume (seeing as they didn’t offer me any others, even though they had stated earlier that size could apparently differ up to 4 cups depending on brand). Still sporting the four-breasted look, it was clear to the whole team that it wouldn’t work. What was their verdict? “We could order a 95H (UK 42FF) for you. The cups will be bigger on that one” Uhmmmm, what? Yes, true, that would sister-size us up to the cup size I asked for in the first place, but surely they must realize I am not an 95band? They have seen me in both 80 and 85, and I’ve told them I would like a 75.
I ask if they could order bigger cup sizes too, seeing as they have Fantasie, who do have the size I asked for. They respond no, they only do up to H in their store.
At this point, I am not a happy bunny. In fact, I am on the verge of tears. Bra fitting means a lot to me, and to most it can be a pretty private and intimidating thing. These ladies made me feel like a fraud, by not listening to a single thing I said (literally ignored my requests to look at the band). They made me feel like a freak, by having the whole team fussing over me, and refusing to even order bigger cup-sizes (I can understand if it is a problem to order from a whole new brand, but they already stocked Fantasie!). And yes, they made me feel very fat, by refusing to even let me try something as “ridiculous” as a 75, and pretty much insisting that a bad fit, must be because my body is too large.
So, to sum up: Bad experience for the costumer, bad at checking fit and caring more to make a sale than to find the right size. 0/10 to ID Lingeri!  
If anyone would like to share fitting experiences like this, or unlike this one, please do! :)

(Next week: Biubiu review! I was away when the parcel arrived, so I haven't had a chance to look at it before today, and I leave again the day after tomorrow, so I have to be quick to snap pictures, take notes on fit, and return what I don't need, and then I'll write the review when I am back home next week)

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