By HOLLY JACKSON
When you work in the lingerie industry, it’s easy to take high quality bras that fit perfectly for granted. We’re all surrounded by the latest and the greatest bra inventions, which means that we tend to forget what great lingerie can do for someone’s confidence and figure. My last two weeks have been full of discoveries regarding Prima Donna and Marie Jo – and how their bras can truly change someone’s outlook on lingerie permanently.
Two weeks ago, Van de Velde and the local Bra Genie boutique got together and graciously invited me out to see the Prima Donna and Marie Jo lines in the flesh. My clients who run lingerie boutiques have raved about these lines for years, but I’d never actually seen any in person. I’ll write more about my Bra Genie experience as a whole as part of another column, but it was thrilling to finally experience all of the luxurious details that Prima Donna is known for! I was deeply impressed with both the Madison and the Deauville models that I tried and completely captivated by the embroidery on the patine color Eternal that I saw a sample of. These bras combine supportive cuts with incredibly luxurious fabrics and tasteful crystal details that make them feel ready for a night at the opera, even though they work as regular t-shirt bras. However, as Ellen frequently points out, one person’s review isn’t indicative of a trend.
I ended up back at Bra Genie earlier this week, this time with a friend in tow who had never been professionally fitted. She’s in her late 40’s and is a petite 32E, which meant that she fit into a completely different range of bras than I did. She also knew nothing about lingerie. I sat in the fitting room as she rotated through a selection of bras from various brands, but something noticeably magical happened every time she was fitted into a Van de Velde bra – it was almost like she began to glow. She had no idea what brand any of the bras she tried were and had no idea what made a bra good or bad, but something about these bras stood out. Three Marie Jo bras later, she cheerfully dumped her old bra in the trash can and asked if she could keep the one she was wearing on. She walked out with better posture and a huge smile on her face – and as a newly born lingerie lover. I felt privileged to have seen the transformation that my boutique clients talked about in person and now understand the loyalty that many women feel for these two brands. After all, why mess with perfection?
