My Love of Microfiber

I'm really a freak about microfiber. I love it for many reasons, the biggest being that the right blend feels like butter against the skin. It's not scratchy like some lace, it moves with you (which makes it a perfect fabric for sleepwear, IMO) Whether it be summer or winter, Microfiber is as comfortable as you can get. VX Intimates have a few pajama sets I really like. At $54 a set, their microfiber is some of the softest I've ever felt.

Trust and Honoring your Young Daughters

Moms and Dad's, it's important that you take your daughters to get fitted for a bra when the "time comes". When you find yourself in this position as a parent, it's important to understand teaching your young lady the proper way to be fitted, how a bra should fit her and care of her bra. A bra is not just a piece of fabric that covers her breasts; it helps support her and helps her look better in her clothes for overall personal esteem. Buying a bra at a big box store without a fitting is in my opinion, a no no. 80% EIGHTY PERCENT of us wear the wrong size bra so it's important to get fitted. When you take your daughter to get fitted, please remember this IMPORTANT RULE: NEVER, EVER, under any circumstances allow your child (yes, she is still a child!) to be measured, touched, or in a dressing room alone with an adult-any adult. That includes ME. If you and your daughter come into my boutique, I will honor your daughter and her body and insist you sit outside the dressing room and watch EVERY thing I do, because I may have to touch her in places to explain to her how her bra should be fitting and we know how uncomfortable it can be for a stranger to touch us, sometimes in places we are not used to. If a young lady comes in here under the age of 18 and wants to be fitted I will REFUSE this request. This is one of the few times that I will say the customer is NOT right. Please be sure to accompany your daughters for their fittings, one for their personal safety, and the other, to gain some knowledge for yourself so you will be equipped with the skills to help her choose a bra that is right for her body in the future.

I am, therefore, I blog!

I had a wonderful new customer by the name of Kristy come in to do a little shopping. She was very friendly, and was on a mission: She needed intimates. I pointed her in the direction of her side of the boutique and she commenced to picking out sleepwear, intimates.....lets just say she made some great choices. While she browsed, we talked like girlfriends (not that stuffy sales lady stuff. I just can't do it!) about girl things...you know, the specifics are confidential. Anyway, she mentioned she liked my blog and I felt guilty. I hadn't blogged in a WHILE! No need to go back and check my last entry. It's been a few months, I'm ashamed to say. I told her I appreciated her reading my blog and apologized in the same breath for not keeping up with it. It's hard sometimes to keep up with a blog, twitter, two Face Books, a boutique, custom greeting card orders (yes, I still do those for a favorite client of mine) a husband and a household. I will be working on doing better. Stay tuned.

Every Woman Counts

I spent probably one of the best hours yesterday with a couple at the boutique. When they came in, I could tell the woman really didn't want to be in here, but that her husband had insisted they come in. You see, she was a large woman, and the defeat on her face was larger than any hat in Texas. She refused to ask me, but her husband did. "She won't ask, but I will. Do you carry anything in my wife's size?" I had already sized up his wife the minute they walked in the door and I immediately said to her "No, ma'am, I don't carry your size in stock, but I have a catalog and few websites we could sit and visit and see if there isn't something that might work for you." I pulled up a website for plus sized women. They carry sizes up to a 6X, and she said she thought she'd feel comfortable in that size. She didn't find anything on the site that she really liked, so she mentioned she liked long gowns. I pulled out my Shirley of Hollywood catalog and told her that they do have some styles in the catalog that would work for her because they went up to a 6X. By this time, she had let her guard down and she, her husband and I were all giggling about "keeping it spicy" and the importance of intimacy in a relationship. She picked out this beautiful full length sleeping gown and robe set in plum, and I gave her the price and told her she could always pay half down and pay the rest off with layaway. We were both disappointed to find that the item was currently out of stock in the size and color she needed (So yes, she's not the only one). I asked her if she liked wearing caftans, and she said she did, and I told her that I usually don't order them for anyone but that it's something that she could still be comfortable in and feel pretty until the items she wanted were available and I'd be happy to order some for her.She thanked me and said "yes", and I could tell that I had made a friend. Before she left, she asked me about a bra, and I knew I did not have her size nor would I be able to get her one in stock that would be affordable, but I did give her the information for a place that I knew she could order them and get them at a reasonable price. Before the hour was over, she and her husband thanked me for their kindness and my patience with them and for making them feel welcome. I told them the pleasure was all mine and I thanked THEM for taking the chance and walking through the door and that EVERYONE is welcome. THIS is why I do what I do.

Bra Happiness

If you don't know what Bra Happiness is, you obviously have never either 1)worn a bra or 2)know what a bra is. Bra Happiness happens when you find a bra that FINALLY fits you and is comfortable enough to wear all day. It also helps your clothes look better, keeps you from looking like you have boob spillage. I call it having four boobs (MAJOR Felony, Ladies) and smooths out that "back fat" and eliminates Walrus Wiggle (that extra spillage you get on the sides of your breasts that makes you look like you've got two loaves of bread under your armpits for a later-in-the-day snack). Don't think, however, that just because you are part of the IBTC (Ittie-Bittie-Tittie-Committee) that you are immune to your own set of problems- molded cups that fit but add nothing to your fabulous outfit and make you look flat, cups with so much padding that the bra rides up on its own, (or worse yet, starts to devour your blouse from the top (eep!) padding that just isn't in the bra right and is just plain uncomfortable. No matter your breast size, you've struggled with bra issues, and many of us settle with the notion that we will just have to muddle through whatever is out there for us to wear. I recently had a client visit the boutique and unlike a lot of women I have helped, she was an A cup, was lean and tall, and very fashionable. Her biggest struggle is finding a bra that fits her that also compliments the clothes she wears and her very chic style. She wanted a little padding, but the bra she was wearing when she came in (Big Box Store) in my opinion just was not constructed in a way that is flattering to her body (or any body, for that matter). I'm all for padding, but some companies created their padded bras to lay on top of the breast, when *I* think, it should LIFT the breast. In other words, padding on the bottom of the bra, with a "shelf" for the breast to sit on and be showcased at the top, creating the illusion of a larger breast,just something to make the blouse look like something special, you know? Well anyway, I got miss A cup in a bra, and she really liked it, and she told me later after wearing it all day that she actually "forgot" she had it on. That's what a bra should do, ladies. It should make you feel and look like a million bucks without you stressing if it's eating your shirt or showing off your back fat. A proper fitting bra not only gives you a nicely shaped breast, it also gives you a waist. A proper fitting bra gives you Bra Happiness. Have you had Bra Happiness lately? Share your story! I'd love to hear it!

Moving into the e-commerce arena

Well, not really. What I mean is I've been selling lingerie online for some time now. It's been on a very limited scale, but I'm proud nonetheless. The only problem was I was selling on Facebook with their little shop widget, then with Lish, and it was *alright* but the problem was that my customers who did not have a Facebook account were really being inconvenienced by having to email me their order, then me bill them...way too much work for people I want to become regular customers. Everyone has been really wonderful, and VERY patient, and I thank you for that. I have finally figured out how to migrate my shop over to my blog, so guess what? you will all get the opportunity to not only shop in the privacy of your own home, but stay and visit with me a bit as I learn more and more about lingerie, women, men, intimacy, and myself. The "boutique" tab will take you my online shop, and I'll be adding new items daily. Please bear with me as most of you know that when I say this business is mom and pop, it's really mom and pop! We pretty much do it all ourselves. So if any of you computer programmers cringe when you see my shop or my blog for that matter, just mumble "bless her heart" and check back often. I promise it can only get better. If you have any questions, please contact me! I'm available via email. aphroditescloset@hotmail.com Until next time!