My Personal Fitting with Rigby & Peller - #Chicandstylish #LINKUP

Hi there,

Hope all is well.

I'm getting really excited for the festivities ... are you?

Presents are all bought and wrapped and my shopping list has only a couple of items on that I need to get. Great feeling eh! 

I love the build up to Christmas, especially when I've got everything, it makes me feel smug and quite relaxed ... lol.  I've got a couple of Carol concerts to go to and have been out to eat at the kids, so not much cooking for me and quite a chilled week ... hooray.

On Saturday I'll be popping into town to grab a couple of bargains, have a little drink and go for dinner with whoever is around from the family.  We've always visited a particular restaurant which has, unfortunately closed since Covid.  We've been looking for a replacement and have got somewhere in mind that might be suitable, we like to have tapas so El Sol might be great substitution, I'll let you know how it goes and if it meets the criteria.

Do you recall I dropped a little teaser last week?  Well today I can spill the beans on where I went.

I was kindly invited to have a personal bra fitting with Rigby & Peller in my local boutique store.

I've been really impressed with how it went and what I found out.  Have a quick read about my experience and you can book your own via the link below,  I'd thoroughly recommend it!

This is a sponsored post and the items were gifted to me, however these are 100% my own honest comments.

So let's talk bra's, how often do you get fitted?  Come on hands up, who does it once a year?  Yes I'm embarrassed to say up until last week I've only ever had one!

I was lucky to be contacted by Rigby & Peller who invited me to have a personal fitting in my local boutique shop.  I didn't know what to expect and imagined it would be like my previous experience in a local store in a tiny changing room with an assistant with a tape measure!  However I was pleasantly surprised with the total opposite at my appointment in the Bluewater boutique.

It was lovely to be met with warm smiles and friendly welcomes by all the staff, who I must point out were the same to every customer who entered the shop.  My personal assistant Zoe made me feel at ease straight away and offered me a drink from a little selection of tea, coffee, soft drinks or fizz.  With no persuasion at all, I accepted a glass of prosecco.  How cheeky to have a glass of bubbly whilst having my fitting.  

Zoe explained the background of Rigby & Peller which I found very interesting, it's been around for a good many years and certainly has plenty of experience. 

You can read their history here:

Established over 80 years ago in 1939, Rigby & Peller was founded in London by two female corsetieres Bertha Rigby and Gita Peller.

In 1982, husband and wife retail duo Harold and June Kenton purchased the business.

It was during this time that Rigby & Peller evolved into one of the most talked about British brands, Having build a world-class lingerie destination, June was coined by the UK media as the 'Queen of Bras' due to her technique of fitting by eye and her reputation for dressing some of the most iconic women, from rock royalty to crowned heads.

Today Rigby & Peller is majority owned by luxury lingerie manufacturer Van de Velde.  The Belgian manufacturer counts PrimaDonna, Marie Jo and Andres Sarda amongst its collections.  Since the acquisition in 2011, the retailer has experienced international expansion throughout Europe and Asia.  There are now over 45 Rigby & Peller stores in prime locations.

We looked through the beautiful lingerie in the store and Zoe explained what would best suit me going on what my size was and why.  I'd spotted a couple of my usual 'go to' styles and she showed me some others that I wouldn't have usually gone for.  I explained my liking for wearing thongs and we agreed that this factor would make a difference in what I eventually picked.

Now it was time to get down to business.

I was shown into an elegant cubical which had mirrors, a little seat, table with flowers and a luxurious black satin robe.

Zoe asked me if I was comfortable to take off my top layers so she could learn the full shape of my boobs so she could establish what size to start with.  I had already filled out a form online sharing the size I wore and where I purchased my underwear from.  She immediately queried my sizing and suggested I was wearing the wrong size!  How amazing she could tell just by looking at me. I disclosed to her that I'd had 5 children and things don't look 'quite' the same after breast feeding them all!  😆

My admittance to five children and 7 grand-children shocked her & that made me feel marvellous, she certainly knew how to make someone feel good!

I was left alone while she fetched a couple of bras from the Prima Donna collection, the first was one she showed me that I wouldn't have given a second look to, but guess what, as soon as I put it on it felt literally amazing!  I've never put a bra on that felt so good.  I can only say that it didn't feel as if I was wearing one at all, that's how comfortable it was.  Zoe had also asked it I wanted her to put them on or would I prefer to do it alone ... hey having breast fed my five children I didn't have any qualms over her doing it - especially as she was the professional.  We tried several other bras, all of which felt equally as comfy on but all were different styles, wow having so much choice was good - it would all come down to the knickers.

Zoe, like all the other ladies was really easy to talk to and we chatted as she helped me into and adjusted the bras to fit correctly.

There's six steps to getting the perfect bra fit and to help you I've shared them below, but would urge you to have a personal fitting as it's such a wonderful experience.

1. Band

The band of your bra provides most of the support.  In fact, it does 80% of the heavy lifting!  If you have fuller breasts, you should pick a bra with a sturdy band.  Make sure the band:

• lies flat against the body.
• does not ride up
• does not pinch
• fits perfectly when fastened on the loosest hook

Raise your arms.  Does your bra stay put?  If so, the band is snug enough.  Does it ride up? Then try a smaller band size.

      2. Underwire

Make sure the underwire:

• lays flat against your ribcage
• cups your entire breast
• does not poke into your underarms

Press on the underwire.  Does it bounce back?  Then the cups are probably too small.

      3. Center gore

The center gore connects the two cups and should lie flat against your chest.  If it doesn't or if the ends of the underwire point away from the body, try a different bra style that better suits your frame or go up a cup size.

      4. Cups

The fit of the cups determines the comfort and look of your bra.  Make sure the cups:

• lie flat against your breasts
• do not pucker or pleat
• provide good support
• create a lovely rounded shape.

      5. Straps

Your bra straps only provide 10% of the support.  that's why tightening them won't create more lift.  All it does is make them dig into your shoulders, which isn't flattering at all.  It's also painful and can cause you to slouch over time.  A good rule of thumb:  You should be able to fit two fingers between the strap and your shoulder.

       6. Comfort

How does your bra make you feel?  Comfortable and confident?  If so, you're in the right size.  But a bra should do even more than that.  Make sure you're happy with the:

• fit
• fabric
• look

She also got me to try on a bra from Maria Jo called L'Aventure Tom and comes in 8 stunning options.  Zoe pointed out that the sweetheart neckline would flatter my shape and I could definitely see what she meant.  She made a note of Tom on my file as I would definitely like to get it in the future, the fit was also perfect, but I felt as it would be my 'usual' style it would be better to step out of my box & chose something different.

I'd made up my mind to get the Prima Donna Twist Epirus* which comes in four colours, I picked red as I've never had one before and thought it would be a great addition for Christmas. It has striking vintage lace and extra low cups making it a feasible option for so many of my dresses and jumpers, I'm going to love wearing this one.  ❤️

Feeling good in a matching set is top of my agenda, so the coordinating briefs are a must, I picked the thong*, but as we are all so different there's other choices available maybe you'd prefer the Epirus hot pant, full brief or Rio briefs.

My second choice was this silky tan Prima Donna Twist I Do*  it's such a different style for me and I felt sensational in it.  It has a deep band creating a smoother and more flattering finish, it's also a rather sexy style with lots of lace and a little bow in the middle making it a perfect choice to wow with just a jacket over the top!  It's also available in black and have that in mind for my next purchase. With two other colour-ways my wish list is getting longer and longer ... lol!   A matching thong* was my choice, but a full brief & Rio brief will complete the set.

                                                                                                                  

The black 'I Do' in black is firmly placed on my wish list ...

Finally I have to share the my specialist suggested  to hand wash my bras without using any softner, a big mistake I'd been making all my life.  It keeps the lingerie in tip top condition and will make it last as long as possible, she told me she has ladies returning with bras in excellent condition the following year!  Certainly makes the prices worthwhile if they last that long!

Just for fun.  Did you know wearing red under most colours deems it colourless - you won't see any outline of your bra - try it out!

I was thrilled to receive my new lingerie from Rigby & Peller, the fit is just amazing and have to admit I'm smitten with both my sets.  I've been converted to replace all my underwear when I can as it's not only sensational looking but feels divine too.
If you're contemplating a bra fitting I'd say go for it, you won't be disappointed!  You can click this link for Rigby & Peller appointments near you, why don't you treat yourself for Christmas, you know you want it!

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Time for a quick party before Christmas?  It's #Chicandstylish time.

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Catch you again on Monday for the last Style not Age of 2022 - we're all sparkly. ⭐

Bye for now. X