Hello!
We have been reading though some recent comments we have noticed online. One thing we know for sure is that not every shop is going to be perfect for everyone, and we are no exception. We can not please everyone. We do try though!
We always strive to learn and to grow, and to address concerns. One of the biggest challenges for any business is not being able to fix what we don’t know about. So, with that, we want to talk about 3 very different situations. The first being if we can do a fitting during various stages of pregnancy or monthly cycles. The second is how we may fit our younger growing clients, and what to expect from a fitting with our tween clients, and lastly, what can you do if you just do not love the bra you took home.
So, let’s get into it!
Everybody is different! Some clients get a significant change in cup size during their cycle, some do not see a change at all. This is why when we begin your fitting, we will ask various questions such as if you are on your cycle or close to it. If we are aware, and you are expecting we may also ask questions regarding this as well. We want to make sure your garment is going to do the job it is meant to do, for as long as possible. If your cup size swells a full cup size larger than you normally wear, and we fit you in a perfect bra during your cycle, this will become problematic for you in a week or 2. Imagine you get your fitting in our shop and you absolutely love you new bra, spending your hard-earned dollars on a great fit and style. Two weeks later your cup is no longer full, and your band is sliding on you. Naturally this is going to be extremely frustrating and will make you feel like you have been misfit. This potential mishap makes getting a fitting during your cycle not an ideal time. That doesn’t mean it can not be done. It does mean your options may be limited. For example, if you are a Marlies Dekkers fan, like me, you know the cups are a molded, structured cup that does not account for a lot of wiggle room. If we fit you during your cycle and you do tend to swell a bit, you can bet that cup is not going to be as perfect once your cycle has finished. A better option might be something like the Chantelle – Norah that has a soft cup that can grow and shrink a bit. Optimally doing the fitting a week after your cycle is the best time, because we can account for a bit of flexibility in the cup. As far as that goes in something structured and molded, if you are fit outside of your cycle then a bit of swelling won’t be so problematic.
It is similar for pregnancy/maternity fittings. There can be a lot of variables. How far along you are, if you have had previously pregnancies and how much you may have changed with them. If you are breastfeeding may factor in as well. We will try and find something that is going to be adaptable for you, and we may recommend coming back for a nursing bra when a few weeks after the birth. The reason for this is because we want you to be happy and confident in your garment, as well as comfortable. If you are looking for a bra to grow with you, we may be able to show you some options that may work, but the risk is that with so many variables, we can’t guarantee it. As our policy states items are exchange only in new condition, with tags on. It is hard to gage if a bra will work for you in a month from the pregnancy fitting. In short, we try not to turn you away during either of these time periods, but in some cases, it may be better to come back later to make sure we are correctly fitting you into a bra that will work better for you and for longer.
Teens, Tweens, and our younger clients!
We have been seeing new clients come in, and we are so grateful the next generation is invested in properly fitting bras. We thank all our clients who have brought in and trusted us to not only find them garments that fit, but also trust us to make our clients in training feel comfortable during this process. The bra fitting process can feel invasive, and it is natural to be a bit shy. We try our hardest to be open and understanding. We will also do our best to make sure they are in the best fitting bra considering age and lifestyle. Once we have found the proper fit, and finding the different options, we will most likely step back and let you and your teen discuss options or retry them to confirm sizing. We stay close to discuss any concerns, or to explain choices and why they may work or may not. We also take into consideration 2 important things, the first being that a lot of changes take place during puberty and when it is time to start bra shopping these changes can happen over the course of a month or two. The bra purchased could be the wrong size 3 months down the road. Tweens are growing up, and the body is changing, which makes fitting them not without challenges. The second is that given they can often change size and shape over the course of a short time, we try to bring in options that are less expensive than other brands. Our Royce collection has done well with our younger clientele and runs around $54.95 mark. While we recognize $54.95 is still a decent sum of money, it is more reasonable for changing shapes than some of our Marie Jo styles starting at $149.95.
We try to go over as much information with both parties so that you can feel confident in your purchase. If you feel like the fit is not quite right, make sure to tell us ASAP, and we can recheck fit or perhaps exchange to a different size or style. This can be done within 10 days of the original purchase, if the bra is unworn, and the tags are still attached. It is much harder to check a misfit several months down the road, as the bra can have stretched out or the client may have changed or grown since the fitting appointment.
I just don’t like it!
In this case we ask you to let us know as soon as possible that the bra is not quite feeling right, and we will get you back in store to trouble shoot. Sometimes once at home, we forget to do the adjustments to ensure the bra is seated correctly. This can make a difference in how it fits and feels. If you have done the adjustments and it is still not sitting comfortably, we will recommend coming into the store where we will get you into the garment and recheck to see how it fits, and if there is a change that needs to be made. We can discuss at that time what options we may have, and what we can do.
As always thank you for reading through, and we can’t wait to see you on your next visit to Romantic Notions.