Lingerie Gifting Guide: How to Buy Gifts that Don’t Suck
For anyone who’s ever made the mistake of gifting their lover lingerie resembling a cat’s cradle (or set of small triangles), you know the inimitable facial expression that you get as a result? The as-if-I’d-ever-wear-this reaction that bundles shock and horror into one neat package and shatters the illusion of any mutual understanding?
Talk about putting water to the fire. Seriously, we don’t recommend putting your love life under strain by such a gross miscalculation. We’re here because we want to help.
There’s often a difference between what you might like to see your lover wearing, and what your sweetheart actually feels sexy in. Perhaps most beneficial to the enduring nature of your love affair is understanding that when your lover feels comfortable and understood and supported, that’s when they’ll feel secure enough to unleash their inner tigress. That’s what you want, right?
5 Steps to Lingerie Gifting
Visiting a lingerie store can be like venturing into a jungle, so we’ll help you navigate your way to the best of the bust with these five easy steps.
Step 1: Be a bra-size sleuth
Unleash your inner detective with a quick glance at your lover’s lingerie (in the drawer or hastily discarded onto the floor or on the clothes line). Take note of the bra and brief sizes on the tags—being careful to note whether it is UK, US or European sizing as they all differ.
Write down a few of the sizes and brands, then visit Brava or enlist our Virtual Fitting services to get our help. If bra sizes are too perplexing, then a few pairs of sexy, lacy briefs might win approval.
Step 2: Unleash your inner Style Consultant
Sexy is in the eye of the wearer, not just the beholder, so keep your sweetheart’s personal style and taste in mind as you shop. If your lover usually wears fairly simple nude or black bras then don’t go too extreme. Perhaps try a set with a little lace edging, or a bright, fun colour.If cute and sexy bras are already part of the wardrobe rotation, then you might experiment with a plunge bra in a romantic red or a lacy half-cup bra in black. If your partner prefers looks that are stylish and sensual, go for lingerie with subtle colour nuances, opaque tulle, sensual embroidery or a touch of lace. For the lover with an exhibitionist or kinky streak you might choose lingerie in a transparent mesh fabric or a bra that shows off more cleavage.
What kind of bottoms does your partner usually wear? If they’re not a fan of thongs (G-strings), don’t try to win them over with a style that will disappoint—choose a brief or short instead. Only buy thongs if they’re already part of the lingerie rotation.
Step 3: Push-up, underwire or balconette?
Different bras suit different shapes. Full-cup bra offer the ultimate support. Half-cup and plunge bras show a little more cleavage. Balconette bras are somewhere in-between in terms of coverage and support. So where do you start? The lingerie drawer or the clothesline of course! If you aren’t sure what style the bra is, take a picture of it (and the size tag too) and send it to us. At Brava we intuitively know what a customer wants based on what bra they wear the most.
Step 4: What about colours?
There’s an entire palette of colours to choose from, including Valentine’s red, floral or animal prints, and always-classic black. We recommend buying a pretty black set if you’re not sure.
If your partner usually wears black or neutral colours then tend toward subtle tints like grey, dark blue, stylish black or soft natural colours. If they’re more colourful in their dress, choose a seductive pink, daring orange or fiery red.
Step 5: The sure solution
If your partner says, ‘I like it,’ but doesn’t wear it, it could mean that it’s not her style, or it’s the wrong size or that they don’t have the confidence to try it on for you.
If you’ve had one too many gift-giving failures then your best bet is to slip a Brava gift voucher into a greetings card as the ultimate act of love. If your sweetheart has shopped at Brava before, the gift will be an instant hit. If your sweetheart didn’t know Brava existed before you introduced us to them, they’ll love you even more!
Fuller-busted customers struggle to find well-fitting, beautiful bras and expert fitters to help them—until they come to Brava. Your gift buys what is priceless: the experience of being fully and completely understood in terms of their desire for perfectly-fitting lingerie.
Got any questions? Visit one of our stores and speak with a friendly Brava staff member, get in touch with our Virtual Fitters or call 1300 4 BRAVA. Read more about Brava Gift Vouchers.
And to help you understand the importance of buying good quality lingerie, here's our Bra-Fit Troubleshooting Guide.
