Lane Bryant, you'll rue the day you cross me! And that day has finally come!
Let me start out by saying that I singularly shop at LB for their bras and lingere (their clothes don't fit my hourglass shape, they're too big in all the wrong places - I tend to shop in the - not my word - "urban" section of department stores instead), and so this review might be something that, if intimate information upsets you, you should probably choose not to read. I'm also going to share a personal story - after all, as I was reminded the other night when a couple Yelpers and I were sharing our "how I started Yelping" stories - I started Yelping in 2006 because Intimacy in Chicago pissed me off so badly with the way this mishandled a bra fitting experience. So, here we go. And, before I begin, let me also say that this is a painful story to tell, as well.
Today, I went in to LB to find a strapless bra (alas! the same reason I went to Intimacy in 2006!) to wear with a halter dress tonight. When I walked in, likely looking determined, the saleswoman immediately asked me what I was looking for. I told her, and she said that they only had one type of strapless bra, and to follow her to the back of the store. She asked me what size I take, and I told her. Now, this is important because not only do the strapless bras at LB apparently not come in my cup size, but also because of the way the situation was handled. Since I was a pre-teen, my bra size has been a very sore issue for me. I have always been impossible to fit, no matter how skinny I was at various times in my life. I remember walking into a LB in Chicago and asking them if they carried a thirty two f - the reaction there was much more obnoxious than what I got today (apparently there is "no such size unless you go to a stripper store"), but still.
So, today at LB, the woman tells me, the strapless bras only come in double d, but that I should try on a band size larger than I take with the double b cup because it will probably fit. I have had saleswomen tell me this 9,000 times over the course of my life. It is NOT true. So, I take one look at said size, know there will be a major nip slip if I wear it, and I tell her that this size won't work. Not that this woman was very pleasant to begin with, but she proceeds to become very unhelpful to me. She tells me the band size I need doesn't come in anything but double d. I say, huh, weird - just an observation, since LB tends to have such a variety of sizes. I ask if I can try the next size up, in the cup size I need, wondering if I might be able to somehow finagle it into being tight enough with safety pins or something, as I need the bra for tonight. The woman sternly tells me NO, ALL strapless bras ONLY come in double d in the store - but they have other sizes online, I should order it there. For tonight?
Now, the saleswoman wasn't *horrible,* but like I said, she definitely wasn't pleasant or helpful, and this really wasn't fun for me. Over the last fifteen or so years, I have had many panic attacks around this topic, shed many tears over the embarrassment that is bra fitting/shopping, and developed disordered eating habits even knowing that no matter what I do, or what clothing size I take, this is the shape of my body. The point is, women working at a specialty store such as Lane Bryant, especially when helping hard-to-fit women with lingerie... you really need to be nice and sympathetic. Not disinterested and snippy.
I decided to look at other options (hey if I have to have some bra showing, it can at least be cute, yes?), so I looked around on my own, then asked the lady if they had my size in a cute pink polka-dotty bra. She very resignedly pulled herself away from her cell phone (I think it was a business cell, but still), and half-heartedly looked at the bras I had already checked - I specifically asked her if they had any anywhere else in the store - and then said no, and told me again I could order it online if I wanted. At this point, I felt like I was having a panic attack, so I grabbed a band-size bigger than I take, ran to the register that said woman was NOT at, purchased the wrong size bra (which will probably work if I alter it), and booked it out of there.
Overall, not a good experience. And I have had MANY good experiences buying bras at LB, with incredibly helpful and pleasant saleswomen (and men) both here and at Polaris. I can tell you because of this one experience, I absolutely will not go back to this location - I now associate it with panic and trauma, which is a shame, because I thought I was over all that. Thanks, Easton LB, for reminding me that no matter how smart I am, I'm still that girl with the boobs. :( read more
