As we embarked on this formidable task of deconstructing the latticework surrounding these delicate creations, we picked three women at our workplace, asked them what they liked (one wears only white, one must have padding, one likes funky straps in case they peep out of her blouse). Then we braced ourselves and headed to the premier lingerie stores of the Capital to see if the experience is as nerve-racking as it is made out to be. After our fearless male reporter scooped out his picks, a female sidekick scanned the scene to make sure his choices had no Madonna-inspired cones and were actually the best buys in the stores.
Who
would have imagined that a dusty and unpaved south Delhi bylane would
lead to a fancy French lingerie studio (one that claims it invented the
strapless bra in 1972)? Out of all the lingerie stores I visited, I
felt the most welcome at Studio Aubade. Not only was the salesgirl patient and attentive, she was well informed of the latest trends, fashion and common preferences.
I
described my girlfriend as a petite woman who prefers padding, and the
choices were much less extensive. The sizes weren’t always stocked
small enough. The saleslady, though, did show some bras with removable
silica pouches for extra padding.
But you can order
lingerie from their catalogue that will be custom-made and delivered in
two months. So sneak into her clothes closet, note the numbers and
figure out the design you want (it’s easier to choose from a catalogue).
The design is classic and sensual with lacework, embroidered floral motifs and frilly edges.
However,
the female sidekick feels that a few pieces have decorative
embellishments that would be impossible to wear outside the bedroom. No
woman wants to walk around with a wooden tusk dangling between her
breasts. Stick to the unembellished options here and your lady will be
in your debt. When they get it right, it’s a good combination of sexy
and wearable lingerie.
The next store, Etam, had sheer
glass exteriors, and that’s a little intimidating. Thankfully, there
was already a man inside the store and though he didn’t seem to be
doing much other than accompanying his wife, it did ease the tension a
bit.
After asking me to go through the collection, the
salesgirl’s first question was: “Do you want something fancy or not
fancy?” To be honest, I was not sure. I mumbled something about her
being small and needing something with padding. She showed me how their
store boasts of an extensive range for the not-so-well-endowed, with
sizes starting from 30.
Her suggestions were generally bang
on target and she tried to find matching nightwear for the pieces I
asked for. Etam’s lingerie tends to be quite girlie, not very
embellished, fun and sweet, and moderately decorative, carrying just
the barest hints of eroticism. It’s probably more convenient for
everyday office wear than the other brands.
The only
drawback, according to the sidekick, is that the selections don’t
always have multiple underwear options. So before you get your heart
set on a bra, make sure to check the underwear. If your girl is a thong
enthusiast, she won’t be happy to settle for full panties.
The
next stop is a boudoir-style lingerie parlour inside a run-of-the-mill
dry-cleaning store. There are two ways you’ll ever know it’s there:
Someone recommends it or you visit the laundry.
As you walk in past the glass door of the dry cleaning shop, the lushness of the décor at Seduction
strikes you. Yellow satin pleated cloth along the lingerie racks, a
yellow and purple polka-dotted floor, dim lighting, large pictures of
women in classic lingerie poses, all give you the heady feeling of
treading into something forbidden.
The salesgirl was
extremely congenial; none of that raised-eyebrow “What are you doing
here?” The store stocks premium lingerie from the French brand Lise
Charmel and the Romanian brand Jolidon. My “girlfriend” for this store
was my co-worker, who loves playful, colourful bras.
The
store stood up to the task with sizes that go up to 42. She showed me a
lot of unpadded bras with printed tulle and vibrant colours. The
sidekick is impressed and says that on a special date, with these
pieces under your clothes, you’ll walk around feeling like a gift
waiting to be unwrapped. But you should be loaded enough to afford a
pair of panties worth Rs3,000 and your girlfriend or wife most
definitely has to be a woman in touch with her sexuality (read: no
girls).
The Straps chain offers a department store
experience with a number of brands: Wonderbra, Triumph, Lovable,
Enamor, Cotton Club, Isis, René Rofé, Pigeon, and more. This is the
perfect place to shop for the colleague who has stuck to the same brand
and the same colour (white) for years: Something simple and comfortable
and yet not ugly. Soon enough, I find plain bras in green and pink with
pleats on either side converging at the cleavage: It’s elegant enough,
not so fancy that you would crib about wearing it inside daywear.
The
rather overbearing saleswoman tries to hard-sell, saying that this is
the wedding season and she can’t be sure something I like will be there
for much longer.
Overall, it seemed that the salesgirls
were used to men shopping for their wives and girlfriends and generally
responded enthusiastically to all my queries. The sidekick isn’t
pleased though, and says that the selection tends to have that same
mass-produced, unoriginal feel, though the Italian label Parah is chic,
modern and sleek.
Studio Aubade is at Square One Mall,
Saket, New Delhi; Etam has stores in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Surat,
Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Bangalore; Seduction is at Prithviraj Lane, Khan
Market, New Delhi; and Straps has outlets in New Delhi, Mumbai,
Gurgaon, Surat, Ahmedabad and Bangalore.
Melissa A. Bell contributed to this story.
