When Frankie Valli sang, Big girls don’t cry, it was evident no one he knew had ever gone lingerie shopping in India. Since I have been old enough to wear lingerie, my biggest bugbear has been that none of the stores I visited have ever carried the right style or fit. And if that was not bad enough, the one word that sprung to mind for anything above a B cup was: BORING!!! Simple white cottons that made you feel like a nun in a convent. And a nun I am not. Where were the bows, the lace trimmings, and the feminine colours that the As and the Bs were wearing?
I thought a lot of that would change with the arrival of certain foreign brands, but again it was the As and the Bs that triumphed. To make matters worse, most shops had male attendants and the sheer mortification of being measured made you grab what you thought was your size and dash home only to find that the result was your own version of Looking London, Talking Tokyo.
But all that changed a few days ago. I went to the newly opened Budoir London showroom on Juhu-Tara Road and I have to admit I felt a little like Ali Baba stepping into the cave for the first time. I was swamped in a sea of half-cups, demi-cups, balconettes, and a couple of names I can’t even pronounce in colours that tickled my every girlish fancy.
Dalbir Bains, who runs Budoir London claims that she “has probably bought more knickers than any woman in the world.” And after 15 years as a lingerie buyer during which she estimates she has bought 30 million pairs, I am inclined to believe her.
{{/usCountry}}Dalbir Bains, who runs Budoir London claims that she “has probably bought more knickers than any woman in the world.” And after 15 years as a lingerie buyer during which she estimates she has bought 30 million pairs, I am inclined to believe her.
{{/usCountry}}As she walks me around the store, Dalbir tells me that the inspiration for the shop came on one of her visits to India. “I lost my suitcase and needed to replace everything. I managed to get everything I needed but when it came to buying lingerie, I couldn’t find any lingerie that I wanted to buy and I was very uncomfortable having to discuss intimate details like my bra size with male assistants.”
She also added that most women in India wore the wrong size bra. Bains said that this was “mainly because they have never been fitted properly and the dearth of proper sizing. It doesn't matter how beautiful your clothes are, lingerie is the key foundation to a good look.”
So after being fitted by Bains, I was shown what they had for me. Looking through racks of Lejaby, Calvin Klein, Fantasie and Freya for the first time my problem was not where to start, but when to stop. I was with a couple of friends who after seeing what I had, promptly wanted to be fitted as well. I proceeded to blow a hole in my wallet, — after all, the upkeep of a princess doesn’t come cheap — but I have to say that there are no regrets.