Jessie X

As little TV as I watch, I have found myself, in the company of a friend, watching Tim Gunn’s wardrobe make-over show. It rocks. Brilliant principles. A functional “reality” show. And humanely funny, entertaining and educational. I just read Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste and Style and highly recommend it for any woman of any age. Good, basic info.

But on to the part about the bras …

One of the things Tim Gunn and his cute-girl sidekick insist upon is “good foundations,” which is fashion code-language for “quality lingerie.” Lest you get all excited, they’re talking less about lace and more about fit.

But on to the part about the bras …

So, since it was near Christmas, said friend and I decided that a trip to Bra la-la, a new “fine lingerie” boutique in Maple Lawn would be a fun, functional and fitting present to each other. We decided to shop together and buy each other a gift at the store. Bra-la-la la-la, la-la, la-la.

It’s a nice set-up and system. Off the beaten path and not in The Mall. Upscale and boutique-y. Full-service. After being fitted, and being asked a question I found difficult to answer (“What does the perfect bra look like to you?”), the sales associate went back into the storeroom housing 3,000+ bras and brought a selection for us each to try. As a sweet gesture of consideration, each of our dressing rooms were provided with super-soft little robe-like jackets to wear while the bra selections were being brought forth.

Said friend and I, while heavily enticed by the “single purpose” bras, followed the advice of Tim Gunn and chose to go with good foundations. Turns out we both selected the same “good foundation,” so that was an easy gift exchange. And we did promise each other to come back quarterly and add to our collections. Bra-la-la makes this easy with customer tracking of preferred selections and styles.

Then, to practice our “maybe someday Columbia will actually have a downtown” skills, wherein we could actually shop, stroll around town and eat in one central area, bags in hand we headed off to happy hour at Trapeze. Great happy-hour appetizers at $5 a pop and lovely service. We did stroll past Ranazul, which at 9 p.m. on the first Friday of January, was doing a busy dinner hour but dull bar area and Oz, which had a low dinner turn-out and full bar area. At least it’s possible to bar hop in Maple Lawn, even if the bars aren’t that hopping.

But on to the part about the bras …

Bra-la-la
8180 Maple Lawn Blvd
Fulton, MD 20759
Website

There’s also another bra store in Ellicott City. I haven’t been there, but it’s

Mattie’s Bra Shop
8457 Baltimore National Pike
Ellicott City, MD 21043
Website

Hoorah for the Bra!