Shopping: Strapless Bra

I recently attended an exceptionally beautiful wedding in Delray Beach, Florida. Getting in the ocean in a bikini on February 18^th was quite the treat. Second to the wedding itself, it was the highlight of my 3-day excursion.

I’m usually much more Boy Scout-like in my packing, but on this trip (and my apologies for bringing up a racy topic on this blog), I happened to need to purchase a strapless bra. Any woman who has ever needed one of these contraptions can attest to how terrible they are. I do not possess supernatural powers of any kind, so I knew I’d be destined to pull at my underwear all night while the strapless bra keeps slipping to my waist during Bel Biv Devoe classics. How can you relax and have a good time with those types of worries?

The morning of the wedding, I set out on this shopping excursion. I should admit here that I LOATHE shopping. I LOVE acquiring new things, and I certainly love having money to pay for said things, but the physical act of trying things on for a long period of time is enough to make me scream. With this hatred comes a very efficient and refined shopping style. I’m in and out so fast that it amazes even the most stereotypical browbeaten man accompanying his wife to the mall (I don’t think this actually exists in real life, it’s just a convenient archetype to reference).

After stopping in 3 stores along the main strip of Delray Beach, I realized that the clientele is usually a bit older than me, and strapless bras just aren’t available. Finally we end up in a cute and hip boutique. I ask the saleslady for help and she presents a strapless bra that doesn’t really suit my needs (it is not dance floor functional), but it will have to do if we are to get to the beach today, and I will just have to be vigilant all night for the slipping. It’s a nylon bandeau made by a company called Coobie. The Internet seems to give this bra good reviews; I, however, do not.  

While waiting for the flimsy strip of fabric, I started looking around the store and notice a few Made in USA tags. I am of course reminded of my earlier mission, so I grab a few cute things in my size, and I end up with the following purchases:

Bailey 44 Tank Top in grey: $59.00

Citizens of Humanity Thompson Jean in Dark Indigo $168.00

So 2 out of 3 of my purchases were made in the US. And I would’ve gladly shopped around for a better strapless bra, but I was in a desperate and time-sensitive situation.