Recently I had a sudden urge to know once and for all whether I could fit a Fraulein Annie bra in 36G. Someone in New York City had to carry one of her bras in that size, right?

Right. Kaori’s Closet in Soho was sold out and waiting for a new order, but Brooklyn Fox in Williamsburg, whose website advertises that it carries “30 bands & DD+”, still had the Falling in Love in 36G. An Hourglassy reader that I’ll call Dawn happened to be in town, so I persuaded her to join me at Brooklyn Fox.

The 36 band was perfect, but the G cup was one size too small for me. This discovery was made even sadder by all the beautiful details about the bra that I hadn’t had time to absorb at Curve:

  • Soft cotton lining at the bottom of the cups
  • Sling details on the top sides of the cups
  • Lace details along the side power mesh
  • Eyelash lace on top and below
  • Stretch lace along the top edge of the cups
  • 3 rows of hooks in back (2 rows on the 30G)

Dawn tried the 30G and was also sad because she’s fuller on the bottom than on the top, so she had extra room at the top of the cup. If only I could have given her some of my extra so that we could each have fit the Falling in Love!

Brooklyn Fox didn’t have anything else for me in the way of bras, but it was gratifying to find that they had several 30G’s and 30F’s for Dawn to try. None were perfect for her, but Veruchka, the manager and buyer working that day, was a knowledgeable fitter who understood Dawn’s issues.

Interestingly, Brookyn Fox is revising its approach to larger cup sizes. They saw their large-busted customers gravitating to the same gorgeous creations by Aubade and Lou that their smaller-busted customers loved, so instead of focusing on brands specific to full busts, such as Eveden and Panache, they are experimenting with lines that offer both small and large cup sizes. This explains their decision to carry Fraulein Annie and soon Claudette and to continue to offer Simone Perele and Elle McPherson.

A few weeks after visiting Brooklyn Fox, I received a text message from Kaori’s Closet telling me that my Fraulein Annie size had arrived. I was so impressed with their follow-up that I decided to visit them even though I knew that Fraulein Annie wouldn’t fit and I doubted anything else would.

As expected, it was a beautiful little store overflowing with precious pieces. Also as expected, there were no bras for me. However, I was extremely pleased when Kay, the proprietor, suggested she try to fit me in Marlies Dekkers even though I had already let her know I wouldn’t be purchasing anything. There was no way the 36F had enough room for my boobs, but I have great respect for the brand after trying on this masterpiece.

The photo doesn’t do it justice. Those decorative external side slings are genius.

Kaori’s Closet is the only place I’ve seen a fitter actually don white gloves before touching my body. Given their fastidiousness, it isn’t surprising that they don’t accept returns or exchanges, but Kay explained that customers may take as long as they need in their store to make sure that a bra is comfortable without any pressure to buy.

She also showed me bras by the Japanese brand Narue, which goes up to a 36H and is known for its layers of lace in confectionery colors of mint, pink and peach. For more about this brand, check out reviews from CurvyHK and 32aa Bra. Perhaps I’ll try one on the next time I visit.

If you wear a 30 or 32 band up to an F or G cup, Kaori’s Closet is definitely worth visiting for fashion bras. For each style, they order at least one bra in every size. Sadly, because they must place orders at least 3 months in advance, they cannot special order for you, but it might be worth telling them you’d like to buy one of the high-end fashion styles that you fall in love with immediately after Curve so that they can consider ordering it. With their limited inventory, new styles arrive weekly, and I was excited to hear that they’re expecting Fraulein Annie’s new Scene d’Amour line next.

Given the limited amount of time that any of us has to shop these days, I realize that most of us will gravitate to the larger bra sellers that carry a reliable and deep inventory in our size range. I’m not sure why those stores aren’t carrying brands like Fraulein Annie or Beaujais, but I wish they would. However, it was nice for a change to visit two stores that I normally wouldn’t, on the chance that a gorgeous full-bust fashion style would fit me. It was fun to meander through pretty bras in a pretty setting instead of merely marching to a functional dressing room in the back of the store to take care of the business of clothing my boobs.