The Chantelle Spirit - French Allure

This week I was invited to a talk on lingerie from the french brand Chantelle. I learnt a lot about the importance of caring and looking after my breasts – not only for my health, but also to make sure that after investing time and money in a fabulous new outfit, it doesn’t get spoilt by wearing the wrong underwear.

We all got the chance to have a fitting ourselves; my lovely fitter was showing me how my own bra was not covering my entire breast and how I should perhaps consider an alternative style, that would still give me the same uplift and extra protection.

She also showed me exactly where my straps should sit, both on my shoulder and across my back – explaining for great posture that my breasts should be aligned in the middle of my shoulder and my elbow.

Throughout the whole session I learned some great facts that I would love to share with you so in a typical style of “did you know” here goes!

DID YOU KNOW…

Breast shapes and sizing will change throughout your life
80% of women are wearing the wrong size or wrong shape bra.
It’s more likely your are wearing a bra that’s too small for you rather than too big
You can drop a dress size! By wearing a correctly fitted bra
Wearing the right size and shape bra for you can reduce back and shoulder pain
When you get your first fitting – that’s not your size for life!
Your breast change all the time depending on your hormones, your diet and most importantly on any weight gain or loss – so you should be looking to get yourself fitted by an expert every 6-12 months
D-cup is a very average size in the UK
Not every style of bra will suit all women
Be careful when minimising, especially if your more than an E cup – your breasts have to go somewhere!

“Chantelle’s expertise lies in the ability to give women that french allure, bringing out the femininity of every women.”

We spent some time talking about teenagers and the importance of their first fit – ensuring a daughter has a great experience when trying out bras for the first time and learning how to put them on properly.

If you are taking a teenager shopping for a bra, here are a few important points to consider:

Teenagers under the age of fifteen years should not be wearing bras with wires in them
It’s important that when you fit a bra on teenagers under the age of 15 that the fit is on the tightest hook (unlike for adults) because as they grow over the next 6-12 months the hook can be released to allow for this change
Get them professionally fitted

“More than 130 years of expertise to achieve perfection… one second to experience it”

IT’S ALL ABOUT QUALITY

The Chantelle’s spirit of French Allure cannot be explained. Parisian, bold, spontaneous… It is shown in a gesture, a look, a posture and in the very French “je ne sais quoi” way, which elevates women to the sublime.

Chantelle invest a lot of time and development in quality – with over twenty-six components to a bra, compared to as low as five components on cheap bras; each component has a purpose to ensure that the fit and shape will enhance your body, so when you buy into Chantelle you need to think of this as an investment piece that you need to look after.

Think about how you invest in a good quality foundation for your make-up, you do this because you want your make-up looking it’s best throughout the entire day. Well the same philosophy applies to having the right bra and brief, it is an important foundation to your outfit day or evening!

Have you thought about the colour of underwear you wear? We all know that you should never where white under white , but apparently if you wear a pink-tone red bra this can’t be seen under a white t-shirt – how fabulous is that?!

You can also get away with grey, blues and purples under black garments without it being seen in photos unlike white bras under the wrong light! In fact I’m beginning to think there is no purpose for a white bra!

So explore colour as a bit of fun and if you don’t fancy investing a lot of money for these, then look out for them in a sale.

CARE, CARE & CARE SOME MORE

Caring for you bras are just as important, here are a few tips from Chantelle on how to:

Don’t fold the cups of your bra
When packing them in a suitcase, pad them out with your knickers or tights so that they keep their shape
Chantelle recommends to hand wash your bras; however if you do use the washing machine then invest in a lingerie bag or put them in a pillow case, this protects your machine for any damage caused by the wires
Wash bras on 30 degrees or less on the shortest wash possible – they only need freshening up
Use non-bio fabric cleaner
Buy two briefs for each bra and wash them with the bra so that the colours age together
Your bras should be fitted on the outside hook, and as they age over time, you should move on up to the next hook until your on your last – then you need to re-purchase
Put your bra on correctly, by leaning forward and fastening them up at the back – avoid fastening from the front and twisting, this not only damages the bra but it’s unlikely your breasts will be in the correct position
Your daily bras have a product life of less than 12 months – the rule is your bra should never have a birthday!

WHERE TO BUY?

You can purchase Chantelle lingerie from Independents across the country – just check their website for a list.

You can also buy from:

Selfridges
Harrods
John Lewis
House of Fraser
Fenwicks
Figleaves.com

THERE’S MORE TO COME

In desperate need of a new sports bra, I was really impressed with their newly launched Sports bra. Once I take delivery of my new grey sporty bra I’ll be writing another post explaining how important it is to wear one whilst exercising and the care you need to give it throughout it’s life. I know that some of my readers love running, particularly their half-marathans so look out for this over the next few weeks!