Nicki’s Pick: Avec Plaisir

The founder of View the Vibe has officially entered her 40s and with knowledge and determination she plans on staying young on both the inside and out. Nicki’s Pick is a weekly beauty column that features Nicki’s favourite beauty products and latest discoveries for women in their 40s. These products are tried and tested by Miss Nicki, and if she lists it here you can trust that this is how she is staying young in mind, body, and spirit…

Here is a topic I have never paid enough attention to: boobs and bras. I was the lucky girl with perfectly perky 34B-sized breasts, with which, until just a few years ago, I could enjoy topless tanning and backless frocks. As a result, I never truly paid attention to what shape bra to buy because they all looked good. However, at 35, I started noticing changes: suddenly my busty bosoms were starting to sag, they were getting larger (one visibly more than the other), and my bras stopped fitting. At that point, the first thing I did was up my size to 34C, yet I still struggled with finding bras I loved to wear. That is, until two weeks ago when I discovered a Toronto lingerie boutique that taught me that while size is important, shape is much more so. Let me explain…

Avec Plaisir is located in Yorkville on Cumberland, and while I’ve walked past it many times, I never walked inside. Now, this may be the only place I will shop for bras in Toronto. First off, I hate padded bras – like, detest them. I spent a large part of my teens in France where the choice for beautiful lace bras is ginormous. So when I walk into Victoria’s Secret or La Senza, where it seems 95 percent of their bras are padded, I rarely buy because my choice for demi-cup lace bras (which are my favourite) is very limited. Until shopping at Avec Plaisir, I had been wearing the same three bras for the last five years because I couldn’t find any I liked (as I write this, I’m slightly mortified by that fact).

At Avec Plaisir, the padded bra exists, but in limited quantity, and, really, their mission is to find you the right shape bra that most flatters you. The lovely sales woman, who I quickly became besties with, looked at me (or rather my chest) and knew right away what to bring me.  I won’t lie… I was skeptical. But then the very first bra I tried on I wanted to yell, “Halleluiah!” It was an ugly nude tone bra that I would never have chosen, but that clearly fit me perfectly. Add to that straps that can be interchanged for tops that are halter, criss-cross, or regular, and this is truly a perfect bra. This then proceeded to happen four more times. These ladies are obviously trained to know breasts – as odd as that may sound – and they bring in high quality brands that make their job a little easier.

In the end I walked out with two bras – one sexy black and the nude one – both completely different shapes but each fitting me exquisitely. I will say this: They weren’t cheap and this is probably the first time I’ve ever considered spending this kind of money on bras. However, I learned a lesson. Buying the perfect bra for four times the price you would normally pay is not as bad as you may think. My new bras clearly fit me better and I am more confident as a result. Confidence at my age is sexy, and, really, who doesn’t want to be a sexy, confident 40-year-old? So I may have spent $400, but these bras are here for the long haul! My mother always did tell me to spend where it counts – and ladies, 40-year-old boobs count!

Where do you shop for all your lingerie needs? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.