Chapter 17
Purchasing Lingerie
I had reached the point of no return. As I stepped through the door, a lady sales girl who was attending another customer – an expecting mother – said in Hindi, “Welcome madam. What would you like to have today?”
A trifle too softly, I said, “Brassiere.”
“Oh. Brassieres are all upstairs.” She responded, rather loudly I thought. Then it struck me, we were in a Lingerie Shop after all. If I had not come to buy brassieres, what had I come to buy, Potato Chips? Shaken out of my reverie, I heard her say to another male assistant, “Escort Madam upstairs.”
No sooner had she said that, the assistant glided out from behind the counter and motioned me to follow him up. Somewhere between stacks of boxes of bras, panties, girdles, slips, camisoles and the like, was a staircase with steps leading up. With the practiced confidence of someone who had done this a million times before, the assistant ran up the stairs. I followed demurely.
Here another sales girl was waiting. There were no other customers. Leaving us alone there, the assistant ran down to where he had come from.
“Yes madam, what style would you like?” She asked.
I said, “36C in cotton with pointed cups.”
“Madam, do you have any particular brand in mind?” she asked.
“Maidenform, Empress Style.” I responded.
“Yes we have that. Which color?” she asked.
“Two white and one black.” I said.
Reaching out behind her, she picked out two cardboard boxes with a green printing and then a third which was slightly below the first two. Pulling out the bras from inside, one by one, she opened them out with the cups pointing upwards like two mountains, the back straps spread out. “This one, madam.” She asked.
“Yes” I said.
I examined the three bras, closely. “Beautiful” I said to myself. The bras had concentric circles around the tip of each cup and I realized that when I wore it would look really lovely. I knew that is what I wanted.
Resisting the urge to caress them and as a matter of confirmation, I asked, “Are you sure that this is the size I need?”
“Madam, Try them on. The trial room is here.” She motioned to a corner.
A small partitioned area offered the privacy needed to make it into a Trial room. I told here I want to buy a “longline bra”. She said she did not understand.
I told her that I was looking for a bra whose bottom extended to the waist giving a good tummy flattening capability. This time she understood. Stepping to a different shelf, she picked out two longline bras both again in 36C one black and one white. The Black opened on the back while the white was front opening.
I have a marked preference for back opening bras, so I told her that I wanted that. She hesitated. I asked her what the matter was.
She said, “Madam, many ladies find back opening for longline bras difficult to maneuver. I would suggest the front opening one. Nevertheless, take both to the trial room, try both of them and you can choose whichever you like.”
Picking up both the longline and the three regular bras, I stepped into the trial room. This was a first for me. I was in a Lingerie shop, dressed as a woman, buying lingerie for myself. And everyone was treating me like a lady!
In the trial room there were a couple of hooks on the wall. On one of them, I hung my purse. I hung the bras on a second hook.
I took my pallu off my shoulder and tucked it in my waist to prevent my tripping and falling. I unhooked the blouse and took it off. Reaching behind, I unfastened my bra. Taking care to see that my breast forms did not pop out and fall on the floor, I peeled off my bra, holding the breast forms in my palms. Placing my blouse, bra and forms on one of the boxes inside the trial room, I reached for one of the bras on the hook. Deftly, I slipped each arm by turn and reached behind me and hooked the bra. Reaching for the forms, I placed them inside each cup. I tightened the shoulder strap and looked at myself in the mirror. The bra fit me like a second skin. My breasts appeared very pointed and as a man, I liked my own looks.
Reluctantly, I unhooked the bra and by turns I tried the other regular bras. Each fit me perfectly. Now I gave my attention to the black longline bra that opened on the back. Slipping my arms into them, I realized that it was very difficult to reach behind and hook all the 7 hooks correctly. The sales girl was right. I took it off and picked up the white Longline which opened in the front. This was infinitely easy. In fact it was too easy. I easily hooked all the hooks – they were 12 in number. I as hooked the lower ones, I realized that the bra was exerting increasing pressure on my tummy and it was appearing flatter and flatter. In comparison, my hips seemed to jut outward more as my tummy got more compressed and my waist appeared slimmer.
“This was amazing!” I thought. My silhouette appeared a perfect hourglass. Deciding to buy one longline and all three of the regular bras, I once again wore my own bra with my breast forms inside them. I wore the blouse, replaced the pallu and after giving one last look in the mirror, I unlatched the door.
Taking my purse with me, I returned all 5 bras to the sales girl. She asked, “Which did you like, Madam?”
I told her to pack all of them except the back opening longline. She said, “Very good, Madam. Almost everyone who first chose a back opening longline eventually end up not buying it. Our only sales of such bras are to women who don’t try it and refuse our advice and to men who buy it for their wives.”
“What else would you like madam? We have not only these kind of Daily wear bras but also some special occasion bras like bridal wear. Lacy ones, very small bras but in large sizes which cover only the most essential parts. We have panties also. Lacy ones and also larger daily wear in darker colors which you can use with stayfrees. We have thongs also.” She added.
I did not plan to buy such clothes, so I thanked her and told her that was all.
She prepared the bill and after paying cash downstairs, I left the store, very pleased with my purchases.