Aphrodite's Closet — Local services in San Antonio

Living in New Braunfels and being a 34H, there aren't a lot of options for boutique lingerie and bra shopping. I found Aphrodite's Closet by Googling plus-size lingerie (I'm a size 16 at the moment) and wanted something sexy for a night out with the husband. When I first walked in, I was greeted by a friendly and warm woman, the owner, Tina. Since I'm bigger, I've been professionally fitted my whole life and nearly every time I get fitted by someone new, they want to put me in a different size and I end up arguing with my fitter. So I was braced for this walking in, I was defensive from the get-go.

Tina met me and my husband and asked me what I was looking for. Lingerie was my specific reason for the visit. I told her what size I was, 34H/size 16, and asked if she had anything that might fit me. She asked if she could fit me, because she wasn't sure I was in the right size, and I got a little angry (remember I said I was going in defensive) and told her that was my size. Period. She was immediately apologetic and showed me what lingerie she had.

Unfortunately, none of the cup sizes were made for big, floppy boobies, so the in-store selection of lingerie didn't work. Tina was telling me about a designer she works with that is from Poland... Ewa Michalak. She said she had a look book she could send me in email from which I could custom order lingerie in my size. I asked her if she had any Ewa bras in stock in my size and she said yes, so I said let's try them on!

Tina started explaining about wire shape to me. She talked about bottom-heavy versus top-heavy breasts and where the root of the breast starts. No one, not a single fitter in my past, has ever mentioned any of these things to me before. She told me that my current bra (which was sized correctly by the way) was pushing my breasts to the side and into my armpits because the wire was the wrong shape on the bottom. I needed a narrow wire at the base of the breast and a fuller cup, which is exactly how Ewa Michalak's bras are designed.

OMG, the very first bra I tried on my eyes bugged out of my head... and so did my husband's! My girls have never looked this good. I have longer breasts, gravity has not been kind, and these puppies were up. I had full tacking in the center, the cups are not full-coverage, so I even have cleavage. I bought two unlined bras and two lined bras. And I've ordered two custom baby doll lingerie pieces too.

Do yourself a favor and go see Ms. Tina. She is a bra goddess and she will change your life!!! I feel like I had a friend by the end of our...

I recently had the best Bra purchase experience of my LIFE. I had googled where to find plus size Bridal lingerie in town and this store caught my eye. I called ahead just to check for size range and Miss Tina, the owner, answered and immediately reassured me that she had options.

When I arrived at the store Tina made me feel super comfortable. She told me she carries 300 bra sizes. She sources from a small woman-owned business that designs, and constructs in house with a small team. Every bra is handmade. In store, she carries up to a 56 band and at least a KK cup. She is able to get up to a 60 band and a P cup. Price point, especially for the quality of materials and construction is surprisingly reasonable. They start at around $70 and I believe she said tap out at about $120. I've paid not much less for far less thoughtfully crafted work.

Tina also gave me the best fitting I've ever had. We talked about how bras are meant to fit, different cuts leading to different sizing, breast shape, and how that all contributes to the correct size. She then asked me what my last purchased size was and listened to my usual struggles and what my research has led me to believe I needed. I believed my cup size was too large and my bands too small. Then she grabbed a few bras, took me to the really cute fitting room and helped me into one. Only after I had it on did I see that she had put me in the largest cup size I've ever used and the same band size I thought was too small. I went in thinking I needed like a 46 C instead of a 42 or 44 D or DD, and she put me in a 44 E/DDD that fit me PERFECTLY.

I HIGHLY recommend Aphrodite's Closet to anyone seeking a bra, but especially to anyone who finds it difficult to find their size in stores and has to guess online, or who has never had a proper bra fitting, or is kind of embarrassed about their size. Tina is an expert in her field and a gem of a person to talk to. And she had me completely at ease the entire time.

I have already shared with my local female friends and family and can't wait to go back...

So, I really wanted to give this business 5 stars. My initial experience was 5 star quality. I went in, was fitted, and shown some of the most beautiful bras. I will say the quality is better than Victoria Secret, but they don't have the added additions of push up or anything like that. It's a very natural look. My ratings are as follows:

Quality of product: 5 stars. If I wouldn't have had such a tedious experience, I'd go back and by 3 more. Since the experience was so blah, I probably won't go back unless I am desperate

Pricing: Bras are expensive. They are about as expensive as VS bras. But the product is worth it. The designer keeps ALL body types in mind

Customer service and timeliness: This is where the company fails. I paid for 3 bras but was told the 3rd bra would have to be ordered and can take 8 weeks. I was fine with this because I felt SO confident in these bras. Well, 8 weeks go by, then 12. My issue is I never got a call for an update. When I called the first time, she pretty much said the designer was behind, which I was FINE with, I just wish that would have been communicated since I hadn't heard anything in 8 weeks. The next time I called, was 9/20. She told me she had received the bra but had forgotten to contact me. That hurt me. It hurt me because I was very patient and there was no apology about the poor customer service. I got 2 of the 3 bras in store and I ordered the 3rd bra 5/9 of this year and I did not recieve it until the 10/1. No apology or anything issued. And I was disappointed because the service when I was in the store was superb, but as soon as I had paid for the product, I was forgotten

My overall recommendation? Go here ONLY of you're ready for a natural looking bra and only buy in store. If they don't have what you want, count your losses and get something...