Boux Avenue opens at Westfield

Now that we’ve waved goodbye to La Senza, there are fewer UK high street stores devoted to lingerie. It’s a great shame, as I do love a bit of variety, so I was pleased to discover that self proclaimed ’boutique’ lingerie brand Boux Avenue are opening their 11th UK store in west London’s Westfield shopping centre.

Boux Avenue claims to be “an exciting shopping experience both in-store and online for lingerie lovers” so I couldn’t resist and invitation to go along to the press launch this morning and find out if their bold claims of great service and unrivaled fit in a massive range of sizes (30A to 40H!) are correct.

Despite being in a large shopping centre, the shop itself really does have a welcoming boutique feel. Rather than the claustrophobic feeling that some La Senza stores had – see also the lingerie departments at Debenhams and Marks & Spencer – Boux Avenue felt bright and airy. Rather than having to rummage through all the sizes on the rails, some of which are often too high for me to reach, the different band sizes are all arranged in labelled drawers below the items on display. This makes it incredibly easy to find what you want without help, but it wasn’t long before assistance was being offered by friendly staff members. Now it was time to really test their service… with a fitting!

Once I was inside one of their pretty fitting rooms, with various interesting lighting options (see photo on the right), I was measured for band size only. This confirmed that I was at the top end of a 34, and then we had a discussion about cup size. The bra I had on was a D but it was suggested that a DD might be a better fit, so both sizes were brought to me in a pretty lace plunge style.

The assistant left the room while I put each bra on, but stayed outside so that she could return to adjust the straps and check the fit. Once we confirmed that I was definitely a 34DD in Boux Avenues bras, more styles were fetched. I am somewhat in love with their electric blue Loretta now, but was slightly disappointed that the sheer balconette Poppy style didn’t really suit me. However, if you take a large size of bra, it is worth noting that their full support styles like this one are sturdy as well as pretty. It’s not just those styles which are available in the larger sizes either.

Boux Avenue says it’s about “making beautiful and exquisite lingerie accessible to every woman. From everyday bras, to seductive chemises and playful teddies to frilly knickers, it is the perfect destination to give your lingerie drawer a new lease of life.” Not only is that something I fully support but, on this evidence, I think they might just do it.

Pretty basics alongside bras with fancy details and great support, gorgeous nightwear and all sorts of accessories makes the Boux Avenue website worth visiting. However, the service and store layout make a visit to one of their boutiques well worth the trip. Whatever you buy will be wrapped up in lace print tissue and I reckon you’ll probably leave with a smile on your face.