By: Shoshana
Like most ladies, I thought I knew what size bra I would wear my entire adult life based on trial and error in a fitting room my freshman year of college. I went to the lingerie shop in the mall, grab a stack of what I thought pretty and begin trying. I choose the bra that was least uncomfortable, looked at the tag, viola — that’s my size. Since then, whenever I need a bra, I just went to Target or wherever and grabbed that size along with my other daily essentials — soap, light bulbs, etc. Apparently in ten years a woman’s body changes dramatically, which I wasn’t conscious of until I headed down to The Maddox Shop.
This lovely lingerie shop is in the Casa Linda section of Dallas, independently owned, and has amazing customer service! My grandfather, who was an immigrant and owned a men’s clothing store, spoke of service like this. I thought it was long gone with the advent of superstores, I was wrong. I walked into the Maddox Shop where a little old lady asked me to take a number. I took one, and sat on the couch and waited. Within five minutes a different little old lady came an asked me how she could help. I explained that I had a gala to go to, described my dress, and stated I needed a comfortable bra that would lift the ladies to go with it. She escorted me to the fitting room, and then followed me in. At first, I was really freaked out by this. I had to imagine the old days of shopping with my grandma for back to school clothes (she always followed me in) and I took off my top. The little old lady stepped on to a stepstool so she could reach my chest and measured me. When she announced my size, I was dumbfounded. It was two sizes larger than I was currently wearing!
She disappeared and came back with the most comfortable bras I had ever worn. My boobs were happy and comfortable in their new home, and lifted up to show their appreciation. I even looked good in my old tee shirt! I figured I was on a role, so I got a bustier as well. Now, my body is not a fan of symmetry, which wasn’t a problem. The little old lady saw that one breast had extra room between it and the cup. She called in the store’s seamstress, who measured, then disappeared with my bustier, added some quick stitches, and returned it to me three minutes later with a custom fit!
While my little old lady, organized by order at the counter I browsed the store and found the best selection of old school lingerie I had ever seen! Full girdles, cone bras, and beautiful stockings were just some of the eye candy. I also admired the fact that The Maddox Shop built its business around catering to ladies who have special lingerie needs due to surgery and mastectomy. The store also carries a wide variety of sizes, where every gal from 32A to 48E can find a bra that’s right for them.