Zara Stipe and Floral Print A-line Dress

Zara Striped and Floral Print A-Line Dress

Ladies' Night at Rigby & Peller
Last Thursday, May 24, it was ladies’ night at luxury lingerie retailer Rigby & Peller.  My bestie and I hopped onto Trenton train to for short ride to the Big Apple where we had a fun evening, pre-holiday. Did I mention the New Jersey Transit train is only $15.30 for a roundtrip for people of a certain age to New York City? Ater our arrival to Penn Center Station, we hailed a cab to the Upper East side for a relaxing early dinner at a cafe down the street from our final destination, Ladies’ Night at Rigby & Peller.

Rigby and Peller BrasWhen we arrived, I spoke with Nijah, my Rigby & Peller lingerie stylist who asked a few questions about my wardrobe and lifestyle to help determine which style would best suit me.  She quickly went to work to pull a few designs after pinpointing my correct bra size without a tape measure. And oh my god! The bra selections included beautiful options like lace, tulle, bows, and ribbons. By now we all know gravity changes our breasts, so proper support in a bra does wonders for the “girls.”

Bra Fitting at Rigby and Peller
Image Credit: http://www.NobleWorksCards.com[/caption%5D

I had no idea after all of these years; I was wearing the wrong bra size. Though, I often wondered why my bra would sometimes creep up my back. But now I had the appropriate results to prove that I needed to size down a number and up to two cup sizes, eliminating armpit bulge. With this knowledge, I felt compelled to splurge on a few things: a lacey sheer number, a gorgeous black one, and a new strapless bra I wore annual black-tie event last weekend. 

Armed with the proper sizing info, I moved onto the next thing on the evening’s agenda. I met up with Sandra Mimran Smith, the Boostwr designer, who organized the event and her range of products, including “loungerie.” In the Youtube video above, Sandra gives an excellent explanation of the purpose of Boostwr. I don’t consider myself full-busted. However, since menopause, my breasts have become fuller, so I selected the Loungerie nightie, a lightweight support item to sleep or lounge around the house.

[caption id="attachment_10221" align="aligncenter" width="2304"]Deb Pagano Deb Pagano (second from right) with her customers at NYC MeetUp Bra Crawl at Rigby & Peller with friends Arlene, Deb Tamagni, and Campbell and Kate owner, Darlene Campbell.

The evening was all about women entrepreneurs. Two women founded Rigby & Peller. There were Deb Pagano and her Queenbitter handmade baubles; Campbell and Kate custom-made shirts for the full-bust woman; Alchemy stylist, Michelle Mandelstein, as well as Sandra’s company, Boostwr with her company tagline, “supporting women who need support.”    

Deb Pagano added a little sparkle with her Queenbitter jewelry line made in New York City with selections of feminine yet edgy chokers, stackable tassel bracelets, and elegant beaded necklaces.

Campbell and Kate Classic Button-down Display at Rigby & Peller's Ladies's Night
Campbell and Kate display of classic button=down shirts for full-bust women

As I mentioned above attorney Darlene Campbell was on hand with her Campbell and Kate button-down shirts for fuller busts with display in the rear of the store.  The line geared to the professional woman with an hourglass figure. You can see from the photo the swatches of different available colors and rack with possible shirt designs.  Size charts – not here; once one is sized up for measurements, you receive up to three shirts to try to determine your custom fit. And Alchemy Stylist Michelle Mandelstein rounded out the evening to offer summer styling tips.

It’s worth noting a percentage of all the bra purchases made during the NYC MeetUp Bra Crawl event last Thursday, a donation is going to Uncommon Threads. Uncommon Threads is a non-profit organization that provides for women in need with confidence-boosting wardrobe updates in Lawrence, Massachusetts.  The organization is  The Midlife Fashionista Blogger, Susan Kanoff’s, a Forever Fierce member’s passion project.

Ladies' Night at Rigby & Peller in NYC; NYC MeetIp Event Bra Crawl
Ladies’ Night at Rigby & Peller. In photo: Deb Tamagni, Mindy Fradkin, Moi, Sandra Mimran Smith, Kim Kepler Higgins and Cynthia Lawson. Missing from picture:  Deb Pagano, Michelle Mandelstein, Darlene Campbell, Janice Roven, and Jaimie Fink Zelinger.

A special thank you to all the women involved in making it such a special night. And to the attendees:  @agelesswonderstheshow, @2chicdesigns, @kandidlykim, @debt11228, @zoomerfam, and @jaimiezmakeup.

Ladies, stay tuned for the next NYC MeetUp. You never know what this group is up to next.

Thank you for reading!  Have a fabulous week.