Any TOWIE fan will be well aware that the hit TV series’ Jessica Wright has embarked on the venture of opening her own lingerie boutique. The naysayers may ask ‘what does a girl from Essex know about owning her own lingerie business?’, but as the face of luxury lingerie brand Alexis Smith, Jessica has more than the average insight into the world of lingerie. Her gorgeous little shop in Loughton, Essex, (a stone’s throw from Lydia Bright’s cake, fashion and gift shop Bella Sorella) is a luxury boutique experience with the likes of Mimi Holiday by Damaris, Miss Mandalay, Baci Lingerie, Blue Bella, By Caprice and of course, Alexis Smith.The decor is unashamedly girly, pink and ‘Essex’, with candy stripes, diamante and glitter to boot, an Essex girl’s haven strategically placed between Nu Bar and the heart of the high street. The walls are adorned with multiple fixtures with a very well-chosen selection of bra sets for Brentwood B-cups, naturally fuller Loughton lovelies or the enhanced Essex girls out there.In the above image you can see the likes of Alexis Smith – Jessica is the official face of the brand – which caters primarily for girls with breast enhancements. Miss Mandalay’s pink frills add a girly twist with a fabulous size range, and Mimi Holiday’s Tartelette Rose Print bra.My cousin (who has recently had her boobs enlarged to a 30G) was a huge fan of the Alexis Smith bras, however found the 30G way too small in the cup. At a guess she’d need something in the region of a 30GG or H, however she loved the bra thanks to its semi-rigid under ‘wires’ made of a plastic and unique sexy deep plunge cut which worked wonderfully well on her silicone valley. I’m interested to see how they’d fit on natural breasts, but on my cousin they were so good she ‘settled’ on a 32G – which despite being far too small on the tightest hook, she said was wonderfully comfortable, and finding a bra for her new boobs has proved incredibly difficult!Alexis Smith’s candy pink and cream satin polka dot and stripe – the bra my cousin bought from Jessica’s storeMy favourite part of Jess’ shop was how it was made to feel so welcoming and pleasant. The shop is brightly coloured and very girly, but it still felt luxurious and somehow still grown up. There was a surprisingly good size range (their clientèle features girls with larger busts as you could probably guess), however not much for girls with very large boobs (GG+). There was also little to offer with regards to a fitting service and despite the salespeople having an obvious basic knowledge in bra fitting, (Nanny Pat and Carol Wright were amongst them on the day we went in!) there is no expert bra fitter, so it is perhaps somewhere to go and indulge in some nice pieces once you know which size you need.It is fairly obvious that their collections are bought with Jessica and the quintessential ‘Essex girl’s taste in mind, and as I quite like the odd bit of pink, leopard print and clashing kitsch I was really enamoured with a lot of what was in store. As I’m such a tricky size there wasn’t much for me available but my cousin was really happy with the amount available in her size – but also as a bit of a ‘glam girl’ – she was delighted to see things which also appealed to her tastes. As seen on The Only Way is Essex, modelled by Lucy Mecklenburgh The centre rail has a small but gorgeous selection of clothing from Jessica’s own clothing range ‘LOVE’, night and lounge wear from Blue Bella.Images of Jessica adorn the walls; she uses her presence on the hit TV show as part of the branding for the store and I don’t think that is something to be ashamed of. Jess is obviously proud of her part on TOWIE and acknowledges that it is a huge part of the reason for her success. Sure, it’s obvious that she has put a huge deal of work and effort into the shop, however she still gives her fans and the tourists what they want to see – with a large collection of novelty items, with the likes of ‘Well Jel’ and ‘Reem’ littered across pyjama sets, baby bibs and t-shirts.By Caprice’s signature bright pink hangers decorate the already very cutesy pink decor. Caprice’s brand is a very clever choice by Jessica as it boasts a decent size range and encapsulates the sexy and girly feel of the store. Sure, her range starts at a 30 band and up to a G cup, but even so for the customers of Jess’ shop it seems a perfect choice. My cousin was certainly pleased to see even more pretty bras available in 30G. I was tempted to try a 30F on for size, however after reading Undercover Lingerista’s Caprice review I was worried that it would be too big in the band. Weep weep!By Caprice, with its delicate lace up ribbon detail at the front is a quality brand which makes stunning plunge bras which not only create a winning cleavage thanks to a clever cut and use of padding, but have everything from a romantic lace finish, daring brights, luxury basics and kitsch prints and embroidery to die for – ideal for any Essex girl!The gift boxes of briefs and French knickers provide a more affordable option for tourists who want to buy something from Jessica’s shop, but also make a nice treat as a gift for a partner or even for yourself.More of the lovely By Caprice rangeThis bra is extremely popular with the lingerie blogging community, with both Undercover Lingerista and Amoire de Nuit reviewing it recently, both applauding the quality but finding the 30 band too big for their 28 band frames.Some of my favourite bras on offer were without a doubt the Mimi Holiday beauties. With a fabulous reputation as a beautiful fit and shape, Damaris’ ‘little sister’ brand is a wonderful slightly more grown up addition to With Love, Jessica.Mimi Holiday – I’m sensing that leopard print is somewhat of a favourite for Jessica?A very boudoir petrol blue option from Blue Bella LingeriePink and pinstripe? What’s not to love? Blue Bella’s ‘Eliza’ balconyCute baby pink and satin is a popular theme in the Love Jessica collection – especially this ‘Love Birds’ bra by Tallulah Love Who said ‘no frills’ was the best option? Certainly not when it comes to lingerie.A delightful floral offering from Mimi HolidayThere are plenty of ‘Essex Bits’ for fans of the show to pick up. It’s charming that the store recognises and embraces its status as an TOWIE novelty store whilst still upholding a professional, pleasurable and quality shopping experience which is far more than just a gimmick.My cousin with her touch of Essex luxury in handUltimately, as I mentioned, it’s obvious that Jessica wants to be taken seriously in the world of lingerie retail, and her Loughton boutique, rather than just being a somewhat gimmicky addition to the The Only Way is Essex shop collection, it actually fills a gap in the market for women who want lovely fitting bras in a larger cup size and small band size and yet want to up the sexiness factor. I can vouch for the improvement of the lingerie market with regards to larger bras being less matronly and stuffy, with very full cups, however there is still somewhat of a hole when it comes to unashamedly sexy lingerie which still fits and supports. Jessica has selected her range impressively from some of the best brands which try to cater for that category. I could make some improvement suggestions, namely an increase in cup sizes (particularly GG+!) and band sizes (28-30 bands) yet I do understand that not many brands physically make these size in the style that she is selling. I think Alexis Smith would be greatly improved if they introduced a 28 band as their website suggests they are a ‘big cup size small back size’ brand and a 28 band seems to be a natural progression for them.It’s worth noting, however, that both of these brands are essentially babies, and as this year is the first for both With Love, Jessica and Alexis Smith. They’ve done extremely well to wriggle their way into the market niche.I feel like I should point Jessica in the direction of Parfait by Affinitas, Fauve, Masquerade, Curvy Kate‘s Showgirl collection and 2wenty8 as potential additions to her lingerie range for next year to combat the shortage of larger-cupped sexy bras with smaller band sizes…/**/
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