The Full Cup

I purchased a Rosa Faia bra approximately 2 months ago. I wore the bra approximately 2 – 3 times. I have an ultra delicate cycle on my washing machine; I put the bra in a bra bag and washed it. Upon purchasing my bra, it was never mentioned that it is unorthodox to put them in the machine. This was the 4^th bra I have purchased from the full cup. I did not put the bra in the dryer, just the washers’ ultra delicate cycle.
When I retrieved the bra from the machine, one of the wires was completely out and halfway out of the other cup. Aghast and disappoint were just a few initial reactions. This was an $ 80 bra, mind you. I was given a gift certificate to the Full Cup, as I have generally had a great experience and I frequently refer friends and family to this specialty store. This is not the quality I have come to expect from an establishment of this caliber.
Fast-​forward to a few days ago, I returned to the Full Cup in Virginia Beach, only to be chastised and reprimanded for not adhering to the guidelines of their paltry 30 day policy and ‘committing death to my bra’ by putting it in the washer. I have 2 small children and my time is very valuable, so I didn’t think putting my bra in the delicate cycle would render my bra ‘worthless’. The associate at the Full Cup left much to be desired in the way of customer service as well as compassion as I was told there was absolutely nothing she could do for my situation, other then perhaps offer a small discount off of another bra. This is unacceptable. The full cup has lost many customers as I am taking my business and referrals elsewhere. Nordstrom also has a specialty bra section that is worthy of my business.

This is an amazing place!!! The staff is so helpful and they have all quality merchandise!!! I will continue to go there, they are so knowledgeable.

Today was my first visit, Emily helped me get fitted for a nursing bra, and being busty and finding regular bras that fit well is difficult enough, i was so pleased to know they had nursing bras in large cups. I cannot wait to go back after I’m finished nursing and actually have bras that fit! And that aren’t all nude or black, I was extremely pleased with my experience and the service!

This is the first bra store that I’ve tried in Virginia Beach since my move here and I wouldn’t go anywhere else. My experience here was amazing! I setup an appointment and a few days before my appointment they called to remind me. When I got there I filled out a tiny piece of paper with my information and they went straight into sizing me a private room in the back. I told my associate exactly what I was looking for color wise and style wise. She brought back a bunch of bras, helped me try them on, she discussed what worked best, and I picked out what I liked from what fit. A lot of their bras are darker colors, but I still tried on quite a few everyday wear (lighter color) bras. After you choose what you’re looking for they’ll take notes on what you really liked for future visits.
The store only sells bras, shape-​wear, and stuff to clean your bras with, but they nicely gave me a name of a store that sells bra fitted swimwear and highly recommended them. I will definitely be visiting this store again.

I wouldn’t mind paying above average for a bra that actually fits, however, I expect good quality and good service. I wasn’t pleased with their selection — of the few that fit me, they had mostly bold patterns and raised patterns (ruffles, lace) that would be totally inappropriate for work wear. I wasn’t pleased with the customer service — the girl had a condescending attitude. Anyway, I walked out with 2 bras, mostly because I couldn’t stand my old bras. Within 4 hours of wearing the first one, I had a sternum bruise and cuts in my shoulders. The girl who fitted me, when I mentioned that it was a little tight, said that it would stretch out in no time. Unfortunately, I would probably have the bra embedded in my sternum before that would happen… I went back with it, knowing their refund policy said it had to have tags on for store credit, but giving it a shot. They offered me store credit, but I was so annoyed that I wanted to return the whole order. Even though the other bra still had tags on, they would only give store credit. That policy is really sketchy and indicative of the problems they have with dissatisfied customers. Anyway, I mentioned that I was moving and store credit would do me no good, but she said I could order stuff remotely. As if I want to buy a bra sight-​unseen — or worse yet, buy another maiming crippler! So now I have $ 70 of store credit that I can’t do anything useful with. If any of you who gave this craphole 5 stars wants to buy my store credit off of me??? If I had to recommend this place for anything, it would be bra fitting. Get fitted there, then buy elsewhere.

Today I have to go buy a wedding dress. Since I’m marrying my favorite part of my life, I wanted to make sure that the OTHER favorite part of my life would look good on the day.
A year or so ago, a friend recommended this place to me, and though I understood that I needed an appointment, I also understood that I was desperate for something. I finally went yesterday evening at around 4:45. They were available to help.
I would love to give you a more detailed description but this is a description for a lingerie shop, and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.
Elements of your trip:
Expert fitters and breast education:
A snug band provides support from the foundation just like with a house. Too many women try to get support from their straps, and that’s a losing battle. You also learn about seaming, padding, and a host of other things that can affect the silhouette of your bust.
Comfortable and beautiful settings:
This is a boutique experience where you are truly waited on hand-​and-​foot. Its very private and very lovely. The lighting is also not harsh and ugly-​making, unlike most department store dressing rooms. The ladies have evidently been reading their Unilocal reviews because the woman helping me let me put the bras on by myself and can back later to check the fit.
Kind and compassionate staff:
I won’t lie to you. I have a lot of body issues because I’m a larger lady (size 18, found out I wear a 40E yesterday), so I was a little nervous when I realized that someone would be actively helping me pick out a bra. My bra coach was WONDERFUL. She was so kind, and I was made to feel so comfortable. I asked if she liked the work, and she said, «I love helping women. This is a job where you pretty much can’t hate.» She’s really a professional.
Sizes and Selection:
Some folks have said that this store doesn’t carry much of a selection, but that was not my experience. I walked out with a conservative option for everyday wear, and a beautiful slate-​hued, lace-​and-​net little number for my dress fitting. They are ordering that one in an ivory color (the company calls it Vanilla) for my actual big day.
The Money Part:
OK. You know its a place with beautiful lighting, individual staff, and European bras. You’re not going to the semiannual sale at Victoria’s Secret or Crapcique. I purchased two bras and a bottle of lingerie wash, and I spent $ 228.00. I made an investment in my appearance and in the health of my back and shoulders, so I’m not real worried about the money, and you shouldn’t be either. You shouldn’t be OK with gappy underwires or shredded closures or pilled cup linings. You shouldn’t let a big impersonal store staffed by surly teenagers and college students convince you that your breasts look better under hot, sweaty layers of foam padding than in fine, beautiful lace. You shouldn’t tell yourself that quadriboob (the appearance of 4 boobs through a fitted shirt caused by spillage from the cup) is the same as pretty cleavage, or that it is your lot in life because you are larger-​busted. You should save up and you should buy yourself something beautiful. You should experience this place.

This place is ridiculous. A year ago was the first time I went in there looking for bras. I made an appt and went in. The bras the girl (Sarah) brought me were so tight and squished up the skin at my armpits in the most unflattering way. I told her they were really tight and she said «they will stretch as you wear them.» She also recommended and «extender»…I decided to get the bras and see if she was right about the stretching and also because I wanted to try them on in the comfort of my own home and not with a stranger staring at me. I got home and tried them on and they were so tight they were hurt in my back so I called and made another appt to try on some more. After going through all the bras they had in my size (like 6 bras total. and I am not a unique size at all) I said I would just return the ones I previously purchased. I was informed THEY DO NOT DO REFUNDS!!! This was never said to me prior to the purchase but it was at the very bottom of the receipt so I was at fault. They issued me a store credit and I was on my way. and very upset! A year later I made an appt. The old lady with short gray hair pulled some bras and I told her they would not for just based on me looking at them… she tried them on me just to prove my point. She was just trying to sell there newest and most expensive items even after I told her what I was looking for. Finally I tried on a bra and liked it and wanted it in another color but they didn’t have it (there stock is awful. they barely have any variety in any size). I purchased one bra and ordered another one in a different color. It took two weeks but it finally came in. I picked it up yesterday (was helped by the same short haired older lady) and tried it on. It was a good fit but I just figure the straps needed to be adjusted and I could do that at home. So I get it home and I go to get it out of the bag tonight and notice it’s a whole size bigger than what I ordered. I am furthest from pleased with their service. They seem some what fake about their friendliness and they obviously have no clue how to size your correctly, explain their policies, or even order a single bra correctly. Once I get the right size bra I will be done with this place. I will never recommend them to any one. i anything I would highly recommend Victoria secret over this place any day!

I found this place on my way to dinner with friends. I stopped in hoping to find a few bras since my size is so hard to find. The lady was beyond rude and wouldn’t leave the room when I was changing which was uncomfortable. Then she insisted on fastening the bras for me. Again, uncomfortable. The styles were «grandma» cuts and not what I was looking for. I’m from out of town so I tried asking if I could order from them online or through a catalog when they got more styles in. He response was a harsh no with a scowl on her wrinkly face. Wouldn’t recommend going there.

I was in the area and was in need of some new bras so I stopped in. It was Christmas Eve and the sign said they were closing at 3:00p.m. I arrived at 2:45pm. I walked in and was asked by the one of the 2 employees if I had an appointment. I told her that I did not. She asked if I wanted to schedule an appointment and I said no. I asked if I could be helped at that time and she said they were closing early. There were no other customers in the store and 2 employees and I could not be helped. Horrible service!

Love the service great atmosphere, like being in a private boudoir. I have hard to fit size 36 gg yet I am always able to find something that fits and looks good. A complete godsend for this area

I have been to Intimacy in Chicago and NYC and a bra fitting salon in Kansas City. I want this place to be like all of those and it’s not. I appreciate what they are trying to do, but they fall short completely. The number one problem they have no stock! They were very friendly, however not all that interested in going out of their way for you. You have to have an appointment, when I called they made it sound like they were doing me a favor and squeezing me in, however the place was deserted. She quickly measured me, which measured correctly to the size I have been measured at other salons and she brought me a bra to try. In the overall experience, they only had five bras in my size to even try on, four of which had me squishing out the sides so much you could never where a tank top with it on, yet each time I called her out on it she insisted that it was fitted correctly. I was then told that those five were all they could offer in my size. I realize I’m a hard to fit size (small band, larger cup), but that is the whole point of going to a bra specialty boutique rather than Dillards or Macys. They apparently carry very little stock on hand and made no offer to order anything in my size. I asked if perhaps there was a better time to come in when they would have a larger selection, thinking they were getting ready for a big shipment to come in and that was why they didn’t have much and was told to watch facebook and they will post the new products as they get them and from looking at their facebook page it looks like they get one new bra style in about every 3 weeks. If you are unsure if you are in the right size, I suppose it is worth the trouble to go in and at least get fitted, but if you know your size and you are just a rare size stick to online retailers.

I have a mixed review.
I LOVED their service in the sense that they actually know what they are talking about. For YEARS I have been going to Victoria’s Secret and being told I am a 32-​D (the smallest band size they carry). Which they fit okay for a regular bra– nothing to really complain about other than the fact that sometimes the straps are too long. But finding a strapless bra has been an experience from hell. I can never ever find a strapless that stays up for more than 10 minutes. I’m constantly having to adjust and pull up.
Well, as it is summer and I’d really like to wear some strapless tops and dresses, I decided to look for a place that specializes in bra fitting. I came across The Full Cup, and went as a walk-​in, though I think they prefer you to have an appointment. The lady who helped me was very nice and seemed to know what she was talking about when it came to sizing. When she sized me, I couldn’t believe it when she told me I was a 28 D or DD! Um, 28? Do I have to buy that in the training bra section? I had never seen a woman’s bra size in anything lower than a 32. Turns out, American companies don’t really make bras in my size. So I told her I was looking for a strapless bra, and while they don’t have a huge selection, I really just want a nude color strapless. They had a 28D, but the lady wanted me to try on a 28 DD to see if that was any better of a fit. Well, they didn’t have a 28DD in stock, but she told me they would be getting more in, so she took down my information and what I needed and said she would give me a call when they got my size in (said it should be a couple of days).
While I was pleased with the fact that they are knowledgable and that they actually carry my REAL size, I had to give them 3 stars as they have still not contacted me about getting my size in. About a week and a half after the first time I went (which was in mid-​June), I called them to see if they had gotten my size in. They said they would give me a call back later that day after they had unpacked their new shipment. They called back, but it didn’t arrive. It’s now been over a month since my first visit and I still have not received another call. I will probably have to call them again to ask, but I would think that if they go through the trouble to have this contact card, they would have done so.

Yes, 5 Stars, that’s right. The Full Cup is one of those places you dream about. One of those places that make you come back for more.
After fighting it for years, I finally acknowledged that yes, I had a rack that Victoria’s Secret just couldn’t size. Fearful of having to deal with either a) hideously sensible beige bras that my grandmother would have worn from Macy’s or b) cute designer bras that just didn’t fit from other stores, I ambled into The Full Cup after a recommendation from my rather busty friend.
Like manna from heaven, a sales clerk came to the front, asked if I had an appointment (which I didn’t, but it was Wednesday morning, and they had an opening), and proceeded to navigate me through the maze that can be lingerie.
Here’s the disclaimer: the sales clerks are with you in the dressing room. It freaked me out at first, then I realized that they REALLY know what they are talking about. They are looking for the right size, and having been victim to the sizing that is American lingerie, it turned out I didn’t really know exactly what I was looking for, and what size I was. *Ding* Learning experience! I walked out of there with the cute, lacy, black/​pink/​and turquoise bras I had dreamed of, in my size that lifted, molded and decorated all my natural endowments! And I looked GREAT in tight t-​shirts following my experience, which is tough to do in the wrong size bra.
The only drawbacks are getting used to another woman checking your bra to make sure it fits (just think of her like a doctor) and the price tags. You are paying for quality, but, again, think of it as therapy and take the plunge. They also keep a card with your preference in bra styles, colors, and size so you don’t have to go through the whole thing again. Make sure you call for an appointment!
Highly, highly recommended!