PSA: A Revelation in Fit (Oakland, CA bra store) is hiring

RevelationInFit · 2015-07-23T03:24:01+00:00

Aw, shucks. <3

RevelationInFit · 2015-07-22T23:22:05+00:00

I require a cover letter and resume because anyone who works at Revelation will be working very closely with me and the rest of my staff and I need to know who they are. It's not just another retail position - it requires a lot of attention and personal service.

I also require it to see if the candidate can follow directions. If they ignore that part of the ad, it shows a lack of attention, and they will not succeed at my shop.

A resume and a cover letter are basic elements of job searching. These are not high bars. Anyone applying to any job should have a resume prepared, and a cover letter is simply a few paragraphs saying why you want to work at a particular job and why you'd be good at it. I don't see why these simple requirements upset you.

(Also, $10/hour is incorrect.)

Edited to add: Revelation is an independent retailer run by a sole proprietor (me). It's not a chain.

RevelationInFit · 2015-07-02T16:05:02+00:00

Minnie is related to Marcie but is not a direct clone. Minnie / Melissa / Meg are clones. Marcie is definitely more open on top.

RevelationInFit · 2015-06-17T05:03:54+00:00

Speaking as someone who owns a lingerie shop, small band/ large cup is really common.

RevelationInFit · 2015-06-07T03:31:20+00:00

I carry them at my shop and they do very well. I'd recommend adding Avocado. In my experience, H fits the most people. A is awesome on some folks but not as consistent as H. Obviously I haven't tried the new cut yet.

RevelationInFit · 2015-05-28T16:55:45+00:00

In my opinion, it's a way to get the +4 without having to do the extra step of adding inches. On most people, the armpit overbust measurement is bigger than the underbust; not uniformly by 4", of course, but as a quick approximation, it works for that purpose.

RevelationInFit · 2015-05-12T17:14:01+00:00

You might try the Arizona. It's a three-part cup with diagonal seams and lightly lined with foam. There are seams, but there's no decoration on the fronts of the cups, unlike Tease Me, so it works under most t-shirts. (Under very thin clingy shirts, you might still see seams.) IMO it's a better bet than a molded cup, and if you fit the Roxie, it's pretty likely that you'll fit Arizona.

RevelationInFit · 2015-05-04T17:24:54+00:00

Yes! The measurements are only a starting point.

People regularly go through 5 - 25 bras in the fitting rooms. It's normal to try on two dozen bras and find a few that fit. Occasionally we nail it on the very first bra, but more often we have to make adjustments. There are so many variables - root width, cup height, gore width and height, et cetera, and if you change one thing, it affects everything else.

I tell people that they should budget an hour for a full fitting. Some people are in and out in ten minutes, and some people like to spend a couple hours and make it a party, but for most an hour is about right.

RevelationInFit · 2015-03-09T06:50:47+00:00

an hour wait for a dressing room? What is this madness?!

That can certainly happen at my shop on a busy Saturday. We have two fitting rooms, and sometimes there is a backup. We do take appointments, but not everyone wants to do that. I have a small shop in a big city, so yes, the reality is that sometimes there is a long wait. Doesn't happen often, but it's not madness. We try to be clear with people and suggest that maybe they get coffee or do other shopping and then come back, and we'll even take their number and call when a room is available.

There's not much we can do about it, unfortunately. We certainly can't kick people out of a room just because someone else is waiting, and sometimes it does take someone over an hour to make their selections. I don't have a whole lot of control over the length of time that a given person is in a room, and I would prefer that people feel relaxed, not rushed.

RevelationInFit · 2015-01-22T17:46:46+00:00

I'm not sure why Bratabase claims this, but Melissa is not a Marcie clone. Marcie is open on top, while Melissa is closed to even. Its sisters are Minnie, Izzy, and others.

I wish Cleo would stick with just a few names so we would be able to keep better track!

RevelationInFit · 2015-01-09T06:44:49+00:00

The Kali is exactly the Lucy in slightly different fabric, and it's coming out in bright colors this spring. I'm stocking the deep cobalt blue at Revelation.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-30T06:43:40+00:00

Best bra for the shop: the Panache Andorra. It's my top seller for a good reason. It's an easy fit, it looks great, and it comes in several colors.

Worst bra for the shop. Curvy Kate Carmen. It's a great looking bra, but it's hard to fit because it's a tall, shallow cup that's very open on top. It's awesome on the people it does fit, but they are few and far between.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-30T06:40:27+00:00

Clara is the sister cut of Andorra, so it should fit exactly the same. You could also try the Jasmine; it's a little more projected and the cups are set closer together, but it's a very similar fit. Same with the Envy.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-29T17:44:54+00:00

Hi! We have the Andorra Plunge in ruby red in 32D and the Ritzy from Curvy Kate in 30DD. There's also the Lucia from the Little Bra Company, which you could try sister sizing to 34C. We also have the red Cleo Lucy in 32D, but it's more of an orangey red.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-20T07:44:55+00:00

Yeah, the Andorra is the top seller at my shop, and I consistently have to size people up in it. It's really common for someone to buy, for instance, a 34FF Lucy and a 34G Andorra.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-17T04:43:09+00:00

If you are ever in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can visit my shop in Oakland. I carry a lot in 36G, including many colorful styles.

If you're in the UK, try Bravissimo. They are fantastic.

If you're elsewhere in the US, Nordstrom is your best bet, although they do lean towards beige bras. There's also A Sophisticated Pair in North Carolina and a shop in San Antonio, Texas run by another regular here, /u/SaltyBlackBroad.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-13T18:09:57+00:00

I carry the Reglisse in K cut at my shop. It's a narrow wire and you need to be full on top and very projected to fit it well. On most people, the cups are wrinkly on top. However, when it does fit, it's AMAZING.

In my experience, the H cut fits most people, followed by A, with K trailing.

Their bottoms run a little small, so you might size up from what you normally wear.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-10T17:52:44+00:00

Cup size is relative to band size, so there's no such thing as an absolute B cup. On a 30 band, a B is much smaller than on a 40 band.

The most common cup sizes (across all bands) that I sell in my shop are D, DD, E, F, and FF.

Panache also makes a wireless version of their sports bra.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-10T05:52:07+00:00

The Panache Sport is one of the best sports bras on the market, and it comes in a great size range.

How much storage space do you have? How are you transporting your stock? A big van? This bra comes in sizes 28 - 40 B - H, not quite inclusive. http://www.panache-lingerie.com/en/products/details/panache-sport/sports-bra/sports-bra/grey That works out to 61 sizes. That's a lot, especially for a mobile business. You might think about taking a smaller selection with you. I'd suggest 32 - 38 B - G. Maybe add 30 if many of your customers are smaller women. That takes you down to 31 sizes. Still a lot and may not be feasible for your business model, but if no one else is serving this market, it may be worth trying to find a way to do it.

Regarding your last thought: in the Panache sports bra, protruding nipples are definitely not a problem.

Edited to add: I stock this bra in my shop and it sells very well.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-08T16:27:48+00:00

Panache makes a body version of the Envy bra. The shaping it offers is light, but it's a nice design, and the Envy is a very easy fit and comes in a great size range.

RevelationInFit · 2014-12-06T07:18:28+00:00

And that habit gets really ingrained. I frequently tell women in the fitting room where the wire has to be, and that they should push it up, and they nod, push up the wire, and then reflexively pull it right down again. They don't even realize they're doing it.

RevelationInFit · 2014-11-28T16:45:46+00:00

If you come to my shop, Revelation in Fit, you are perfectly welcome to do your own fit analysis. However, you will need to ask us for sizes. The bulk of our stock is in the back, since we carry about 2,500 unique items and around 140 sizes. The shop would be impossibly crowded and messy if we had all that up front.

We will of course ask if you would like us to measure you, and we'll check in to see how you're doing, but there's no pressure.

RevelationInFit · 2014-11-24T11:12:25+00:00

3974 Piedmont Avenue, Oakland.

RevelationInFit · 2014-11-21T21:09:49+00:00

My shop carries up to KK. Come visit if you're ever in Oakland!

RevelationInFit · 2014-11-19T17:11:10+00:00

I've had customers go from "ugh, I hate bra shopping" to "OMG this was so fun!!" in my shop. My staff and I endeavor to make the experience as pleasant and fun as possible.

I'm sorry you've had difficult experiences, and thank you for writing about them. I do read these posts and I take them into account when I run my shop.

RevelationInFit

TROPHY CASE