Pantyhose Week Store Profile: Shapings

**Don't forget to comment here for an additional entry into my giveaway. Include in your comments what pantyhose you are wearing today as part of pantyhose week. For the full rules of the giveaway check here.

Shapings is definitely one of the more unique stores that I'll be reviewing this week. I actually only stumbled upon it, myself, just over a year ago, but I've been shopping very regularly there, since.

I first found Shapings when I was searching online for Fogal pantyhose. Having just visited (read: ransacked) a Fogal store while on vacation, and being blown away by that brand, I was eager to find someplace that sold that brand online.

As it turned out, not only did Shapings carry the Fogal brand name, they carried, it seemed an absolute endless selection of brand names, most of which I had never heard of, at the time. By my count, there is 25 different brand names of pantyhose available from Shapings. A huge amount of these brands, I had never heard of before, and I still don't see available anywhere else.

Never having been one with a lot of will power, I walked away with a lot of pantyhose. And I do mean A LOT of pantyhose. At that time I began doing 2 pantyhose reviews a week and I honestly fell in love with many of the brand names I tried from that first purchased, which included Pompea, Cecilia de Rafael, Filodoro, and Cette, just to name a few. I've become particularly enamored with Cecilia de Rafael ever since. The pantyhose I purchased from Shapings played a big part in my decision to make this blog about pantyhose, rather than lingerie and hosiery as it had been when I started. I was so happy with everything I had purchased from them, and so blown away by the selection, I decided I could, in fact, maintain a blog on just pantyhose, and not run out of things to blog about.

The interesting thing about Shapings, though, is that the store, formed in 1995, was actually built around the idea of giving women a more personalized bra-fitting experience. Pantyhose had never really been in the plan, that much. If you walk into one of their boutiques in Ontario, Canada, you won't find all that many pairs of pantyhose. What you will find, is many different shapes and sizes of bras, and professional fitters who will help you find the perfect one for you.

As many women know, finding the right bra fit can be a tricky and difficult experience. It is estimated, in fact, that as many as 3 out of every 4 women are currently wearing the wrong bra size. Shapings was opened with the idea of getting professional fitters to help as many women as possible in to the right bra.

The online store for Shapings is just the opposite. The owner, Nicole Safko, is so serious about only selling you the right bra, that she won't sell bras online at all. If you want to buy a bra from Shapings, you have to do it in person.

What you can buy online is pantyhose, and lots of pantyhose. When Shapings started selling fine hosiery from Europe, they couldn't believe how much of a demand there was for it, so they continued adding more brands and styles. They also began adding a personal marketing touch by hiring models and using their own imagery to sell their pantyhose. As you browse their huge selection of hosiery, many of the images that come with each brand are Shapings models modeling that particular pair of pantyhose. Rather than relying on the picture on the package, you can see up close how these pantyhose will look on, allowing you to make a more informed purchase and avoid a lot of the guesswork that usually comes with buying pantyhose.

Just as they don't sell bras online, Shapings does not carry much of their pantyhose stock in their boutiques. Because of their huge selection, and because they want to make their boutiques more about the bra fittings, they don't keep most of their hosiery stock in-store. But you can call ahead if you wish to purchase pantyhose and pick them up in-store.

Personally, I'd like to stop in just to thank them for their huge selection. Shapings makes it so much easier to purchase quality European pantyhose, and that's something I can certainly appreciate.

Coming tomorrow: Another store profile!