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Boudoir Styling Inspiration with Aristelle


Today we are so excited to be highlighting one of our favorite AND local lingerie shops, Aristelle.

Aristelle is a local boutique that features fine lingerie, everyday basics, and loungewear for every size, shape & age. They're best known for being bra fitting experts, their high quality products, and outstanding customer service.

When it comes to finding the perfect outfit for your boudoir shoot, the most important factor is that you feel beautiful, comfortable, and confident! Ashley from Aristelle can help you do just that! Today we're going to feature a little Q&A with the expert herself and share some of our favorite pieces we think would be perfect for your upcoming session.

Q & A

with Ashley from Aristelle

Q: Tell us a little bit about you & your store.

A: Aristelle was founded in 2014 as a place for women of all ages, shapes and sizes to purchase lingerie in a safe and comfortable environment while being provided the highest in customer service standards. In September of 2019, I became the new owner of Aristelle. Although the store has grown and evolved in these six years, not much has changed: we are a place for women of all ages, shapes and sizes to safely and comfortably purchase lingerie and our customer service is unmatched. After nearly a decade in corporate sales, and craving something more meaningful, I sought to acquire Aristelle. I had always had this nagging desire to own my own business - but I never thought it would be a lingerie boutique! I truly believe that the universe opens space for you when you let it and I believe in my heart I was guided to own this exact boutique. There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel as though I am living my purpose in serving the women that shop at Aristelle. Although my first year in business has been challenging due to the pandemic, I have not looked back. Not once.

Q: What is your mission at Aristelle?

A: The mission at Aristelle is to empower women to “Love What’s Underneath”. Our goal is to provide a safe and comfortable environment for women of all ages, shapes and sizes to purchase lingerie, including the everyday basics that are more a necessity than a luxury. Specializing in bra fitting, we strive to provide a superior shopping experience that includes a one-on-one fitting and personal shopping session to find each woman that bra(s) that best fit their body, goals and lifestyle. We strive to create an experience that is positive one, in both how each woman sees herself in the fitting room to the items she leaves with. My personal mission is very simple and it is why I take a very hands-on, active approach to my business: I cannot control how society makes women feel about their bodies but I can control what happens within the four walls of my store and how they feel when they walk out my door. That is why I do what I do.

Q: What types of products do you offer that boudoir clients might be interested in?

A: Aristelle offers a range of lingerie items including everyday basics, unique one-of-a-kind sets, bodysuits, sleepwear and loungewear. Each woman that shops at Aristelle has their own definition of what lingerie is - we have curated a collection that appeals to each woman’s personal style. We work with each woman and her vision of what boudoir means to her to create a collection of looks that is either monochromatic or colorful, playful or demure, conservative or seductive. Lingerie is as individual as it is intimate and boudoir is no different.

Q: Can you talk a little bit about the unique Aristelle quality & experience that clients would get with you?

A: From the moment a woman walks through our door at Aristelle they are greeted with a warm welcome. We always ask if they have shopped with us before and if they have not we offer a bra fitting. Aristelle is built on providing women the lingerie that meets their individual needs so fit is very important. We strongly discourage making a purchase without a proper fitting or purchase history. A typical first-time visit to Aristelle looks like this: we start with measuring your bust. This calculation gives us our baseline size, for example, a 34D. From there, we consult with each woman as to what her goals for the fitting are and what she is looking for: everyday basics, something special, soft cup or molded cup, neutrals or color, etc. And then the fun begins. As I said, we measure to get a baseline but we will try on different bras, different brands, different sizes, different bra styles and shapes with the goal of finding the perfect combination of fit and comfort. We liken it to putting the pieces of a puzzle together: we are trying to match a women’s unique and individual breast shape and size to the bra shape and size. We could try on five bras or forty-five, which is exactly why women need to shop with us. We leverage our expertise and patience to find the perfect fit. Each woman is walked through our fit process so that she can gain the knowledge of how a proper fitting bra should fit and feel. The first question is always: how does it feel? The second: do you love it? If the answer is no, or even maybe, we move on. We want a yes and we encourage women to purchase only the bras they will love and wear. Once a woman finds the bra(s) that work best for her and her goals we create a detailed profile that includes sizing information and purchase history. This allows us to quickly and easily serve each of our customers in the future either in-store or by phone or email. We are good with names - and bra sizes. If we remember your name, there is a good chance we also remember your bra size :)

Q: How far in advance should clients come to see you before their session?

A: I would suggest that once a woman books her session she should almost immediately come to Aristelle for a fitting. Although we carry a range of sizes and styles, if we need to special order something particular we will need time to do so and that can take up to 2-3 weeks in some cases.

Q: If someone was interested in a boudoir session, but wasn’t quite sure - what would you say to them?

A: Come to Aristelle for a fitting. Let us share our knowledge and expertise with you and open your eyes to the true purpose of lingerie. Let us help you see yourself from a different angle, a new lense. Many women will see a piece of lingerie and immediately think: “I can never wear that” or “That would never look good on me”. Part of the Aristelle experience is allowing us to leverage our knowledge of cut and fit to put women in pieces they would A) never pick off the rack and/or B) imagine would look fantastic on them. Again, helping women see themselves for how beautiful they are, helping them love what’s underneath.

Q: Anything else you’d like to share about you, your store, or boudoir photography?

A: As for boudoir, do it for yourself. Always. Perhaps you are going to share it with a partner but always start with the intention of doing it for yourself. Many women will tell me: “I don’t wear lingerie - I don’t have anyone to wear it for” or “when I find a partner…”. No. No, no, no! Buy and wear lingerie for yourself and if someone else can also take pleasure in it, great! Same for boudoir!

Q: Where can everybody find and connect with you?

A: We are located at 92 Exchange Street in Portland and I’d love to see you! If you cannot make it in you can always find me on Instagram