One week into my trip and I am in need of a new bra...my underwire broke and although I do have another one, it's black. We just got into Munich and I'd like some suggestions on where to buy one and how European sizes relate to U.S. sizes. I usually have to go to department stores (Macy's, JCPenney's, etc.) or specialty stores to find a good bra in my size, so am looking for something comparable.
Thanks, Cindy
There are several dept. stores you can go to in any large city in Germany. Galleria Kaufhof is one, Karstadt is the 2nd one, or you can shift up a notch to Peek & Cloppenberg, or shift down a notch to H&M or C&A, or even Woolworth. If you go to a mall, there will be specialty shops that can help you find a good fit.
Most bras will have the sizes for the different countries on them, with US, Germany, and UK for example.
The nice dept. stores will have large comprehensive sections, with very qualified sales help to assist you, and they most likely will have English speaking sales staff or will find someone. At least that is how it is in Frankfurt. I can't imagine Munich would be much different.
You may also find American products there too, like Wonderbras, Playtex, etc.
I would ordinarily have recommended Karstadt. It was one of my favorite stores--I could find just about anything there. But they are closing down right and left all over Germany. I haven't seen one in any city I've been to lately--just the empty building. Jo, do they still have one in Frankfurt? Or have they gone out of business altogether?
Jo & D.D., thanks for the info. I did find a Karstadt right next to the train station, but it had closed for the day right before I got there. I'll try again tomorrow.
Thanks, Cindy
Jo
OT
Are there still Woolworths in Germany? They died a death a couple of years ago here in the UK.
Here is the equivalent for the measurements around:
US Germany
32- 70
34- 75
36- 80
38- 85
Add the cup size. I'm not too familiar with the stores in Munich, but you can probably find a department store called Galleria Kaufhof. By the way, a bra is called a BH, for "buestenhalter" (with an umlauted U. I'm on a tiny netbook that won't let me do umlaut).
We still have 3 of Woolies in the neighborhoods. One in Bornheim, one in Sachsenhausen and one in Hoechst. The one downtown closed, which was sad, but I still like going to them. They always seem busy.
Yes, the Karstadt in Frankufurt on the Zeil is still open. I don't think they plan on closing that one right away if at all.
D.D. On a laptop, without a separate numeric keypad, the numpad is probably on the regular keyboard (in blue?), and you have to press the function key to activate it. Then just hold down the <alt> key and type '0252'.
Better, since you are typing in a text box that goes to the browser, use the html & (ampersand) codes. (The 'alt' codes aren't always interpreted correctly by all browsers, but by html syntax, the ampersand codes should be).
ü is ü. Likewise Ü is Ü, etc. Don't forget to end the code with ';'.
Have you considered taking a scissor and making a small cut to remove the broken underwire? Oftentimes you can do without it and make do for a while.
In Rome my modest 14 year old daughter had to go bra shopping when her carry-on bag was lost by the airlines for 8 days. We couldn't figure out the sizing so we asked for help. The salesgirl attempted to figure out her bra size by cupping her hand over my (very surprised) daughter's breast! A very direct approach...
Lee, thanks for the info on the ampersand codes...I've always wondered how to do that...and don't worry, I have no intention of divulging my bra size.
Carole, I did take the underwire out, it was fine for that day, but I want to take advantage of being in a large city to get a new one.
Terry, that must have been a horrifying experience for her!
Cindy, all of her clothing shopping in Rome was like that. Men and women alike handled her and touched her right in front of me, trying to help her find jeans that fit, etc. They just seemed to have different body-space boundaries. It was a very interesting cultural experience. They were so casual and business like that she never felt molested...just surprised and amused. Doing an everyday thing, like bra shopping, which gets one out of the everyday tourist path, can reveal very interesting aspects of culture that we would not ordinarily see. What is shocking to one culture is mundane and no nonsense to another.
Nigel, Woolworth Germany went into receivership in early 2009 and they've closed more than half of their 320 shops.
But they've found a new investor, which means that the brand will most likely survive.
Cindy, so after the & you write uuml for u umlaut (don't forget the final ;, Uuml to capital U umlaut, Ouml for O umlaut, etc. ß is ß
