Retail Stores That Sell Girdles to Men
Introduction
Most lingerie shops do not care to deal with male customers unless they are buying something for their wives. One reason cited is that the store does not have separate dressing rooms for men, and the managers feel that their female customers would be uncomfortable trying on intimate apparel with a man nearby. Another reason offered is that the salesladies know nothing about fitting a man with a girdle. Whatever the case, most shops just don't want men clientele.
Fortunately, however, there are a number of retail shops scattered around the world that delight in selling girdles to men. They don't care about gender, and they occasionally have a separate fitting area for men. These places, listed to the left and below, are fun places to visit, and I encourage you to patronize as many as you can. See also: How to Buy a Girdle in a Retail Store
Note: If you find any of the information below to be in error, please email me with the discrepancies.
Department stores
Department stores will sell girdles to men, but their selections are meager, if at all. I have test driven girdles at Sears, Dillard's, and Foley's with absolutely no problems. The salesladies did not care what gender I was, but they all made sure I went to the men's dressing room to try on my selections. Three problems at department stores:
- Salesladies cannot help you with size or fit. They have no experience with men.
- Department stores do not have a great selection of quality girdles. I have never seen any of the high-end girdles such as Rago, Custom Maid, Grenier, Crown, Cortland, or even Playtex in department stores; but you still can find Flexees in some.
- You will have to walk to the men's dressing rooms to try girdles on in department stores. This doesn't seem like a big deal, but in some stores that may mean going up or down to another level. And if you have to make several trips, that could become tedious.
Retail Stores That Sell Girdles to Men.
Florence's Fashions
68 Albion St.
Wakefield, MA (north of Boston)
781-245-1385
Florence's Fashions is a very unique boutique in an old two-story house in the town of Wakefield, MA. It is so jamb packed with lingerie, that it is difficult to maneuver between the racks. This is a fascinating place to visit even if you don't buy anything.
Florence's used to be operated by a mother and daughter team, but Florence
passed away in 2000 and the store is now run solely by her daughter. Barbara
is an attractive lady totally unabashed about helping men purchase girdles
or anything else for that matter. Unfortunately, she did not have a good
supply of HWLLPGs the last time I visited (Spring 2001), and I walked
out empty-handed. Please be advised about the store hours: Closed Sun,
Mon, Tuesday. Open:Wed-Fri: 9:30-5pm, Saturday: 9:30-4pm. It is best to
call before you come out.
Other Cities in Massachusetts
Lady Grace Intimate Apparel
Lady Grace has 8 stores in Massachusetts, one in New Hampshire, and one
in Maine, and they welcome men in their stores. Please go to their website
for the Massachusetts store nearest you; the other two are listed below:
http://ladygrace.com/store-locations/a/14/
Here is an email from one of my visitors:
"After an internet search I happened upon “LadyGrace stores”.
Oh my word it was a treasure trove of all that a girdle enthusiast could
hope for. The store in Woburn Ma is a “superstore” per their
web site and it was occupied by at least 8 female shoppers. I had no compunction
in asking a saleslady to purchase a few items and without hesitation she
(Trisha) said “would you like to try it on because these items cannot
be returned after wearing”. I was pleased and with out further a
due proceeded to a back room men’s lavatory and tried on at least
7 different combinations of girdles and long line bras (yes I am an accomplished
Cross dresser, but wear girdles to bike and for support). I left with
$130.00 worth of shape ware which included the CM299."
Lady Grace Intimate Apparel
North Broadway Crossing
236 North Broadway (Rt. 28N)
Salem, NH 03079
Phone:603-898-0522
Hours:Monday - Friday: 9:30am - 8:00pm; Saturday: 9:30am - 6:00pm; Sunday:
12:00pm - 5:00pm
Driving Instructions: Take Route 93 to Exit 2 and travel 1/2 mile to Rt.
28 intersection. Take left onto Rt. 28N. The plaza, anchored by Mackinnon's
Market is 1/2 mile up on the right.
Lady Grace Intimate Apparel
Cornerbrook Plaza (across from Maine Mall)
343 Gorham Road
South Portland, ME 04106
Phone:207-774-8139
Hours: Monday - Saturday: 9:30am - 6:00pm; Sunday: 11:00am - 5:00pm
Driving Instructions: From the Maine Turnpike, take the "Mall Road"
exit. At end of ramp. Turn right. Follow past Maine Mall and take next
right onto Gorham Road. We are 1/4 mile up on left, near Panera Bread.
Frishman's is no longer in business. Sad to say, they closed their doors and their website on January 1, 2008. They are no longer available for sales, alterations, or advice.
Frishman's Corset and Lingerie
2150 White Plains Road
Bronx, New York 10462
Chicago, IL
Sally Ann Corset Salon
10501 S Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60643
(773) 298-1031
This shop is run by two very gracious and caring ladies, Cayla Bender and Avis Zimbler. They are are not interested in just selling you a garment; they want to make sure that what you buy "fits" properly. When you visit them to try things on, you definitely WILL try things on, and you will continue to try things on until they find the right garment for your body. While you are trying things, they monitor you as you don the garments, and they make appropriate suggestions as needed. They are completely unabashed with men in their store (but they do ask for a little discretion if there are women around). There are curtains over the dressing rooms, but unless there is a woman customer in the store, they stay open during your visit. I tried garments on for at least an hour and never had to close the drapes. My visit was truly a "fitting" experience.
Sally Ann Corset Shop also sells online at their web site: http://www.sallyanncorsetshop.com/.
Note: January, 2002: I have been told that Pauline's is no longer in business, and indeed, the phone has been disconnected.
Pauline's Girdle & Lingerie
4852 S Eastern Ave
Las Vegas, NV
(702) 433-5070
New Britain, CT
Irene's Lingerie Shop
89 W. Main St.
New Britain, CT 06051
(860) 223-1095
Web site: http://www.ireneslingerie.com/
Below is part of an email from a very gracious female reader of this
site:
I have a shop that you or your New England reader's may wish to visit.
It is Irene's at 89 West Main Street, New Britain, Connecticut. It is
the nicest old corset, bra and girdle shop from the old downtown era of
yesterday. The proprietor is Christine. What makes this shop so wonderful
is its charm and the service that you will receive, regardless of gender.
I grew up just outside of Hartford, Connecticut. I have shopped at Irene's
since I received my first women's foundations and have seen a number of
men openly and discretely shop for bras and girdles more than a few times.
She has a web site, but shopping the store is the best experience. Christine
will order anything she does not have in stock. Her prices are good to
average but when you combine her level of service and fitting knowledge,
Irene's is cheap. So I make the trip, it is some distance from where I
live.
Phoenix, AZ
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C. C,'s Lingerie & Bras |
Written by Bobbi at the Girdles and More Forum:
I visited a store once in Phoenix. I believe the name was C&C. They
have several Phoenix locations, and I picked the one nearest the airport.
They did perhaps the best job of fitting me (a guy) that I have ever experienced,
and they seemed to have a fairly good selection.
Providence R.I.
Arlene's Corsetry
5 Park Street
Attleboro, MA 02703
June 20, 2005
It is with deep sadness that I must report to you that Arlene's Corsetry
in downtown Attleboro no longer exists. The proprietor, Janice Laurie,
passed away in April of 2004 and left no one to continue the business.
I will leave my original comments below so that we should not forget the
terrific person she was. Please read her obituary at: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4154/is_200405/ai_n12388567
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Arlene's Corsetry is a very old lingerie shop nestled in the heart of Attleboro, MA, about 35 miles southwest of Boston and 10 miles north of Providence, RI. Caveat, there are at least 4 towns using the name Attleboro. It would be a good idea to create a map with Yahoo's MapQuest before you venture out there.
The store is run by Janice Laurie and her mother, Jean Carter, who both enjoy working with men. They are very cordial women who will put you at ease almost instantaneously. They even have a private area in the basement for men to try things on at their leisure so as to not interfere with female customers. Arlene's Corsetry has a robust selection of women's girdles: Rago, Smoothie, Exquisite Form, and others. Oh yes, prices here are very competitive, even with mail-order companies. Even though the store does not have a web site, Janice will accept phone orders.
Silver Spring, MD
Dor-Ne Corset Shoppe
8126 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring, MD 20910
301-589-5151
Mon-Sat: 10am-6pm
Parking Facilities: Yes
Written by Roger at the Girdles and More Forum:
If you are in the Washington D.C. area, the Dor-Ne Corset Shoppe definitely fits the bill. Great selection,consistent courtesy, and excellent advice for their significantly male clientele.
Sophia's Lingerie
542 Danforth Ave
Toronto, ON M4K 1P8
(416) 461-6113
Written by James at the Girdles and More Forum:
If you ever hit Toronto, you should visit Sophia's on Danforth Ave. It's a large lingerie shop that's been in business for several years. They have such a large selection, that other shops will refer clients to them. Also their yellow pages ad says "Lingerie for women and men", but I don't recall seeing much in the way of men's items in there. That's the store where I bought my first panty girdle. When I bought it, I told the clerk what I was looking for. She then rounded up a few examples and sent me to the change room. After a few tries, I found the girdle I wanted.
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