Every woman wants to feel sexy and confident. They want to be able to wear flattering clothes and sexy undergarments, while feeling comfortable and beautiful while doing so.
Despite being a healthy size, I’ve always been large breasted, which leads to difficulties when buying shirts and bras. So many times, we large breasted women have to settle on the boring, unsexy bras that come in only 2 styles. And let’s not get into the padding issue. Common sense makes me wonder why bras with a cup size of D and above have padding in them. We don’t need it!
Last fall, I was fortunate enough to visit Belgium for a few days. On a trip to Mons, I visited Hunkemöller, a European lingerie store. Hunkemöller is Europe’s answer to Victoria’s Secret, as they specialize in lingerie, swimwear, sleepwear, hosiery, and more. I bought a couple of sexy, unpadded bras and a nightgown in the Mons store and was so pleased with them that I went online to order more. Unfortunately, I learned that Hunkemöller does not ship to the US. I even contacted customer service to try to see if they could help me out, but had no luck.
So, I went online to check out Victoria’s Secret and other retailers to see if they had bras and nightgowns like the ones I purchased in Belgium. Most retailers here in the US cater to women with cup sizes A-C, with heavily padded bras showcasing new colors and fabrics or constructed with beautiful lace. Apparently, those of us that need the support the most, have to wear bras designed in the 60’s…with fabrics to match the granny panties they also sell. To be fair, minimizer and large cup styles and designs have improved over the years, but they still have a long way to go to match what women actually want – an attractive, supportive bra in ALL sizes.
Hunkemöller has bras in so many different sizes, it puts American retailers to shame. In addition to standard sizes, they also carry DD, E,F, and G sized bras. And guess what? They’re actually sexy and supportive! Hunkemöller has numerous unpadded sizes in very attractive designs AND at reasonable prices. Where you can expect to pay $35-60 for a Victoria’s Secret bra, a bra from Hunkemöller averages $30-$40 per bra.
The Hunkemöller nightgown I brought home, I fell in love with. It incorporates an elastic lace to the bust area to add some support, instead of the usual ‘triangles’ of fabric that simply cover, not support. I’ve looked everywhere around my hometown and online and couldn’t find anything similar. It’s like they actually put thought into what women will need in their lingerie. Not only that, what women with larger breasts want in lingerie as well.
I love that Hunkemöller actually seems to cater to what women want, and not what men want. Not very many nightgowns at Victoria’s Secret actually cover enough of a body that I’d be able to wear it in front of my children. Besides, most, if not all, don’t have any support in the chest area. Obviously when you are sleeping, you don’t need underwire support, but just a little elastic to hold yourself together goes a long way for us larger busted ladies.
Hunkemöller also seems to have better sizes. If I wear a large nightgown from Victoria’s Secret, half the fabric gets bunched up around my chest so I end up wearing a nightgown that barely covers my ass. Once again, not something I’d wear in front of the kids. This doesn’t happen with nightgowns from Hunkemöller.
So, as an independent reviewer and traveler, I hope and wish Hunkemöller would branch out in the US. I actually felt good shopping there. When walking into Victoria’s Secret, sometimes I feel like the 38 year old “old lady,” since I don’t fall into their 16-28 year old demographic. Hunkemöller definitely did not make me feel that way.
So, if you’re a woman and you find yourself in Europe, do yourself a favor and find a Hunkemöller store! You’ll love it!
See additional posts: The Trouble with Bras in America, and Hunkemöller Knocks Out the Competition.
** An Update! Hunkemöller now ships to the US!
Happy Travels!
Julie
Philip mountford | 1st Sep 15
Hi, I have just read your article and you have made me an extremely happy CEO. Please send me your sizes and I will send you some of our new collection.
A very Proud CEO, Hunkemoller
Happy travelling
Philip
Luciana | 5th Feb 18
I really wish Hunkemoller would ship to the US. I learned about your company’s lovely products in 2015 and have been checking in periodically to see if you have started selling in the US yet. We are ready for you Mr. Mountford!
Julie | 5th Feb 18
I know! It just means we have to travel more now 🙂 They seriously have great, affordable products for all shapes and sizes. Not every D cup and larger wants to wear a minimizer, a padded bra, or a boring nude colored bra. It would be great if they could at least, ship to the US. Here’s hoping… Thanks for reading! 🙂
Allen, Elisabeth | 10th Feb 19
I sooo agree!
We need this in the USA!
thatslondonbaby | 19th Sep 15
It’s a great brand. I remember when I moved from Germany to the Netherlands for my studies, it was the first time I could buy a normal bra for a reasonable price rather having to go to the special shops. At that time, there were only a few shops in Germany near to the Dutch border. Now HKM is growing so quickly and deservedly in Germany and Europe…
A tip – their sports range, HKMX, is absolutely brilliant, both the bras as well as shirts and pants. Sizing here also ranks further than most sports brands!
Julie | 19th Sep 15
Thanks for the tip! I’ll have to check out their sports gear the next time I’m overseas.
The Trouble with Bras in America… | Escaping the Midwest | 22nd Sep 15
[…] wrote a previous post about my love of Hunkemöller lingerie, that’s only available in Europe. This image is on […]
Hunkemöller Lingerie Knocks Out the Competition! | Escaping the Midwest | 4th Oct 15
[…] department stores in our country need makeovers. I’ve previously written posts (find them here and here) about my frustration with bras and not being able to find ones that are supportive, […]