Fashion foundation

Collections by Little Bra Company cater to Asian silhouettes. Photos Provided to China Daily

Specialist lingerie retailers believe the right inner wear makes women look and feel more beautiful on the outside. Kitty Go finds out the details.

A woman can spend as much as she wants on the most beautiful and most expensive clothing, but if she does not have the right "foundation", no outfit will fit or flatter her figure the way it should even with numerous alterations. And, she will never project the luxurious look and feel of what she is wearing if she does not have a sense of luxury.

That is what specialist lingerie retailers believe - getting the right inner wear.

Retailers offering lingerie fitting or styling services include multi-brand boutique Sheer in Hong Kong or UK-based Agent Provocateur, which has boutiques all over the world including two at Lane Crawford in Hong Kong and another in Parkview Green, Beijing.

It is basically a private consultation for foundation garments (usually for bridal corsets but highly recommended to everyone for everyday needs) or simply treating yourself to something beautiful and sexy.

"A confident woman is very seductive," says Sarah Shotton, creative director of Agent Provocateur. "Lingerie can help build this."

Most women may not realize that they are wearing the wrong bra size. Lingerie purveyors suggest a fitting every six months to a year, after pregnancy or whenever a woman has experienced considerable weight fluctuations.

Lisa Cheng, founder of Sheer, looks at three basic areas of a bra when fitting a customer: the straps, band and cups.

"Once those are determined, we go further into analyzing a customer's natural shape and fashion style," she explains.

"A lingerie fit expert not only ensures the proper size, but also takes into consideration a style of bra that suits her customer's personality."

"Wearing things that make you look and feel more beautiful is something every woman enjoys. We call it the 'a-ha!' moment in our fitting rooms, because it is like a lightbulb going off. Wearing nice lingerie is empowering and gives you an inner boost of confidence."

If there is one sector of fashion where you truly "get what you pay for", it has to be fine lingerie. At the top level, some bras can be made with as many as 40 parts. And that's just construction and labor.