Best Lingerie Stores: Tryst Lingerie in Toronto, Ontario

October 3rd, 2017

Have you ever struggled with finding bras that fit and didn’t know where to turn? Welcome to our Best Lingerie Stores series, where we’re chatting with the best local lingerie stores and sharing their bra fitting expertise with you. These lingerie stores have helped hundreds of thousands of women find their favorite bras — and they want to help you look and feel your best too. This week, we chatted with Shana and Anita of Tryst Lingerie in Toronto, ON, Canada.

All About Tryst Lingerie:

Parfait Team: What inspired you to start a business?

Shana: I have an entrepreneurial spirit and have always owned my own businesses. Anita (my business partner) and I like being our own bosses.

PT: What about the lingerie industry interested you?

Shana: Since I was a teen I always struggled with finding a bra that fit that wasn’t ugly. I decided that I wanted to help women find beautiful and comfortable lingerie, specifically bras, that fit them properly. When I got into the industry there was not a lot available for larger cupped women but there is a lot more choice for women these days.

Image via Tryst Lingerie

PT: Your store is located in Toronto, ON. How did you decide on the location?

Shana & Anita: We are Toronto locals. We love our city.

Shana: Being able to help women has always been my main focus. I saw a lack of variety in the stores in Toronto and wanted to fill that gap.

PT: Tell us about your store name. What inspired the name Tryst Lingerie?

Shana: My mum, now retired, was our 3^rd business partner and she came up with the name. Tryst means a private, romantic rendezvous. We believe that buying lingerie should be as pleasurable as a tryst.

PT: What do you enjoy most about your local community?

Shana & Anita: We have just moved to the Toronto neighbourhood known as West Queen West. This area was voted by Vogue magazine as North America’s hippest district and second in the world. We are surrounded by amazing, independent clothing shopping and cool cafes and restaurants. Our new BIA is very active – we even have bee hotels in our street-scaping. The area is also very LGBTQ positive.

Image via Tryst Lingerie

Bra Fitting at Tryst Lingerie:

PT: Why is it important for women to get a professional bra fitting?

Shana & Anita: If a woman can be fit in a boutique that carries many sizes and styles she has more options in finding a bra that fits her well. It’s important for her to have someone who knows how stock fits on different size breasts. A professional fitter can identify different shaped breasts and knows what merchandise would fit that customer. The customer benefits from all of our product knowledge and large selection of merchandise.

PT: What do you wish all women knew about lingerie and professional bra fitting?

Shana & Anita: That it is not painful and we don’t need to see you naked (topless) to fit you in a bra.

PT: You’re committed to offering a diverse range of styles and sizes for your customers. What do you look for when selecting new styles?

Shana & Anita: One of the things we look for is a style that fills voids in our stock. If we need specific shapes in certain sizes we keep our eyes open for that. We base some of our ordering on shapes and styles that have worked well for us in the past.

Image via Tryst Lingerie

PT: What is the largest bra size you carry?

Shana & Anita: We carry up to an English K or European 0 and the biggest back that we have a variety in is 46.

PT: How many bras does a woman actually need in her lingerie wardrobe?

Shana & Anita: Ideally enough so that she always has a freshly washed bra to wear. So this would depend on how often a customer wants to do laundry. And she might want a strapless and sports bra as well. So that might mean at least 9 bras if she does her laundry once a week.

Image via Tryst Lingerie

PT: Some of us are shy about buying colored bras. What advice would you give to a woman who loves color, but isn’t sure how to incorporate it into her wardrobe?

Shana & Anita: If no one is seeing it but you then you can easily add colour to your lingerie wardrobe for you to enjoy.

PT: What can you tell our readers about the bra fitting experience at Tryst Lingerie?

Shana & Anita: A fitting at Tryst begins with a quick measurement and a two-way conversation to determine what the customer is looking for. We start with a well-fitting bra to determine the customer’s size and proceed to bring her bras to try based on her needs.