Sexy French Aubade Bra "Ispaha", Plissee-textured Padded V-Cup, orig. $159
blue/purple

- padded, no-sheer V-balcony cup with underwire support
- three rows of single (32A-C, 34A, 36A) or double (34C and up) hook & eye pairs
- stiffener on sides to maintain shape
- beautiful embroidery and plissee texture
- no pushup
- matching tanga strings and slips available (see last picture of series) $29

I only have these eight individual bras left of this style, in my inventory.

They sold for $159 in my boutique. See "My Story", below, and please, check out my eBay Store and/or follow me for future listings of beautiful garments!


About the Brand

At a time in fashion history when the corset began losing its significance in the war against gravity, Aubade entered the scene with lingerie as the "real weapon of seduction". I did not make this up, it is from their web site. (www.aubade.com)

Unfortunately, even that war of seduction was fought out at some point and Aubade was subdued (bought out) by what I consider the most conservative lingerie brand the world had seen until the advent of Walmart: Calida, Switzerland. Hence, if you are looking for the original "weapons of seduction" you have come to the right place. I still have hundreds of mostly individual pieces of the original sexy Aubade lingerie left in my inventory.

We started our lingerie story with Aubade in the late 1980s (see: "My Story", below) when my mom needed a bra and found nothing that would fit or even look good in all of the towns biggest lingerie stores. As a clothing store, we took it upon us to embark on a crusade against the widespread deficit of good taste in (and good fit of) underwear. Very soon, women from a 100 mile radius came knocking down our doors.

There is a correlation between a designers country of origin and the physique of their models, particularily in underwear. I am myself of a broader physique with a comparatively smaller bosom, hence I tend towards Italian brands, such as Parah, Luna or Valery. My mom, on the other hand, was smaller built (i.e. width of the cups vs. their depths) and hence favored, you guessed it, it was Aubade for her.

Aubade claims to fame of having invented the bra sets by being the first brand to create collections  of matching colored bras and panties. According to aubade.com, Aubade also produced the first strapless bras, halter bras, the legendary “Agrafe-coeur” (heart-hook, i.e. the bra that hooks in front), and the tanga string.

Aubade also spear-headed a new approach to lingerie marketing with provocative, artistic and also humorous advertising campaigns.

SAM_5421, SAM_6380, SAM_6390

My Story

For 30 years, my mother and I owned a boutique with mostly exclusive, playful, extravagant European designer fashion clothing. Most of our designers were little known European artists, many of whom we knew personally. Often they would consider our design preferences. Many of our pieces even were unique because they were "prototypes" that were never mass produced.

I loved my boutique and I loved my job as I found great satisfaction and exhileration in advising and helping women of all ages, styles and sizes to look exceptionally gorgeous. But after my mom's passing and due to a combination of health issues and significant changes in the industry, I was forced to close the store in 2010. At that time, I surprised myself when we counted several thousand items of clothing, fashion jewlery, antique jewlery, underwear, corsets, beach wear and accessories. Not knowing what to do with it, my adventurous husband suggested that we pack it all up in a container, ship it to the US, put it in storage and liquidate our huge inventory on eBay and other channels.

And here we are...

All our items are unused, mostly with original tags (where they did not fall off during multiple relocations) and sold here below our cost. The entire inventory has been in storage for five years where some of the movers had difficulties with the concept of not dragging garments across floors. Hence you might expect to wash all our garments --which I would do anyway-- as some (especially those closer to the doors) may have accumulated some dust and the ones further from the door may have a slight musty odor. We currently run several ozonisers and air fresheners in our storage in order to neutralise any remaining odor.

But don't you worry. If we discover any stains, damage or unappetising odor, we will declare and document it or remove it from inventory if the damage is significant. Should we miss anything, you have the right to return it.

The name speaks for itself. Irenes Treasure Trove. Picture an abandoned paradise (my store) with hidden troves (piles of boxes behind storage pad lock) and unexpected treasures surfacing as you get yourself lost in the myriads of never before seen treasures. A little dusting off, a small bribe (Paypal) to slip by the guard (me), and the treasure is yours...!

If you are looking for very rare, brand-new European designer clothes at a steal, and you are willing to go through the little extra burden of first washing or dry-cleaning them, you've come to the right place. I can almost 100% guarantee you that you will never encounter another woman wearing the same dress... :-) as some of them only exist once in the whoile wide world, or at least in a 1000 mile radius.

Any questions, please ask. And please check out my other items!