Journelle

Journelle sits at the premium end, with bras often around the hundred-dollar mark, so it costs more than mass-market intimates. Many shoppers feel the fit, fabrics and curation justify it, while others find specific pieces overpriced for what they get. Because Journelle is a luxury lingerie retailer that curates top designers rather than making everything in-house, the value really depends on the individual brand and style you choose.

Journelle ranges from everyday basics to special-occasion pieces and is known for pretty, lacy, delicate lingerie. Beyond bras and knickers it stocks loungewear, hosiery, shapewear and accessories. Some of the labels it carries include Chantelle, Hanky Panky, Eberjey, Fleur of England, Wolford, Natori, Simone Pérèle and La Perla.

They are now connected at the top: Journelle was acquired in summer 2019 by Cosabella co-chief executive and creative director Guido Campello and his wife Sapna Palep. The key distinction is what each one is — Cosabella designs and makes its own lingerie, while Journelle is a multi-brand retailer that curates many designers. If you want a single house's signature look, that is Cosabella's lane; if you want to compare labels side by side, Journelle is built for that.

Journelle is built around a personal, in-store experience, with its New York flagship in Union Square opening in December 2007 and further locations following in SoHo and on the Upper East Side. If you are unsure of your size or want to feel the lace and cut in person, a store visit is the way Journelle is meant to be experienced. For repeat buys of a style you already trust, the website is the convenient route.

A well-fitting bra from one of Journelle's curated designers is the natural starting point, since fit is where the brand's premium positioning pays off most. Once you know which label suits your shape, the matching knicker turns it into a set, which several reviewers say can feel like a relative steal for the quality. Begin with the foundation piece, then build outward into loungewear or hosiery.

The name comes from the archaic French word journellement, meaning 'daily'. The idea behind it is that lovely lingerie is designed to be worn every day rather than reserved only for special occasions. That everyday-luxury philosophy runs through the whole assortment, from basics to occasion pieces.

Journelle was founded in 2007 by Claire Chambers, who opened the original New York stores and grew the curation in its early years. In 2013, Triumph International acquired a majority stake, and Chambers departed in 2015 shortly before the Chicago store opened. Since summer 2019 the company has been owned by Cosabella's Guido Campello and Sapna Palep.

Yes, in part. While Journelle is primarily a curator of other designers, it has developed its own pieces over time — in February 2013 it bottled a signature scent, The Linden flower, and created its own lingerie wash, and it launched its full Journelle Collection with AW15. So you will find both house items and a carefully chosen edit of outside labels under one roof.

In summer 2013 Journelle ran a mobile pop-up shop road trip in a retrofitted 1970 Land Yacht Airstream named the Grey Lady, complete with a tucked-away dressing room and the store's signature atmosphere. It travelled from Sag Harbor to Boston, Chicago and Washington D.C., and popped up at the Standard Hotel's High Line location during New York Fashion Week. It captures Journelle's emphasis on a personal, considered in-store feel rather than transactional shopping.

Journelle has run an annual Spring Cleaning bra drive in partnership with the nonprofit Free The Girls, beginning in 2012. The drive collects gently used bras, which Free The Girls delivers to safe houses in Mozambique so that women rescued from trafficking can earn a living selling them. Journelle has also donated a dollar for each bra donated, turning a wardrobe clear-out into support for survivors.