How to buy lingerie? (Guy here wanting to surprise g/f)

[phelan]

Well Valentines day is coming up and I wanna surprise my g/f with some lingerie but I'm kinda of leery going into victoria secret (i've never gone in without her so i would kinda of feel awkward) considering I dont' even know her measurements lol.

So what's a guy to do? I can't really go into her closet or anything as she's out of town on business till the 13th and I dont' have keys to her condo :( .

Also what's a good scent for candles to pick up for a romantic hot tub fun later that evening? :)

[GingerV]

Has she got a sister? Sisters usually have an idea what size to get. Or a good friend? Alternatively, if you've got friends who are girls...might one of them have a similar size?

I promise you won't be the first person to walk into VS and ask for help. They should be pretty good and both spotting and serving you if you work up the courage. Alternatively, online shopping might solve the shyness issue...but it's just much easier to return things (if you choose the wrong size) to a store, rather than a webpage.

One thing you might consider is stealing a trick from one of my ex's. He made me a certificate for me to open on the day...and then that weekend, we went shopping together. It was GREAT fun, many excellent teasing opportunities. ;) A step up from just getting her a gift certificate.

Anything you decide to do, I'm sure she'll appreciate the effort. Good luck with it!

G

[Pita]

Great advice from Ginger. I love online shopping for lingerie myself. If you really want to get something you might stick with something more flowing then say form fitting where the size really matters.

As for candles that is a very personal thing on what scents a person likes but Yankee candles are the best for long lasting smell. The Body Shop also has great candles. I personally love vanilla or lavender scents. But at Valentines I imagine there are some romantic scents to choose from.

[Galatea]

Oh! For the hot tub thing, find a pool and spa retailer and they sell these hot tub fragrances that scent the actual hot tub water without clogging the filters and making the water oily. Go for something sweet smelling with floral undertones. But not fruity...fruity is tropical but not neccessarily romantic.

And as far as the lingerie, the above advise is the best you can get. Ask a friend or relative of hers. otherwise, just ask some woman who knows her. we tend to be pretty aware of sizes and can pretty closely probably give you a best guess. Hell, you could probably put a picture of her on here and one of us ladies could probably give you a good guess as far as small, medium, large etc.

[Loulabelle]

If unsure of sizes, perhaps lingerie is not the best thing to buy. things like bras have to fit properly, or else they won't be worn. Especially if she is on the large busted side.

As TinglingTess said, how about going for something like a silk/ satin night gown with matching robe. Something glamourous and something that you find sexy. Something like that will be more a case of general dress size (easier to guess at) than the exact proprtions required for buying fitted lingerie. I have a lot of experience in bra buying being larger than average in the bust and smaller than average in the back (for my size elsewhere) and I wouldn't have a clue about guessing someone elses size from a picture or in real life, so I wouldn't risk guess work personally. You run the risk of offending her if you choose the wrong size!

Also, personally I'd go against the gift certificate idea too, since the whole idea is surely that you spent time and care choosing the gift. I received beautiful lingerie for Xmas, and I know the thrill was that he chose it alone, got the right size (because he'd asked me before hand 'just in case' he might decide to buy something like that) and had gift wrapped it in a big box with layers of tissue paper and a ribbons. Those things are often important to us girls....it's all in the presentation. :D

If you have that kind of relationship with her sister (if she has one) or her Mum, then I'd ask. I know that mine would be more than willing to help out if they were asked and neither would think it was strange.

Oh and Patchouli and Ylang Ylang are often scents used for 'romantic' candles, although personally I think they're an acquired taste!

[phelan]

Thanks for all the advice, I think i'll go with a nightgown type of approach as I can see that being much easier to choose