Hi
I get really turned on by buying my panties and stockings from the main shops in the high street, such as M&S or from LH?
I've bought my own lingerie for years, so it's not so much a turn on as just a great shopping experience. I generally get fitted for my bras, which is fab. I use several independent lingerie shops and buy online occasionally (including LH) if there's something I really fancy.
It's nice being able to discuss lingerie with ladies - Mrs. P. isn't that much into it so I buy all hers too. The shops where I buy most of my stuff have helpful and knowledgeable staff who will discuss lingerie till the cows come home.
Until I figured out what sizes fit my beauties exactly, I used to shop in all-purpose malls (cheap crap that fell apart after anywhere from within an hour to one day), then in a local brick & mortar store (ill-fitting, cheapo, but at the same time expensive "sexy lingerie" stuff, that turned to be an immediate throwaway), to then finally converge on what you call 'high street' boutiques and the main clothing mall downtown.
Waltzed in, engaged a sales assistant, and specified the dimensions of all limbs, etc., proclaiming the need for help. With so many incompatible measurement systems, there was only one way to do this, by trial and error. Fortunately, the Wolfords I bought then were sturdy, and in the end I converged to size M (as opposed to numerical systems with a high margin of error used for hosiery I bought earlier). So now I have two brands I buy for C. and E. One wears levante, the other wears Wolfords, all day and all night, btw. So I have no need to interact anymore, and I buy hosiery for my ladies on the internet these days. Not too often, because Wolfords are super-durable, and have survived quite a lot of action.
Then there is brassière. Same problem: eleventy gazillion different measurement systems. It may not a problem for the tiny sizes, such as A-C, but with 29 cm difference between underbust and bustline for C., this is a problem. I read the Wikipedia article, and it hurt my head. So did the major incompatibilities out there, sometimes several at once on a given site. So again i had to do it myself. All businesslike, I went in, specified for whom i need the bras (or complete sets), specified the measurements, and in the end was helped quite efficiently. That was a Danish brand, which (of course) used different system than other brands in that store. A,B,C,D,DD,E,F,G,H,I,J,K. By numbers, i was supposed to get 65H, but that particular size was sold out. Went for 65I, and it fit pretty well. Don't recall anymore what kind of name is used for such a bra, but it covered the tops as well. Not marketed as shapewear, but very elegant ;) Shopped like this one more, this time for E., sampling a different brand (the most popular brands don't have bras this large, unfortunately), and I'm very close to the point where I will be able to buy on the internet. One more sample, and I'll be done. What I have bought so far is so sturdy that I don't think I will need more than two copies. If it works, it works.
Initially, i thought I would have to go through the ordeal of buying them clothes a hundred times over, but since what they already have works so well, I am spared the pain. Maybe that is because of the way I shop for myself. If I can't get my regular clothes on the internet, I minimize the time spent in stores. My record so far is a pair of Camel Active boots I bought in under a minute since entering the store, including payment. I'm not alone in this, I know that, so really wish there was a "same as always, sir?" service in the net stores. I could add my Camels, light-colored slacks, woolen socks, and black t-shirts to my permanent cart, and have it delivered twice or three times a year, automatically. I'm one of those who, once they find something they like, would prefer to wear until the end of times. So, this tendency has spilled to shopping for my beauties. Now I need to buy them better cocktail dresses than they have now, something that would match their arm-length satin gloves - and once I find what I'm after, I will be done shopping, probably for a long time. And that's something to look forward to ;)