Next is a brand which is very dear in most of our hearts. I know that whenever I talk about next to anyone, we all seem to have the same opinions; it’s excellent quality, you know what you are getting and it’s affordable. In recent years Next have also fully stepped up their fashion game – they now mirror most of the seasonal trends as seen on the London Fashion Week catwalks, but at a fraction of a designer price. So, when I was told they were about to launch their new bra fitting service, I couldn’t wait to see what lingerie they had to offer!

Arriving Next’s store in Manchester Arndale (the largest Next store I have been in – it covers three stories and really does have everything you’d ever need inside!) on Wednesday evening, it was the night before the bra fitting service was launching to the public. Martine Alexander, a local Manchester stylist to the stars, was on hand to give bra fitting advice – for instance, a bra’s life is only 6 months, eeek, I definitely have some in the back of my wardrobe that are older than that! – and Next’s friendly staff were around to give fee bra fittings. All of this, with a glass of Prossecco, mini cupcakes and hand massages on offer. What a lovely treat!

My bra choice? Fortunately for you guys, I’m not quite brave enough to show you a photo of myself wearing it (although I wouldn’t be the first – I did see a couple of tweets from the evening floating around of half changed bloggers!), but the above two beauties were my picks from the evening. After trying on a few different sizes with the help of the ever-so-comforting Next changing room staff, I went home thrilled with the Phoebe Luxury Longline Bra in Taupe.  It is such a luxurious piece and, being silk, really feels like a pleasure to wear. One thing I did notice about the Next Lingerie sizes is that they differed greatly from the sizes I wear in other brands, such as M&S Lingerie and Boux Avenue. So, if you fancy investing in one of the above beauties, definitely make use of Next’s free bra fitting service and pop in store to get the size that’s right for you!

After enjoying being pampered over in the Next Lingerie changing rooms (at one point, three Next ladies were peeking into my changing room whilst I was in said bra and exclaiming ‘it looks like you’ve got implants!’ which is never a bad thing for a young lady to hear!), we all headed off to dinner together. We were very lucky to be treated to dinner at the incredible Hotel Gotham, a new 5 stars Hotel and Restaurant in the old bank building on King Street, Manchester. I never though I would get the chance to dine there, so I am so thankful and I had such an amazing night comparing bra picks with the other bloggers and talking about all-things-girly as we sipped wine, dined and gazed over the wonderful views of Manchester. The Next ladies were so incredibly friendly and generous, which made our special dinner all that more lovely.

Thank you so much to the lovely ladies at Next and Manchester Arndale for giving me an evening to remember. It was such a special treat and every time I wear my new beautiful lingerie set, I’ll think about the wonderful night I had looking over Manchester.