retail profiles // classy // la silhouette lingerie

Q&A with Britt Cruikshank, president

Ted Vayos, BODY: Describe your business to the BODY Magazine readers.

Britt Cruikshank: La Silhouette Lingerie evolved out of my frustration with Cincinnati’s lack of luxury European lingerie shops and the brands that I grew up with, along with my genuine passion for helping women feel good about themselves from the inside out. I opened La Silhouette Lingerie in 2007 to bring a piece of Europe to the Midwest in Madeira, Ohio. I grew up shopping the quant boutiques common in Sweden and the rest of Europe that feature quality products and a high level of hospitality.

I designed our new expanded store to help people feel like they are stepping off the streets of Paris and into a sanctuary of high-quality, luxurious lingerie. The boutique is decorated with a bit of my Swedish heritage to make customers feel at home and comfortable. The chandeliers along with a few pieces of furniture are from the homes of my mother and grandmother. All this add up to a wonderful location for celebrations: bridal showers, anniversaries, couples, and birthdays.

La Silhouette is not just about shopping, but also experiencing the personalized attention to detail in an intimate setting. We pride ourselves on creating a non-intimidating atmosphere with stock our customers want including new, hard-to-find and exclusive brands. We carry the latest fashion in bras, panties and matching sets, gowns, robes, loungewear, nightwear, shapewear, hosiery, bridal trousseau’s, swimwear, and accessories. Shoppers will find the store full of items from sizes 30A through 44H, XS through XL and from designers including Prima Donna, Marie Jo, La Perla, Jane Woolrich, Verena, Francis Smiley, Feraud, Roesch, , Pluto, Oscar de la Renta, and Hanky Panky. We are also an exclusive dealer of Wolford fashions: sweaters, tops, skirts, dresses, hosiery.

Through the years I have found that American women often struggle with feeling feminine and sexy, which is something a European women is proud of. My store is all about helping women feel good from the inside out starting with properly fitting undergarments. We strive to not only create a special shopping experience, but also a personal relationship with each client. It is important to sell, but to me it is more important to build the trust with women and even their significant other. This has always been the key to my success

I am driven by the values I learned as a child and great hospitality is one of those. Anyone who walks into the store will not only be greeted by amazing lingerie, but also a warm cup of coffee or tea, cookies, good conversation and scents of the fresh seasonal flowers I buy each week.

Madeira is a quant part of Cincinnati with lots of friendly pedestrian traffic and is a perfect place for a store like La Silhouette. We are dedicated to helping all women feel good about themselves. I have even received training to assist post breast surgery patients and in prosthesis fitting. As a company we are dedicated to serving the community, which includes supporting several local organizations like Lighthouse, the Lindner Center of Hope, Kinderwelt, Dress for Success, County Day School and Pink Ribbon.