Exactly 20 years ago, in a sweaty reggae club in LA, a boy got on one knee and asked me out on a date. ‘I’ve literally been stalking you for over a year now,” he said with a sexy British accent. He wore a big quiff and a huge grin. I wore my lucky purple push-up bra. Instead of calling the police, I fell madly in love. 

This was the one! I thanked my lucky stars, but mostly, my lucky bra. Those are the super powers of a good push up bra; it gives you the confidence to conquer the world. Or at least the boy of your dreams. To quote model Eva Herzigova in that epic first Wonderbra ad; all boobs and beaming smile: ‘Hello boys!’

I was reminded of all this recently, when I tried on Marlies Dekkers’ updated version of the wonderbra: her super push up bra. ‘Hello girls!’, I squealed when I looked in the mirror. My 70D boobies had been transformed into 70E weapons of mass destruction! Yes I know, boobs are out, butts are in. But I’m an old fashioned gal: when you lift my bossom, you lift my spirit.

One of the effects of a push up bra (in this case, Marlies Dekkers’  ‘Lady from Shanghai’): total shamelessness, gheghe. 

Did me and my stalker live happily ever after? Lord, no! It was a mad rollercoaster of crazy passion and deep misery that went on for years untill we had completely destroyed each other. When we finally said goodbye we were still in love. I saved the bra. The purple has faded, the memories have not.

This Friday, Marlies will be celebrating her 50^th birthday with a spectacular show at Villa Thalia in Rotterdam. I’ll be part of it, and I’ll be wearing one of her super push up bras. You’ve been warned…

A few of my favorite things… (Lady from Shanghai lingerie set with super push up bra, vintage kimono from Tokyo, Acqua di Parma’s Magnolia Nobile, impossible gold heels) 

Man trapping throughout the decades