Jabbing underwire. Straps falling off shoulders. Too much room here and not enough there. Peregrine Honig, who co-owns Crossroads lingerie boutique Birdies (1800 Baltimore Ave., KCMO) with Alexis Burggrabe, is used to hearing these woes from customers. She says many of them have never worn the correct bra size.
“It’s just fun to see people try something on and it fits them for the first time,” Honig says. “The difference is epic.”
You may be familiar with Honig’s work as an acclaimed artist. A Kansas City Art Institute alum and longtime resident of the city, her lithographs and etchings have been acquired by local museums like the Nelson-Atkins and the Kemper and major institutions like The Whitney Museum of American Art (she made history as the youngest living artist to have work acquired by this New York museum).
Naturally, she has a keen eye for proportions.
Reviews for Birdies mention Honig’s impressive ability to size customers with just a glance (she casually rattled off my own measurements when I visited the shop). “I can tell by people’s hands at this point,” she says. “I’m not always right on point—some people have sneaky boobs. But generally, I know the human body because I’m an artist. I’ve been studying form and figure my whole life.”
Honig launched Birdies in 2003 with a 100-square-foot space, printing her own designs on Costco underwear. In 2008, the shop expanded after a neighboring business moved out, and earlier this year, the business moved down the block into a corner storefront, tripling its size with help from Kansas City’s Open Doors! grant.
The new location’s atmosphere proves that, contrary to popular belief, shopping for bras does not have to be a hellish experience. The stylish, inviting space features velvet dressing room curtains, Turkish rugs, porcelain tile and a glassblown chandelier from New Orleans. Schedule a custom fitting (walk-ins are also welcome) and shop the boutique’s carefully curated collection, which includes garments from small designers like Colombian brand Soreil and Los Angeles label Nuvula.
Sizes range from 28A to 44L, and Honig says the shop will special order sizes outside of that range. “And we have people’s sizes in really interesting colors—not just beige,” Honig says.
Browse Birdies’ collection in-person at 1800 Baltimore Ave., KCMO, open 11 am–7 pm daily.
