A Cow Town Goes Designer

Bella Donna: No Cookie Cutters Here

By Brianne Burrowes, 1-27-06

Editor's Note: This is sixth in a series looking into how changing demographics are creating a new age in Missoula's boutique scene. Each day, New West is bringing you snapshots of the local businesses that are part of, and setting the trend. Click here to track all the installments.

	Photos by New West Photo Editor Chris Lombardi

While most designer boutiques cater to the size-six (or 34-B) woman, for the past two years Missoulians have been lucky with the selection at Bella Donna.

"We have bras for every woman," says Noreen Barron, co-owner of Bella Donna. "It's not a cookie-cutter type of place."

Bra sizes in the warmly-lit store range anywhere from 32-A to 44-G. Most people coming into the store are larger or smaller than most lingerie stores cater to, Barron says.

When Barron and co-owner Jennifer Irwin were both managing Express in Southgate Mall, they decided they wanted to open a lingerie store. Barron and Irwin were tired of working for a corporate company and wanted to open their own stores. Bella Donna was born.

Aside from bras, the store sells a variety of lingerie from panties and thongs, to lounge wear and robes. Many people would take one look at the outside of the store and think it's an upscale boutique that's out of a middle-class woman's price range. But that's not the case, Barron says. Items in the store range in price from $12 to $110.

The store caters to a businesswoman demographic, Barron says, because the store is located downtown. She has many shoppers visiting on their lunch break or right after they leave work. She said Missoula needs to make downtown more of a shopping destination, one that can lure all age groups downtown and not just older women.

"We usually cater to an older woman who is anywhere from 20 to 60," Barron says. "Our clientele is a little more mature because we are downtown."

Bella Donna's most popular brands include Hanky Panky, Spanx by Sara Blakely, Mary Green, Eberjey, Nu Bra and On Gossamer. Bella Donna even carries reversible tights that are black on one side and brown on the other. Their most popular lingerie is the Hanky Panky stretchable lace thong. It sells for $18, is one-size-fits-all thong, and even comes in a low-rise cut for a woman who likes to wear jeans like Ashlee Simpson -- that is, falling off her butt.

More than 85 percent of women wear the wrong bra size, Barron says. The owners of Bella Donna take pride in the fact that their store is someplace where people can feel comfortable in the search for finding the right size of bra. Even the atmosphere of the store is zen-like, with a running fountain and Frank Sinatra music.

Barron says she isn't worried about competing stores along Higgins.

"The only competition we would have would be if someone had $100 to spend and they had to decide where they wanted to spend it," Barron says.

This is the same reason Bella Donna likes to stay specialized, fresh and current. Both Irwin and Barron are traveling to market in April to find the hippest new designs for their shoppers.

Barron says the future of Missoula fashion is bright. She says Missoula always has been a place ready for popular designers.

"I think the money has always been here and I think the customer just has more choices now," she says.

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