- The lingerie market is overcrowded, reports Crain’s New York Business. Inundated by new players, from Etsy sellers to major brands like Aerie, many boutiques are having to raise prices as a result. File that under good news and bad news.
- One of my fave lingerie bloggers, Thin and Curvy, has put together a list of resources for smaller busted women. Another of my fave bloggers, 32aa Bra, is on it.
- Orange Lingerie (an amazing custom lingerie designer based in Chicago) explains how to tell when your bra is, well, broke. This is super helpful info, especially if you’re wondering when it’s time to replace your bras.
- La Perla is having a special private pre-sale of the new Jean Paul Gaultier Swim Collection. Sign up in advance at the link for first access.
- Josie Natori, of the eponymous lingerie empire Josie Natori, gives the Wall Street Journal tips for spouses, partners, and friends who’d like to buy lingerie for their significant other. I especially love her advice to pick a style the wearer would like but push the envelope when it comes to color or pattern.
- Ann Summer’s ‘Real Woman’ modeling contest is won by the only plus size finalist. I’m quite happy for her, but please no comments linking someone’s dress size with how ‘real’ they are.
- Speaking of the whole ‘real woman’ debate, Plus-Size Magazine accused thin women the world over of being anorexic. Which is a problem because anorexia nervosa is usually diagnosed with a bit more than your dress size.
- G-strings are on the way out; boyshorts and briefs are still in according to trend forecasters in Paris. As Simone Perele’s Head of Marketing put it, “You can be sexy with transparencies, with colour, with peepholes, or simply with graphic lines that frame a square of skin.” I 100% agree.
- If you’re one of the millions of women who don’t live close enough to a lingerie boutique to get an in person bra fitting, Breakout Bras has you covered with one of the most comprehensive fitting guides I’ve ever seen. They talk about everything from how to the band should fit to how the cups should fit to how the underwires should fit, all with plenty of pictures so you can see that they mean.
Photo Credit: Ann Summers via The Daily Mail
From the Jezebel article: “In case you forgot, when it comes to women and their bodies, there always have to be winners and losers.” Too true…
Whilst it’s probably true that the average runway model has a BMI under 17.5, Plus-Size Magazine’s reference to anorexia is unnecessary and irrelevant. If BMI is not reliable when it comes to “overweight” or “obese” people, it shouldn’t be used to shame “underweight” people either. Again, I agree with the Jezebel writer: the problem isn’t that being thin is unhealthy, it’s the framing of thinness as the only acceptable body type.
Yes, yes, yes. You are so spot on. Thank you for sharing this here.
Chicago, Chicago…great tips from Orange Lingerie on when a bra is done. I have lots of foam bras so I’ll look out for the ripples.
And yes Plus-Size Magazine, saying that everyone under a certain BMI is anorexic is like saying that everyone over a certain BMI is suffering from binge eating disorder.
Great idea by Breakout Bras to include pictures in their fitting guide.
Glad you liked this week’s round-up!
I think when companies use the term “real women” its not in reference to her size. For example, when Dove launched their “Real Beauty” Campaign, it was fronted by women who were not professional models or spokespersons, nor were they photo shopped. Their beauty was natural and not part of their job, and they ranged in size and skin type. The modeling contest is similar. They were looking for a non professional. Real seems to be used in the same way as genuine.
I agree wholeheartedly with that take on the whole “real” women thing.
That said, I’m so happy she won the Ann Summers contest because well…she’s basically my body twin. She looks amazing, and I’m so happy for her. Seeing her makes me more confident about myself, which is the whole idea of using a diverse set of models anyway. I wish companies would use a broader model base so everyone could have that experience of seeing “themselves” in a mainstream ad campaign.
“I wish companies would use a broader model base so everyone could have that experience of seeing ‘themselves’ in a mainstream ad campaign.”
You’ve hit the reason for why model diversity is so important right on the head. I completely agree.
I agree with what you’re saying here, Tricia, and that was the impression I got from the contest too.
I was just pre-emptively asking that people not turn a great idea for a contest into yet another “Real women have curves!” statement…because that’s not only insensitive, it’s unnecessary.
The Breakout Bras guide is one of the most comprehensive guides I’ve seen. I’m so glad that it mentioned where the underwire should sit on the side (i.e. NOT sitting on top of breast tissue and encompassing the whole breast) and described how to pull breast tissue up and in to the cup (versus the “shimmy” which is much less effective). So happy to see this!
I’m glad you liked it! I thought it was one of the best I’ve seen too.