This Week’s Intimate Discovery:  A Renown RTW Designer Enters The Loungewear Market 

Since I am still lulling around in my post trip comfort zone I thought this could be a great time to reveal my latest intimates discovery, Nicole Miller.  When I first heard that this brand, which I have often identified with black, bold, form fitting designs, had now entered the Lingerie market, I was curious. After seeing the collection at the Carole Hochman Design Studios, I was convinced. Nicole has managed to translate her signature drape of fabrics as well as her dynamic use of patterns into a simple and sophisticated collection of lounge pieces that move seamlessly from inside a woman’s home to any outside relaxed venue.  Combining ultra-light washed satin and supima cotton in sensual colors fitting sizes XS – XL, these are two of my favorite styles launching  this Spring.

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“Simplicity Is The Ultimate Sophistication”  . . . Leonardo Da Vinci

inquiries:  Christine.Alles@carolehochman.com

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This has been an enervating week: round trip travel to Paris for 4 full days of product analysis combined with a bit too much indulgence in French cuisine and wine.   Add to the recipe the on-going learning curve from having just launched our new website and the attention it demands, and I must admit my inspirational meter has peaked.  Sometimes one just needs comfort food.  Retreating to the familiar has a way of providing succor and reassurance after the intensity and excitement of continual stimulation.  I, for one, have always been taught that beauty is not skin deep;  character and stability are a result of a good foundation.  I like to believe that I can recognize the difference between glamour and guts and understand the function of each in a hectic lifestyle.

That is why I always go back to Wacoal’s Basic Beauty support when I am in need of physical sustenance, particularly with the fit of my bra.  This full figure seamless underwire style (855192), expertly engineered in Wacoal’s signature Bodysuede© fabric, might not compare in elegance and sexiness to some of the exquisite fashions I just spent a week reviewing, but when it comes to practical endurance, dependability and just plain relief, it’s the first bra I put on.  Believe me; I wore it on the day I flew home, easily an 18 hour endurance test.  Experience has taught me that a woman is only as beautiful as she feels.  For those of us (32-44, C–H cups) familiar with the urge to “just take off our bras the minute we get in the house” after a very full day, this style feels like coming home.

“Beauty, Whether Moral Or Natural, Is Felt, More Properly Than Perceived.”                                                                                                              … David Hume

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Available At:

Alice-Rae:  Scotsdale, AZ
Donna Bella Lingerie:  Corvallis, OR
Mary Lerner:  Cedarhurst, NY
Night Gallery:  Chapel Hill, NC
Sal-Liz Foundation & Lingerie:  Flowood, MS
Something Comfortable:  Rehoboth Beach, DE
Hourglass Angel:  Cicero, IL
Tina’s Closet:  Lisle, IL
Ann’s Bra & Lingerie Shop:  Chesterfield, MO
Up Bras That Fit:  Escanaba, MI
The Bra Lounge:  Red Deer, AB
Babydoll Boutique:  Maplewood, BC
Boutique Blanche:  Tsawwassen, BC
Currans of Kerrisdale LTD:  Vancouver, BC
West Dept. Store:   Castlegar, BC
J. Hauerstock:  Montreal, QC
La Maison D’Eva:  Belleville, ON
House Of Bras:  Timmins, ON
White Laces and Promises:  New Liskeard, ON
Mariannes Mastectomy & Lingerie Boutique:  Ottawa, ON

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I am back in New York and this was a very positive exposition.  Major Intimate Apparel trends that will impact the design and merchandising decisions made in Lingerie businesses throughout 2012 were reinforced.  Helped by the extensive research presented in the forums and conferences directed by both Concepts Paris at and Nelly Rodi, the color, fabric and silhouette direction was clear.  Here are some of their major statements:

• Color palettes are dominated by an infusion of yellows, greens, orange spices.  Color infiltrates animal prints, purple and orange make this tried and true pattern new
• Technology continues its revolution as engineered laces and cut layers impact design, especially in the exploding Shapewear category
• Soft, airy laces with big repeats are prevalent
• Embroidery is an important decoration, but very light and in place positioning on garments
• Digital floral prints make it possible to have 25-30 colors in a pattern
• The impact of graphics on style construction is dominant.  We see the mix and match of lines and layers resulting in a modern take on established silhouettes.  The higher waistline is definite and v neck décolleté emerges in importance
• Classics like easy pajamas make a comeback as in the search for “Timeless Beauty”  there is an aesthetic return to the 40’s
• Casual luxury harps back to the country side with larger silhouettes, crochet trims, cotton fabrics and a shabby chic allure.

There was confidant synergy at this show.  Vendor feedback was very good.  I was very glad that I decided to go and hope that this vibe portends a successful year for both the intimates industry and all those consumers who love to buy and wear gorgeous lingerie.  Hats off to the muti-national creative influences delivered from the saucy French, quirky English, modern Germans and the dynamic Americans.  Great Salon De Lingerie and Interfilière gestalt!

“I Love Paris When It Sizzles…” Cole Porter

January 23, 2012

I have been traveling to Paris for many years to cover the Intimate Apparel market.  It’s somewhat serendipitous, having studied French in depth when I was young with romantic expectations of another career, perhaps working for the UN.  Proving that expertise in a culture and a language can serve any end goal; I am applying all those skills in another mission, sustaining the soul of lingerie. And there is nothing quite the same as a Parisian boutique to clearly define it.  Every single time I travel here, I stop at Sabbia Rosa, the archetypal Intimates shop located in the elegant Rue St. Père on the Left Bank.  This time, I had the privilege of chatting with Monette Moat, the founder of this 35 year old boudoir.  Sabbia Rosa is a banquet of sophisticated silk underpinnings available in up to 25 colors that are updated every season.  Handmade in luxurious silk and Calais laces produced 100 % in France; every piece is cut on the bias to insure this brand’s signature feminine allure.  This tiny shop attracts customers from all over the world and is recognized as a ‘must visit’ destination for photographers, stylists and designers interested in the essential art of lingerie.

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January 22, 2012

It was a very busy day at the show, crowded, a great deal of energy in the pavilion and definitely a positive vibe. I spent the morning reviewing Shapewear and the plethora of product that has now made this category a major player in Intimate Apparel.  The Best of Intima presented a global overview of the Shaping phenomenon in a seminar tracking the classification’s evolution from basic  to fashion essentials.  

Next it was The Spicy Garden, my favorite venue for discovering new talent.  Independent lingerie designers introduce their personal visions of  innovative underpinnings in a gallery of entrepreneurial brands. It’s an international buffet of intimate design ideas. I certainly got my fill, many worth mentioning, and I will highlight a few in later posts. 

January 21, 2012

First day at the Salon De Lingerie and I did my usual rounds of the major bra companies, cruised the entire exposition, and attended the trend conferences, mostly to get an initial overview. One thing is for sure, no show is quite as quintessentially French as this one. And nothing says French Lingerie with “Ooh La La” flair quite like the saucy Aubade brand, sexy Maison Close or the classic Parisian corsetiѐre, Cadolle.

There are important directions here, and the most prevalent today, was the impact of graphics on both lace and silhouette design. Lines and layers are combined to create a modern beauty founded on the concepts of architectural form. The whole is the sum of its parts.

January 20, 2012

It is wet and cold in Paris but that does not seem to prevent the vignettes of vibrant color from seeping through the grey mist.  I did my regular first day walk about on the Left Bank to check out certain tried and true lingerie domains (and to keep myself from caving in to jet lag).  But it’s the street scene that always captures my fancy, the underlying style that makes Paris the most aesthetically sensual city in the world clarifying why France can still claim the crown as the queen of exquisite intimates.  It doesn’t seem to matter if the whole town is on sale, or that the rain makes meandering difficult; there will always be that “je ne sais quoi” vibe.  Behind the sale racks at Bon Marché vivid colors from Eres, Philippe Lim and La Perla, foretell this spring 2012 retail message.  Of particular interest was the way dark (almost tea stained) laces and grounds were used to neutralize the impact. I was pretty pleased with this bold color story; maybe spirits really are rising.  Let’s see if the show has the same energy.

This Week’s Intimate Discovery:  An Experienced Lingerie Designer Makes a Magnificent Solo Debut

When I first met Asi Efros, I knew immediately that I was speaking to a true artist.  Asi’s first collection for her personal label, Ann Vogue, proves my instincts correct.  She showed me her concept months ago and I was excited then about the prospect of a hand crafted lingerie collection designed with the attention to detail worthy of true artisans. Sewn in luxurious silks with French leavers lace, the brand recalls the ethos of Asi’s Russian heritage and her passion for the artistry and elegance of the Paris lifestyle.  Overseeing every stitch of her production, made entirely in NYC, she is able to incorporate her technical expertise as an experienced Intimates designer with her extraordinary taste to create individual pieces in clean and classic shapes.  Dedicated to the concept of quality over quantity, these exquisite underpinnings are currently sold exclusively by The Lingerie Goddess Boutique, a venue whose entire mission is to bring beauty and pleasure to a woman’s life.

“We are not rich enough to buy cheap things.” . . . Asi’s Grandfather

inquiries:  aefros055@gmail.com

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