I am headed back to Cabo San Lucas in a few weeks where I basically live in my sports bras. It’s not that I forego exercise in New York; it’s just that working out is a side bar to my New York City market forays. In Mexico, I ride every morning, often followed by a yoga class. My afternoons tend to be devoted to writing. It’s a casual lifestyle where classic bras are not really part of my everyday wardrobe. What would make these morning outings more fluid would be to not feel compelled to change my bras between activities. But, unfortunately my engine heats up; sweat an obvious by-product. I need sports bras that manage moisture, dry quickly and feel fresh and comfortable as I segue from horseback to down dog to home. I am willing to make the investment as long they survive multiple washing’s without losing their mojo.

Today, while attending the New York Interfiliere – which by the way was a real class act – I discovered a potential solution. Show collaborators, LYCRA® zeroed in on the Athleisure Movement and presented six innovative platforms for enabling performance design. One in particular, LYCRA® COOL TECHNOLOGY puts hope on the horizon for the sports surge. X6300 nylon from Invista is the magic bullet knit directly into the fabric insuring the cooling properties, a superior soft hand feel and function longevity. I need a minimum of 5 sports bras engineered in LYCRA® COOL TECHNOLOGY

“Innovation Is Creativity With A Job To Do” ~John Emmerling

It’s no secret that the written word is my friend. Reading a great book is inspirational, but I must admit that the level of social noise to which we now have access, can often dislodge my literary goals. Some years ago, my husband urged me to read Charles Dickens whom he declared to be one of the greatest writers of all time. Since we are on opposite poles when it comes to our taste in literature, I pretty much put it off, waiting for the day when I would be shipwrecked on a desert island. But eventually, before the boat went ashore, and in dire need of brain food, I acquiesced and picked up a copy of The Tale of Two Cities. Dicken’s pen blew me away. Full disclosure, I never finished it as life happened precluding any ability to focus on anyone else’s family saga. But, when a novel survives over a century without losing equity, the author is a great novelist. Even though his reputation preceded him, the Dicken’s brand defied my expectations.

This happened again several weeks ago when I was shown the Ultimate T-Shirt bra launched this fall by Natori. Capitalizing on the current sport trend, it pulls over the head and is completely void of hook, eye and tags. Engineered in a, hi-recovery fabric combined with soft, seamless contour cups in sizes 32-36, B-DD, it is touted as the next new concept in t-shirt bras. The big question, even for Natori believers has been “how does this fit”? Evidently, extremely well.  It is already re-ordering after only a few weeks in store. My daughter tried it declaring “it is the most comfortable bra” she has ever worn.  If assumptions are correct, the Ultimate T-Shirt bra is destined for a long run.

“Take Nothing On It’s Looks; Take Everything On Evidence.”~Charles Dickens

The purest form of Fashion Art is that of the Couture Designer. Lingerie is exactly the same. The artist creates one of a kind prototypes from which he or she develops made to measure garments. The customer is the muse and there are no limitations on handwork. This week in our Gallery, Alison presents the exquisite lingerie conceived by Cristina Aielli and made in Italy. READ and SEE more here. . .

Tuesday evening I attended a presentation by Lectra in which they provided insight into the universe of 3D imagery, particularly in the world of apparel. The recent Manus and Machina exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art revealed just how far this technology has come. So did my dentist last week, when he scanned my teeth to take a 3D image of the impression for the lab creating a crown. Done and done. No mess in my mouth. True, the entire 3D process is still at its infancy in Intimate Apparel, but so was digital printing when I first began lingerie development in the 1980’s. Back then, prints were born of an artist’s hand, and transferred via strike-off to screens. The time required and the resulting cost limitations limited the color and detail of engraving that a designer could profitably achieve. Engineered color and detail were the purview of precious fabrics. In sleepwear, where the fabric constitutes 75% of the cost of a garment, this restriction had a major impact on the retail market.

Today, digital printing is available to a much broader creative base, allowing brands like Flora Nikrooz, known for their intricately wrought construction, to venture into print collections that rival graphics formally only accessible in fabrics like silk. The Carina robe in poly-chiffon and the Kayla PJ short set in poly crepe, Flora’s fall 16 secret garden,  could never have been delivered at these prices before 2000. These floral compositions expand and energize the Flora Nikrooz signature of elegance without breaking the bank. Imagine what they might do as 3D imaging makes its way into the Lingerie industry impacting fit, function and fortunes. Technology beckons us into the 21^st century, expanding horizons and elevating design potential into another universe of creative thought.

“The Future Is Always Beginning Now” ~Mark Strand

I have often been asked how a student of Art History became a merchant. I think that sometimes we choose our careers and sometimes our careers choose us. Happenstance and curiosity are often part of the formula. When I graduated from college, I thought that I would become a museum curator.  The idea of assembling a presentation that could frame a time in our culture through the vision of others appealed to my penchant for visual reality. When I began my retail career, what was supposed to be a brief hiatus before graduate school, bled into a 35+ year merchandising journey. I was hooked on the pace and the constant incoming stimuli. But, it wasn’t until I took a deep dive into the product development channel and worked first hand with lingerie designers that I found myself caught in a net of creativity that would inform my thought process to this day.

This is why understanding market trends matters. Trends rise from lifestyle shifts, from cultural evolution and social influencers. It is a complex research project and requires a type of instinct that is a talent unto itself. In Lingerie, no one provides this more intelligently than Concepts Paris. They have perfect pitch when coordinating the extraordinary influx of ideas that influence fashion. Their knowledge of the fabric markets that drive the intimate apparel business has guided many designers to create best-selling collections worldwide. It is with this in mind that I believe that anyone involved in the development and sale of Intimate Apparel should attend a Concepts Paris presentation when available. On Sept 22, 2016, Jos Berry, founder and C.E.O. travels from Paris to present the CREATIVE LAB at the annual NYC Interfiliere show to be held at The Tunnel, 269 11^th Ave. Highlights will include the best of Lyon prototypes, the Athleisure development in lace, a mini version of Tina Wilson’s Opulent Livingwear Project and Jos’ much anticipated trend analysis

“To Nurture Vision We Must First Plant A Seed” ~Ellen M. Lewis