The Full-Busted Swimwear market has exploded in the past several years, and many companies take different approaches to supporting the girls.  Here are just a few of the styles of construction out there for swim.

First of all, a note: I have never understood the tankini.  It’s a bathing suit for women who want the sass of a bikini but with a little more coverage.  A woman who wants that modest two-piece is likely to feel that way for a reason.  And yet…the tankini exposes the one area that most women are self-conscious about, the belly roll.  I’m sure there are toned, athletic women out there who love a tankini but personally, I don’t get it.  Given my bias, I am not reviewing any.

AERIN ROSE:

SHIRRED FRONT PANEL ONE-PIECE WITH TUMMY CONTROL UNDERWIRE 

This one-piece from Aerin Rose features an underwire built into the front of the bodice, with an elastic band that continues to the back, for support.

PANACHE

SOPHIA ONE-SHOULDER

The Sophia one-piece offers a built-in strapless bra, complete with interior backwings, adjustable band with hook and eye closures, and underwire cups.  The suit effectively sits on top of the strapless bra. The one-shoulder detail can be detached.

ELOMI

ISIS HIGH WAIST BRIEF AND SWIM BRA

The swim top is constructed like an underwire, cut-and-sewn bra.  It shares many features with undergarments, including adjustable straps.

EMPREINTE

SIENNE COQUELICOT

The Sienne two-piece style features construction very much like a plunge underwire bra.  What sets it apart is a firm, contoured cup.

From a virtual swimwear desert not so many years ago, options for full-busted swim have exploded, and offer women opportunities for Fab Fit up to a K-cup.  While we can enjoy the bounty, our cups no longer have to runneth over.

By Ali Cudby

It is always exciting to see established lingerie brands expand their range.  When they grow into full-busted sizes, it’s a decision made only after careful consideration.  Full-busted bras are a tricky business because asking a small strip of fabric to do the job of supporting and shaping larger breasts means more engineering, new fit models, possibly even different manufacturing techniques.  In other words – it takes real work and dedication to excellence to get it right.

N Natori, the new full-busted line from Natori, delivers a stylish package with superior fit, and all at a surprisingly attainable price point.

The line has been built on a foundation of a few styles, intelligently conceived.  The current collection has been designed for cup sizes D-H, and band sizes ranging from 32 to 40.  From this strong platform, the company plans expansion in coming seasons.

The N line offers the basics of a lingerie wardrobe – contour cup, cut and sewn unlined underwire, and a soon-to-be-released plunge style.  The bras feature elements to highlight fit and comfort, such as power mesh backs and gel straps.  Many of the styles feature fabrics that lie flat, but are enhanced with visual appeal designed to be invisible under clothes, so women get the benefit of a smooth cup look without the plain Jane blahs.

N Natori encourages women to, “celebrate your curves, never sacrifice style for comfort and always look your best from the inside out.  It’s all about the perfect fit and that boost of confidence to get you where you want to go.”

That’s N-spiring, at any size.

READ more about the Natori Feathers Bra on Lingerie Briefs “Courting Beauty”

READ more about the Natori Bliss Panties on Lingerie Briefs “Natori Underwear”

By Ali Cudby

Panache’s Tango has been celebrating its 10^th birthday this year by introducing Tango Luxe, a fancier sister to the balconette and plunge styles.  Having experienced the amazing lift and shape of Luxe, I was inspired to learn more.

Samantha Smith, Senior Designer at Panache was kind enough to answer a few questions, which have also whetted my appetite for the future of Tango Luxe.

1)  Panache could have done lots of things to commemorate 10 years of Tango – what was the inspiration for creating Luxe?

We decided to create Tango Luxe to mark the occasion and celebration of 10 years of the best-selling style from Panache. With this, we wanted retain the original fit of the Tango balconette, … Read more

by Ali Cudby

There’s a tug-of-war in the American bra market.  Women scream for smooth, smooth, smooth when it comes to the design of their bra cups.  But let’s face it – smooth can get boring.  Manufacturers look for new ways to bring aesthetic appeal into the contoured cup bra.  Some add embellishment to the band or straps and leave the cup pristine – Simone Perele’s Andora Molded Bra is one example.

Others add a little eye candy to the sides of the cups, where the lines won’t be as visible under t-shirts, a la Elomi’s Hermione.

The Gemma Perfect collection, takes an innovative approach to this same dilemma.  By using a revolutionary Air Tech fabric, Gemma incorporates the smooth look of a t-shirt bra, … Read more

by Ali Cudby

Consider the technical challenges of creating lingerie.  No matter how carefully a manufacturer designs a garment, as soon as any pattern is incorporated into the fabric there will be differences from size to size.  It’s simply impossible to make a pattern identical when the area covered by the bra elements change between sizes.

That has been the rule, until now.  Technology is changing the way fabrics are created, which means new and exciting avenues for lingerie.  One such technological innovation is found in Janine Robin’s Paris collection.

Paris utilizes proprietary 3-D technology to marry the molded attributes of a t-shirt bra with the aesthetic benefits of lace.  By using ink-jet printing, the illusion of lace is printed onto a variety of … Read more

by Ali Cudby

With retro silhouettes in high fashion, it’s not surprising that corsetry has made a comeback.  Hourglass figures are accentuated in all the right places by the structure only a corset can bring.  And yet all corsets are not created equal.  I was fortunate enough to sit down with Madame Poupie Cadolle at the Paris Salon International de la Lingerie, and she shed some light on the elements that make her corsetry stand out from the rest.

Cadolle at Salon International de la Lingerie 2012

A Cadolle corset is made with steel boning – and only steel.  Some corset manufacturers use plastic, but plastic can warp as it warms up on the body, and subsequently lose its shape.  Steel does not, thereby maintaining … Read more

by Ali Cudby

I was fortunate enough to see the Van de Velde facilities in Belgium recently and the experience has heightened my appreciation for the value of quality lingerie.

Of all the things I saw on the tour that amazed me – and there were a lot of them – what remains in my mind as particularly innovative is their blending of old and new technologies to ensure the highest quality product across all of their brands.

For example, machines are used to unspool and respool every single bolt of fabric that comes into the factory, to ensure that all fabric being used has the same tension.  As the fabric is goes through this process, it is examined for imperfections – this is done … Read more

by Ali Cudby

The Autumn/Winter 2012 Paris Salon International de la Lingerie was a mash up of color, sound – and 50 particularly innovative lights, courtesy of Valisère’s Corsage Magique.

The Corsage Magique is a corset that is made with lace and a backing fabric featuring a decorative motif – but the design is much more than decoration.  The fabric actually has 50 miniature LED lights that are the size of sequins built into the fabric, and the “seams” are the tiny wires running through the garment in an attractive swirling pattern.

The innovative textile design is called “e-broidery” and was created by well-known embroidery designer Forster Rohner AG of Switzerland.  The fabric was two years in the making, and what’s really remarkable about it … Read more