By ALI CUDBY
The other day I was watching TV and an ad jumped off the screen at me. It’s not a new ad, but the message is directly tied to something I’ve been talking a lot about recently. The ad was for Special K® but wasn’t actually about cereal. It was about jeans.
Well, not exactly about jeans. Let me explain…
As many lingerie professionals know, jeans, bras and swim suits are the … Read More
By Ali Cudby
Lingerie Fashion Week is a celebration of independent brands showcasing their perspectives for the press. There’s nothing like a fashion show to let designers tell the world what their brand represents via garments, styling and attitude.
For retailers, the runway shows are entertaining, but at the end of the day, only the product matters. When the goods arrive, there are no glitter-strewn models and carefully selected tunes. The merchandise must stand on … Read More
By Ali Cudby
The other day I was talking to a lingerie retailer who was unhappy with the take-home pay her business was generating. She wanted her store to throw off more money. Knowing my success boosting lingerie businesses for clients, she solicited some advice.
I asked what she might do to generate income, and her responses were pretty standard…
By ALI CUDBY
Innerwear-as-outerwear is a venerable favorite at New York Fashion Week, and this year was no exception.
Commando brand was decidedly a fashionista favorite, being intentionally shown under sheer looks at Monique Lhuiller, Tadashi Shoji and others. Their two-faced tech shapewear slips were also worn as skirts in looks at Milly.
Says designer Kerry O’Brien, “Commando’s high-waisted panties and shapewear briefs were having a moment on the runways at New York Fashion … Read More
By Ali Cudby
I received an email from a woman recently, and she was very upset. “Ali, Can you please help me understand what I’m doing wrong with my bra?” She went on to tell me about a shopping experience she’d had at a specialty boutique. She’d had a fitting, and the concept of sister sizing had come up. The fitter told her the smaller band/larger cup combo was better while the customer thought the … Read More
By Ali Cudby
In the immediate aftermath of the CurveNY show, I’m still processing the gorgeous garments I saw to determine what it all means for lingerie retailers. In the meantime, one topic that immediately jumped out me was a presentation by Lelo about the post-50 Shades of Gray era. The bottom line? Vanilla is the new black.
The past few years seemingly everyone has been heavily influenced by kink. You couldn’t swing a flogger … Read More
By Ali Cudby
All of a sudden, CURVExpo, the American lingerie trade show, is upon us! Where did summer go?
Retailers are busy making appointments and considering strategies for surviving New York in August without melting.
Vendors have made their last minute adjustments to samples, finalized line sheets and are now focused on making sure the product fits the models (and burning the sage in hopes that those models show up, looking just like they … Read More