One of my first real product development successes was a series of cotton knit sleepshirts which I shamelessly admit were derivatives of both Benetton and Gap T-shirt styles I had mined during an NYC shopping excavation. At the time the concept was considered revolutionary. The lingerie market was a sea of pink and blue polyester. Cotton jersey knits in bright colors and bold prints were considered heresy. It was 1985. … Read More
The bionic woman 24 hours after double hip replacement
I am on the way to visit Shirley, who is my friend and business partner while she convalesces from double hip surgery at her home in New Hampshire. Shirley is a real trooper and was quite sure she would be back in the saddle 6 minutes after she returned home from the hospital, but I knew better. She needs some TLC, … Read More
Working full time and raising three kids was no walk in the park. To maintain some semblance of serenity and focus, something had to give. Spending time on the logistics of a wardrobe was not an option. But I was enmeshed in the fashion world and I needed to appear “pulled together” no matter what other diversions were orbiting my daily life. My solution was simple; elegant white shirts from … Read More
By Ellen Lewis
From the moment I met Laura Mehlinger, creator of the hip Lola Haze™ Lingerie Collection, I knew she was going to make her business work. Maybe it’s her streetwise savvy stirred into her Harvard education and infused with a passion for lingerie design, but this was clearly a modern visionary with no fear of trying something new. Now she has fast tracked her collection into the … Read More
I was finally able to see the acclaimed exhibit, “Impressionism, Fashion and Modernity” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this week-end. I made it just under the wire: the show closed on Memorial Day. It was worth the effort though, because this was a display of paintings from some of history’s most renowned artists highlighted from a very interesting and innovative perspective. Showcased in tandem with these masterpieces were renditions … Read More
I was always a curvy girl. It wasn’t easy growing up that way in my generation. From the time I was 12 years old, when other girls began buying bras because they wanted to, I was buying bras because I had to. It was no easy task to find the right fit with enough comfort as well as support. Either the bra was really an abbreviated undershirt, or it was … Read More
By Ellen Lewis
Did you know that the original bridal trousseau originated in France? It was meant as part of the hope chest, an armoire to be filled with a variety of things that the bride would need to start a new life. Here in the USA, the tradition was translated into the Bridal Shower celebration, for which lingerie remains one of the most sought after gifts. No wonder some … Read More