Berenice Bejo has a starring role in the recent Golden Globe winner and Academy Award-nominated movie "The Artist."  But, what many may not know is that under her flawless gown at the Golden Globes she was wearing a Maidenform strapless bra.

To be more specific, it was the Maidenform Custom Lift Strapless bra style 9455. I think this was a great choice.  This strapless bra has a rather unique feature. Its padding in the bottom of the cups is sized differently for each cup size. So, the amount of padding in an A cup is more than the padding in the B, C, or D cups – the padding decreases as the cup sizes increase.  This unique construction of the strapless bra means it stays up and will not look unnatural on you.

Berenice looked fabulous and so can you! 

Find Maidenform lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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Today the Panache Full Busted Underwire Sports Bra 5021 made its way onto "The Today Show" with Hoda and Kathie Lee.  What they loved about it was its "bounce free" factor.  I agree with them, but I also love its look.

This is one of the prettiest sports bras on the market today.  It’s multi-tone color-blocking and uniquely designed back make it a stand-out that can be worn alone or peeking out of work-out clothes. And, so far our 10 reviews have all given it a 5 star rating – truly high praise.

When looking for a high-impact bra, you really do want full breast coverage – otherwise the breasts will bounce out of the open area on top. And, having a wider strap is not only more comfortable, but can actually give you extra padding against some of the gym equipment that rests on your shoulders.

This Panache sports bra also has unusually high cup sizing for a high impact bra. Panache makes this bra up to an H cup (their H cup is 7 sizes larger than a D cup). Given that this bra is encapsulation designed, this is quite a feat.  And, this bra has been independently tested and was shown to reduce breast bounce by at least 83%.

Many of us share the New Year’s resolution of getting into better shape.  With this bra, you will look and feel good working out in 2012.

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It’s no secret that Elomi is known for bringing full busted women great choices in lingerie and now the brand is expanding their bra offerings of K cup sizing. This is a win/win for Elomi and their K cup customers who until now have had a very limited selection to chose from.  In fact, many K cup women have not been wearing their proper cup size, so these are potentially new customers.

When you combine functionality with luxurious designs, the final product is a bra that full figure/full busted women truly enjoy wearing.  And Elomi strives to create that experience with every style. Key features you’ll find in many Elomi bras are 3 part and 4 part cups that support and give shape, side support panels that project the breasts forward and non-stretch straps for comfort and lift. These key ‘ingredients’ are especially great for those new K cup sizes.

An important point here is that not all manufacturers make the same K cup sizing.  For example, Aviana, Elila, Fancee Free and some Goddess styles all come in K cup sizes, but what they call a K cup is 4 cup sizes smaller than Elomi’s K cups.  So, keep this in mind if you are looking at Elomi bras – your size is not called a K.

Gone are the days of only unattractive lingerie choices for women with larger breasts.  Elomi continues to be at the forefront of bringing beautiful bras to the full figured woman. Even makes us average bra-size girls jealous that we can’t fit into them.

Find elomi lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Plus-Size Lingerie

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I was on a long flight recently, and well, you know, you eventually end up speaking to the person next to you. As soon as I tell them what I do, especially if it’s a woman, I can settle in for a nice long conversation about underwear. This last trip was no exception. A quick look at her, and I immediately told her why most bras are not fitting her. She is petite.

What is a petite bra? It’s a bra that is pared down to better fit and flatter a women who is short in stature. When a bra is classified as petite, this usually means the cups have less coverage, are closer together, and the straps are shorter. Though this new brand we are carrying – Lula Lu Petites – has the word ‘petites’ in the name, this is not what their bras are. Instead, Lula Lu bras are focusing on women of all sizes who have very little breast tissue. Their bras go from a B cup size all the way down to an AAA cup size.

Now, an important point needs to be made here about cup sizing. In the larger cup sizes many manufacturers go D, DD, DDD with their cup sizes. The more D’s, the bigger the cup size. Not so with A cups. They go in the opposite direction. So, in order of smallest to largest, Lula Lu Petites lingerie goes AAA, AA, A, B.

Figure-flattering bras and matching panties make up Lula Lu’s lingerie collection, with an emphasis on style and function. But Lula Lu is really more about the small busted woman rather than a petite woman. I spoke with company President, Ellen, about this recently. We had a very candid discussion. She is aware that the word ‘petite’ has kind of been hijacked by the short-in-stature community, but she also thinks it’s not only an accurate word for her products, but kinder than saying ‘small busted.’ I sympathize with her dilemma. But, having read many comments from our smaller busted customers, they are rather emboldened and not offended by their breast size. The ones that are have pretty much had surgery to solve their concern. The women left with small breasts are happy with their breast size and don’t mind being called ‘small busted.’

Lula Lu is focusing on accurate sizing for smaller busted women who wear dress sizes 0-8. The end result: better bra sizing for small-busted women. Lula Lu Petites bras range from 30-38 band sizes, offering A, AA, AAA and B cup sizes. FYI, the difference between an AA cup and an AAA cup is that an AA cup is less than 1" different from the band measurement, and the AAA has less than 1/2" difference. HerRoom is not carrying AAA cup sizes of this brand currently.

In the brand’s collection, Lula Lu features t-shirt bras, great for everyday wear, some that include removable padding with the thought that not all small-busted women want the appearance of larger breasts. So you can have the option of natural or enhanced cleavage.

Finally, small-busted women don’t have to sacrifice sex appeal, Lula Lu also makes seductive bras and panties that are both comfortable and stylish. I’m happy to announce that Lula Lu Petites is now available at HerRoom.

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There are 6 Knock Out panty styles – each with a liner made of "No Trace" fabric.  This technology is built into the fibers and therefore does not wear or wash out.  And, the line is made in America. Check out the Knock Out line at HerRoom.

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Before I was in the lingerie business, I had given birth to two girls. I distinctly remember the maternity lingerie I bought. Few if any stores had maternity lingerie.  So, I went to Target, found 3 awful looking white bras and these big white granny-panties that came up and over my belly.  As I purchased them, I felt resigned to giving up on anything pretty or sexy for the next 6 months.

Boy, is today’s maternity lingerie different.  I look at it and it almost, ALMOST makes me want to think about having a baby again.  Gone are the institutional-style underwear pieces.  Replacing them are beautiful looking bras and panties in a variety of styles, colors and trims.  In fact, they have become so pretty that I suggest them to all my friends with pregnant daughters. I can’t imagine a better gift for a mother to give her daughter once she hears of the pregnancy.  What an emotional lift to a mother-to-be to see that she can still look pretty during this special time.

Taking this one giant step further, I ran across these great videos by HotMilk Maternity. What I love about them is that rather than a woman dealing with her condition and feeling like she’s sort of all alone, these videos bring the man in their life into the whole experience.  I know you’ll love watching both.

Find HOTmilk lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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Fantasie makes terrific full-busted bras.  So, naturally, when they showed me a new bra that will be coming this fall, I became very excited. 

 The new Fantasie bra is called Esme.  It is their next generation of a t-shirt bra.  Currently their Fantasie Smoothing T-shirt bra 4510 and their Fantasie Molded Smooth Cup bra 4500 have been  "go to" t-shirt bras for many successful years.  And if you own one, you know that both run a little large in the cups. Well, Fantasie has listened to their customer and come up with this new Esme solution.

The Esme uses a new molded shape to the cups.  Though the molded fabric has stripe detailing, it still provides a smooth line under clothing.  The straps have also been brought inward and are what is called "center pull" so that the lift from the straps comes at the breast apex rather than on the shoulders.  This also reduces strap slippage. 

 When comparing the Esme to the 4500 and 4510, I instantly saw that the cups are more paired down for a lighter look on the body.  The cups are also light and thin to keep volume to a minimum.

 So, look for this new Fantasie Esme at HerRoom in the coming months.  I think you will love both the look and the fit.

Find Fantasie lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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This year, our Undie Award for the overall favorite bra went to the Timpa 16449.  It received the most votes by you the public.  Here is what’s remarkable about this fact: this bra is really a bra for AA, A, B, and some C cup women.

This is quite a change for many reasons.  The trend over the last several years has been for manufacturers to focus on the larger cup sizes and decrease or even remove smaller cup sizes from their line.  The Olga brand is a perfect example.  About 5 years ago, Olga made the decision to start all their bra styles at a C cup size, and gave up on any cup size smaller.  Wacoal, Chantelle and other bra brands have the smaller cup sizes but have been pushing into the larger cup sizes such as G and H.

At HerRoom we’ve seen a steady up-tick in questions about the smaller cup sizes and complaints that the selection is getting smaller.  And they are right.  Having this bra be the winner this year, I think sends a strong message to lingerie manufacturers that there are a lot of women out there in the smaller cup sizes who still want to be serviced.

So, let’s talk about this Timpa bra.  It’s actually not a new style.  In fact, it’s been around for at least 10 years.  But, it really is amazing and sexy for several reasons.  First, the cups are made of this incredible stretchy mesh.  Not only is it comfortable, it’s very sexy as well.  The low demi cut of the cups really accomodates a lot of necklines.  I personally have this bra and use it every time I have a low and wide neckline.  When I’m concerned that my bra might show, this is my go-to bra to insure it doesn’t. And, over the years, Timpa has added great colors and taken this basic style and added cute embroidery to it  So, though the one style won, don’t think you only have the one choice. Oh, and did I mention Timpa also makes matching panties?

I’ve given tips that this bra runs a little small.  The truth is this bra does not run small; it really is just cut very demi.  Many women who put it on feel the cups are too small because they’re not used to such a low neckline. 

Thank you to all who voted for this bra.  There really is power in having a smaller cup size and embracing it.

Find Timpa lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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We’ve probably all seen those Playtex bra commercials on TV.  The full-busted young women offering up their scripted opinions of how they want a bra to fit and feel while standing there in nothing but a colored or printed Playtex bra.  This was Playtex’s effort to appeal to a younger demographic that has considered Playtex bras more for their moms and grandmoms than for themselves.  So, this new marketing campaign in Europe is curious.

Playtex is investing $2 million towards branding Playtex as the underwear brand for women over 50.  Called the "Feeling better than ever" campaign, it will use a 42 year old model.  The goal is to reposition the brand to aim at this market that feels ignored.  The message will be that Playtex knows you are really young at heart even though you are having to cope with body shape changes.

My guess is they will roll out a similar campaign in the US, once proved successful. Why?  Because, like Victoria’s Secret, Playtex too abandonded their core customer who grew up with them.  Turning to the younger population who is fickle and not as brand loyal just to be in the forefront of fashion may be trendy, but the money is with the boomers. This customer grew up, but hasn’t died.  She’s the center of the Baby Boomer population – the largest in the USA.  She grew up with those  Jane Russell "Cross your heart" commercials and still wants them… and in white.  Yes, it may be a less glamorous population, but they have the spending power and the needs to be met.

My money is on seeing the "Feeling Better than Ever" campaign in the US by the end of this year.

A new book is coming out at the end of March, Nicholas de Monchaux’s Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, that chronicles the development of the spacesuits Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and the rest of the Apollo astronauts wore on their historic journey. What, you might be asking, does this have to do with lingerie? Well, the spacesuits were designed and custom-made by Playtex.

Known at the time as International Latex Corporation, Playtex won a contract to develop the spacesuit. But they were overseen by a defense contractor who, contemptuous of the abilities of a mere fashion company, took over the project and subsequently failed.

In a James Bond-worthy sequence, Playtex stole its designs back, worked 24/7 for almost 2 months and created the AX5L.  Their design beat out the competition–one of which couldn’t fit through the opening of the space capsule and the other of which had an exploding helmet.

NASA should have trusted Playtex from the start. As Wired Magazine writes, "Any company capable of making a girdle tough enough to sustain that 1960s hourglass shape without cutting off the wearer’s oxygen can handle the rigors of space."

Find Playtex lingerie, although not spacesuits at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Photo courtesy: Courtesy Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL, NASA