Tomima’s Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

I need to start this post off with a bit of a rant.  When Wacoal first showed my team and me the new Wacoal b.tempt’d line, I immediately pointed out the name and the spelling of it as being problematic… and it is.  No longer can companies come up with cute names with funky punctuation if they want a presence on the Internet.  This is because the customer not only has to have visual recognition of the brand, but must now also remember it well enough to enter it in a search box.  The name, b.tempt’d, in my opinion is absolutely awful.

Now, that I have this out of the way, I’m going to do a complete 180 and tell you what a great collection  b.tempt’d by Wacoal is.  It’s fun, flirty, sexy and clever.  They have a polka dot fabric in two fun colors – bubble bath pink dots, and naughty naked dots.  They have an adorable panty with detachable garters so you can get the look of a garter and a panty all in one.  Ruffles show up on several of the pieces such as the Pretty and Witty Ruffle Garter Panty, and I personally love the fun wisp of mesh ruffle on the back of the Sheer Brilliance thong.

Best of all, the price on this b.tempt’d line is lower than standard Wacoal products, so the younger customer can better afford it.

So, except for the terrible name, this new Wacoal line is a home-run in my opinion.  Check it out.

Find b.tempt’d lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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First, it was David Beckham spreading his legs in nothing but his Emporio Armani tighty whities.  Now, his wife, Victoria aka Posh Spice follows suit.  Emporio Armani’s women’s underwear division has been born, and Victoria Beckham is its new face.

Scheduled to break this spring in a world-wide advertising campaign, the lingerie will be an exclusive at Macy’s for at least the first 2 months. Not much is being shared about the offering except the price points.  The bras will range from $50-$100, and the bottoms will range from $25 to $70.

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Wacoal announced a new line of lingerie this year, and named it Wacoal Luxe. So why?  I was on the phone with Wacoal’s Elizabeth Smith, Director of Retail Service, this week and asked that very question.  Here’s what I learned.

For a while now, Wacoal has been hearing requests from its large retail clients like Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom to create lingerie that is one step up in terms of styling and sophistication.  Wacoal has fabulous products, but customers were also looking for a more sophisticated color pallet and European styling, while maintaining an American fit.

Wacoal answered this call by creating the Wacoal Luxe line.  The bras in this collection are a bit paired down. This means the necklines are more open, the cups have a little less coverage, and the centers are less tall.  But they achieved these changes while still giving support and capacity.

By way of example, take the Rose is a Rose Collection. A very expensive,  beautiful embroidery is used that was sourced in Europe.  More neckline is exposed.  The contour padding in the contour style is made in a new breathable stretch foam that is feels light, doesn’t add bulk and is breathable so that the wearer doesn’t become hot.

In the Feme Fatale push-up bra, the pads have been positioned differently in the cups.  The cup pad picks your breasts up while rotating them inward as well.  There is none of that spillage look that most push-up bras create.  The pad sits at the bottom and to the outer side of the cups and is graduated.  The result is a very comfortable push-up that  looks natural and that you can wear all day.  It also has a low centerfront to accomodate lower necklines.

The price point of Wacoal Luxe is a little higher than most Wacoal products.  However, the price is justified, according to Smith, due to the beautiful fabrics, laces and embroidery used in the products.   Also, the use of colors such as charcoal and animal prints gives the Wacoal Luxe line a sophisticated presence.

Due to the success of Wacoal Luxe, there will be a full figure line launched in Febuary of 2009.  Called French Dressing, this line will have larger sizes and go up to 3 hooks in back, whereas the current Wacoal Luxe bras have 2 hooks.

Having seen this line personally, I think Wacoal has a real winner.  The products are truly beautiful and feel great to the touch.  And, our fit models found them all running very true to size and fitting fabulously.

 Pricing goes from $38 to $78. 

Find Wacoal Luxe lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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