Tomima's Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

(un)covering what's under everything

Why Don’t E-tailers Target Women Older Than 35? Well, I Do!

May 29, 2009

There was an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal last week bemoaning the fact that most web apparel sites tend to market to the younger demographic.

So, why do they do this?  The answer is kind of funny.  Here we have the cutting-edge Internet using out-of-date demographics that were set up in the 60’s by the advertising industry. Someone, back then, found that successfully appealing to this youthful demographic would create mass appeal and acceptance. 

Let’s look at a few facts here.  First, 65% of online apparel sales are made by women over the age of 35.  Second, look around you.  The ages 18-34 customers are having a hard time finding jobs, many are living at home, and most don’t have the finances to purchase a home.  The money to spend is with the more mature population. 

Being in the now "older" demographic myself, I am more and more aware of what helps a woman make a buying decision.  We don’t so much care that Angelina Jolie was seen wearing it.  Rather, we want facts; especially with lingerie.  More to the point, we want to know if a panty’s rise will be high enough, what other women our size think of the garment, is it durable, what does it look like on a woman who has some meat on her bones?

Well, if I may be so bold as to toot my own horn here for a moment, HerRoom addresses all of these concerns and more.  My team works very hard to provide "fitters comments" on every garment.  Here you will find relevant garment measurements, bra hook counts, and design details.  Our reviews come from real customers – not seeded by employees to build up quantity – and we respond to questions and concerns.  Our reviews also include the reviewers bra size and body type.  Finally, one of the features I’m most proud of are our alternate image views for bras that come in cup sizes DD and larger.  We display a shot of that item on a model who is a 36DD so that the larger breasted woman has a better sense of how it will look and fit.

All this being said, I hope women over the age of 35 know that I welcome you.  And, if there is some piece of information missing to better help you make a decision, I hope you’ll let me know.

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Posted by Tomima at 11:25am
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Do You Wear Matching Bras and Panties?

May 19, 2009

I have one of those mothers who always buys three panties for every bra she owns in the same color so that she matches.  I don’t know what happened, but I didn’t get the "matching" gene.  It never occurs to me to match – rather I consider what I am wearing on the top and bottom of my outfit and select the item that will work best underneath.

So, are you a matcher?  Don’t be worried if you’re not.  Speaking with many vendors over the years, the percentage of matching women out there is rather low.  Most brands put it at about 10%.  More upscale brands like Prima Donna put it at about 30%.  Walk into any department store when they’re having a sale and you always see that special matching panty discounted.

So, should one match or not match? That is the question.  For my Mom, it’s all about feeling great in her lingerie.  Knowing you match is a nice little secret with yourself that you have it all together under your clothes.  If you find yourself needing to disrobe somewhere such as a locker room or doctor’s office, you look coordinated and together.  The downside to matching is that many times, that matching panty doesn’t fit well or isn’t in the style you prefer.  One of my favorite bras only gives me the option of a high-rise thong, or monster brief – I wear neither.  So, matching lingerie is kind of hard work for shopping and selection.

Now, those of us who don’t match shouldn’t feel bad either.  After all, how many times does anyone actually see you in just your underwear?  Take off your blouse, and all they see is your bra.  Drop your pants and all they see is your panty.  If you wear a white blouse and black pants, you have the ability to wear a nude bra and black panties.  You can also get dressed more quickly because you are not trying to match up all the variable.

Having said all of this, our home page this week shows you ways to be matchy between brands.  Hanky Panky makes panties in over 30 colors.  We’ve taken the guess work out of figuring out which of their colors matches other brands.  So, if you are a closet matchy who loves Hanky Panky, now you can coordinate your tops and bottoms to look and feel fabulous.

Find lingerie collections at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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Posted by Tomima at 10:14am
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We All Need To Edit Our Underwear Drawer…

April 17, 2009

 ...and Jennifer Garner is just one example.

I saw these pictures today of Jennifer Garner getting caught wearing a not-too-great pair of worn-out underwear.  And no, it wasn’t a thong or or a lacy little something.  It was a comfortable looking pair of briefs.  Hurray!  An example of a movie star actually wearing what most of us wear every day.

Like her, we’ve all been there.  Since it’s underwear, we think no one will see it.  But, here’s proof that that isn’t always the case.  In fact, I was having brunch with my daughters Sunday morning after church and we noticed this woman who got up and failed to pull her pants up as well.  We got a shot of a bad pair of underpants and unfortunately much more. 

I too am guilty of hanging on to underpants too long – and I’m in the business.  But it’s understandable.  I’m sure most of us think like Jennifer when she selected them that day.  She looked at them and decided they were comfortable – regardless of the elastic coming off.  So, we slip them on.  But, also look how Jennifer is dressed; comfortable and sloppy.  When I pull out a comfortable ratty pair of underpants, I subconsciously think I shouldn’t put something really nice on over them.  Rather, I keep with the theme and continue putting on a ratty warm-up suit too.  It’s a slippery slope to fashion laziness when you start with a bad pair of panties.

Since cleaning out my old panties, I noticed that I’m also making more of an effort in the morning to look better. After all, better panties make you also feel better about yourself.

Find nice new underpants at HerRoom in these departments:
Panties

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Posted by Tomima at 10:52am
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