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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I don’t need any more boots.  Over the last couple of years, i think I have collected every style – booties, thigh boots, motorcycle boots and on and on.  But, I confess to wanting all of them to look more current and modern.  Well, I found my answer – wear them with socks.

It took me a while this fall to figure out how all of this works, but now that I have, I want to share it with you.  The great new look is taking your skinny jeans, putting a pair of long socks OVER your jeans, then putting on a pair of tall boots while making sure the tops of your socks are higher than the boots.  It’s really a smart look. My favorites are the Hue Over the Knee Sock 12417 and Over the Knee Bootliner Socks 6491.

For my shorter boots, I have found taller socks and then rolled the top down over the top of the boot to give them a kind of a knit collar.  My absolute favorite socks for doing this are the Hue Luster Furry Socks 12329.  They are super soft and fluffy looking. Our images are not really accurate because the sock comes up at least an inch higher than we are showing.  Though they look thick, they smoosh down and are not bulky.  I don’t feel like I have a really thick sock inside my boots.  I have every color, but find I use the red a lot.  Great fun look.  I also use these socks with my clogs.

Want a new look for all your boots?  The simple solution is to have a great collection of socks.

Find Hue at HerRoom in these departments:
Hosiery

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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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A research team at the University of Georgia has come up with a new technology that can make clothing and lingerie permanently germ free. It’s simple to implement, works on synthetic and natural fabrics, does not come out in the wash and can be applied either at home or during manufacturing.  Who’d have thought?

 With the discovery of super viruses and pathogens showing up in our environment and hospitals, this new fabric treatment may become as ubiquitous as airport scanning.  This technology is already available for licensing.  It kills a huge spectrum of yeasts, bacteria and moulds that can cause disease.  But this technology also goes after stains that can break down fabrics and produce odors. It can destroy the cause without damaging the fabric.

Clearly this is the wave of the future for underwear and lingerie.  Stay tuned…

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I always enjoy seeing a quirky solution to a public problem.  So, this is my new favorite.  The Brazilian Government just passed a bill requiring underwear manufacturers to add a warning label to all bras, panties, and men’s underwear about the importance of getting screenings for breast, uterine and prostate cancer respectively – yes a specific warning for each type of underwear!  Oh, and for good measure the bill also threw in that all adult women’s underwear should have the suggestion that they make sure their partner use condoms.  That’s right, not the men’s underwear, but the women’s.  So, Brazil feels it’s the women who need to be the gatekeepers of condom use.

No, this hasn’t become law just yet – the president of Brazil has not yet signed it.  But, it’s telling that this bill has been floating around in their congress since 1999.  And a lot of thought has clearly gone into it.  For example, realizing that this is a lot of information to put on a lingerie tag (after all, Brazilians are known for their skimpy underwear), an amendment was written to only require these warnings be printed on underwear packaging.  But, thinking about this in a practical sense, doesn’t this defeat the purpose?  The packaging is quickly discarded–the wearer never sees the warnings again.

Underwear and lingerie is big business in Brazil.  They have over 6,000 manufacturers who make more than 2.8 billion pieces of underwear.  And HerRoom and HisRoom have several brands coming from Brazil.  LZ at HerRoom, for example.  So, don’t be surprised to see this warning coming to a piece of underwear near you!

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The UK retailer Marks & Spencer has launched, with great fanfare, the first ever carbon neutral bra.  Okay, what exactly does this mean?

The lingerie collection is called Autograph Leaves, and the four bras, three panties and garter belt were made in Sri Lanka at an eco-model factory that had its carbon footprint certified by the Carbon Trust. That means they calculated everything that goes into the carbon footprint such as the components, manufacturing, transportation, even the amount of energy consumers will use to wash and dry the underwear.

One interesting discovery from calculating the carbon footprint of lingerie was the discovery of how much impact lace and embroidery have on the footprint’s size.  So, lingerie that is simpler is also "greener."  And, using manufacturing techniques that use renewable energy and reduce waste, they were able to reduce the carbon footprint by approximately 33% compared to traditional lingerie manufacturing.

"The complexity of a bra’s supply chain makes it the ideal product to learn about the practicalities of carbon footprinting, as it contains 21 component parts from 12 different suppliers," explains Mike Barry, head of sustainable business at M&S. 

Find all bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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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.

The French brand Huit (pronounced "wheat" and French for the number eight) was in the clutches of bankruptcy. But no more!  Eveden, the company that brings us Goddess, Freya, Fantasie, and Elomi bought it.  Tracy Lewis, Chief Executive of Eveden came from the UK and visited me in our Dallas office just before Thanksgiving.  She shared with me Eveden’s plans for the Huit brand.

By way of background, Huit is a very proud French brand and even includes ‘Paris’ on its label.  Traditionally, it has been sold in better boutiques across the United States.  HerRoom has also been fortunate enough to carry the brand for many years.  The essence of the Huit brand is that it is stylish yet effortless, with hip colors.  A premium brand, Huit focuses a lot on being fashionable.  Therefore, less than 30% of the Huit products were ever basics.  Most were fashion and one-time designs.  The brand serviced the 32-38, A to D cup customer.

So, why did Eveden buy Huit?  Tracy explained that it was an excellent expansion opportunity.  Eveden brands have always been for full-figured women, so this was a very exciting chance to buy a well-known name brand that fits the average size woman.  And, there are no plans to take Huit into the full-figure market. 

What also impressed me was Tracy’s comment that Eveden retained the current Huit designers in France.  Eveden really wants to keep and maintain the special qualities the Huit brand has had for years.  Huit has also been a swimwear manufacturer, making swimwear with cup sizing.  Eveden absolutely intends to continue the swimwear line as well.

The re-launch is planned for this coming February with new photography.  And, there are plans to add 30 band sizes and take the cup sizing up to DD. Of special note, Tracy said to pay attention to the Cupcake Collection. The plan is to expand this further.  HerRoom already carries this collection, and I’m crazy about how terrific it looks.

Three cheers for keeping a fabulous lingerie brand alive and moving forward.

Huit Cupcake Bandeau Strapless Bra	Huit Cupcake Full  Cup Balconnet Bra	Huit Cupcake Magic Air Pushup Bra

Find Huit lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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I must say that I’m really excited about a new line of organic cotton underwear we are now carrying.  Called Ecoland, it’s made by a small family-owned and operated company out of California.

Why am I excited?  Because my team has been searching for a long time.  Organic cotton underwear that is soft and luxurious feeling is very hard to find.  We constantly get requests for it and we hate disappointing our customers by not having it.  Well, Ecoland has filled this void.  What’s more, most of the products are either made in the USA or Taiwan in non-sweatshop factories.  The product comes in that beautiful natural cotton color, but some pieces also come in a non-bleached white that is created using a certified organic process involving oxygen.  And the hand on everything is fabulous.  Everyone should feel good about buying it.

But wait, there’s another reason why I love Ecoland.  The underwire in their underwire bra is not metal at all.  Instead it’s made out of biodegradable plastic.  We at HerRoom frequently receive requests for this feature from women who work in prisons and other jobs where they must go through metal detectors set to high tolerances.  They must either suffer the humiliation of a pat-down, or find a wire-free bra. Finally, here is an underwire bra that won’t set them off! 

Now, I need to make something very clear about cotton bras.  There is no such thing on the market as a 100% cotton bra.  There can’t be.  Think about this.  Your jeans or a 100% cotton t-shirt stretch out at the end of the day.  Cotton simply does not maintain its shape.  So, a bra made of all cotton could never give adequate support.  Ecoland uses organic cotton and 5% spandex in its bras so that you get support.  Their bras start at 32A and go up to 36D, with the wireless bra going up to a 38D.

I admit to not being a full-on tree hugger.  My environmental footprint is probably way too big and I’m working on it.  And I like my pretty lingerie – no matter what it’s made of.  However, a tip of the hat to those of you who give a lot of care and thought to the garments you buy.  You now have the Ecoland brand to add to your options.

Find Ecoland lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Hosiery

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