It was announced recently that Zoe Saldana will be the star of Calvin Klein’s Fall 2010 Global Advertising campaign.  So, who is this Zoe?

 I guess I’m getting old because the name meant nothing to me until I Googled her.  She was the oh-so-blue Neytiri in the movie Avatar, and the new-and-improved Lieutenant Uhura in the 2009 remake of Star Trek.  Oh… now I know her.

Anyway, she will be the model for Calvin Klein’s new Envy collection .

Find Calvin Klein lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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You know when you find something fantastic, you want to tell everyone you know?  Well, that’s how I feel about Hue’s collection of skinny jeanz.

I’ve shelled out lots of money for the ‘in’  jeans of the season.  But, the moment I put these on, I was in love – and they’re only $30.

First, they are as comfortable as wearing leggings.  Those designer jeans may look great, but they are rarely really comfortable.  Then, I really like the fabric.  It’s thick enough so they don’t look like leggings, and they don’t show any VPL’s.  The back pockets are sewn on and actually work, and the length is long enough so there is some gathering around the ankle.

Hue makes two styles – the Jeanz Capri legging and the Skinny Jeanz legging.  I love both.  In fact, truth be told, I bought every color in every style.  I wear a size 4 pant.  The size small in both styles was perfect.  My two daughters, ages 12 and 14 could both fit in the extra small.

The best part is that when I wear them, I get stopped and told how terrific my jeans look.  Perfect strangers have stopped me and asked me what brand I’m wearing.  When they find out they’re actually a legging, they can’t believe it.  And again, they’re only $30.

Consider this my gift to you.  Run and get a pair.  I guarantee you will be back for more.

Find Hue lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Hosiery

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A 63 year-old man from Chengdu, China has invented, to great fanfare, a nipple bra.  He claims his bra is healthier and a more natural option for women’s nipples.

His absolutely ridiculous premise is that a normal bra today puts pressure on our nipples and thus is uncomfortable.  He thinks women need to be liberated from this bondage.   So, his bra includes a bump in the cup where he thinks your nipple should go.

First, has any woman ever felt nipple-bound?  Secondly, most of us don’t walk around with erect nipples all day. This bra would make us look like we are in a constant state of excitement. Third, check out the placement of his "nipple bubble" – anatomically wrong.  A woman could wind up with 4 nipple pops – talk about weird. Fourth, wouldn’t it be even more uncomfortable to have our nipples sliding in and out of this crevice? Finally, if not for men, we women wouldn’t even worry whether our erect nipples might be showing or not. 

Turn about is fair play.  Let’s invent a men’s brief with prominent pockets on each side for them to stuff their balls in.  Makes the same amount of sense.

Find everything but nipple bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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I live in Texas.  So, for the last 15 years, it has been absolutely acceptable to run around bare-legged all year long.  This fall marked the return of wearing pantyhose again.  And, I confess to being a little glad – my legs just look a little nicer in a great pair of pantyhose.

But, here comes the summer with the scorching heat soon to follow.  I thought I’d need to once again give up on pantyhose until the fall.  But, I’ve found a terrific solution, and I can’t wait to share!

Nude is the look this summer.  Nude shoes, nude dresses, nude everything.  And, fishnets have also been making a big come-back.  I saw Madonna sporting a pair when she co-hosted ‘The Marriage Ref’ a few months ago.  So, I thought, why not see if I can combine the two concepts?

A quick search on HerRoom pulled up several pair of nude fishnets.  But, one in particular caught my eye.  The reason?  Yes, they were fishnets, but the netting was really fine and almost indistinguishable.  I ordered a pair and waited for them to arrive.

When I put them on, I was even more excited.  They look terrific, no one will know they are fishnets unless they are looking, and best of all, they are extremely comfortable and cool to wear.  I ended up wearing them for an entire work day and forgot I had them on.  Now, that’s saying something about a pair of pantyhose.

So, this summer, stock up on the Donna Karan Signature Micro Tulle Fishnet Pantyhose 0B159.  You will LOVE them!

Find more pantyhose choices at HerRoom in these departments:
Hosiery

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Like eyebrows, our breasts are not identical.  Usually, one is smaller than the other, and it tends to be the one closest to the hand we most often use.  For some of us, the difference is not that obvious.  But for many women, the difference has caused a life-long issue with bras not fitting perfectly.

The simple solution has been to fit a bra to your larger breast, and then purchase some type of pad that can be slipped into the cup with the smaller breast to even out your look and remove the wrinkles in the bra.  But now, there is a new solution.

Fruit of the Loom has just announced its "Pick Your Perfect Pair" Bra.  Think about a front closure bra and a back closure bra.   With both closures, you have two bra parts.  That is the essence of this bra – it has a front and back closure, so you purchase each side of your bra in the size you need.

This bra will come in sizes 34-36 in B cups, 34-38 in C cups, and 38-40 in D cups.  Then, each of these cup sizes has a corresponding "just about" cup size.  So, for example, you would select a 36C for one side, and a "just about" or JA36C for the smaller side.  The regular size side is a lined underwire cup.  The "JA" side is also underwire but also has  a bump pad to help even you out.

Each side will sell for $8.  The current offering comes in white and black, and some polka-dot prints.  Though the front closure is not adjustable, the back closure will have 5 hook & eye adjustments.

Kudos to FOTL for coming up with this idea.  But I have my doubts about their marketing.  They are skewing towards a young audience (teens and early 20’s).  I think the woman who would be interested in this is more mature.  And she’s going to want nude – not black and white.  There is also going to be possible confusion in the selection of the sides.  Not only are there two sizes for every bra, but you also must pick a "left" and a "right" side.  This could become a merchandising nighmare! 

Suddently, just sticking a small pad in one side seems like a pretty good solution here.

Find fruit of the Loom bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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There’s been quite a bit of advertising about Victoria’s Secret’s "Miraculous" Push-up bra.  Made by the Maidenform Company, the claim is that special padding lifts you up and out, thus adding up to 2 full cup sizes to your breasts.  And it does all of this with amazing comfort while keeping a natural shape.

Wow!  That’s quite a promise.  So, I went and bought one and put it to the test.  By way of explanation, a one inch increase in the circumference of your chest along the nipple line qualifies as a cup size increase.  So, to make their claim true, a total of 2 inches to the circumference needs to be achieved.

So, here are the results.  We used one of our 34B models. Her measurements are:

Band 34"

Bust 36"

First, we put her in the Spanx 216 Bra-llelujah contour bra.  These photographs show her shape. 

We then put her in Victoria’s Secret "Miraculous" bra.  Her measurements became:

Band 34"

Bust 38"

So, the claim is correct; her bust circumference increased by 2 inches.  And, I must say,  her cleavage and shape look natural and fabulous.

As I mentioned earlier, this bra is made by the Maidenform company.  And, apparently a deal was cut whereby Victoria’s Secret got the exclusive for the first 6 months.  And boy, are they taking advantage.  The Victoria price is $48 for the solid colors and $52 for the prints. 

The Maidenform version arrived late June 2010.  Their design does have some differences – a little more coverage in the cups, a more stabilizing center front, and a different back design to provide more support.  Whereas the Victoria’s Secret bra goes up to DD cup sizing, the Maidenform will only go up to D cups. And, the biggest difference of all will be the pricing. The Maidenform price will be just $34. That’s a 30% price savings!

Personally, I’m very impressed.  The Maidenform Company, in my opinion, is the current leader in innovative bra designs. They have done a super job here creating a look of more natural cleavage. 

On a final note, I do want to point out that we tried to measure the thickness of the padding in this bra.  In some places, the padding is over 1 inch thick.  So, I have a bit of a concern with how to care for it.  You don’t want to stick it in the dryer, yet with all that padding, will it dry fast enough so that there won’t be a problem with mildew from line drying?  The jury is out on this one.

Maidenform & Victoria’s Secret have teamed up before on the Total Solution and Perfect One Bras.

Find Maidenform lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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Since we deal with lingerie manufacturers, my buyers were delighted to see that several of the ones we work with are now taking their expertise in bra manufacturing to the swimwear arena.  But, they have also sized the swimsuits the same way they size bras.  A simple idea, but what a difference it makes.

Right now, HerRoom has a great collection of bra-sized swimwear on our site — specifically, Freya and Fantasie swimwear. We found a fabulous F cup model, and made a video fashion show to show you how great the full figure women can look on the beach or by the pool.  Oh, and the swim suits from these two brands go up to an H cup in many of the styles.

Below is our video. Sit back, enjoy, and be surprised by how great swimwear will now look on you.  It’s actually fun to buy a bathing suit!

Find bathing suits at HerRoom in these departments:
Swimwear

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Okay, this one totally stumped me.  Crinkly cleavage?  What is this?  Is this yet another thing to look forward to in old age?

Apparently this is all about a smooth decolletage. While many of us have spent a lifetime lifting and pushing together our breasts to create cleavage, women with natural cleavage claim that vertical wrinkles can form, causing less-than-smooth skin in their decolletage… who knew?

Rachel de Boer, a Dutch designer has invented the La Decollete.  She explained that these crinkly wrinkles are formed mostly at night when women sleep on their side and their breasts are thus stacked on one another.  Her design provides a layer of cushioning between breasts and prevents this apparent breast squeezing.

This bra was first marketed in the UK starting last October.  At a cost of $75 USD, the wearer must really want to prevent this problem.  Of course, these same vertical wrinkles can also be caused by advanced age and too much sun.

So, if you are wearing this to keep your decollatage smooth for the opposite sex, how do you think he’s going to react when he sees you wearing this thing in bed?

Is women’s lingerie just a magnet for strange products? There are plenty more in Tomima Unplugged.

Find all kinds of lingerie accessories, from nipple concealers to back extenders in HerRoom’s Etcetera Department.

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Late last year, the Emporio Armani underwear was introduced with provocative images of David Beckham lounging in nothing more than his knickers.  It was a sensation.  So, they next  brought in Victoria Beckham, and together they represented the Emporio Armani line of underwear and lingerie.  Well, not any more.

 Megan Fox, that 23 year old who has become every teen boy’s dream girl, is the new face of Emporio Armani lingerie.  Apparently, Victoria Beckham decided to go off and have a line of lingerie designed with her name on it.  So Marilyn Monroe-tattooed Fox is stepping in to fill her… well, boobs.

As for David Beckham, there is no scoop out as to why he is gone, but my guess is that it’s tied to his wife leaving.  Regardless, we have new eye-candy in Portugal’s hunky soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Not only famous in soccer, this guy’s known for strutting around in rump-enhancing fluoro hotpants while on holiday in Los Angeles.  But with his buff body, he can pull it off.

So, congratulations to Armani.  He has snagged two fabulous, sexy and over-the-top good-looking people to represent his underwear lines.

Seems every time Armani introduces a new campaign, there’s been quite a buzz. See other articles about the Armani campaigns and David and Victoria Beckham’s ads for Armani.

Find Emporio Armani lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

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For the last 19 years, the IG Nobel Prizes have given out awards by honest-to-goodness Noble Prize winners at Harvard University.  So, what is an IG Nobel Prize exactly?  Well, it’s an award for an idea that first makes people laugh and then makes them think.  The goal is to honor imagination and celebrate the unusual all while spurring people’s interest in medicine, technology and science.

This year’s Public Health IG Nobel Prize went to Chicago-based Dr. Elena Bodnar.  Her invention is a bra that can be quickly converted into two gas masks should an emergency arise. Yes, this idea made me laugh, and it made me think.  My thought went to bra sizing.  It looks like it would work for a woman who’s about a C cup size.  But what if you’re only an A cup?  The mask wouldn’t have enough room for you to breathe.  And, if you are a DDD cup, it wouldn’t fit on your face!

Anyway, Dr. Bodnar actually demonstrated her invention at the Harvard event, and then gave every Nobel Prize Laureate in attendance one as a gift.

This isn’t the only strange lingerie invention I’ve come across lately. Let’s not forget the Horny Bra and the Husband-Hunting Bra or the lingerie made with balloons.

Find bras, although not gas mask bras, at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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