Tomima - Lingerie and Underwear Expert

I’ve been seeing the word "Simplex" a lot lately. In fact, a quick search shows HerRoom offers 16 items made with simplex, and several of them incorporate simplex into their product name. It looks to be a trend in lingerie. So, what is simplex and is this a good thing to look for in lingerie and specifically bras?

Let’s start with defining simplex. For that, I’ve turned to two great sources. My friend, Ellen Jacobson, President of Elila Lingerie, and Beverly Johnson, Author of "The Bra-Makers Manual" and a true expert in bra construction and fit. Beverly has written about simplex several times on her blog. True simplex is a nylon knit with a little stretch - not like nylon that’s combined with spandex. Molded simplex bra cups can stand on on their own - even in the bigger cup sizes - without needing interfacing or other fabrics fused or layered onto it. And, simplex tends to have a matte finish. Ellen takes the definition a little farther. She first points out that the word simplex in Asia or Europe simply means a knit or "tricot" fabric you see in bathing suit material but without the spandex.

However, simplex’s more correct definition is a type of knit that has a "V" shape pattern to it’s knit. This makes it great for molding to the body. And, because of this type of construction, rather than just stretching up and down, and left and right (known as a 2-way stretch), simplex has what is called a mechanical stretch - it can stretch in every direction. But, it also gives great support because the stretch is controlled and not overly stretchy. It’s more like our skin, it stretches a little in any direction, but bounces back and gives great support. So, seamless molded bra cups made in simplex will be light-weight, but hold your breasts firmly without sagging - even in the larger cup sizes. A simplex cup will feel like wearing a second skin because of it’s all around firm support that stretches to give your breasts a natural look.

Here are some bras using simplex fabric in their seamless cups:

The Fantasie Smoothing T-Shirt Bra style 4510

The Lilyette Technocomfort Unlined Bra style 947

Also, Olga company is also launching throughout 2008 several underwire and minimizer seamless cup styles that will be using molded simplex in the cups.

You can find bras made with Simplex on HerRoom.

This Friday, Oprah will be airing one of her "Favorite Things" show, and the new sensation - The Yummie Tummie - is one of her picks (That’s right, she changed the spelling from yummy tummy).  For a company that has only been around for four months, this is quite a feat. 

This new hot must-have was designed by Heather Thomson, a fashion designer for over 15 years.  She designed it to meet her own need to want to wear form-fitting clothing after having a baby.  She didn’t like the feeling of all the shapewear out there and felt most of it caused more problems than it solved.

So, what is a Yummie Tummie? It’s a shapewear piece with a twist - it can be worn as outerwear, or as a layering piece, and is designed to be seen.  Think about these t-shirts, tanks and camisoles that everyone is buying and layering one over the other.  A Yummie Tummie looks like one of these except right below the bust and all the way down to your hips, the fabric has been replaced with shapewear fabric to smooth you out and suck you in.  You then can put another layer over it and look fabulous without anyone knowing you have on a shaping item.  The Yummie Tummie Collection has about 8 silhouettes ranging from a tank, crew neck t-shirt to a long sleeve v-neck.  There is even a nursing camisole so you can look great after your baby but still be able to nurse.  All come in basic colors, with some fashion colors thrown in.  Oprah will be showing the white and salmon colors on her show this Friday.

I need to mention a quick note about how to put it on.  Yes, it can go over your head, but it could be a bit of a struggle and possibly mess your hair and/or make-up.  The quickest and safest way is to step into the Yummie Tummie and pull it up like you would a one-piece bathing suit.

The fabrics used in all Yummie Tummies are what really make this garment work.  The top bodice and bottom panel is made in cotton knit; just like your t-shirts.  The minimizing panel is a firm microfiber that is made with sleek yarns to prevent your top layer from clinging.  This two-fabric concept keeps the garment looking modern while staying in place and not riding up.

All Yummie Tummy styles also come in two lengths - regular and long.  The shape is the same, but the shapewear section is approximately 3 inches longer.  This way, if you’re tall or want a longer base piece for a layering look, you can order the longer style.  The longer length also lets you pull the Yummie Tummie down over your back side for even more shaping andn smoothing.

Also, be sure to check out the Yummie Tummie sizing.  They come in sizes of XS to XL with XL fitting a t-shirt size of 16 and hips of 42".

This new and exciting item is sure to be the hit this summer.  Stock up because we’re hearing that supplies are already constrained.   The other silhouettes are due to ship in July and August.  The long sleeve versions are due to ship in September.  The nude camisole in the regular length is totally sold out.

I came across an entry on The Lingerie Post blog called "In Favour of Online Lingerie Shopping" written by Gill Fernandez, owner of ever-so-sexy.com website. In it, Fernandez summed up why shopping for lingerie online is better than going to a traditional retailer.

As a fellow owner of lingerie and underwear websites (HerRoom & HisRoom) I must confess I too hold a similar view - lingerie shopping online is a much more positive experience than shopping at a lingerie retailer who will coax you into a dressing room, get you to remove your clothes, then hold you hostage by feeding you bras to try on until you beg for mercy and agree to buy several more than you planned.

Basically, I hear three arguments against lingerie shopping online:

• Can’t try it on before buying.
• Can’t touch or feel before buying.
• Security concerns when purchasing over the Internet.

Well, let’s take each one of these issues and talk about them.

Can’t Try it on before buying - Michael Dell made an interesting comment that really stuck with me.  He said he didn’t want to be a customer’s first purchase, but rather every purchase thereafter.  The rationale being that the first purchase is fraught with a lot of contemplation, comparison and education. I have pretty much the same view when it comes to women and underwear.  A woman who doesn’t  know what she wants should probably spend some time just shopping around and looking.  But, most of us have already purchased underwear, so we know what we want.  There are very few of us who want to just purely shop for a bra.  It’s more like we know what features, color and style we want.  In fact, many of us are simply replenishing our lingerie supply with a style we already own.  So, not trying it on first is really not an issue.  For that small percentage out there who aren’t sure of their size,  I know that HerRoom has customer reviews, specific sizing charts for each vendor, and "fitters comments" on every item on our site.  So, an online customer can actually get more information about a piece of lingerie than they would walking into stores.

Now, I get that trying it on first means you don’t make a purchase that you might have to return.  But, return policies have become quite simple and fast on most websites.  And, the time and gas saved not having to drive to a store probably covers the cost of the return if you don’t like it.

Can’t touch or feel before buying - This argument on the surface sounds salient.  But, let’s give this a little more thought.  If you were to order from a catalog, you couldn’t touch it, and many times when you go into a store, underwear is in a box or packaging that can’t be touched prior to purchase.  Look at all the toys and other merchandise that we buy in tamper-proof packaging.  We don’t get to touch that either.

I hate touting my sites, but I work really hard to come up with solutions to customer concerns when shopping.  For example, on HisRoom we have softness and thickness gauges on all our men’s undergarments.  This way a guy can gauge how soft and how thick the garment is before he buys it.  So, this is just one of many ways for a shopper to get a sense of the garment before it’s purchased online 

Security Concerns when Purchasing Over the Internet - During the WWW Wild West years of the Internet, I would agree that security was an issue.  However, between the banks, credit card companies and our government, this issue has all but gone away.  Secure check out on most sites is very safe.  Credit card companies are quick to give customers refunds once they prove fraud has occured on their credit cards. You are more likely to have your credit card number stolen at a restaurant or at an ATM than you are at an online retailer.

The  truth about fraud is that it’s  perpetrated more on the websites themselves.  Our websites constantly receive bogus orders submitted by faudulent credit cards.  The only one this hurts is the online retailer.  We don’t have the luxury of a bank or credit card company to refund a mailed-out order if we don’t catch it in time. 

I will conceed that there is one disadvantage to shopping online - timing.  If you need something the same day, you are better off going the traditional retail route and trying to find it in a local shop.

Having said that though, there are a number of advantages to shopping online over traditional retail.  First, is speed.  Online you can visit many different retailers in a relatively short amount of time right from home.  Second, your selection online will always be better than anywhere else,  Third, convenience.  You can literally shop in your underwear.  And that brings me to the fourth advantage: privacy.  You can freely purchase items you may feel uncomfortable purchasing openly in a retail store.

So, I think I’ve crafted a pretty good arguement for shopping online for lingerie and underwear.  It is a far improvement over traditional retail lingerie shopping.