Tomima's Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

 

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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Posted by Tomima at 8:45am
Tags: bras, elomi, eveden, fantasie, freya, goddess, huit, lingerie brands, Women's Lingerie, women's underwear
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Since the beginning of HerRoom, every bra on our site has included a front shot on a mannequin with a kind of grid overlay on top of it.  I’ve come to learn that some women find it invaluable, but others blow by it or totally ignore it because they don’t understand what it’s telling them.  Well, it tells you a whole bunch.  Let me explain.

 

  

 

Here are two examples of some measured shots on our site.  The one on the left is the Wacoal 65191.  On the right is the Bali 3413.  The horizontal line shows the breast apex line. This means this line goes through the points of the breasts.  Most bra’s center panel comes up to this line as it almost does on the Wacoal.  But, if you look at the Bali, you can see that the center panel is below this line. This tells you that a lower cut top can be worn with this bra.  The vertical center line tells you the center panel of the Bali bra is about 3/4" lower.  So, now you know how much lower on your chest the center panel will sit. This vertical line also allows you to measure the height of the center panel. 

Let’s talk about the two vertical lines running through the apex point on each breast.  These two lines tell you a lot as well.  First, the straps on the Bali bra are very close to these lines. This tells you the straps are a center pull strap.  If you have problems with straps falling off your shoulders, a center pull strap (meaning the straps are attached to the cup more in the center than to the sides) will stay up on on your shoulders.  The Wacoal bra has wide set straps.  This strap placement is great for  necklines where a large percentage of your chest will be exposed.

Here’s what else these two vertical lines tell you – the cup coverage.  The Bali bra is going to have more breast coverage.  The cups come up 2 1/2" above the breast apex.  The Wacoal bra has just 2" of coverage above the apex of the breast.  Clearly, the Bali is going to give you good breast coverage while allowing you to wear a low v-neck blouse.

These two vertical lines also extend down to the breast crease line where the underwire rests at the base of your breast.  On the Wacoal bra, there is a nice lace edge added just below the wire.  However, on he Bali bra, you can see that they have built a lower band under the wire for additional support.  This was probably done to strengthen the support of the bra since they lowered the center panel.   For petite women, bras with a built-on lower band may be too much bra for them.  This could be true for  short-waisted women as well.

The next time you shop for a bra at HerRoom, I hope you will take a second to view our measured image.  It goes a long way towards telling you how a bra will fit and look on you before you even try it on. No other site on the Internet gives you this information… yes, I’m tooting my own horn here.  Okay, I’m stepping off my soap box.

 

Find these measured bra images at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

 

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Posted by Tomima at 8:16am
Tags: body types, Bra Fitting, bra sizes, cup size
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Large breasted women (D cup and larger) have written reviews over the years complaining about their breasts pointing east/west rather than front and center in their bras.  And they don’t like it for good reason – this causes breast tissue to move under the arms, which gets in the way and is not an attractive silhouette.  Well, take heart if you are a fellow sufferer.  This condition can be easily corrected by paying attention to the way your bra is made.

I am a big fan of "Bra Wizard" Beverly Johnson.  I consider her our ‘Joan of Arc’ in leading the charge for better fitting bras.  Beverly runs a bra-making school where she actually teaches a woman to make her own bras, www.bramakerssupply.com , and has written a book explaining in very technical detail how to fix fit problems.  Beverly has several comments on how to get your girls back into the ‘headlight’ position.

The key is to understand nipple placement as breasts get larger.  All of us pretty much have the same proportioned skeleton  So, regardless of weight and breast size, the location of say a 5′ 4" woman’s nipples is the same as for other women her size.  The skeleton does not grow as we add weight or grow bigger breasts.  The nipple distance between your two breasts (once you pull them up and put them where you want them)  is pretty much a constant – between 7" and 8".  So, grab a ruler and measure this distance on you.  As I write this wearing my 36C bra, mine are 7 1/2" apart.

Are yours a lot farther apart while wearing a bra?  If yes, you are not in the right style of bra to maximize your figure.  Getting your breasts together will make you look slimmer and more youthful.   So, what do you need to look for?

 

You should be able to look at a bra and tell before trying it on where your nipples are going to end up.  Breast tissue is very malleable.  Therefore, it can be moved into the proper position with a great structured bra.  Hands down, the ‘cut-and-sew’ or bras (like the upper photo) with seams in the cups will give you the best look.  This is because the more seams a bra-maker uses in the cups, the more control there is over the shape of your breast tissue.You can tell by looking down on the seamed cup bra that your nipples are going to be front and center when you get it on.

 

 

Contour bras also have a pretty good record for putting the nipples in the right location on your chest.  The thin layer of foam lining in the cups helps to stabilize the molded cups and keep breasts front and center. Seamless bras (like the lower photo) don’t offer enough structure to help with placement.

  

Great bras that make you look great come at a price.  Spend the money!  There is no other piece of apparel that you wear more.  You deserve the best.

 

 

Find seamed and contour bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

 

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Posted by Tomima at 11:19am
Tags: Bra Fitting, contour bras, cut and sew bras, seamed bras
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