Tomima's Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

 

A side-effect of being in the bra business is that you tend to know the bra size and favorite style of all your female acquaintances.   So, I personally know of two women who don’t know each other, but both happen to share the same bra style, have been wearing it for more than 10 years, and ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

Are you jealous?  I know I am.  I have never selected a bra style that’s stayed on the market that long.  Their bra is the Chantelle Tamaris Seamless Molded Underwire 1660.  And here are the reasons they sing its praises.

First, both women feel they have somewhat sloping shoulders.  And the straps on this bra do not fall off their shoulders.  Now, there are a number of reasons why straps can fall off shoulders – your upper breasts are shallow and do not fill up the top of the cup, your band size is too big etc.  The reason these straps stay on your shoulders is because they are located almost directly above the nipple.  This is known in the trade as "center pull" or "cup centered" straps. The cups are also shaped more as a triangle which assists in keeping the straps centered and on your shoulders. 

Their next favorite feature is the leotard back. Lately, you’ve probably been seeing commercials on TV about Bali’s new "Comfort-U Design" back.  Well, it’s not new.  This has been called a leotard back in the industry and has been around for years.  The Tamaris has this back which allows the bra back to look more pared down, and again helps keep the straps on your shoulders.

Both women are in the 34-36, B-C size range, so granted they don’t have any real size issues.  But the other thing they love is the cup design.  Again, this was really one of the first seamless cups to come onto the market.  But, what is different is that these cups are not made of a stretchy fabric that can make your breasts look floppy.  Rather, the sheer/lacy fabric is non-stretch.  This goes a long way in giving you a great uplifted breast shape.  And, the unique horizontal lace along the cups helps to eliminate a woman’s "high beams" if you know what I mean. 

Finally, a few historical side notes.  Chantelle shared with me that this bra has an extremely loyal following (my 2 friends back that up), and it was one of the very first seamless molded bras ever offered. And the lion’s share of sales for this bra are in the USA.

So, here you have a very comfortable bra, with straps that don’t fall off, gives great shape, is pretty, modest, and supportive.  No wonder it’s been a favorite for so many years.  Its size range, though,  is a little limiting – 32B to 38D with a few E cups in range as well.

 

Find Chantelle lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

 

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Posted by Tomima at 8:24am
Tags: best bras, chantelle
1 Comment »

 

I’m the first to raise my hand and say that bra sizing is confusing and convoluted.  It’s one of the reasons women find themselves in the wrong size bra.  In an effort to sort this all out and reduce the number of bra sizes on the market, Hanesbrands has stepped up and created a new sizing technology that they claim will replace multiple current sizes with one size.

The goal, according to Hanes, is to make it easier for shoppers to buy bras while also providing superior comfort and a better fit.  They feel their goal has been met with a new ‘breakthrough’ fit technology.

Their proprietary bra technology called "Smart Sizes" will be rolling out this fall under their Hanes and Barely There brands.  It is a series of floating and flexible bra frames that lets the bra mold to the shape of the wearer.  And it does this with just 5 bra sizes rather than the traditional 16 cup/band sizes.

“Smart Sizes is a very big concept that revolutionizes how women fit and buy their bras,” according to Sandy Waitz, vice president of intimate apparel design and development for Hanesbrands. “With the flexible fit properties of Smart Sizes, women can find a bra that literally molds to their individual shapes, including unique fit challenges such as between sizes and unevenly sized breasts.”

Okay, here is where my enthusiasm wanes.  The five Smart sizes are extra small, small, medium, large and extra large.  And these five sizes will replace the traditional size range of 30A through 42C. 

Though I wish it weren’t so, I’m afraid this new breakthrough could be a bust.  Sure, less sizing means less choices when trying to figure out your size.  Retailers will like only having to stock 5 sizes instead of 16.  But I need to see and try on this product to really get on board with this new sizing technology. 

Hanesbrand claims they don’t need that many sizes because the bra somehow will mold and custom fit to your individual shape.  Hearing this, my mind races to a picture of me being ‘shrink-wrapped.’  We all know that when we find our correct bra size, we look terrific.  I can’t help but wonder if these blended sizes will still give that crisp supported look, or more of a shelf-bra or bathing suit look where if you’re falling out or the fabric gaps a little, you’re supposed to assume that’s as good as it gets.

 

Find Hanes and Barely There lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

 

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Posted by Tomima at 12:31pm
Tags: barely there, Bra Fitting, bra sizes, Hanes
3 Comments »

 

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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Posted by Tomima at 7:49am
Tags: bras, calvin klein, celebrity
2 Comments »