Tomima's Blog – Lingerie & Underwear Expert

 

I seem to have a lot of racerback clothing in my wardrobe this summer.  I’ve been wearing my favorite (discontinued) strapless bra, but this year’s Overall Undie Winning Bra was a racerback style, so I decided to buy it and give it a try.  It’s the Vanity Fair Body Sleeks Flexi Back Front Close Racerback bra 75263.

I put it on and it was not an instant love connection.  On me, this bra was full coverage, and I’m not a big fan of bras that cover my upper chest so much.  I also wouldn’t call it pretty.  But, the damask neutral color was a good flesh tone for me, and the bra is seamless with contour padding in the cups which I like very much.  So, I pressed on.

What I have never liked about racerback bras is the straps coming so close to my neck.   There is this muscle called the scapula that goes from your neck to your shoulder.  I don’t like pressure on it, and every racerback bra I have tried seems to hit at the most painful point.

But unlike most racerback bras, the Body Sleeks Racerback actually has what they call a "flexi back."  The straps are not actually connected.  They cross in the back, but also move as you do.  So, I was able to place the straps farther down my shoulders and they stayed put.  It’s a simple design, but actually quite ingenious.

With this bra on, I went about testing it with all my racerback tops.  I was stunned.  Absolutely every top I tried on completely covered this bra.  I mean every one – including a racerback where the narrowest point was only about 2 inches wide. Not a strap showed anywhere. The full cup coverage prevented any bra lines under my tops. And, this bra has front-adjusting straps.  I figured out that by loosening them a little, the straps would sit wider on my shoulders.  When they needed to be up higher, I adjusted the strap tighter and it stayed where I needed it to. 

Conclusion:  Our Undie Award voters know their stuff.  I now understand why this bra won such high marks.  I’m a convert, and I know you will be too.  Unfortunately, the size range is pretty small.  It starts at 34B and goes to 40D. 

 

 

 

Find Vanity Fair lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

 

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Posted by Tomima at 10:39am
Tags: best bras, racerback bras, undie awards, Undies, vanity fair
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There’s a curious reality to men’s underwear sizing; It assumes all men who wear the same size underwear have the same size…er, private parts.  So, to put this in bra terms, it’s like thinking that all woman with a 36 band size, for example,  have the same cup size.  And we know that’s not true.

I discovered this fact back in 2002 when I first went live with HisRoom.  I interviewed some mens underwear manufacturers and asked how a man is supposed to size his jock strap and thongs for a document I was creating.  Naively, I just assumed it was a similar system to a woman’s bra.  A few questions into my interviews, I found out I was wrong.  All the jock manufacturers told me that if a man’s "package" didn’t fit in the cup, he would need to go up a size (e.g. from a medium to a large) to get a larger cup – even if that meant his waistband would now be too big.

I admit I was surprised by this because it didn’t make sense to me.  Men are already size conscious when it comes to their package.  Why wouldn’t they have a sizing system in place to accomodate this?  Since over the years, HisRoom received very few comments on this subject, I chalked it up to sizing and fit not being a big deal with men.

So now,  along comes a new men’s underwear line, HARDDRIVE, with an attempt to address this issue.  They claim to have created proportion fit underwear for men, and it’s sized by both a man’s waist AND cup size.

When I saw this my mind immediately started racing…  How are they determining cup size?  I jumped to their size chart,  found their "How to Find the Perfect Fit" instructions, and let out a howl that brought my dogs running to my office.  Here is what it says:

"First, measure length.  Next, measure girth.  Multiply length & girth."  And, I particularly loved the footnote: "Remember… always measure yourself in the state of mind that you expect to be in while wearing." At last, giving men worldwide a legitimate reason to measure.

Not being one to totally dismiss an "out-of-the-box" idea, I decided to do a little research. Searching on "average penis size" I found that this apendage averages 6 inches long with a girth of 3.5-4 inches when at rest.  Their calculation therefore concludes that the average guy is a 21-24 measurment.  And, according to their size chart, this would be an "A" cup.  Oh, did I mention they decided to match the letters given to womens bra cup sizing?  At least I would have thought they would have chosen something more "guy-friendly" like, I don’t know, maybe coffee sizes… regular, tall, venti?  Or, maybe a car analogy like Boxter, Cayman, 911 and Panamera?  Oh, what about hamburgers: Junior burger, Big Mac, Quarter Pounder and Angus Delux? But, I digress.

Feeling that further research was needed, I grabbed a tape measure and headed for my pantry.  I wanted to find examples that represented the various cup sizes they are porporting in their size chart. Here’s what I found:  a can of tuna fish qualifies as an A cup.  A traditional soup can is a C cup.  A 16 oz. water bottle is a D cup.  And a mayonnaise jar or larger is a DD cup.

And this final suggestion from a male friend re naming the sizes: there’s no such thing as Small and Medium. Just start with Large and go up from there.

 

 

Shop for men’s underwear at HisRoom.

 

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Posted by Tomima at 7:40am
Tags: HardDrive, Men's Underwear, sizing
8 Comments »

 

It was announced recently that Jean Paul Gaultier is teaming up with La Perla to design a lingerie line.   Now, the first thing that jumped into my head was funnel-shaped bra cups designed by Gaultier and worn by Madonna during her ‘Like A Virgin’ tour back in the 90′s.

Well, I’m not totally off with this thought.  According to La Perla, the new collection with be comprised of 27 styles, including a Madonna-inspired waist-cinching corset and bra.

La Perla CEO Alain Prost claims the collaboration began a few months ago when they both met. "…we immediately hit if off because we shared a common vision of beauty, style, taste and quality.  So we agreed to try this adventure together and unite our savoir faire."

The new collection is scheduled to hit stores this November, with 2 limited-edition pieces scheduled to be featured in La Perla’s couture show in August.

Since 2003, Gaultier has been the artistic director at Hermes.  He recently revealed that he has given up his position there.

This is an interesting match – Gaultier and La Perla.  I for one can’t wait to see the collection.

 

 

Find La Perla lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties

 

Follow HerRoom on Twitter for daily tips.

Posted by Tomima at 6:37am
Tags: celebrity, la perla
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