A research team at the University of Georgia has come up with a new technology that can make clothing and lingerie permanently germ free. It’s simple to implement, works on synthetic and natural fabrics, does not come out in the wash and can be applied either at home or during manufacturing.  Who’d have thought?

 With the discovery of super viruses and pathogens showing up in our environment and hospitals, this new fabric treatment may become as ubiquitous as airport scanning.  This technology is already available for licensing.  It kills a huge spectrum of yeasts, bacteria and moulds that can cause disease.  But this technology also goes after stains that can break down fabrics and produce odors. It can destroy the cause without damaging the fabric.

Clearly this is the wave of the future for underwear and lingerie.  Stay tuned…

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I always enjoy seeing a quirky solution to a public problem.  So, this is my new favorite.  The Brazilian Government just passed a bill requiring underwear manufacturers to add a warning label to all bras, panties, and men’s underwear about the importance of getting screenings for breast, uterine and prostate cancer respectively – yes a specific warning for each type of underwear!  Oh, and for good measure the bill also threw in that all adult women’s underwear should have the suggestion that they make sure their partner use condoms.  That’s right, not the men’s underwear, but the women’s.  So, Brazil feels it’s the women who need to be the gatekeepers of condom use.

No, this hasn’t become law just yet – the president of Brazil has not yet signed it.  But, it’s telling that this bill has been floating around in their congress since 1999.  And a lot of thought has clearly gone into it.  For example, realizing that this is a lot of information to put on a lingerie tag (after all, Brazilians are known for their skimpy underwear), an amendment was written to only require these warnings be printed on underwear packaging.  But, thinking about this in a practical sense, doesn’t this defeat the purpose?  The packaging is quickly discarded–the wearer never sees the warnings again.

Underwear and lingerie is big business in Brazil.  They have over 6,000 manufacturers who make more than 2.8 billion pieces of underwear.  And HerRoom and HisRoom have several brands coming from Brazil.  LZ at HerRoom, for example.  So, don’t be surprised to see this warning coming to a piece of underwear near you!

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There was a scene in an old "Sex and the City" episode where Carrie was cradling a phone between her shoulder and ear while she was pulling lovely lacy bras out of her bathroom sink, then hanging them over her shower rod to let drip dry.  Guess what?  She had it right.  This is really the best way to wash your lingerie – by hand in warm water with gentle detergent and then left to dry.

Why is this the best choice?  It’s because of all the elastic and stretch fabrics used to make lingerie.  Spandex has been revolutionary to lingerie because it gives a custom fit, reduces wrinkles and prevents bagging.  But, spandex breaks down in heat.  Keeping your lingerie away from hot water, chlorine and the dryer is the greatest gift you can give your lingerie – including hosiery and shapewear – and will exponentially increase its lifetime.

I hear women say they wash their lingerie in Woolite.  Back when Woolite came in a jar, it was designed to wash wool sweaters quickly.  Their advertising gave women the impression it was a mild detergent when in fact it was not.  But today, Woolite products have changed.  All are designed to go in to the washing machine, and they even have something now called Woolite Extra Delicates Care.  I haven’t tried it, but it sounds like it is a mild version of traditional Woolite.

With our busy lives, it is less and less likely that we will hand wash our lingerie.  Washing machines today have also become more sophisticated–they have delicate cycles and better control over water temperature and load sizes.  So, washing your lingerie in a washing machine has become safer.  That said, there are a few things you should do before dropping your lingerie into a washer.  First, hook your bras shut.  Those little hooks can catch on to other clothing. When this happens, you can cause damage to your bras as well as other clothes in the wash. You should then put your bras in a lingerie bag or one of these new washer bags specially designed for contour bras (bras with pre-formed cups).

Not containing your bras in some kind of washing bag can create havoc in your washer.  The straps can get caught in the agitators or wrap around something and become stretched.  This happens, and your bra can be stretched out and no longer wearable.  Your lingerie investment is lost.

The water temperature should be warm but not hot.  Cold water simply does not wash clothing as well as warm, but hot can deteriorate fibers in your clothing and loosen dyes which can then bleed on to other clothing.

Don’t wash your bras with items such as towels, blankets, jeans or other items that create a lot of lint.  That lint could end up in your bras and could create pilling on your lingerie.

I wash my panties, shapewear and hosiery in individual laundry bags – and not in with my bras.  Again, these items are delicate and you don’t want them catching on other clothes and being ruined.

Finally, let me close with another point about bras.  Unless you are a profuse perspirer, you don’t need to wash your bra after every use.  You can wear it up to 3 times before needing to launder it.  However, it should not be worn 3 days in a row.  You should alternate it with another bra, because a bra needs a good 24 hours to breath and relax back into shape before it is worn again.  This alternating also helps to extend the life of your bras.

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The Science Museum in London was doing a little spring cleaning when it came across an article of clothing it didn’t know it had – a lacy push-up bra.

As the photo shows, it was a strapless bra with a very pretty piece of lace sewn in the center to peek out the top of a low front dress.  This lace placement has appeared in the last few years on many bras including Wacoal and Chantelle.

Historically, it has always been thought that the bra as we know it today didn’t really exist until the 1920′s.  This discovery proves otherwise.  The bra features pads placed along the bottom of the cups to give the bustline a lift much like the 1990′s Wonderbra.  Knowing that the Wonderbra has several patents tied to it, the inventor in me wonders if this discovery will now make those patents invalid?

Find much much newer bras at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras

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Talk about the Yuck factor!   The Today Show on NBC did a hidden camera investigation on several prominant retailers to see if they would return to stock underwear that had signs of use.

Eight retailers including Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales, and The Gap in a mall in New Jersey were targeted. Lingerie was purchased in each location.  The investigators then removed the tags and protective strips, marked each purchase with two small black dots on the label, and then went back to the store to try and return them. Oh, and the investigators also stained each garment with a few drops of baby oil so that this underwear would have a "used" look to it.

All eight stores accepted the returns for full refund. And, at Bloomingdales, Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, Macy’s and the Gap, the investigators found the merchandise re-tagged and back out on the selling floor for another customer to purchase.  The investigators did not find their merchandise returned to the floor at J. Crew, Saks, or Express.

All the stores claimed that this was not their policy and that they would be educating their employees immediately.

Like everyone, I watched this expose in horror.  The idea of buying underwear that has been used is appalling.  And, it is just one more reason to consider buying underwear on the Internet.  I can proudly state that all the garments we sell are pristine and new.  Our returns are very closely scrutinized and run through biological testing.  Those garments not passing the tests are not put back into inventory.

Hats off to my return team for their outstanding efforts to maintain the highest standard of quality and safety for our customers.

You can see the video on HerRoom’s page on Facebook.

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Now you’ve got the critical info–what to buy? Well, if you see quite a few of the same brand, you can take it up a notch and choose a luxury item in that brand. For instance, if she buys herself mid-range Le Mystere bras like this racer-back bra, why not go all out and buy her this sexy, lacy confection from Le Mystere. Or, how about buying her something you know she won’t buy for herself? We all hear that thongs are the most comfortable panties ever–but some women won’t even try them. Let her try them out on your dime. She might especially like Hanky Panky’s Color Play Thong, which comes in an array of pretty exciting colors. Better yet, it’s one size fits most, so you can hardly go wrong.

If you absolutely can’t find her sizes, you’ve got a few choices: guess and hope for the best, ask her outright, or buy something not quite as dependent on fit, like a silk nightgown, or slinky robe. Luckily,we got some suggestions here too.This Mary Green Stretch Silk Satin Doll Chemise will make any woman feel gorgeous and the movie-star calibre matching robe will help through winter nights to come. If she’s more of an all-cotton woman, Hanro makes the softest, sleekest cotton sleepwear imaginable, like this Hanro Taitu Babydoll, Or one of Hanro’s beautiful cotton robes – like this Hanro Short Waffle Robe.

Of course you’d like something you want to see her in, but if it’s too gimmicky or plain uncomfortable she’ll wear it for you, but it won’t leave the drawer more than a few times a year. The key is to choose something that’ll let her know you think she’s special but will also be comfortable. Many women are so hung up about body image that they don’t realize that, to the men who love them, they are hot, hot, hot. So if you bought her a blender last year, this is the time to go all out and show her how she looks in your eyes.

Find gift ideas for lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Thongs
Sleepwear
Sexy Lingerie

There are over 8 million people in this country who are anorexic, bulimic or have eating disorders. Most of them are young women. "Young women look at these magazines showing super thin models and think they should be like them in order to be attractive."Yet contrary to popular belief that skinny is desirable, a recent poll ran showed the truth that men like some meat on a woman!" says Nancy Hayssen author of "101 Sexy Secrets: How to Be Hot, Sexy & Beautiful at ANY Size!"

According to this same recent online poll of men ages 18-50 years and older, 80% of men are attracted to women that are curvy and voluptuous such as Jennifer Lopez or Queen Latifah, and an additional 15% are attracted to average bodies.Surprisingly, this leaves only 5% of men that actually find rail thin anorexic looking women like Nicole Ritchie and models we see on the runways as truly beautiful.Even more shocking when asked the question: "Who is the sexiest woman ever?" the winning response was "my wife," beating out historic beauty Marilyn Monroe, who came in second place.The average American woman is 5’4" and wears a size 14.

This also happens to be roughly the size Marilyn Monroe, considered one of the most beautiful women celebrities of our time would have been today. Size 14 is considered plus size, therefore, the average American woman is plus size. This is good news for women everywhere since men are really attracted to average curvy women."We’re being lied to everyday. The fashion industry and Hollywood have spread the MYTH that men want skinny anorexic looking women. The truth is–it’s plus size or curvy women that are considered beautiful," says Ms. Hayssen. She now speaks out about the reality of what men really want through the internet and the radio letting the public know what the "real skinny" is.The truth is you don’t have to be skinny to be beautiful…in fact it’s the exact opposite!

In the lingerie business, the term, full figure means you have a cup size of D or greater. Plus size means you have a cup size of D or greater AND a band size of 40 or greater. So, a 34DD would be considered a full figure bra size. A 42D would be both a full figure and a plus size bra.

This is important for a couple of reasons. The bra size 38D is the cut-off size for the largest bra size in many brands. A bra can therefore have a size range up to a 38D and be considered an "average figure" bra. But, bra styles that include and exceed a 40 band size in their size run are considered a plus size bra. By contrast, a bra style that only goes up to a 38 band size, but includes cup sizes larger than a D is considered a full figure bra style, but not considered a plus size bra style.

The point here is that you need to pay attention to what term is actually being used on a bra style. If you wear a 42E, don’t be so sure that a bra claiming to be full figure will come in your size. Conversely, if you wear a 34DD, don’t think you need to be looking only at plus size bras in order to find your size.

There has been an increase in manufacturers who cater to the full figure market. These brands include Lunaire, Panache and Chantelle. Plus size brands are also on the rise. They include Goddess, Le Mystere, Fantasie of England and Freya.

If you need help with full-figure sizing, see HerRoom’s full-figure fitting guide.

So what’s so different about this bra? Unlike other lingerie manufacturers, Spanx approached its design more from a shapewear and hosiery perspective. The bra is fashioned out of a unique hosiery fabric. Spanx claims it conforms to your body like a second skin, and thus reduces any visible bra lines under your form-fitting tops. The straps have no hardware adjustments. Instead, the unique hosiery fabric naturally adjusts the shoulder straps to the appropriate length for you. And, a new technique claims the underwires are contained differently so that no wires will peek or pop out. This new bra concept is also patent-pending.

Given this bra has the Spanx name behind it, many would predict opening sales would be brisk… and they were. So good in fact that Spanx is now saying they’re sold out and will not have more inventory until August of 2008! This is a good sign, but does it put to rest the initial cautions being voiced before its launch?

Here were the pre-launch concerns with the Spanx bra. The shoulder straps are unusual in that they’re not adjustable. These non-adjustable straps could be problematic for petite and tall women who need strap adjustability. Also, as this bra is worn over time, will these straps stretch out of shape? This Spanx bra is a front closure bra. Hence, it has no band adjustability – unlike the traditional 3-position hook and eye back closure. Again, as this bra is worn, will it have a shorter life-span because the back has stretched out? Finally, it appears this bra is really designed for an average height woman who has neither a broad nor narrow back, because anything other than normal can not be adjusted for in the band length.

So far, the reviews at HerRoom.com have been mostly raves. 38B and 34C sizes have given it 5 Star reviews:

"Loved the Bra. I do wish that they offered bigger cup sizes in the smaller sized bras. ie: 34 D/DD or 36 D/DD"

"I love this bra. It is the most comfortable bra I have owned. I hardly know I have it on!"

However, a peek at early returns is showing a trend. There is a higher return rate in D cups. Perhaps these recent review explains why:

"Did not like this at all! I am probably a 32D-32DD and although the band is big enough around (maybe even a little too big), the cups are too small!" 32D

"It is not comfortable, does not fit well and is almost no support at all." 38D

"This bra is extremely comfortable, and perfect for under T-shirt and fitted tops. The drawback is that you cannot adjust the straps and it does not offer a lot of support. I would not recommend this bra to anyone who requires larger than a C-cup due to the lack of support. If you have smaller breasts and want a smooth line under your clothes, this would be perfect for you." 34D

Bottom line: the Spanx Bra-lleluhah bra is so far, quite popular. However, if you’re a full D cup, or you’re out of the norm in terms of height, just understand that this bra may not be the best choice for you. Hallelujah!

Spanx Sighting Update! As rumors spread that Carly Smithson, a top American Idol contestant, was pregnant, she confessed to wearing  Spanx for her performance in an effort to show that no, she isn’t pregnant.  She did look unusually trim and got knowing looks from American Idol judge, Paula Abdul at her mention of Spanx. And by the way, Carly really isn’t pregnant.

Find Spanx lingerie at HerRoom in these departments:
Bras
Panties
Slips
Shapewear