Chantal Thomass & Random Finds (HOTmilk, historical tidbits)

Chantal Thomass' company page. It does play music.

Parisian Chic? try Chantal Thomass - "Before there was Madonna, there was Chantal Thomass. Chantal Thomass is credited for the trend “Dessous Dessus” (innerwear as outerwear) and is famous for cutting-edge, haute couture lingerie. Creative fabrics, bright colors, and fabulous trim (tulle, lace, ribbons, flounces) are her trademarks." (The source also promotes La Perla, Rien of France, and, for french panties on a budget, Monoprix, the ubiquitous French department store that is comparable to a Super Target.)

Brand name : Rien
Company : Rien que pour Elle Sarl
Nationality : Française
Address : 14, rue Gorge de Loup 69009 Lyon France
Phone : +33 (0)4 72 01 83 83
Fax : +33 (0)4 72 01 83 89
E-mail : lingrien@club-internet.fr
Website :



French designer

Born: Chantal Genty in Malakoff, Seine, France, 4 September 1947. Family: Married Bruce Thomass, 1967; children: Louise, Robin. Career: Freelance designer selling to Dorothée Bis, 1966-71; partner, Ter et Bantine boutique, Paris, 1967, renamed Chantal Thomass, 1975; introduced lingerie and hosiery collections, 1975, maternity wear, 1981, children's clothing line, from circa 1982; signed partnership with World Co. for distribution, licensing, and boutiques in Japan, 1985; opened second boutique for clothing and household accessories, Paris, 1991; fired from namesake label, owned by World Co. of Japan, 1995; original label went into bankruptcy, 1996; acted as consultant to companies such as Victoria's Secret and Wolford, 1995-98; repurchased rights to her name from World Co. and relaunched label with backing from Sara Lee's Dim division, 1999; first U.S. trunk show, at Saks Fifth Avenue, 2001. Exhibitions: Chantal Thomass: 30 ans de Créations, Musée de la Mode, Marseille, 2001. Awards: Named Chevalier des Arts et Lettres. Address: 346 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001 Paris, France.

Read more: http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/Sp-To/Thomass-Chantal.html#ixzz0UqCdc8Dj

RANDOM FIND:

HOTmilk video advertising



S Lingerie is a site presenting lingerie web stores, brands, and news. They call themselves "The lingerie and swimwear portal" and present information in various languages--most recently, Polish.

Crazy Facts Corner

• The amount of material it took to fully clothe a woman dropped by 80% between 1911 and 1922
• A hoop skirt was believed to be "the *only* article of clothing which stands a chance of saving you from quicksand."
• In Iowa it used to be illegal for a woman not to wear a corset.
• Bra-wearers are getting younger. Twenty years ago, 12 and 13 year olds were bought teen bras, now eight and nine year olds are taking the plunge.
• Today the biggest selling colour is white, while ivory and cream come a close second. Tea rose was a hot favourite from the Twenties right through to the Fifties.
• In 1971 skin tones were bestsellers and were second favourites until about 5 years ago.
• About 20% of sales are on fashion colours

I can't vouch for accuracy of these fun facts, but they seem valid enough, fitting in with other research done on this project.

Ancient History:

Greece: "Greek women were corseted. Under the Greek Chiton a leather band style corset was worn and this gave definition to the hips and bust. From birth, girls were swaddled. For six months their arms and legs were bound in swaddling cloths restricting their movement and keeping limbs straight. Adolescent Greek girls were forced to keep trim. Their Greek mothers used woollen bands to keep the developing body slim." (source, retrieved 25 Oct 2009)


Italy: "In 1935, Guia la Bruna’s grandfather founded a lingerie factory in Turin. The Guia la Bruna brand upholds the tradition till today, producing high quality intimate wear." In the 1954 "in Italy, a woman named Ada Masotti, a started making corsets for wealthy women, which led to the establishment of the La Perla company" (source, retrieved 25 Oct 2009)