Size and Age no longer fitting the same old ideas

Who can wear sexy lingerie continues to be less of a question as ideas change regarding beauty in the world. More options open up for women after motherhood and divorce, and for women beyond a size 8.

‘Cougar’ culture boosting sultry lingerie sales - TODAY Fashion & Beauty


Women 40+ buying lingerie thanks to rise in cougar "role models"
May 4, 8:51 AM Intimate Apparel Examiner author Alicia Vargo

Lane Bryant Cacique ad boosts sales and promotes changes in body image stereotypes:




Updated October 21, 2009
Pressure to Get Skinny Still the Fashion Norm, Even in the Plus-Sized Model World
By Allison McGevna - FOXNews.com

Hanky Panky launches online store

released: October 28, 2009 12:40 PM
Lingerie firm knits a better online strategy: Lida Orzeck's and Gale Epstein's Hanky Panky hopes to reinforce business with its new e-commerce site.

interview with the founders

Interesting tidbits reported about Hanky Panky:

"Founded in 1977, Manhattan-based Hanky Panky was the brainchild of longtime friends Lida Orzeck and Gale Epstein, who were inspired by a pair of handmade panties one had given the other as a gift. The duo launched Hanky Panky—with some financial help from their families—to give comfortable cotton underthings a place in the wider world of lingerie.

“At the time, it was a nylon world,” says Ms. Epstein.

Hanky Panky's big break came decades later, in June 2004, when The Wall Street Journal ran a front-page article on the company's signature lace thong."

On facebook

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has selected Hanky Panky’s original HANKY LINGERIE underwear and thongs for its permanent costume collection." (multiple sources)--although a search of the MOMA site does not turn up this item. Searching with google is not turning up much either, the only picture I could find of this item is on the company website.

Name Game: "In the 70’s,Hanky Panky emerged, creating intimate apparel constructed of fine embroidered cotton handkerchiefs – hence the company name." (source)

How-to make a handkerchief camisole (circa 1912)

SALES TRENDS: "Women's underwear sales, which include bras, panties and other undergarments, are expected to fall to $13.6 billion year this year from $14 billion in 2008, according to consumer research firm Mintel. Though the sector will recover eventually—sales are expected to top $14 billion again by 2012—retailers are pushing value over luxury."

RANDOM HISTORICAL NOTE:

Panty Raids at OSU

One e-mail was from a man whom Bryans said he thinks could have been a student during the panty raids of the 1950s and 1960s.
The panty raids were part of a period of time when the university had a lot of restrictions on students such as dress codes, curfews and behavioral manners.

“As people began to question the regulations, one of the things that was quite popular among campuses was for male students, usually with cooperation of female students, to raid their rooms and take a pair of panties as a sign of defiance that they were not abiding by the administration wishes,” Bryans said.

(source)

trends in bra size

An issue in trends that I find interesting is the sizing of clothing. Bra size is a topic that gets highlighted periodically & is used to measure changes in average body size over time.

Your Bra Size: The Truth May (Pleasantly) Surprise You presents (NY Times, April 2009) that bra cup sizes are changing. The reasons: 1) band size is getting smaller for a better fit around the ribs, 2) body fat is increasing, 3) breast augmentation surgery retains its popularity, 4) an aging population relates to changing bust size, and 5) women are getting fitted for their bras & not just buying what they always buy. They also remark that the psychology of a smaller band size (might feel thinner) and a larger cup size (feel like a tramp, feel more attractive) is important for consumers and retailers.

In Australia, the trend is also to larger breast sizes. (FOX news, April 2009). Up to 40 percent of Ausie women now buy bras with a cup size of DD or higher, new figures from lingerie suppliers show. In the 1950s, the most common bra-cup size was a B -- three sizes below a DD. Interestingly, while in Los Angeles and New York women are purchasing larger breasts, Australian women are opting for more breast reductions.

Reductions are related to larger breasts due to increased fatty tissue present. "Sydney cardiologist Ross Walker said artificial oestrogens found in foods, plastics and cosmetics had also contributed to the growth spurt. Oestrogen in contraceptive pills also spurred the growth of breast tissue, Family Planning NSW research director Edith Weisberg said. "I think the higher-dose pills could, because the oestrogen causes development of the breast tissue," she said."

The Times of India reports on a British study (April 2009) "of 1,000 women showed that last year, the average bra size for British women under 30 was 36 inches, but now it has thinned to just 34. Meanwhile, the average cup size has increased from a C to a shapely D, reports the Sun. A spokeswoman for cosmetic surgery clinic Birkdale, which conducted the study, put the changes down to women taking more exercise, cutting down on booze and fast food — and simply buying the correct bra size, spurred on by TV makeover shows."

STATS: "At Wacoal America, one of the largest bra makers in the country, 36DD is on track to replace 36D as its most popular size in 2009. (Three years ago it was 36C.) Bare Necessities, an online lingerie retailer, said 34DD was its No. 10 best-selling size last year, up from No. 17 in 2002." (NY Times).

BRA DOS AND DON'TS

• Do get fitted regularly Always try a bra on before buying. A correctly fitting bra is firm but not tight, doesn't creep up at the back, and is comfortable. Underwires should be clear of the breast tissue.
• Do use a laundry bag when washing your bras wRemember body shape changes as we get older
• Don't expect one bra size to be the same for every bra
• Don't wear an incorrectly fitting bra hanging over the top of a cup means the cup is too small, not filling the cup means it is too big. Creeping up the back means the chest band is too loose.

the Skong, trends & other notes

The Skong debuted in Fall 2008 fashion collections. Here is a gallery.

Style Guru is not impressed: "Only describable as a sore defeat to the whole purpose of the thong’s existence, the Skong is as much a fashion anomaly as it is a retrograded movement of designers who just cannot rake their brains enough to invent something radically original. Drawing shamelessly from the skirted bikinis made popular in the middle of the last century, the Skong is basically a feeble attempt at making a beachwear item look less dated. Since the skimpy and sleazy look is on its way out, the thong has lost much of its appeal in beach/pool party circles. I guess some people out there still think they can redeem that old look by adding a bit of skirting in the front. Unfortunately, it ends up looking just plain tired and a little porn star-ish which unless you’re going for THAT look isn’t such a great thing!"

• Purchase [singer] Fergie’s Panties To Do Your Part For Charity: "An impressive group of celebrities, including Fergie, have donated autographed underwear to help raise money for the New North London Synagogue. The undies are being auctioned off on eBay for charity through March 31, 2009."

This is a great idea to bring attention to a cause, raise some service dollars & have some fun at the same time.

From Trendsetter:

• Top 30 Underwear and Swimwear Innovations in 2008
• Top 20 Innovative Underwear and Lingerie Trends in 2007 (GALLERY)
• 
  

catching up on the news

Good Morning,

messing around & trying to get caught up on some things:

reading the latest lingerie news I found this new industry report:

• U.S. Market for Women's Intimate Apparel (Lingerie).

This US$3300 report examines the changes in the lingerie industry over the past 20 years.

SUMMARY

This report is an in-depth look at the U.S. market for women’s intimate apparel, estimated at $9.6 billion in 2007. In the past 20 years, lingerie has blossomed from a commodity into a huge money-making segment of apparel retailing, thanks in large part to lingerie retailing pioneer and marketing machine Victoria's Secret. Many merchants at major department stores and a slew of catalogs, including Newport News and Spiegel, and e-commerce businesses, including Figleaves.com and Barenecessities.com, are now cashing in on the lingerie bonanza.

Even specialty stores that have never done lingerie in the past are developing strong lingerie alliances, whether branded or private label. Other retailers, recognizing that the lingerie market has higher profit margins than regular apparel, are launching new lingerie lines and giving their older products a makeover. Lingerie vendors are focusing more on their alliances with lingerie specialty stores as compared to department stores.

This report analyzes the competitive landscape of the market, profiles the major lingerie makers and retailers and discusses their key business strategies. It also analyzes the major trends prevalent in the lingerie market. The information contained in this study was compiled from both primary and secondary research, including consultation with industry experts, on-site inspections of major retail outlets, analysis of information from trade press, apparel and organic-product trade associations, retail journals, marketer publications and press releases, and other relevant sources. Sales figures are based on a comprehensive evaluation of various current market estimates and growth trends.

Deborah Marquit designer

• About the company; Deborah Marquit has been enjoying the limelight of the lingerie world since 1984. Marquit designs and manufacturing space located at at 158 west 15th St. in New York City.

Marquit is the designer of the fluorescent lingerie line.

Her establishment is one of the few independent designer lingerie shops that flourish in New York City.

You may also see her collection on-line at: www.deborahmarquit.com

Deborah Marquit
couture lingerie
158 West 15th St.
New York City 10011
212-478-3092
store hours: 11:am - 7pm
Monday- Saturday (closed Sunday)
www.deborahmarquit.com

• the vital stats of the first Miss America in 1921 were 30-25-32. In the 1970s, it was 34-21-34
• Indian women are different from American women in customs related to breast shape & skin exposure. The Times of India reports that Indian women--especially top-level celebrities do not want to model swimwear or lingerie in public advertising due to concerns of modesty & to avoid shame. "They walk the ramp in contemporary and traditional attire, they reveal loads of skin without ado, but walking the ramp in bikinis or lingerie is a strict no-no for Indian models". However, there is a seeming contradiction in the Times article discussing the shape of the breast for 2008: "The bosom has changed its shape! It’s not being pushed up, anymore! But being allowed a bit of natural gravity. Too much of a boob thing, is a turn-off. The official breast of 2008, is soft, subtle and natural. And not, pushed up, in your face".

Such statements seem to oppose each other as one shies away from public display of sexuality & the other promotes that same sexuality. There is some alignment in the modesty of swimwear modeling & minimizing breast shape away from arrogant shapes. But, still, I need to sit with these developments & continue to collect data. Especially when India is one of the largest lingerie markets & gets plenty of google time.

American, European, Indian, Chinese--these are the trend-setters to watch in underwear fashion.