IN FORM®

By Tony Angelino
Cupid®

Are the days of sewing lingerie with needle and thread numbered?

Times are changing, and the apparel industry in the United States, where sewing operators used to number more than 700,000, has become a small fraction of its former size.  The up-and-coming centers of clothing production are now located in Asia, Central America, and, increasingly, Africa.  Traditional sewing production techniques using needles and thread have been continuously enhanced for some time through the addition of faster sewing machines and more automated processes.  So what will the future bring?   Faster and more automated sewing production? (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

Today is International Women’s Day.  First celebrated in a few European countries on March 19, 1911, the date was changed to March 8th in 1913 and today is observed in more than seventy countries around the world.  Originally, its purpose was to generate support for the fight by women to obtain the rights to vote and hold political office, end gender discrimination, and improve working conditions, pay, and employment opportunities.  It evolved into a day to note the ever-increasing gains made by women in social, political, and economic realms, and mark their attainment of legal equality (or growing equality, in some countries) with men.  Since this is a blog about bras, panties, and shapewear, however, we’d be remiss if we didn’t take this opportunity to recognize the tremendous improvements in intimate apparel women have enjoyed since International Women’s Day was first celebrated one hundred years ago. (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Miraclesuit® Shapewear

Today marks the 88^th anniversary of the publication of the inaugural edition of TIME® Magazine, America’s first weekly news magazine.  As a fixture of newsstands, libraries, waiting rooms, and coffee tables across the country, TIME® has played a central role in the coverage of political, economic, foreign-affairs, and scientific news.  But it’s also covered stories related to pop culture and lifestyles, including the latest developments from the world of fashion.  And concerns related to women’s underwear have been no exception.  In fact, looking back through the magazine’s archives takes one on a fascinating trip through the history of women’s intimates during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Here, then, is a sampling of what TIME® has reported about girdles, bras, and panties across the decades: (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

More than 100 million Americans (and countless others from around the world) tuned in Sunday night to watch the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.  As everyone knows, the Super Bowl is the world’s premier American football event.  But how many people know it’s also a global stage for the presentation of the latest in women’s intimate apparel?  No, I’m not talking about the costumes donned by the dancers during the halftime show (electrifying as they were).  Nor am I referring to the outfits worn by the Steelers’ or Packers’ cheerleaders (since neither team even has a cheerleading squad).  Rather, I’m talking about what more than a few of the female Wisconsin faithful in attendance were sporting: cheese bras. (more…)