IN FORM®

By MaryJo Kosisher-Demski
Cupid Intimates

The past few weeks have been hellish for me.  As I’ve sat and forlornly watched yet another football season draw agonizingly to a close, two things have repeatedly jumped to the front of my mind.  My two favorite teams really need to do a whole lot better next season, and too many guys, both on and off the football field, should be wearing shapewear.

You’re probably giggling now.  Who can forget that infamous “Seinfeld” episode featuring Kramer, George’s father, and “The Bro”?  But, if you stop for a moment and think, you’ll realize that men’s shapewear may not be such a bad idea.  If you’ve watched even one college or pro football game on TV, you’ve likely seen some 300-pound-plus giants in spandex pants with rolls of flesh in desperate need of compression.  And let’s face it – few non-athletes out there have the physiques of Super Bowl-bound quarterbacks.  They have their fair share of hurdles to overcome to attain at least the appearance of having a toned body.  Their problems can include: “man boobs“ (or moobs), a “beer belly,” “love handles,” or a nonexistent tush. (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Cupid Intimates

As a guy, I can only imagine how difficult it must be for women to shop for intimate apparel.  There’s an astounding variety of bras, panties, and shapewear on display in every clothing store’s lingerie department, and the hunt for the right piece must feel overwhelming when you don’t know exactly which style, size, and color you want to buy.  Also, intimate apparel is just that – intimate.   It must be difficult to ask for help from salespeople who are total strangers, or have other shoppers watch what you pull off the rack, when the items you’re looking at are normally hidden from the outside world.  So, it’s not at all surprising that I usually receive confused, anxious, suspicious, and sometimes even angry looks from women when I walk into an intimate apparel department.  But I wonder how many women take a moment to think about how uncomfortable most men are who have to make their way into such foreign territory, or the real reason the men are there? (more…)

By MaryJo Kosisher-Demski
Cupid Intimates

Perhaps the most controversial article of clothing in fashion history has been the brassiere or, as it’s more commonly known, the bra. It’s been both revered (for its abilities to reduce or enlarge perceived breast size, restrain movement during exercise, and enhance cleavage) and reviled (by those who’ve felt it’s exemplified the way women’s clothing has shaped, controlled, and even deformed, women’s bodies to conform to a male-dominated society’s desires). So, how appropriate that this feminine icon has moved from fashion’s underside to its topside, so to speak, in an increasingly public world. (more…)

By Jake Welch
Naomi & Nicole®

Have you ever wondered how those pretty, two-toned designs on bras and shapewear, like those shown in this picture, are created?  Those effects are generated by a process called delustering, a printing process applied during the production of fabric.

When creating pigment prints, fabric mills use liquid chemical solutions or “binder systems” to enable fabrics to hold onto their colors after patterns are printed onto them.  Such “systems” consist of a liquid acrylic, wetting agents, a fabric softener, and a catalyst.  The process is permanent and prevents the color on the fabric from either washing out during laundering, or from rubbing off during the normal course of daily wear. (more…)