IN FORM®

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

Since their invention in 1959 and subsequent widespread dissemination during the 1960s, pantyhose have taken a central role in the wardrobes of many women.  Replacing the previous need for wearing stockings with garter belts or garter-equipped girdles, pantyhose changed the hosiery landscape forever and gave women new-found comfort and fashion flexibility.  But since their creation, their makers have tried to position pantyhose as products that do more than simply smooth legs.  They’ve been sold as panty substitutes, VPL erasers, light control shapewear, rump raisers, and functional (if not shaping) leg wear.  Given that, are pantyhose merely hosiery, as most retailers and consumers view them,  with lofty but unjustifiable aspirations to sit aside conventional panties and shapewear, or are they a unique class of intimate apparel – a hybrid of hosiery, panties, and shapewear – that complete the “under-things” spectrum from socks to bodybriefers? (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

What is it that inspires you, the consumer, to make a purchase of intimate apparel?  Econ 101 says that you rationally take a bra’s or panty’s price and quality into consideration when shopping for one to address one of your needs.  It’s a straightforward process when you’re buying something you’ve bought before; you know how well the piece of lingerie is made and how well it functions, and you’re able to judge whether or not the utility it’ll bring you is worth the price being asked for it.  But what happens when you want to buy a particular bra, pair of panties, or piece of shapewear for the first time?  How do you know whether the item’s price is justified by its quality since you have no personal experience with its performance?  The answer is that, to a certain extent anyway, you become a lemming.  And while this has always been the case for consumers since the inception of capitalism, the rise of the internet and its rapidly evolving social structure has made it easier, and more rewarding, than ever before to act like one of those mystical little creatures. (more…)

By Marcy Montgomery Jones
Naomi & Nicole®

The shapes of our bodies are greatly affected by a variety of factors.  One such factor is the distribution of body fat.  Though body fat distribution is different for every person, enough similarities across large populations exist that women can be categorized as belonging to one of several groups.  This post is dedicated to the group known as “pears.”  Who are pears?  Pears are women who carry most of their excess body fat in their hips, buttocks, and thighs.  They’re proportionally smaller on top than on the bottom, which can create a visual imbalance and make it difficult to find clothing that fits.  If you’re a pear, take heart.  There are plenty of beautiful celebrities who are pears, such as Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alicia Keys. (more…)

By Adam Welsch
Naomi & Nicole®

Visible panty lines are among the most bothersome and intractable fashion problems faced by women today.  The combination of form-fitting fashions, thin outerwear fabrics, and the inclusion of elastics and seams in underwear leads many women to believe that VPLs are a scourge that simply must be tolerated.  But don’t despair.  There are many ways you can mitigate this problem, and even banish it from your wardrobe’s look forever.  Here are ten: (more…)