Fashion-Forward Intimate Apparel

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

in plus-size lingerie: attractive intimate apparel that’s designed not just to be worn—but to be seen. Defying the notion that there is shamein size, an increasing num- ber of curvy women are gravitating to fashion-forward intimate apparel—featuring more lace and bold colors, sexy French boudoir ensembles and retro-inspired pinup looks and other cleavageenhancingstyles. According to Cacique—theintimates division of plus-size leader Lane Bryant, which, over the past decade, has shattered the imageof dowdy, hide-in-the-back-of-thestore, “grandma” bras—more and more women are embracing their curves and proudly showing off their assets. That fact was made clear during last year’s media firestorm that followed a refusal by FOX and ABC to air a Cacique lingerie commercial. The now award-winning ad became the most-watched YouTube video and set the stage for an expanded campaign. “The more we push the fashion envelope with shapes, styles, fabrics and details, the more our consumers want,” said Gill Heer, a U.K.-trained designer who is fashioning a new look for plussize lingerie as Cacique’s senior director of design/development. “When the company became the first brand to introduce a plussize plunge bra, many people thought we were crazy,” she added. “Why would a plus-size woman want to show morecleavage or have less coverage?” Crazylike a fox, it turns out. Sales of the debut plunge bra skyrocketed—as plus-size women More women are embracing their curves and looking for lingerie that not only shows off their assets,but looks great. chose a style that enhanced their bust shape and, at the same time, madetheir waists look smaller. For a sequel, the company launched the first plus-size balconette bra— a shape-enhancing style that is now the company’s bestseller. “It’s all about emotional appeal—our most popular styles feature bold colors, prints, lace, embellishments and embroidery,” said Heer. She created a romantic French boudoir look featuring a pale pink and black palette inspired by classic Paris apartments, as well as a retro pinup concept, featuring a high-waist look, bright colors and ruffles—inspired by voluptuous Hollywoodicons. Having started her career as an apparel fashion designer in London, Heer developed her passion for lingerie working for Courtaulds, where she designed intimates for Marks & Spencer and, later, Victoria’s Secret, before being recruited to Cacique to rejuvenate the brand’s design perspective.

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