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Sensual Mystique
Studio Time
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New DR-CAFTA Rules
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Rainy July Boosts UK Online Sales
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July 2008 Retailers' Review
Page
1
Matalan Accused of Squeezing Suppliers
Page 2
Buyers' Best Sellers
Page 2
Ask Andy
Page 2
McPete Sez
Mailbag
Page 2
2008 CILA
Gala
Page 3
Intimate Graphics
Page 3
Ask Kevin
Page 3
2008 CILA
Gala Continued
Page 4
McCartney Upset Over
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2008 CILA
Gala Continued
Page 5
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Page 3
Calvin Klein Launches
E-commerce Site
Calvin Klein has launched a new e-commerce component to
the brand's website, enabling US shoppers to buy its merchandise there.
The new site brings together almost all the categories currently available under the Calvin Klein "better"
line of men's and women's clothing and accessories,
plus homeware.
However, items from the Calvin Klein Collection and the ck Calvin Klein items will not be available.
The new online presence is designed to complement the ten freestanding Calvin Klein-branded "better" retail
outlets, which have opened in the US since November 2007.
Visitors to the new site from outside the US will be taken to the company's global branding site.
Calvin Klein said the new site would be supported by advertising campaigns and promotions to drive seasonal
traffic - such as a September program offering the chance to win a US$1,000 online shopping spree.
"We have been observing and studying branded e-commerce sites for the past several years," said Tom
Murry, president and COO of VF Corporation.
"I feel that our team has had the benefit to learn from the challenges and successes of others, and that they
have created an exceptional site that will be a great branding platform as well as an important revenue
producer for many years to come."
Direct-to-consumer initiatives such as the e-commerce site were "an important component for the future growth
of the brand", added John Walsh, president and COO, Calvin Klein Retail.
"With ten specialty stores now open and operating, we are excited to begin phase three of this initiative
with the launch of our e-commerce site," he added.
9/12
Ramblings from a Corset Snob
By Tushell Lieberman
Owner and Designer of www.CorsetCreations.com
The hourglass figure has always fascinated me. Long before I discovered corsetry I had been drawn to the curves of a woman’s small waistline. The gowns of the 20’s, the suits of the 30’s and 40’s, and the cocktail dresses of the 50’s make my heart pound. For me, there is no garment more treasured or more coveted than a tight lacing Corset. When I first was fitted into one for a friends wedding, I nearly had a panic attack from sheer excitement. I had to excuse myself from the room to freak out! The feeling sent me reeling into a fantasy whirlwind from which I never quite recovered.
Corset; the word flows across the tongue and rolls around your mouth like custard, the
Corrrset. I’ve become such an aficionado (that’s polite for Corset Snob) that I become quite irritated when someone says, “Yeah I got this cute corset at Frederick’s of Hollywood”, when in fact it’s just a flimsy piece of lingerie with a built in bra.”
Corsets are not cute! They are steel boned, back lacing, waste reducing devices, sexy and deliciously serious works of tailoring art that were developed over hundreds of years. That flimsy plastic boned, hook and eye closed, long lined
bra-ish, lingerie item you get at Frederick’s, Victoria’s Secret, Wet Seal, Hot Topic and most lingerie shops is a bustier or at best a Corselet which by dictionary definition is “a lightly boned Corset shaped top”. Oh and yes you can breathe in a tight laced Corset (if you’re complaining you’re breathing) and eat a whole meal, sit comfortably and have rip roaring orgasm filled sex in them as well. I loved “Pirates of The Caribbean” and “Gone with the Wind” but they have sent a skewed message.
The constrictions from the original corsets are completely gone. There is no more use of whale boning which didn’t flex. Hello it’s bone. Today we work with all sorts of metal boning from titanium
busks, which is the traditional front closure, to flexible braided steel that can mold and conform to the torso for support without pinching or ever getting a permanent bend in them, like the plastic boned bustiers some people claim are corsets. (Snob remember)
So in defense of the fabulous true Corsets that provide the wearer with a wasp waist and hide almost all a person’s indignities, please indulge my presentation of just a little history and clarification. I don’t claim to be an expert more a passionate opinionated admirer of how this garment has stuck around till now.
Vanity is old. The Corset has been traced back to about 2000 BC as a means of body compression. It began as strips of leather; the straps were pulled around the waist and cinched to curve around under the breasts to compress the ribs. It had scores of incarnations but it wasn’t until the 13th century that the first actual Corsetry shops appeared. Then it became popular not only to wear a corset as your foundation garment, but was commonly used as back support aid for men and women with problems like scoliosis.
Before Corsets became a popular product primarily for women, men wore Corsets of steel plating bound together with leather ties to give them enough back support to hold themselves up under the weight of their armor. In 17th century France both men and women fancied themselves in pretty silk corsets to slim their waistlines and to enhance the woman’s breasts. A bustier made of plastic boning could never have achieved those accomplishments. Hearing people say they are looking for a corset when they are looking for a lingerie item, well it really gives me a bad attitude.
What I’ve discovered since I’ve been manufacturing Corsets, and trying them on hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes is that there is an ever growing contingency of Corset fans. From actors, dancers, socialites, fetishists, entertainers,
Crossdressers, re-enactors and night lifers, to health minded individuals who use them for back support. Many of our customers say they are completely addicted to the sensual feeling of the hug the Corset provides. Recently I sold unisex under bust corsets to a team of Jackhammer guys and received the best reviews of my product a designer could hope for.
If you have never tried one on be prepared. You will likely either love it or hate it. When I’m cinched into one of my tight lacing Corsets I feel confident, pretty and empowered. But on occasion just as I begin to cinch a new client into one they immediately start to complain that it’s tight. When I explain that all corsets are tight they get confused and bitchy because what they think are corsets and what they call corsets are not corsets at all! Just because an item has lacing on it somewhere does not make it a corset! (There’s that Corset snob thing rearing its head). It’s like confusing cheap tennis shoes with serious athletic, air cushioned and arch supported running shoes. There is really no comparison.
A Corset is a waist cinching device that produces an hourglass figure and gives unsurpassable back support. For me it’s the life force of my wardrobe and I would be lost without them. It’s the topper for almost every dress or blouse. Sometimes I do wear them under my clothes although I just hate to hide them.
People have been telling me “interest in Corsets is on the rise” since I first discovered them. I don’t believe that interest in Corsets was ever truly on the decline. Ian Voller who runs his families 109 year old London based corset company, once told me that business has gone up every single year since the company’s inception. So if you don’t carry the real thing, you’re missing a strong profit margin. There are buyers everywhere looking for local shops in which to purchase real Corsets and they are more than happy to pay for a quality crafted garment.
The next time you visit a Corset shop, please don’t insult the purveyor by asking for a Corset if you’re not sure what one is. Do a little research and ask the person behind the counter for help and advice on which product is right for you. Or visit one of my Top Favorite Corset Sites for all sorts of information, styles, care and maintenance or fashion ideas. It’s really about time, and it’s timeless.
www.BadAttitude.com www.DarkGarden.com
www.Vollers-Corsets.com
www.PeriodCorsets.com
www.Romantasy.com www.Axfords.com
2008 CILA Gala
Photographs by William
Lords
The third annual CILA Gala was hosted by Contours Magazine on August 4,
2008, in the Skylight Room at the historical Waldorf-Astoria. Members of the
intimate apparel industry gathered to honor the top talent, creativity and design of leading brands and designers.
The Gala included a red carpet arrival and cocktails, sit down dinner and a
fashion show featuring the CILA finalists. The evening concluded with the
awards presentation.
Carson Kressley, host of Lifetime's How to Look Good Naked, was presented with the Recognition Award for Promoting Healthy Body Image Through the Media. Prior to receiving his award, the audience was shown a montage of TV clips from his show, celebrating the beauty of women of all shapes and sizes. He
emphasizes that you don't need to be a size 0 to be beautiful.
2008 CILA Gala Awards Recipients
BEST GRADUATING DESIGNER
Jessica Ng
BEST DAYWEAR
Biatta
Mary Green
BEST NIGHTWEAR
Claire Pettibone
BEST ROBES /LOUNGEWEAR
Sheandme
BEST FASHION COUTURE
Cotton Club
Le Mystere
BEST D + PLUS LINGERIE
Wacoal
WMI Ruby Pink
BEST FASHION
T-SANTIAGO
BEST CONTROL SHAPEWEAR
Rago
BEST TECHNICALLY INNOVATIVE
Annette International
BEST BRIDAL 2008
Mary Green
BEST COORDINATED
Carol Maloney
BEST PLUS SIZE
Tia Lyn Lingerie
BEST SEAMLESS
Affinitas
BEST MATERNITY
Marlies Dekkers
BEST SWIMWEAR
Hop Lun
RECOGNITION AWARD FOR PROMOTING
HEALTHY BODY IMAGE THROUGH THE MEDIA
Carson Kressley (How to Look Good Naked)
LOU
Carol Maloney
Ruby Pink
Claire Pettibone
Le Mystere
Affinitas
Wacoal
Tia Lyn Lingerie
CILA Gala Continued on Page 5
Intimate Graphics
Tia Lyn Lingerie Offers Private Label
by Luis Paredes
Tia Lyn Lingerie now offers a private label program to boutiques with two bra styles: a micro-fiber lounge bra with no underwire and a standard micro-fiber underwire bra with a non-padded molded cup.
The bras are available in white, nude and black with the option of printing the boutiques own label on the product.
"It makes sense for boutiques to promote their own brand," explained Tia Lyn. "These are items that they can sell everyday and we see a lot of potential growth for individual boutiques."
Lyn also noted that she is offering the private label program to boutiques starting with a 12-piece order and that two boutiques have already signed on: Bliss in Ureka, California and Illinois-based boutique La Bellisima.
In other company news, Lyn noted that she now has a manufacturer in Mexico that will enable her to hold a larger inventory and serve her customers even better.
**Intimate Graphics is a column by Luis Paredes on graphic design, business and marketing for the intimate apparel industry.
Paredes is a freelance journalist and graphic designer with extensive trade experience in the intimate apparel industry. His work focuses on the marketing and communication design efforts of intimate apparel companies. His design studio,
Seven Hills Graphic
Design, creates Catalogs, Ads, and Brochures with a focus on attracting buyers.**
"Ask Kevin"
For all of your website questions...
Kevin and his wife have been retailing lingerie and adult products since 1988. They believe that a large portion of their business success came from the
addition of their websites to their retail store and that in today's fast paced
market, internet marketing goes hand in hand with any business.
Kevin's personal site design experiences include all levels of internet marketing and design including secure server ordering processes, merchant account integration, HTML editing, photo editing, graphic design and banner
advertisements. All of which are needed on a business style website.
Kevin also designs websites and consults clients who want to do more business online.
Kevin welcomes your questions and comments regarding website design, internet marketing, photo editing, domain registrations hosting and more. For serious website entrepreneurs, he recommends this course for complete Internet marketing training. Internet Marketing & Site Optimization Tips:
http://www.marketingtips.com/t.cgi/848190
You can ask Kevin your questions at
Kevin@mcpetesez.com
The "Ask Kevin" Column is an opinion Column and may
not necessarily reflect the views of
McPete Sez.
Employee Want Ad Translations
Energetic self-starter: You'll be working on commission.
Entry level position: We will pay you the lowest wages allowed by law.
Experience required: We do not know the first thing about any of this.
Fast learner: You will get no training from us.
Flexible work hours: You will frequently work long overtime hours.
Good organizational skills: You'll be handling the filing.
Make an investment in you future: This is a franchise or a pyramid scheme.
Management training position: You'll be a salesperson with a wide territory.
Much client contact: You handle the phone or make "cold calls" on clients.
Must have reliable transportation: You will be required to break speed limits.
Must be able to lift 50 pounds: We offer no health insurance or chiropractors.
Opportunity of a lifetime: You will not find a lower salary for so much work.
Planning and coordination: You book the bosses travel arrangements.
Quick problem solver: You will work on projects months behind schedule already.
Strong communication skills: You will write tons of documentation and letters.
Hey Sales Reps !!!
Would you like to write an article for this newsletter? we are
looking 
for information for our readers and if you have anything to
contribute please e-mail me.
The McPete Sez Lingerie
Newsletter & Women's Wear Journal
End of page 3
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