Icing on the Cake: Lingerie Accessories ~ Part 4: Fans

The Quintessential Lingerie Accessory

There are so many words to describe the feathered fan. It's seductive, sensual, playful, and expressive. In truth, it's all of that and more.

Fans have been around for centuries, and with Dita von Tesse leading the revival of burlesque, having a fan in your boudoir has never been more fun! (Click on ivillage's link to Dita von Tesse for the complete post.) There are multiple options with a fan, from doing a stripe tease, to fan dancing, to using a blindfold and caressing your lucky love. The soft, delicate feathers can only enhance an already intimate situation, making it more erotic.

Fans come in a variety of sizes, colors, and feathers. Alison Rubke, co-owner of Faire Frou Frou, says that the fans fly out of her store. Some of the more exquisite and one-of-a-kind fans can sell for a couple hundred to thousands of dollars. You can also pick up a quality, luxurious fan for under $100. Believe it or not, I've even seen them priced as low as $20. Although, remember that the large price difference varies based upon the quality and size of the fan as well as type of feathers used.

For those of you wanting more versatility out of your fan, you can take them out of the bedroom too. Smaller fans, known as "pocket fans," are recommended for this. At a black tie or formal event, the addition of a fan will add a luxurious, extravagant look to your overall attire. With wedding season and summer coming, feathered pocket fans are perfect for outside of the boudoir.

Whether you're into a big production, dressing up an outfit or simply enhancing your bedroom play, feathered fans are an enjoyable way to "Celebrate Your Inner Eve!"

Save or Spend on Bras?

Is a good bra worth a high price?

With everyone feeling the crunch in these challenging economic times, it's hard to know what is worth purchasing. In order to make your money go farther, the question remains whether or not it's wise to spend money on a well made bra or save it for another essential wardrobe item.

In the article, "Spend or Save? A Guide to Buying Wardrobe Essentials" from RealSimple.com, they say...

Save or Spend on a Bra? Spend!

Experts Say: 'Bras are a good investment item because they can affect your overall look, says Tim Gunn, chair of the department of fashion design at Parsons The New School for Design and a mentor on Bravo's Project Runway. Focus on the fit. 'A great bra can make a 5- to 10-pound difference in your appearance," says Amanda Sanders, a New York-based image consultant. "The bigger your bust, the more important the fit is. If you have a smaller chest, a quality bra can make the most of what you have.'"

To read the complete article by RealSimple.com, click on Spend or Save? A Guide to Buying Wardrobe Essentials.

For those wanting to purchase a high quality bra where there is a variety of brand and size selection (sizes 28AA to 56 FF), click on figleaves.com. Be sure to look at their up to 50% off Easter Sale. Who knows, maybe you'll find some priceless panties at a reasonable price to go with your new bra.

Have a great weekend and be sure to Celebrate Your Inner Eve!

Online Game ~ Agent Provocateur

A Peep in Paris

Agent Provocateur has a new, fun online game where you're the "Peep in Paris." Through the binoculars, you gaze through various apartment windows when they open. Click on the series of open windows and you'll progress to the next level. Hit the "z" key to give her a little spank and you'll earn bonus points.

You never know what you'll find or what people are doing behind those windows....It's provocative, mysterious, and risqué--just how Agent Provocateur would want it!

Click on a Peep in Paris to play the game.

The Virtues of a Bra that Fits

Majority of U.S. Women Wearing Wrong Bra Size

We've all been there. There's the bra strap that perpetually falls down, the strapless bra that migrates to your mid-section, and even the Grand Canyon shoulder crevasse caused from straps. It all comes down to finding a bra that fits.

A bra that fits well is a priceless piece of lingerie!

The Virtues...

1. It's comfortable
2. Makes you feel confident
3. Keeps you free from pesky underwire digging into your skin
4. Makes your breasts look like assets instead of a liability
5. Enhances what you have instead of accentuating what you don't when the cup size is too big
6. It keeps your ample girls from spilling out the top on too small cup sizes
7. Keeps your cleavage in the front, where it belongs, instead of on your back (the ghastly back cleavage) caused by too BIG band sizes. (Go down a size and wear it lower on your back, it will eliminate back cleavage)
8. Supports your breasts and fights off the dreaded gravitational pull
9. Straps stay put instead of slipping down the sides of your arms, leaving your breasts with lop-sided support
10. Keeps your straps in place. (If they're falling down then your bra band is probably riding up and you need to go down a band size)
11. Creates better support for your back
12. Enhances your curves in ways that you never thought possible
13. It's a mood altering experience
14. Your confidence in how you feel and look is an instant aphrodisiac to your spouse, boyfriend or lover

There's an art to finding a good bra that makes you feel comfortable, assured, and luxurious all day. Before you can find that perfect bra, you have to know your bra size. You'd think it was a national phenomenon when Oprah showed a segment on how to find your bra size and it was announced that "85% of women in America are wearing the wrong bra size."

What's a woman to do? Get measured!

Go to a local boutique, that's one of the special services provide at these select stores. To find one near you, do a search online. Some of my favorite boutiques are:

• Faire Frou Frou
• A Tropical Affair
• La Petite Coquette
• Miss Lala's Boudoir

If you don't have a boutique near by, you can also check out the following department stores where you can get measured:

• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstom
• Barneys

The other option is for you to measure your own size. It's a simple and easy two component process. To measure yourself, click on our Eve's Apples article, Sizing Your Girls Up: How to Find Your Bra Size.

Now that you know your size and the virtues of a bra that fits, go Celebrate Your Inner Eve in a bra that makes you feel luxurious, comfortable, and confident!

Diane von Furstenberg: 'Fear is Not an Option'

Celebrate International Women's Day

In an interview on wOw, Diane von Furstenberg talks about being a woman in the garment industry, her philosophies on life, being a woman as well as International Women's Day.

With: Joan Juliet Buck

International Women’s Day was born on March 8, 1908, when fifteen thousand sweatshop workers, all women, took to the streets of New York to protest appalling working conditions and demand the right to vote. Their slogan was “Bread and Roses” — bread for decent pay, roses for a better life.

One hundred years later, International Women’s Day is celebrated across the world. Special attention is paid to helping women in developing countries achieve the rights that those garment workers fought for in 1908.

The designer Diane von Furstenberg, an immigrant garment worker herself, is collaborating with the N.G.O. Vital Voices, which trains and equips women around the world to run for political office, start businesses and succeed.We at wOw talked to the legengdary fashion designer this week about her life and work on the occasion of Women’s Day:

JOAN: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

DIANE: I enjoy working with women. In my company we are 97% women, they could all be my daughters. I love that feeling. Being with young people does not make me feel old. I don’t feel much different from them, just more experienced and therefore more secure.

JOAN: When you were 40, you said, “Now it’s time to become a myth.” What did you mean?

DIANE: At 40, you can no longer just count on your beauty or on your seduction power…I always joke and say that it is time to become a myth!!! Meaning stand for something…be the best at making apricot jam or whatever!!!

JOAN: What frightens you most?

DIANE: Fear is not an option.

JOAN: What is the biggest lesson you have learned?

DIANE: Don’t be afraid of your own strength...

Thank you to wowOwow.com for the interview. Click on wOw for the complete article.

Boutique of the Month ~ Miss Lala's Boudoir

For the month that is notorious for coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb, I wanted to give Eve's Apples readers a fun, flirty, adventurous boutique. Miss Lala's Boudoir in London and its fabulous website are just that!

I'm completely enamored by the playful, interactive website that highlights lingerie and designers as well as chronicles the romantic adventures of Miss Lala from a Swiss school girl, to her harrowing experiences with the circus, to falling in love with a count "for a week", to eventually finding her home in Los Angeles. After all, as Miss Lala can attest, "Home is where the heart is". With a lingerie selection that ranges from the utter extravagant to sweet, understated, embroidered options, you can make yourself at home or start an adventure in just about any of the knickers there.

Once inside the higher end shop, it will delight the lingerista looking for something out of the mainstream. It's laid out like a bedroom with panties displayed in open drawers, giving the sense of being in a cozy boudoir. While there, Miss Lala goes the extra mile to make you feel at home in the shop. I've been told that before Christmas they handed out mince meat pies for customers to eat while shopping. How's that for feeling at home?

Lucy Jones, Shopping Editor for LondonTown.com had this to say about Miss Lala's Boudoir, "Ladies go weak at the knees for Miss Lala’s. This beautiful little boutique stocks wonderful cheeky lingerie labels. Wickedly indulgent, it’s a dressing up box for girls that love to look dazzling. Located near the glamorous tree-lined avenues of Primrose Hill and part of the popular new crop of smaller boutiques to hit London, it’s developed a fantastically exclusive image.

It’s all frills, fuss, lace and giant bows. They have some super extravagant underwear options...

...This shop is exciting, innovative and utterly unrestrained."

Click on London Information for the full article.

Miss Lala's Boudoir
144 Gloucester Avenue
Primrose Hill
London
NW1 8JA
Tel: 020 7483 1888
http://www.misslalasboudoir.co.uk/

Open 9am-5pm daily

Poll Results ~ The Perfect Number of Panties Per Bra is...

"2 Panties per Bra"

It seems that Eve's Apple lingeristas like to have an extra pair of matching panties on hand for each bra. Personally, I like to have at least one thong and one in a fuller panty or to purchase two thongs...depending on my mood.

After posting the poll, I received questions about whether this poll was about the number of matching panties or the number of panties that you wear in general. I confess, my intention was to find out how many "matching" panties was the ideal amount to have per bra.

In any case, the findings are interesting. It did lead me to asking the current poll below. Do lingeristas only wear matching panties or like to mix and match panties with colors and styles in your boudoir? Take the poll at the bottom of the blog to find out.

Below are the results to the perfect number of panties per bra:

• One Bra & Two Panties ~ An extra in case one is in the wash = 42%
• One Bra & Three Panties ~ Change up those styles = 32%
• One Bra & Four or More Panties ~ Many styles for many moods = 26%
• One Bra & One Panty ~ it's simple math = 0%

Whether you buy two pairs or seven pairs, like my mother-in-law, make sure that they're panties that make you feel good, confident and Celebrate Your Inner Eve!

Sex & The City Lingerie Preview

"Big" News for Lingerie & Movies

If you're like me and my girlfriends, then you're anxiously counting down the days until May 30th when Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte reunite on the big screen for Sex & The City: The Movie. Back in December, Eve's Apples posted that in order to celebrate this momentous event, Cosabella is coming out with a Sex & The City line, inspired by each of our starlets.

Thanks to The Lingerie Post, who got a first hand look at the images, we can bring you a sample of the lines from New York Fashion Week. Presenting...

CARRIE
A hopeless romantic, our fresh faced fashionista was the little, old woman who lived in her D&G shoes.

CHARLOTTE

Everyone's darling, our innocent, sweet as apple pie baked at the Hamptons, Sex & The City lady who'll only get angry if you steal her baby name or decorate like her mother-in-law.

SAMANTHA

A savvy, stylish siren who knows no shame when seducing men and rewrote the definition of "sex."

MIRANDA

Smarter than most, she's our no-nonsense lawyer that will find practicality even in love and, if she must, her bedside table toys too.

For the full article, click on Cosabella Sex & The City Lingerie Update.

Personally, after everything Carrie has gone through to find love, I look forward to seeing how she's going to get her "Big" happy ending with "John James Preston." For the full movie trailer, complete with the tragedy that strikes early on, click on the Sex & The City video below.

How Lingerie Came To Be (Early 20th Century & Modern Times)

By Lisa Page

Lingerie in the Early 20th Century (1900-1950)

Undergarment advertising became necessary with the increase in the number of underwear manufacturers. In 1911, the Saturday Evening Post ran first underwear print advertisement in the United States. It featured oil paintings by J.C. Leyendecker of the "Kenosha Klosed Krotch". Early underwear advertisements placed emphasis on durability and comfort; fashion was never a selling point.

In 1910, Chalmers Knitting Company split the union suit into upper and lower sections, creating what we now know and the undershirt and drawers. A lacier versions of this basic duo known as the camisole and drawers, was worn by women.

1913, women's fashion changed forever, when a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob put together the first brassiere, by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Her original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. She started making them for her family and friends, and word of mouth soon spread about the garment.

By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout the United States. Jacob's was the first brassiere to be successfully marketed and widely adopted, although women had worn similar garments in the past.

Although, Amelia Jenks Bloomer [1818-1894], made popular trouser-like "bloomers", Elizabeth Smith Miller invented them. This garment become popular with the so-called Gibson girls who enjoyed more athletic pursuits such as bicycling and tennis. This new female athleticism helped push the corset out of style, as well. The other major factor in the corset's demise was the fact that metal was in short supply in much of the world during World War I. Steel-laced corsets were dropped in favor of the brassiere.

During the 1920's women's bloomers became much shorter and stockings covered the legs instead. As the boyish flapper, a fashionable and unconventional young woman of the 1920s, look came into fashion, the shorter bloomers became looser and less supportive. They, later, came to be known as step-ins, very much like modern panties but with wider legs, worn for the increased flexibility.

The garter belt was invented to keep stockings from falling when young flappers were dancing. The increased sexuality of the flapper made underwear sexier than ever before. It was the flappers who started the era of lingerie.

In 1928, A Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal, introduced modern cup sizes for her company, Maidenform, further developing the brassiere.

During the 1940's women began to wear, the waspie, for the wasp-shaped waistline it gave the wearer. The waspie similar to the corset.. Many also women began wearing the strapless brassiere, which gained popularity for its ability enhance a woman's figure.

Lingerie in Modern Times

The thong first gained popularity in Brazil, in the 1980s, although it was worn for decades by few. Originally, it was made as swimsuit style. By the 1990s, the design had made its way to most of the Western World, and thong underwear became popular. Today, it is one of the fastest selling styles available among women and is even gaining some popularity among men.

Today's lingerie is available in just about any style and fabric you can imagine. From romantic babydolls made of silk, to erotic leather bustiers.

If you need that perfect gift for your spouse on your special night, I have a wide variety of lingerie on my website. Ranging from cute sets to elegant bridal sets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Page