Inside HerRoom

How Not to Look Old

Are you over 30? 40? 50? 60? Treat yourself to How Not to Look Old, by Charla Krupp. This hot new book has the kind of sensible advice even the style-cynic can take to heart. Fave chapter? "Learn to Love Shapewear." If you think today's shapewear is only for the plus-sized, think again. According to Krupp, such single-digit sized-women as the desperate Housewives babes, Katie Couric, and Gwyneth Paltrow all recognize the need for some shaping.

Let's face it, after a certain age, even the slimmest among us are prey to back fat, love handles, Buddha bellies and other less-than-attractive traits. Krupp recommends shapewear for pretty much all day, every day. Some of her suggested "Brilliant Buys?"

Flexees One Fabulous Body Camisole 77320

Spanx 160 High Waisted Footless Pantyhose

Donna Karan Hosiery Donna Karan Body Perfect Slimmer - Level 1 0A701

Maidenform Control It High-Waist Brief 12419

When it comes to bras, Krupp reinforces everything we keep telling you here on HerRoom---it's about fit, fit, fit. Her quickie saggy boob test suggests you measure yourself from the top of your shoulder to the bend in your elbow. When trying on a bra, your nipple should hit about mid-way between the two, maybe slightly lower for very large breasts.

Her Brilliant Buys in bras?

Le Mystere Tisha Bra - Full Figure Renaissance 9955

Wacoal iBra Contour Bra 85380

Chantelle Volupte Molded Minimizer Bra 2361

Natori Sheer Mesh Convertible Contour Plunge 132005

If you're going to start knocking those years off, why not begin with your underwear drawer?

Panties to the Rescue

Around here, we extol the virtues of this panty style or that--they're sexy, they're smoothing, they're comfy. According to this article on CNN, panties (the larger, the better) should probably be in every home's emergency kit.

NY Mag's Guide to Bras--It's a Jungle Out There

New York Magazine, known for its coverage of politics, culture, and most things urban, devoted a 4-page spread in last week's issue to ....tah...dah......the bra. Including an historical timeline and articles on the 'mechanics,' care, etc, the article didn't tell HerRoom shoppers much they can't find on HerRoom, but still.

A NYC DD (or E or F--you know how that goes) described her quest for the great bra in eight New York lingerie shops, which reminded me again why so many of us would rather buy our bras online.

The historical collage and timeline are especially fun--would make a great poster.

A Man's Guide to Buying Lingerie

Guys--we understand. You'd love to buy her something sexy and luxurious, but walking into a lingerie shop is right up there with getting a cavity drilled or singing "Feelings" at a karaoke party. Even a phone order is hard--how do you explain over the phone (without the use of hands) what size bra you think she wears? So, here's the drill.

It's a a lot easier if you know her sizes. If you don't, take a look in her lingerie drawer and check the label on a bra--the size should be right there--34B, 38DD, something like that. Panties are in sizes usually from XS through XXL. Sometimes they're numerical, ranging from about 5-10.

You might also take a peak at brand names-- especially on items she wears all the time. If you see 3 Wacoal bras, for example, you can be pretty sure that's a brand she loves. Now you've got the critical info--what to buy?

Well, if you see quite a few of the same brand, you can take it up a notch and choose a luxury item in that brand. For instance, if she buys herself mid-range Le Mystere bras like this cotton racer-back bra, why not go all out and buy her this sexy, lacy confection from Le Mystere. Don't forget to add matching panties.

Or, how about buying her something you know she won't ...

]]> buy for herself? We all hear that thongs are the most comfortable panties ever--but some women won't even try them. Let her try them out on your dime. She might especially like Hanky Panky's Color Play Thong, which comes in an array of pretty exciting colors. Better yet, it's one size fits most, so you can hardly go wrong.

If you absolutely can't find her sizes, you've got a few choices: guess and hope for the best, ask her outright, or buy something not quite as dependent on fit, like a silk nightgown, or slinky robe. Luckily,we got some suggestions here too.

This Clair Pettibone Stretch Lace Athena gown will make any woman feel gorgeous and the movie-star calibre matching robe will help through winter nights to come.

If she's more of an all-cotton woman, Hanro makes the softest, sleekest cotton sleepwear imaginable, like this , It too, has a matching robe .

Of course you'd like something you want to see her in, but if it's too gimmicky or plain uncomfortable she'll wear it for you, but it won't leave the drawer more than a few times a year. The key is to choose something that'll let her know you think she's special but will also be comfortable. Many women are so hung up about body image that they don't realize that, to the men who love them, they are hot, hot, hot. So if you bought her a blender last year, this is the time to go all out and show her how she looks in your eyes.

Nurse in Style

Let's fact it--nursing bras are not so very sexy. We've all seen the heavy cotton white utility model. But nursing mothers take heart. Condessa has come out with a line of pretty, colorful, and lacy styles (really) that remind you (and your partner) that you are not just an all-night dairy. The Cassandra lace nursing bra comes in great colors like sunset and turquoise. It has pearl snap closures in the front and lots of support. Gives new meaning to the phrase, 'Hot Mamma.'

Flying Your Colors

We only have one question - was it a "convertible bra"?

"A teenager who put her bra on a car antenna before it flew off and led to a highway accident will be charged with littering, a prosecutor said. Emily Davis, 17, of Bowling Green, told investigators she took her bra off while her friend was driving on Interstate 75."

Read the whole story here.

Hey, Emily, need a new bra?

How to Put On A Bra

How To Put On A Bra 101 - The most amazing bloopers are here

We have some somewhat less dangerous ways to put on a bra in our "Bra Fitting" section.

Show Your Legs

Hot News! HerRoom is now carrying hosiery. We have a complete line of Falke, including leggings, tights, pantyhose and socks. Falke is well-known for their product innovations in hosiery--combining high-tech processes with an eye for hot design. Leggings are back in style and tights are huge! Check out the Falke line and stock up.

No. 9 Bras

Le Mystere No.9 is the first collection of innovative, designer bras incorporating patented technology to compliment the shape of women who have undergone breast enhancement surgery. After breast augmentation, a woman's shape as well as breast size changes - rounder and fuller on top with wider cleavage. Traditional bras are designed with a more oval-shaped underwire which does not conform easily to a implant's rounder shape. The No.9 garments take into account all of the anatomic changes that occur after breast enhancement.

In order to be fit properly, Le Mystere highly recommends using their fitting guide to aid in correctly sizing yourself for the Le Mystere No.9 product line. Due to the unique changes in cup depth, wire shape and distance between the cups, you may find that the fit of the Le Mystere No.9 bras may be different from other Le Mystere bras.

The Big Idea

In case you missed it, HerRoom founder, Tomima Edmark, recently appeared on The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch on CNBC. Bet you didn't know that, before founding HerRoom & HisRoom, Tomima invented the wildly popular TopsyTail. Watch the segment here.

TechnoFemmes

Just because we wear bras and might be considered girly by some, doesn't mean we can't avail ourselves of technology. So now we're on Technorati and everything. Technorati Profile

Naughty and Nice

Word on the street is that Jezebel's Satin Doll set is hot, hot, hot for Valentine's Day. For the price, you can buy it all.

Celebrity Lingerie

According to a recent article in The Telegraph, the best way to boost bra sales is to put celebrities into the lingerie. It may also be the best way to launch a model into the spotlight, like Eva Herzigova in the Wonderbra campaign. Now the market is crowded with celebrity brands--everyone from Jade Jagger to Katie Price (aka Jordan) for the British brand, Panache. And let's not forget that Elle Macpherson's Intimates are among the most popular styles on the market.

What Do You Sleep In?

Now here's a statistic we've got to change: Fox News reports that according to an unscientific poll, just 10 percent of married women said they usually wear sexy lingerie in bed. More than half prefer a ratty T-shirt or comfortable pajamas, while a third sleep naked.

This is the same survey that reports that nearly a third of the married women polled stick to their own side of the marital bed. Another third said they don't have time for sex with their husbands. Hmmm--could there be a correlation? Worn-out T-shirt...silk nightgown...no sex...sex. Perhaps we can all start by wearing something other than ratty gym clothes in bed. Maybe we need to proclaim one night a week go-to-bed-hot night and start right here with some silky smooth sleepwear.

Elle Knows What the Stars Want

Celebrities cannot get enough of Elle Macpherson's Coranto bra in Jet. Everyone from Beyonce, to actress Kirstie Alley to Ivanka Trump of “The Apprentice” – are all showing off their assets in this bestselling Coranto bra! Beyonce graces the cover of the October issue of Blender magazine in EMI’s Coranto Contour bra in Jet – which is featured several times in her multi-page photo spread inside.