The Curvy Girl Resurfaces

Embrasse-Moi — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:45:40 +0000

It’s a wonderful, interesting time for lingerie– the industry is moving at an impressive clip, changing minds and cultural ideals with every new step. Up until recently, the Kate-Moss-Waif was the woman to be. Enter New York Magazine with their stunning latest cover, touting Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks as “the Return of the Voluptuous”:

New York Mag's Feb. 22-Mar.1 Issue

Though we would have loved to see more fabulous lingerie looks inside the magazine, the cover says it all– the womanly silhouette is back, and some of the world’s greatest designers have picked up on the fact that curvy is the new bean-pole.

Case-in-point, Prada’s Fall 2010 runway show that took place just last week:

Bustline darts and ruffles ruled the runway at Prada's Fall show.

Word has it that the folks at Prada airlifted a number of “curvier” models (Doutzen, Miranda and Alessandra, to name a few) in at the eleventh hour to showcase the collection on more average frames. The clothing itself plays up the bust with ruffles and dart detailing, and many of the looks were nipped in at the waist by a skinny belt. The result is a visible shift to using elements of design that complement and play up shapely figures.

All of this suggests that the world is finally picking up on what men and lingerie insiders alike have known all along– fads are fleeting, but the natural female form, with all its twists and turns, is always the sexiest.

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Breasts

The Rise and Fall and Rise of Breasts

Embrasse-Moi — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:57:32 +0000

Historically, the economy has been a driving factor in breast size. The trend toward smaller, flatter breasts, both in the 1920s and in the 1960s through the 1970s, occurred simultaneously with a healthy economy.

Here’s a little brassier history lesson for your enjoyment:

Late 1800s to 1920s: the “monobosom”
The flapper style of the 1920s turned the female silhouette into the approximate shape of a Hershey’s chocolate bar and breast flattening contraptions were a girl’s best friend.

1930s to 1950s: Divide and Conquer
Marilyn Monroe, Gina Lollobrigida, Elizabeth Taylor…need I say more? Everyone on screen looked ripe and luscious in their DDs.

Gina Lollobrigida, 1950s

Elizabeth Taylor, MGM photoshoot 1950s

1960s to 1970s: bra bonfires!
Chests flattened out again with Twiggy’s arrival and bras took a nosedive with the era of sexual and social freedom. Breasts were relieved of their bras, which were (supposedly) symbolically burned in bonfires.

UK 1967-Twiggy Lawson

1980s TO 200s: The choice is yours!
Breasts returned to a focal point in the 80s and started to get gussied up. By the 1990s we were busting out of our bras as boob jobs became as common as a haircut. As for the twenty first century: enhance or reduce them- the choice is now yours!

Playboy's book of Lingerie 1990

Present day bra, by Aubade

The future: LED bras

Complete with LEDs, glow in the darkest dark and comes in different colors!

In the future we’re just hoping for a healthy attitude toward breast size and shape no matter if the economy is booming or going bust.