Vivre la Différence!

Men in suits, women in lingerie, champagne flowing – and all legal. In fact, it is work. Le Salon de la Lingerie in Paris is an annual rendez-vous that takes the chill out of every last weekend in January.

This week from January 24 th to January 27th, more than 23,000 visitors will pour through the doors of Hall 1 at Paris Expo looking for new trends, new brands, new suppliers – or just plain looking. Big brands dump their marketing budgets into building palatial stands and orchestrating Broadway à la Moulin Rouge fashion shows. Lights, cameras, action and girls, girls, girls. Not lanky, emaciated flat-chested girls, but dangerously curvy and beautifully proportioned goddesses.

One might be inclined to think that a place where women prance around in skimpy underwear denigrates and objectifies women, but au contraire – it’s a celebration. The models are radiant and exude confidence while showcasing the intrinsic beauty of the female form. Lingerie has always been a form of expression and an amusing way to adopt a different attitude. Every year, magnificent fabrics, diverse accents, sophisticated laces and capricious colours mix and contrast to reinvent the ultimate ideal of femininity.

Whether your mood is romantic and poetic, rich and glamourous, or daring and adventurous, the thrill of flirting with the balance between well-being, pleasure and seduction is a sensation not to be missed.

Why would anyone want to be a man?

The Bra Size Mystery: Part One

Let me start by stating for the record that I think my bra size is a 95B. At least that is the number on the faded label of my current bra once I have unrolled it and held it up to the light.

My daughter, B, and I went to Le Bon Marché last week as planned. Both of us were looking forward to our day together in Paris – a shared mother-daughter experience and a celebration of femininity – otherwise known as shopping and lunch.

Except that…

Finding my correct bra size turned out to be slightly more complicated than expected and now I have opened a can of worms…

I had called ahead to make sure that Le Bon Marché provided a fitting service, which they did – no rendez-vous necessary. Upon our arrival, we found a saleswoman and I explained why we were there and confessed that some time had elapsed by since my last fitting.

“You are a 90C,” the saleswoman said looking at me fully dressed.

“Are you sure?” I asked, wondering if she had telescopic vision. “I thought I was a 95B. Would you check more accurately please?”

She pulled out a tape measure and wrapped it around my rib cage. I looked down at the number – 63cm.

“63 plus 15,” she muttered to herself holding the tape measure between her forefinger and thumb in the middle of my cleavage. “Yes, you are a 90.”

I did the math in my head and then counted on my fingers to make sure.

“But 63 plus 15 equals 78. How do you know that 78 means 90?” I asked.

“Because we are professionals, Madame,” she replied with her hand still holding the tape measure. “She is a 90C, right Lydie?” she called over to her colleague who was out of ear shot, unlike the other customers around me.

“Yes, for me you are 90C,” confirmed the saleswoman releasing the tape measure thus freeing me from her grasp before turning away to look after another client.

B looked at me mortified and I reassured her that I wouldn’t put her through any of that.

We headed to Aubade. The saleswoman didn’t have a tape measure but was convinced that I was a C. Over at Simone Pérèle I was a 95C and at Dim either a 90C or a 95B – apparently it was hard to tell since I have more back than one would think.

No wonder 70% of women don’t know their correct bra size!

Slighty embarrassed and definitely confused, we decided to call it a day and went for lunch. Fortunately, it only took a fondant au chocolat for me and an éclair chocolat for B to appease our frustration.

For now, my bra size remains an unsolved mystery.

I’ll keep you posted as the clues come in.

Practicing What I Preach

I’m going to start following my own advice – as of Wednesday, January 9th – the first day of les soldes, which means SALE! Les soldes are a sacred and highly regulated event held only twice a year in France – in January and July. Retailers must abide by the offical dates set by the government in order to legally use the term les soldes. Outside of these dates, retailers use words like promotion, offre exceptionnelle and fin de série to justify price reductions and to avoid fines. This year les soldes run from January 9th to February 16th.

I recommend that every woman should refresh her lingerie collection twice a year and I realized this morning that I don’t remember exactly when I last bought anything new. Mea culpa… So, I thought the easiest way for me to remember to update and refresh would be to follow the same timing as les soldes. I’ll save money and look and feel better.

My daughter and I have decided to make Wednesday a special outing for both of us when we go to Le Bon Marché on our lingerie expedition. Since she needs to be properly fitted for her first real bra, I might just do the same. The last time I checked my bra size was… um… a couple of pregnancies ago.

Daywear is called Lingerie de Jour and I suggest that every woman should own a minimum of 7 parures of Lingerie de Jour. Although a parure is a lingerie set consisting of 1 soutien-gorge (bra) and 1 culotte (panty), I think it helps to have 2 culottes per soutien-gorge. Preferably different styles for more versatility. I suggest 7 bras because body oils, moisturizing creams and perspiration are all reasons why you should only wear a bra once before washing it and we all know how quickly a week can slip by.

I am a huge fan of Nuage by Lejaby, so I will replace my basic black, ivory and skin coloured bras and panties, but I also want to try a new brand. I’ll ask for some suggestions from les vendeuses, the saleswomen. It is sometimes interesting to see how others see you – you might discover an aspect of your personality that you hadn’t noticed before. In any case, it is always fun to try.

For my daughter, I think she might like Princesse Tam Tam, Huit or Dim.

I’ll let you know how we make out.

20,000 Bra Days

“Mummy,” my 14 year daughter said firmly during the holidays, “I need a bra now – a real one this time.”

I had already bought her the pre-adolescent version of a bra at Carrefour – a French hypermarché that sells everything from milk and eggs to tires and bras – that covered her breasts but did nothing more. Was she already so grown up that she needed a real bra? Couldn’t we ignore the fact for a while longer? It seemed like just yesterday that she was a premature baby in an incubator struggling to breathe on her own.

And now she needs a bra… with underwire.

Suddenly I felt ashamed of myself. After all, lingerie is my business. It’s like the shoemaker’s kids going without shoes, or the doctor’s kids never being sick enough for medicine. For more than 15 years I have been surrounded by silk and lace. My client list includes 500 lingerie boutiques in France and I work with the best brands and designers in the business. How could I not see that my own daughter needed a bra?

Based on an average life expectancy of 70 years and a first bra at 13 years old we will spend more than 20,000 days wearing a bra -- yet 70% of us don’t know our correct bra size! Bras and panties are the first thing we put on in the morning and the last thing we take off at night. Our choice reflects our mood and desires. Nothing says more about our personality and sense of self than our choice in lingerie.

I have already spent more than 11,000 days in a bra and made the lingerie odyssey from Jockey to La Perla. What will my daughter’s choice in lingerie say about her when she grows up? Will it be functional, playful, romantic, sexy, luxurious? It is time to share some of my secrets if I want her grow up feeling good about herself and to enjoy her femininity.

“You are right, darling. Our first rendez-vous in 2008 will be a visit to the lingerie department at Le Bon Marché.”