Bra Fittings by Telephone

Ever wanted to know what to look for when trying on a bra? Now you can! With our new bra fittings by telephone, our experts can explain to you where your bra isn't working for you and show you what to look for the next time you go shopping!

For complete details, visit Bra Fittings by Telephone.

Honeymoon Lingerie

A Little Lingerie Company loves to help brides select their honeymoon lingerie. Our Hayworth Lingerie Set comes in a stunning shade of red, with beautiful embroidery and a matching thong. Enjoy!

Here are some helpful tips for planning your honeymoon getaway:
Source: http://www.usabride.com/honeymoons/a_12honeymoontips.html

Navy Bra for Navy Suit: Match Bras to your Outerwear

Color plays a big part in professional image. Traditional career colors include red (aggressive), navy (trustworthy), gray (conservative) and black (chic). Most of these colors work well in pantsuits, skirts and shoes and mix back with softer feminine colors that are appropriate like ice blue, lilac, soft pink and ivory. Loud colors like hot pink and wild prints are much riskier in the office, but some creative types can still pull them off.

Make sure you have a bra to match! For red, try the Salsa Bra. For navy, try the Sophisticate Bra. For gray or black, try the Elegance Bra.
Source: http://fall.about.com/od/fallfashionbeauty/a/weartowork.htm

Strapless Bras at the Emmys

Strapless and halter tops dresses ruled this weekend at the Emmys. To get the same look, check out our selection of strapless bras.


LOS ANGELES — Teri Hatcher (search), Marcia Cross (search) and Nicollette Sheridan (search) could become known as the "strapless housewives" after Sunday night's Emmy Awards (search).

Hatcher went for all-out glamour in a navy blue empire waist gown with a long train by J. Mendel. It had a crystal band under the bustline that she complemented with a substantial diamond link necklace and diamond earrings.

Cross' green strapless gown by Elie Saab had a ruched bodice with elaborate beading, and her dangling earrings dripped diamonds and green baubles under her free-flowing long red hair.

Sheridan, in a Giorgio Armani strapless dusty-rose satin gown with a fitted bodice, cascading tiered skirt and train appeared more sophisticated and demure than her on-screen counterpart. "It's soft and elegant," she said.

Eva Longoria was hardly a shrinking violet, though, in her coral gown with a jeweled neck and revealing keyhole opening.

Felicity Huffman's rouge satin bias-cut gown had a gentle cowl neck, crystals on the thick straps and the waist insets -- and an old Hollywood look.

Kathy Griffin, who will be co-host of E!'s Emmy fashion review show, cracked jokes about outfits all night but even she couldn't find anything to criticize about the stars of "Desperate Housewives." "They all look gorgeous," she gushed.

Other stars who went strapless: Jennifer Garner showed off her pregnant shape in a black gown by Badgley Mischka with a jewel right at the bust; Patricia Heaton chose a black strapless gown, featuring three tiers of pleating and delicate knotted bows by Monique Lhuillier; Halle Berry was in a simple draped purple gown, hoop earrings and a sleek ponytail. Melania Trump's gown was light blue.

Glenn Close wore a sweetheart-neck black gown by Giorgio Armani and looked tanner and blonder than usual.

Close said after so many years in Hollywood she still feels pressure to get all dressed up for the red carpet -- "especially when we've been in our jammies and flip-flops all year."

Charlize Theron's black Chanel embroidered dress had a bit of a flapper touch.

Lauren Graham of "Gilmore Girls" based her gown choice on color. Then comes style and her last concern is comfort. "It's a day to be uncomfortable. ... You want to feel like you're wearing something special, and I do," Graham told E!'s Star Jones Reynolds.

Graham ended up in a red silk chiffon slip gown with cascading ruffles down the back. It was straight from the runway from Pamella Roland's spring fashion show at New York Fashion Week.

Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" chose an orange gown by Carolina Herrera.

Wearing a bronze gown by Elie Saab with a subtle magenta floral print on the sweeping skirt and beads on the illusion fabric around her neck, Debra Messing told The Associated Press that the event called for a special dress. "This is our last season, and I wanted to feel like a queen."

Jennifer Love Hewitt topped off her retro look -- a black strapless ruffled Dolce & Gabbana cocktail dress with Harry Winston star-shaped earrings -- with a beehive hairdo.

Kim Raver wore a V-neck halter gown with an empire waist in mauve chiffon by bridal designer and red carpet newcomer Junko Yoshioka, and Maggie Grace wore a velvet bustier gown in pewter with a gold floral brocade print from Catherine Malandrino's couture collection. Marg Helgenberger had one of the most feminine gowns, an amethyst Chantilly lace halter gown by Lhuillier.

In addition to the deep jewel tones on the red carpet, there were several stars in light colors, including Kyra Sedgwick, who wore a nude-colored tulle empire waist strapless dress and funky bohemian earrings, and Patricia Arquette, whose fitted cream-colored Badgley Mischka gown showed off a lot of cleavage. Her hair was done up in curls. "I thought I'd throw down a bit of the east L.A. thing," Arquette said. She accessorized with 30 carats of pear-shaped Chopard diamonds on her ears.

Mischa Barton wore a delicate nude-colored slip gown covered in beads, and Paula Abdul was in a plunging V-neck dress in light yellow.

New mom Heidi Klum looked like the supermodel she is in a floral empire-waist gown by Christian Dior.

But not all the fashion was fluff and frills. Hank Azaria said of the Red Cross pin he wore to draw attention to the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims: "It's not fashion, it's passion."
Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,169729,00.html

Corsets at the Emmys: Are you a Frippery Girl?

Innerwear as outerwear has always been a fun fashion statement. Last year it was Kristin Davis in a corset dress at the Emmys. Before that, Oprah and Kelly Osbourne were seen wearing corset dresses. What could be easier, or more beautiful? Pair a corset or merrywidow with a fabulous skirt and you're all set!

Clearly, these women are all Frippery Girls. Are you a Frippery Girl?

History of the Bra - A Little Lingerie Trivia

The first modern bra (brassiere) to receive a patent was one invented by a New York socialite named Mary Phelps Jacob in 1913. Mary had just purchased a sheer evening gown for one of her social events. At that time, the only acceptable undergarment was a corset stiffened with whaleback bones. Mary found that the whalebones poked out visibly around the plunging neckline and under the sheer fabric. Two silk handkerchiefs and some pink ribbon later, Mary had designed an alternative to the corset. The corset's reign was starting to topple.

An unhealthy and painful device designed to narrow an adult women's waist to 13, 12, 11 and even 10 or less inches, the corset is attributed to Catherine de Médicis, wife of King Henri II of France. She enforced a ban on thick waists at court attendance's (1550's) and started over 350 years of whalebones, steel rods and midriff torture.

Mary Phelps Jacob's new undergarment complimented the new fashions introduced at the time and demands from friends and family were high for the new brassiere. On November 3, 1914, a patent for the 'Backless Brassiere' was issued. Caresse Crosby was the business name Jacob used for her brassiere production. Running a business was not enjoyable to Jacob and she soon sold the brassiere patent to the Warner Brothers Corset Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut, for $1,500. Warner (the bra-makers, not the movie-makers) made over fifteen million dollars from the bra patent over the next thirty years.

Mary Phelps Jacob was the first to patent an undergarment named 'Brassiere' and derived from the old French word for 'upper arm'. Her patent was for a device that was lightweight, soft and separated the breasts naturally.

Other points in the history of the brassiere worth mentioning:

* In 1875, manufacturers George Frost and George Phelps patented the 'Union Under-Flannel', a no bones, no eyelets, and no laces or pulleys under-outfit.
* In 1893, a woman named Marie Tucek patented the 'breast supporter’; the device included separate pockets for the breasts and straps that went over the shoulder, fastened by hook-and-eye closures.
* In 1889, corset-maker Herminie Cadolle invented the 'Well-Being' or 'Bien-être', a bra-like device sold as a health aid.
* World War I dealt the corset a fatal blow when the U.S. War Industries Board called on women to stop buying corsets in 1917. It freed up some 28,000 tons of metal!
* In 1928, a Russian immigrant named Ida Rosenthal founded Maidenform. Ida was responsible for grouping women into bust-size categories (cup sizes).
Source: http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa042597.htm

6 Keys to Understanding Women – A Little Lingerie Company Seminar

A Little Lingerie Company is now offering a new seminar called “6 Keys to Understanding Women.”

Find out:

*The real reason women’s moods change so much.

*The best way to respond when your wife is crying.

*Why your girlfriend always brings up the same thing every single time she is angry with you.

If your office, church group, or favorite non-profit would like to offer this seminar, please contact us for details.

These seminars are offered free of charge to groups in Vermont; travel expenses must be covered for seminars elsewhere.

A Little Lingerie Company Tells Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret is keeping secrets. Victoria's Secret wants you to believe it's necessary. Victoria's Secret wants you to believe they have no choice.

Victoria’s Secret wants you to believe they have to charge you $2 more for larger cup size bras.

But do you really think so? Let’s think this through for a moment. First of all, lingerie suppliers don’t charge more for one size bra than another in a given style. How do I know this? Because I own A Little Lingerie Company and none of my suppliers charges extra for different sizes. Not even Panache Lingerie, which designs our very popular Caprice camisole with a built-in bra. This comes in sizes B to G cup, with up to a 42 in sizes up to DD and up to 38 in sizes up to G.

Now that's a size range.

And no matter what I order, whether it's a 32B or a 36G, they always charge me the same amount. That also goes for all my other suppliers. Take Volage Plus, for instance. Their Romance Bra costs no more for a 38C than it does for a 42DD.

So, if a supplier like Panache Lingerie, whose styles cover the range from AA to J, doesn’t charge differently by size, why does Victoria’s Secret, who only occasionally even goes up to a DD?

And here’s another secret: Victoria’s has a corner on the market. They are able to command the lowest production costs of anyone. So how is it they have to pass on this two dollar charge? Does it really cost them more to ship a 34D? More to package it? More to get it through customs?

Take it from someone who knows: women who need larger cup size bras or plus size bras do not need to pay more for a given style than anyone else.

So, why do it?

Ascension Lingerie - French Lingerie at Great Prices!

Ascension Lingerie is a French company whose line has only recently begun to be distributed in the United States. Their specialty is intricate design and fabulous color for AA-D cup sizes.

A Little Lingerie Company carries a wide variety of lingerie by Ascension - including the Elegance lingerie set (only $34!) - our most popular lingerie set! And you're sure to love the sassy detail of the Carnivale lingerie set (only $40!).

Corporate Success Tips for Working Women

The motto of A Little Lingerie Company is "Dress for success from the inside out." We provide beautiful lingerie for professional women. We think our working women customers would appreciate this article on communication styles in the workplace - it offers tips to help you figure out your co-workers - and yourself.

"I was talking with one of the great corporate futurists, Mort Darrow, about a conversation he’d had with some corporate bigwigs in the 1970’s. He told them the entry of women into the labor force was going to be the biggest change of the twentieth century. The guys weren’t worried. The only problem they could see was training women to behave properly; that is, like them.

Lots of women, me among them, tried to adopt the male rules and all went out and bought our big, floppy, silk bow ties. Since I gave up those ties, I’ve actively followed the debate over the differences between men and women in general and at work. Like everyone else, I love reading Dave Barry, Deborah Tannen, John Gray, Helen Fisher, and this week’s experts on why we are so inexplicable to each other. It’s just that, as interested as I’ve been in reading about differences, talking about them is kind of embarrassing. It feels vaguely girly and unbusinesslike.

That’s Why Uniforms Have Stripes
I’ve been working with men for a very long time and thought I’d made all the style adaptations I was ever going to need. One of my interviews for my book, It’s Not Business It’s Personal, taught me how wrong I was in that assumption. I was interviewing the chairman of one of the most prestigious banks in San Francisco and it wasn’t going well. He was polite, but I got the sense that talking about relationships, which for many people is a little too touchy-feely, was about to make him break out in hives. He was courteous, but also careful and clearly hoping to wrap things up as quickly as possible. I decided he didn’t like me, and it was all my fault, so I decided to make a graceful exit. As I was packing up, I started to talk about some of the corporate jobs I’d had, columns I was doing, clients we had in common. I saw this click for him, and he really looked at me for the first time. He started to take me seriously. I stayed for almost another hour. By the end, he’d raised the possibility of working together in the future.

What had flipped the switch? I called my friend Tank to help me figure it out. He patiently explained that men like to hear about credentials first. Then they can anticipate performance and know whom they can count on, which for many men has meant the difference between life and death. “Ronna,” Tank said patiently, “that’s why uniforms have stripes. Men like being able to read performance clearly. When you don’t present credentials during an introduction, it makes us anxious.”

Result of Style Differences: Much Gear Grinding
Belatedly, I remembered the conversation I’d had with Barbara Corcoran. She started her New York city real estate business in 1973 with a one-thousand dollar investment, and now her business generates over two billion dollars in sales each year. Barbara talked to me about how men introduce themselves to one another—by immediately announcing their career and position and asking for the same in return (“Hi, Jim Smith, Senior Vice President of Corporate Finance at Microsoft. And you are?”) She said, “I think to myself, how rude! They’re sizing each other up. A woman would never do that. A woman would play coy for two hours on what she did. Or wouldn’t ask. She’d go home knowing everything about the person she’d met except for what they do.” It was comforting to understand that I wasn’t alone in experiencing style difference disturbances. But comfort wasn’t what I needed. I knew in my very bone marrow that if I couldn’t find a way to shift quickly and easily between male and female relationship styles, I’d potentially have the same problem I had learning to drive a stick shift—much gear grinding and some really expensive damage.

Both Sides Now
What’s changed? In the old days, the classic female model—what I’ll call the pink model—was valued, but not explicitly or financially. Because we didn’t understand the value of the relationship in the market, we didn’t knowingly pay for it, or at least not highly.

Now, though, we are beginning to understand that although the classic male relationship rules of business—the blue style—is often powerful and effective, its complement—the pink style—is just as powerful and sometimes more effective. Explicitly understanding, valuing, and mastering these differences is essential to doing well in business today.

Let’s take a look a both sets of rules, for starters.

True Blue Relationship Rules

Feelings are not discussed, especially hurt feelings.

Personal items are not addressed until the end of a conversation, if ever.

Unsolicited feedback, particularly about appearance, is not appreciated.

The most satisfying discussions are about how to best accomplish a task.

First meetings start with a mutual recitation of accomplishments.

Expressions of vulnerability are bad.

Respect always goes to the role, not the individual.

Group communications reflect vertical order: It matters who is “above” and who is “below.”

There is concern about the potential for injured egos or honor and the negative consequences of same.

Team goals automatically trump any individual needs, particularly emotional ones.

Pink Business Relationship Rules

It’s important to know the person you are doing business with as a person.

It’s your problem if you hurt a business associate’s feelings.

The role a person has doesn’t mean they’re right.

Bonding over vulnerability is powerful.

In meetings, it’s good to talk about personal stuff before you get down to business.

The time it takes to reach a consensus pays off.

Announcing accomplishments is self-promotion and mildly distasteful.

Cultivating a relationship with someone simply because they are “above” you in the chain is not highly regarded.

Talk about feelings is good.

The team matters, but it isn’t all that matters.

Pink and Blue—Why is this important?

Identify your primary style color by comparing the lists and seeing which one dominates. Don’t assume that just because you are a woman, you are pink, or because you are a man, you are blue. Why is this important? Half of your business world may have a different relationship style than you do. Are you really willing to give up in advance any chance of the value that better connection with the other half could bring? I doubt it. Concentrate on getting cues to the other person’s style as early as possible. Often you can tell from the way they introduce themselves.

Keep Your Color, But Add Dots
Your style is your natural strength and you want to develop it and work it. It’s like your mother tongue: You will always be faster and more comprehensive in it than in any second language particularly one you pick up as an adult. But in the same way that picking up another language dramatically increases your ability to do business in another country, developing flexibility in the other style will do the same. As one executive, Mort Meyerson, told me, “I think males are getting a little more room to be human, and I think females are given a little more room to be competitive.”

Double-Check With Different Color Style
When you are dealing with a style of a different color, check in twice as often to see if you are really communicating. Conversations across styles are more likely to get garbled in transmission. “No” to a pink may sound like “You hate me.” “No” from a pink may sound to a blue like “Maybe later.” The easiest way is to simply restate what you think you’ve heard, as in: “Let me say what I think you just told me. You said that we can get this done, but you have several issues to resolve first, including x, y, and z.”

Team Up With Opposites
In the old days, the classic male model was seen as superior and the complement to that was valued, but often not openly, actively, or highly. Today’s most successful people look for their complement and when they find it, realize the combined value can be exponentially higher.

Leave Conversion Efforts To Missionaries
It is tempting to try to convince other people to do it your way, but from my experience, and what I’ve learned from the interviewees, is that the more you try to force a blue to behave like a pink, or vice versa, the more recalcitrant he or she is likely to get.

Vive La Difference
After interviewing top executives across the country, it is now very clear to me that the most macho guys I could find are strong enough to choose to incorporate some pink into their blue styles and the pinkest ladies have adopted some blue."

Source: http://www.womensmedia.com/new/business-Lichtenberg-pink-blue.shtml

Professional Women: Returning to Work

A Little Lingerie Company specializes in the needs of professional women looking for career clothes. We thought this article would be of interest to women returning to work after having a baby.

Workforce Reentry Strategies for Sequencing Mothers
by Megan Malugani

Many professional women intend to ramp their careers back up after taking a planned break from the workforce to raise their children. If you're one of these "sequencing" moms, how can you ease your transition back to the world of meetings and memos after you've spent the last year -- or the last 10 -- reading more Dr. Seuss than Wall Street Journal? Experts offer these tips for keeping yourself marketable during your planned downshift and getting back in gear after your hiatus.

Don't Drop Out Completely

Women who make the most seamless transitions back into the workforce are those who don't ever leave it completely. "If you think work is part of your personal reality, find a way to keep your toe in the water," says Cali Williams Yost, president and CEO of the Madison, New Jersey-based consultancy Work+Life and author of Work + Life: Finding the Fit That's Right for You. This could mean that during your "break," you work part-time or take occasional projects from your former employer. At the very least, keep up with what's happening in your industry by reading trade publications or staying in touch with former colleagues.

Volunteer Strategically

Volunteering not only feels good, but it can also bulk up your resume. Do "resume-quality" volunteer work that is applicable to your field or expands your skills, recommends Kathryn Sollmann, cofounder of Wilton, Connecticut-based Women@Work Network, a networking and recruiting organization.

Toot Your Own Horn

Don't undervalue your volunteer and other unpaid work, Yost says. If you were head of the PTO, you can tell a potential employer that you managed a nonprofit with a budget of X dollars. If you sold Tupperware or helped your husband run his business, you could bill yourself as an entrepreneur.

Network, Network, Network

Create an "elevator pitch" about what you want to do, and give it to everyone you meet, from other parents at your kids' school to strangers in the supermarket line, Sollmann says. Your college alumni association and professional organizations also provide valuable networking opportunities, says Kristin Maschka, president of Mothers & More, a nonprofit networking, education and support group for mothers with chapters nationwide.

Package Yourself Properly

As with any job seeker, a well-written resume and professional demeanor during interviews are keys to a successful return. A skills-based rather than a chronology-based resume may make the perceived gap in your work history less obvious, Maschka says.

Maschka also recommends you prepare for and practice answering the "what do you do?" question. Interviewers are legally prohibited from asking about your marital status and whether you have children. But if it comes up indirectly in an interview, make sure you feel comfortable and confident describing your current role and responsibilities. To anyone who asks what she does, Maschka responds, "Right now, I have two unpaid jobs, a volunteer management position with a nonprofit organization and the unpaid job of caring for my child." And don't apologize for a gap in paid work on your resume. "Taking care of kids is not a break or vacation," she adds.

Be Patient

You probably will not immediately regain the pay and prestige you had before you got off the fast track, and you might not want to if your pre-kids job required long hours and travel. But don't be discouraged. As a returning professional, you have a chance for a second career that will probably be longer and may be more interesting than what you did before your hiatus, Sollmann says. "You've got maybe 25 [working] years ahead of you," she says. "You can really dig into something."

Be Confident

People 45 to 64 comprise the fastest-growing segment of workers in the US, Sollmann notes. This is good news for sequencing moms. "Employers not only want you, but need you," she says. A can-do attitude, paired with the growing demand for older workers, will land you back in the workforce. "If you present yourself as a returning professional, you will be perceived as a working professional," she says. "If you
present yourself as a soccer mom, you'll be perceived as a soccer mom."
Source: http://wlb.monster.com/articles/sequencing/

Angelie Plus - Plus Size Bras & Lingerie for Profesional Women

Full figure women need plus size bras that are just as beautiful as they are. That’s why A Little Lingerie Company works with Angelie Plus Lingerie, a designer of plus size bras that are supportive, comfortable, and beautiful. Their lace bras are incredibly soft!

Angelie Plus Lingerie is actually the new plus-size division of Dana-Co Lingerie, licensees of the Natori lingerie label. Angelie Plus specializes in full-figure lingerie with larger band sizes and lovely, feminine designs. A Little Lingerie Company carries both the Charlee Bra and Panty Set and the Charlee Bra and Thong Set from Angelie Plus, as well as separates, such as the Charlee Bra, Charlee Panty, and Charlee Thong.

Plus Size Bras & Full Figure Bras

Women come in all shapes and sizes, and we all need fabulous lingerie. That’s why A Little Lingerie Company seeks out beautiful bra and panty sets in plus sizes. Check out our new Full Figure Cleavage Bra or our Romance Bra for something extra special and our Empress Bra and Charlee Bra for every day. Getting married? Try our Moonlight Strapless Bodysuit under your wedding gown. Each bra comes with a matching panty or thong – and, at A Little Lingerie Company, you always get a discount for buying a matching set!

Panache Camisoles and Lingerie

A Little Lingerie Company offers a beautiful selection of Panache lingerie. Panache is an English company known for beautifully-fitting lingerie in cup sizes from AA to J. Their camisoles with built-in bras are one of our favorites – they are extremely supportive and have a very flattering cut.

Click here to see the Panache Venus collection and our Panache camisoles.

Style Tips - Plus Size Bras

Your bra
Always make sure your bra is lighter or the same colour as the clothes you're wearing.

If you have big breasts - it's essential to wear a bra that fits you properly; a good bra will lift the boobs and give definition to the waist. Try our Empress bra for full cup support.

Balcony bras look great on girls with large chests.

Avoid thin back straps unless you are totally fatless or you will end up with unsightly back bulges under your clothes.

If you have small breasts - spaghetti straps will offer enough support. it's all right to show the straps off under spaghetti strapped tops and dresses, as long as the bra is pretty. Try our Cloud 9 bra for something beautiful for small cups.

If you want to create cleavage, wear 'chicken fillets'. Small breasts look good in bras with 'chicken fillet padding' and a draw-string front.

Your knickers
Wear flesh-coloured underwear under white, light or see-through clothes.

If a skirt is see-through but not figure-hugging, opt for big, flesh-coloured knickers rather than a G-string.

If you have obvious cellulite on your bum, avoid G-strings at all costs when wearing thin fabrics.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifestyle/tv_and_radio/what_not_to_wear/
styleguide_index.shtml#your_bra

Casual Friday Clothes: our Caprice Camisole

Need the perfect outfit for casual Fridays? Layer our soft cotton Caprice camisole under a blouse or jacket, pair with slacks or a skirt, and you are all set.

The trend toward business casual, especially during the steamy summer, is continuing.

That said, the relief from the “corporate suit” presents opportunities for new fashions to emerge. This season, the young, urban working woman is being seen coast-to-coast in a cool style for beating the heat in the business world. The look? A black skirt, blouse and black open-toed shoes.
http://www.cottoninc.com/lsmarticles/?articleID=238