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Lingerie IQ

Word Play: How Lingerie Came to America - Literally

Back when your great great grandmother was wearing bloomers, American women flocked to France to buy lingerie. This was in the 1800s when the word itself didn’t really exist in the American vocabulary. We Anglo-Saxons incorporated it into our English language as a stand-in for frilly, naughty undergarments (like we did with other French words too sexy or sassy for our Puritan ways.)
October 08, 2015 

Lingerie IQ

Chantelle Supports National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In 1980, Janelle Hail was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 34. With little information about the disease and few resources at her disposal, Hail embarked on a mission to educate herself and overcome breast cancer. Years later, she launched the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) to help women learn about what has become a national health crisis.
October 07, 2015 

Lingerie IQ

Calais Lace: Centuries of French Craftsmanship Thread by Thread

We are very lucky to be women, so even if we're wearing trousers, I always wear them with some lace underwear or a very feminine bra - I like that. - Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief, French Vogue
Calais is a small French port town on the English Channel where, on a clear day, you can see the Strait of Dover. This simple geographic detail had a huge historical impact on the world of textiles that prevails to this day.
August 19, 2015 

Lingerie IQ

Behind the Scenes at Chantelle

Chantelle is one of the best known French brands in the U.S., and it has always been ahead of the game: When women were bound up in tightly-laced corsets over 200 years ago, Chantelle invented the first girdle in elasticized fabric so that women could move and breath.
September 23, 2015 
You Say You Want a Revolution?

How the bra was born

For centuries our busts were supported by whale and steel boning. Women could barely walk...

Color Me Gorgeous

Color Me Gorgeous

The real reason “lingerie” is a naughty word in English and how color is connected to our...

A Brief History of the Corset

A Brief History of the Corset

Find out why women suffered to be beautiful at all costs. The real reasons will surprise...

The Big Reveal

The Big Reveal

Remember when simply revealing a bare ankle caused a sex scandal? Here’s the short sexy...

Liberté, Egalité, Lingerie

Liberté, Egalité, Lingerie

French Women Talk Lingerie: They Own HOW Many Bras?

They Own How Many Bras?

Get out your calculator: We asked French women on the streets of Paris how many bras they...

Couples Therapy à la Française

Couples Therapy à la Française

French men riff on who and why they buy lingerie for their partners. Imagine if men all...

French Women Talk Lingerie Everything but Nude

Everything but Nude!

We asked French women on the streets of Paris what color bras they wear. We asked French...

The Secret Powers of Lingerie?

The Secret Powers of Lingerie?

“My little personal pleasure.” “Like jewelry, only hidden.” “It gives me confidence.”...

You Don't Have to Be French to Wear French Lingerie

You Don’t Have to Be French to Wear French Lingerie

French women explain why they prefer French lingerie – and encourage American women to...

French Panties With a Twist

French Panties With a Twist

How many panties and different panty styles do French women wear? French women riff.

From Corsets to Crazy Comfort

From Corsets to Crazy Comfort

The French have been innovators in lingerie for the last 200 years: New fabrics and...

From plunge to push up

From Plunge to Push-Up

French women wear them in all styles: Demi-cup, balconette, triangle bra, plunge bar,...

From Solo Shopping to Group Sprees

From Solo Shopping to Group Sprees

French women buy lingerie with their partners, with their girlfriends, or solo. The point...

Lingerie: A His and Her Gift

Lingerie: A His and Her Gift

French women love to receive lingerie as a gift. Men love to give it. It’s the ultimate...

Lingerie Is An Integral Part of Fashion

Lingerie Is An Integral Part of Fashion

It’s unanimous: For French women lingerie is fashion and not strictly utilitarian....

Bra Fitters Are a Woman's Best Friend

Bra Fitters Are a Woman’s Best Friend!

The butcher, the baker, the candlestick-maker – AND the bra fitter. A good bra fitter is...

The Alchemy of Lingerie: Beauty + Comfort = Power

The Alchemy of Lingerie: Beauty + Comfort = Power

French women agree: There’s a certain je ne sais quoi that happens when you wear lingerie...

All Grown-Up: The Thrill of Your First Bra. French Women Talk Lingerie on the Streets of Paris

All Grown-Up: The Thrill of Your First Bra.

We asked French women to recall their first bra. They shopped with mom or dad, wore that...

French Women Talk Lingerie on the Streets of Pa

To Match or Not To Match?

French women love to match – and they do so for themselves, generally on a daily basis....

French Women Talk Lingerie The Naked Truth About Seduction

The Naked Truth About Seduction

French women on the streets of Paris reflect on the art of seduction, feeling good in...

Passionata's Playful Passion

Passionata’s Playful Passion

Spring/Summer 2016

Simone Pérèle making of

SIMONE PERELE: BEHIND THE SCENES

Spring/Summer 2016

Barbara Edition culotee

The Icebreaker

When very cold is very hot: Barbara breaks new ground

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