This Valentine’s Day Linea Intima was the go-to-source for intimates gift buying advice and the latest lingerie trends to give romantic moment’s stylish sizzle.

This month is all about lovers and romantic getaways for two.

To celebrate we’re having a lucky draw!

This year was no exception. My days were a whirlwind of gorgeous lingerie, glamorous parties, fashionable new lines and as always, unexpected encounters.

My visit began with a party at the Baccarat House (once a gorgeous private hotel, now a museum). It was organized by the house of Simone Perélè, as a thank you to their best stores from around the world and also to present their beautiful new Fall 2012 collection. And it was beautiful!  I had the opportunity to meet and talk with other lingerie retailers from around the world (South Africa, Australia ), and discovered we are a lot alike and in many cases, they envy Canada and our economy.

with the store manager- Bellynda

I also visited the Marlies Dekkers Paris store. I did not introduce myself as a lingerie retailer and experienced a bra-fitting as a customer (just like you would).

I enjoyed my experience very much, as I hope you enjoy your experience at our Linea Intima stores. Note: I was pleased (but not surprised) when I was fit with a different size in each of the 3 bras I purchased. It really does not matter the letter and number on the label- choose the fit and comfort every time.

The Salon International show was simply vibrating with energy and activity this season and pulsating with excitement – about the existing lines as well as the many new ones. I felt that it was larger than usual – both in the number of exhibitors as well as visitors.

The Fall season is all about indulgence and acceptance. Indulging your own secret fantasies and your weaknesses, but also the acceptance and love of your own body. And speaking of love – love for the city (Paris) and everything French!

Next Fall you will see high heels intricated in the lace and in the fabric (the perfect accessory to lingerie), Eiffel tower and mots d’amour (words of love) prints, plus lots of lace and frills! The reigning colour will be purple (the colour of royalty) with peach, different shades of coral and navy as hot alternatives along with the ultimate, sexy shade of black. Nautical influences will be very directional and geometrical.

with Joanna and her Mother.

At the PrimaDonna-MarieJo booth, I was enjoying the models and admiring the new collection when I had a touching experience. The owner of a store in Athens recognized me and introduced herself – then told me how influential Linea Intima’s website and newsletters were to her career. She has even watched my TV appearances … in Greece! I felt like a movie star – thanks Joanna at Mavrommatis Lingerie Shop.

The last evening, we attended a beautiful dinner at the Opera house restaurant, as guests of Chantelle’s Canadian importer, who invited the Canadian stores attending the S.I.L. It was a wonderful ending to an amazing show – thank you Robert!

Here are a few things I learned on this trip:

- Don’t assume people will understand you if you refer to a Paris street  “Avenue of Americans” . Instead call it by its true name: “Avenue of theUnited States” ( the address of the Baccarat House)

- To get to the Salon International lingerie show, don’t ask for the “Exhibition Park at Versailles”, otherwise, the taxi might take you to either the Exhibition Park or to the Palace of Versailles- both more than an hour from Paris. Just simply ask for “Exhibition Place at Port Versailles”.

- Don’t eat a lot of baguette before dinner- even though the dinner portions look small, they are very filling and you might not have room for dessert (which would be a pity!).

In future blogs, I’ll be showcasing the gorgeous new lines I’ve selected for you  and will be sharing my unrelenting love for lingerie, so stay tuned.

Au revoir (which actually means “see you”!)

After seeing The Artist (which by the way I loved) I got this longing for 1930’s glamour – for beauty and fashion the way it used to be. I don’t think I was the only one feeling this way because last night was a fantastic show of beauty, glamour, glitter, feathers and ruffles. There were a lot of daring looks, lots of low décolletage and dramatic open backs!

I loved that there was a big change from the usual elegant black (dark blue was a favourite dark colour) with peach, yellow and green as the hues of choice.

Here’s my little list of the most gorgeous dresses and overall, best red carpet style. In first place Angelina Jolie’s statuesque Atelier Versace white dress and Evan Rachel Wood’s low décolleté black and green, peacock feathered Gucci. Also I loved Jane Fonda, both her dress and appearance (boy, I hope I can look like that at her age) and of course the elegance and class of Dame Judi Dench.

At the bottom of my list, I am sorry to say, is Meryl Streep. I adore her in every movie I have ever seen her in, but her fashion choices – not so much. And Madonna – wow – those girls were probably screaming – “let us out, we are in pain”. I have mentioned before that she could benefit from a professional a bra-fitting!

In general I did not see too many faux pas, (except someone needs to tell Claire Danes of Homeland, that red carpet glamour doesn’t not include showing your nipples). You can wear the most gorgeous gown, but without the right undergarments, you set yourself up for fashion disaster.

The styles last night were so perfect and so colourful, that I can’t wait to show you all of the pretty new colours coming into our stores for spring. Seamless, nude bras have their place, but this year let’s live it a little and add some colour to our lingerie wardrobes!

At this time of year, we’d like to pause and extend our utmost gratitude and appreciation to each and every one of you. We are most grateful for your patronage. Without your support we would not be looking forward to celebrating our 15th anniversary this year!

We will continue to seek out the finest brands and products for our stores and we will strive to meet your every expectation.
 Happy New Year to all of you and to your families. The Linea Intima family wishes you the very best in 2012 – a year filled with health, happiness and of course – gorgeous lingerie, luxury and love!

 Thank you once again for your loyalty. We look forward to ‘supporting’ you in the coming year.

As always we would love to hear from you. Please share your thoughts and comments with us so that we can continue to provide the highest level of customer service we feel you deserve.

I like to put the New Year in perspective and make ‘a game plan’ of improvements. Of course I am thinking (and promising myself) to eat better and try to loose weight. I am seriously contemplating joining a fitness club and I decided to always remove my make-up and brush my teeth each night!

However, being immersed in the lingerie industry, I am also putting into perspective my ‘lingerie habits’. I am embarrassed and guilty of breaking a few of my own rules. I do know how important it is to feel good from the inside out, therefore this coming year I am making a pledge to improve my personal lingerie wardrobe and I hope to inspire you to do the same.

Here are my lingerie resolutions for the New Year:

1- De-clutter my closet – starting with my lingerie drawers.

You know you have a drawer full of bras and panties but you always pick the same ones, the ones you love the most, so really you are wearing maybe 25% of your ‘treasures’. So be strong and make the right choices: discard the old, ratty and unflattering bras and panties. Make plans to donate anything that’s in good shape – like the uncomfortable styles you insisted on keeping because they were “just so pretty” or because they would “fit one day”. Gather all the impulse buys, too-good-to-pass-up deals (the ones that still have the price tag on) and take them to a local women’s shelter.

Now you’ll have room to fill your drawers with lots of new, perfect fitting lingerie, and fill your life this coming year with luxury and love!

2. Find a sports bra that actually works.

If you are serious about joining a sports/fitness club or starting your own routine at home –  be ready with the right sports bra for the activity you choose. There are styles designed specifically for different levels of activity. A good sports bra will minimize breast bounce, comfortably support your ‘girls’ and help absorb moisture and odours. Even those with smaller sized ‘girls’ can experience discomfort associated with high impact physical activity and need a supportive bra that doesn’t restrict movement.

3. Improve my sleep – choose comfort without sacrificing beauty
It is a fact that comfortable sleepwear will improve the quality of your sleep, so it’s important to choose the style that’s most comfortable for you. And comfort doesn’t mean you have to give up feeling sexy and attractive. There’s a wide selection of beautiful designs in luxury fabrics and pretty colours that make a fashionable, good night sleep a dream come true.

5. Take better care of my lingerie investment.

Use a special detergent for delicates – one with a nice smell, that’s gentle on both your hands and your pretty underthings. The more you love using it, the more it will entice you to regularly handwash your intimate investments. You’ll find it’s worth the extra effort at night, so that you wake up in the morning to find your choices for the day (or whatever suits your mood) freshly, cleaned and waiting for you to put them on!

I feel very optimistic about 2012 and look forward with anticipation to the exciting months ahead and all of the possibilities. Remember that living life to the fullest starts with loving yourself. This year, be the best YOU that you can be!

Turns out a CNN study agrees with my mother. The study shows how powerful good posture (standing straight and not slouching ) can be, in making you look and feel successful.

As a result you are perceived by others as such, and according to the study, are more likely to be hired and even offered positions of leadership!

Who knew your bra could lead you to success – (Linea Intima knew!)

 Come in for a complimentary bra-fitting and let us help you select the best bra for you, one that will improve your posture, your looks and your overall well-being!

The other day I was working in one of our stores. A young mother was having a bra- fitting, while the nona was entertaining the little son outside. It was a beautiful day and the boy was happy to be chatting with his grandma; when I overheard him asking to go inside the store and see his mother. The grandma quickly answered, “This is a ladies’ store. Boys don’t go in there!” The boy of course asked “why?”, and her answer was,

“Boys don’t go into stores that are only for ladies.”

Looking ahead 20 years from now, I can only imagine that this young man will no doubt be scared-to-death to step foot into a lingerie store!

Not surprisingly (given my profession!), I think it’s absolutely fine for men to venture into lingerie stores. In fact, it should be a pleasant experience for them and certainly shouldn’t be taboo!

Women love to receive gifts from their significant others; especially gifts of lingerie. How else can those ‘others’ ever purchase lingerie to gift the woman they love, if they’re terrified to shop in a lingerie store?

In the spirit of the holidays – let’s take note of the messages and subtle signals we send to our sons as they’re growing up. I can’t help but think how important it is to raise them the way we would like our husbands to be. The next generation of wives and partners (and lingerie wearers) will thank you!

 We always want to see you and won’t let a nuisance like parking stand between us.

 So, keep this in mind – when visiting our “parking challenged” stores, we will gladly deduct $5 off your bill!

 Combine that with the benefits of our free bra club, our specialized, Linea Intima bra-fittings and our friendly, professional staff  – why would you shop anywhere else?