Mother’s Day is around the corner….literally, 6 days away! So time to get online, double click, and get yo mama some Natori gear! And this year, there is so much goodness at Natori that it is hard to dwindle down a selection. Everything at Natori is on fire right now. Seriously, you could go to www.natori.com, close your eyes, randomly start clicking on items and voila, you would have the perfect gift for your mother. All of the items are beautiful, luxurious, stylish, comfortable, and must have. But since that is not reality, here is my MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE. Enjoy, and special treat: you get 20% off orders of $250 or more with the code LOVEMOM2014 at checkout (through May 11th)!
Natori
Ken’s Birthday Concert
As I mentioned on Monday, my husband, Ken had a guitar concert (or as my 5 year old niece called it, a “recital”) this past Saturday night. He started taking guitar lessons 18 months ago, knowing only basic chords and how to read music from his old piano days (and he had never sung). And HOLY COW, what a fun night. I am so proud and in awe of Ken. Bravo! Videos of some of the songs he played are below.
Intro (2 songs: “Wonderwall” by Oasis, “Flake” by Jack Johnson):
Spicy Essentials Sleepshirt
I am craving the nights where I don’t have to wear slippers, sweatpants, long tees, sweatshirts, and robes to bed! I am so sick of this Winter, specifically the cold! And hopefully soon, I can wear just a sleepshirt to bed, and be warm enough. SOON knock on wood. I am super excited about wearing the Josie Spicy Essentials Sleepshirt — and it is exactly that — spicy AND essential.
Bra Guide For Flat Chests
NEWS SHOCKER! I have no boobs. I mean, literally, nothing. They are cute, petite, and basically…just nipples. Sometimes, I wish I had bigger boobs, but then I realize how care-free life is and how easy no boobs are (easy to dress, easy to run, no males drooling over them). So boob-less I will always be! However, bra shopping for flat chests isn’t easy…saying I wear a 32A is a stretch. For many years, I struggled with what fit correctly with my no-chested-body. But thanks to Lynne (National Fit Specialist and Manager of Retail Services for Natori Intimate Apparel) and my bra-fitting this year, I now have the perfect bras for flat chests! Drumroll….
Natori Gift Guide
YEAH, I KNOW, this post is totally in your face about buying Natori, but hey, that is in part what I’m about. And not only should I promote Natori items, but I want to as well! So here are my top Natori gift items for Holiday 2013. And some pictures of the Natori (senior’s) Winter Wonderland apartment.
Josie Fall 13 Pants
Cold weather= not my favorite. I prefer hot, sunny, tank top days to cold, grey coat weather. That said, I do love coming home in the evening and throwing on some warm sweatpants. I know… sexy; but incredibly cozy and comfortable. Currently, I love these Josie Pajamas. Don’t you?
Josie Natori RTW Fashion Show
Nothing better than celebrating the New Year with the Josie Natori Ready-to-Wear Spring/Summer 2014 show! Fashion! Glamour! Beauty! Camera! Action! Inspired by the potent sophistication of 1930s Hollywood, the Josie Natori Spring/Summer 2014 collection captured the eternal style of this glamorous fashion moment, envisioning modern life through the enchantment of the silver screen.
Bra Fitting Tips
I get it — I am lucky. If I want a bra, I can easily order it. Towels? PJs? Those too (thanks to my mother-in-law!). But one of the reasons why I am extremely lucky is having access to getting measured and fit FOR the right bra by one of the most amazing ladies ever! Now that is what I call lucky! Last week, I had the privilege of meeting with Lynne Reynolds to help me find the best bras and fit for my back-to-normal-post-pregnancy-just-weaned-boobs. I can’t even explain how amazing it was — her knowledge, expertise and experience was exactly what I needed to find the right bras for my now flat-chested body! Thank you, Lynne!
Lynne Reynolds is the National Fit Specialist and Manager of Retail Services for Dana-co, the licensee of Natori Intimate Apparel. Lynne is a certified bra fitter and has been in the lingerie industry for 17 years (absolutely incredible!). She helps manage a team of dozens of regional fit specialists that travel around the country helping educate store salespeople and customers on all of the amazing features of Natori, Josie, and N Natori bras Not only did she help find my bra size and three incredible Natori bras, but she answered all my questions, too!
What do you measure to get a proper bra size?
A measurement for a bra is a guideline or a starting point. I always tell my fitters that bra fitting is an art and not a science. I start by measuring around the rib cage, pulling the tape measure snug against the body. The guidelines for band size measurements are as follows: 27”-29”- 32 band, 29”-32”- 34 band, 33”-34”- 36 band, 35”-38”- 38 band, and 39”-41”- 40 band) The best way to find a properly fitting bra is to determine how the bra fits on the body.
The bra band should be low and snug and parallel to the floor, the same level all around the body. You should only be able to slide 1-2 fingers underneath the band.
For cup size, the cup should encompass all breast tissue. If the cup wrinkles or puckers, the cup is too big. If breast tissue bulges out of the cup, the cup is too small. The center gore should “tack” or lay flat against the body. If the center piece pulls out in front, you need to go up a cup size. The wire should surround the entire “footprint” of the breast. The wire should hit under the ribcage on bone, not on breast tissue.
How do you know what notch to put the bra on?
Winter Jammies
Winter Jammies! Time to get some good looking pajamas for those family holiday nights. Goodbye t-shirt and undies, hello beautiful. Here are my top three ensembles for winter nights.
I am the first one to admit that I prefer undies and tees to pajamas (ironic, don’t you think?). But as I get older, I am more attracted to the retro and sophisticated, old-school pajama look. Classic, chic, feminine, and practical. I love the Essence PJ, and the fabric is a perfect combination of sateen and cotton, making it silky but breathable.
Feathers Undies
I know I have mentioned these undies before (Hospital Lounge Wear) but they are so ah-mazing that I feel like they need their own special shout out. The Natori Feathers Panties are that good.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they might LOOK like granny panties, but trust me, they are so luxurious and form fitting that they are anything BUT. They are not overly lacey and they have the perfect amount of fabric. Thongs are so 1990s, cotton undies are so 13 year old, and these are so 2012 perfection. They are the perfect mixture of a classic fit with a modern take.
Natori Design Process
This past week, I had the fabulous opportunity to meet with the three main designers of all of the Natori brands (Josie, Natori, JN, N Natori, and Ready-to-wear) for lunch. It was an incredibly educational experience for me and I learned so much, as I walked away with a much deeper understanding (and appreciation) for all the work that goes into designing clothes. It is such a complex process! There are so many different steps it takes to get a finished product sold in a store.
At Natori, there is a main design theme each season (for us non-fashion people — there are two main seasons — Fall and Spring) which gives the designers a better sense of direction and inspiration for the lines. Although there are many collections at Natori (Josie Natori, Natori, Josie, N Natori) — they all work within the same theme for a given season. The themes are often destinations or exotic places of the East– the current Fall 2012 theme is Mongolia. They are currently working on Spring 2013, the theme of which is the Philippines (very appropriate). Once they are given the theme, the designers research in depth — history, culture, traditions, textiles, costumes, colors, mood etc. They look at every part of the theme for inspiration and guidance in their designs.