By all means, pull out all the stops in the bedroom! But what about the rest of the night, when you’re enjoying dessert or curling up in front of the fireplace? Valentine’s Day deserves something a little special and extra pretty even if you’re not leaving the house. Here are some of our favorite options for a cozy Valentine’s night in:

Figleaves Poppy Vintage Lace & Silk Set

Eberjey Anouk Chemise

Soma Sensual Printed Short Robe

Mystique Intimates Elise Chemise

Betsey Johnson Rose Print Babydoll

Hanky Panky Mini Hearts Babydoll

Julianna Rae Silken Jewel Print Set

Frederick's of Hollywood - $36

Natori - $160

Betsey Johnson - $70

Dreamgirl - $25

And God Created Woman - £230

Secrets In Lace - $55

Myla - £250

Cosabella - $99

Finally, Carine Gilson is purely eye candy for me! These robes are gorgeous but quite expensive – over $1,200 each!

Do you wear robes? What is your favorite style? When shopping for robes, is there something in particular that you look for, or do you just wait to find one that you love?

Fantasie's Amber bra

Bigger bras are hard to find. There are a handful of brands that really “get”  larger-chested ladies, and the ones who do generally do it very well (shout out to Freya, Fantasie, and Cacique, just to name a few). But in general, women higher than a 38 band or above a DD cup can’t count on just walking into a store and finding a bra that fits. We have to special order, we have to blindly buy online, or we have to somehow find the holy grail: a tiny lingerie shop with a large size range. (I’m in the US, but I hear you UK ladies have an easier time finding big bras. I’m jealous!)

But why? As a country, US women are beginning to need bigger and bigger bras, a trend that is reflected through much of the world. (Some people blame breast augmentation, some people blame a rise in obesity, and some simply think more women are getting properly sized in the first place these days.) So you’d think that manufacturers would jump on this growing market and make larger bra sizes. But in general, they just don’t.

According to a recent article from New York Magazine, larger bras are more challenging to design and manufacture. That makes sense – bras are pretty incredible feats of engineering, and their task only gets harder as their load gets heavier. Not only that, but women don’t want bras to look utilitarian, we want them to seem like delicate wisps of gossamer and lace. But Jessica Pfister, design director for Le Mystere (a brand that goes to 44H and that makes 80% of sales from larger sizes), says that the idea of not developing these bras because it’s difficult is “totally crazy” and ”a lot of bra manufacturers make 32 to 38 — that leaves out two-thirds of the population.” Pfister’s three-person team spent nearly two years developing a bra to hold their maximum 44H chest. She says,

Cacique's pleated bandeau bra

“At 44H, the weight of each breast is about twelve pounds. It’s fourteen-and-a-half inches across on each cup. That’s a size 14 shoe, just kind of curved. So you need a garment that’s going to support you like nothing else. There are hundreds of components in a bra and each one needs to be perfect. If you’re an eighth of an inch off, you’re not going to get the right support.”

But that investment of time and money is one that many brands just do not want to make. Linda LoRe, president of Frederick’s of Hollywood (where 70% of styles come in plus-size options) says, ”If you don’t already have that customer coming to you, it could be a big risk to invest in that inventory unless you know it’s going to pay off.” Susan DeMusis, executive vice president of merchandising for Carole Hochman Design Group (intimates licensee for Betsey Johnson, a brand that goes to 36DD) says, “If our retailers said, ‘We think there’s a big opportunity to make a 38 band size,’ we would make it happen.”

Jezebel notes:

“But how much of a ‘risk’ is it to make and advertise a product you know many women are clamoring for, unless you know your company is only capable of making cheap, flimsy bras that would never support larger breasts? Is designing a bra that can do some heavy lifting really so complex that it’s more profitable to add a bow and some lace to last season’s 34Bs and shun millions of potential customers?”

It sounds to me like women in hard-to-find sizes need to be vocal! We need to make sure that manufacturers and retailers know the sizes we want, and how badly we want them. (I have emailed quite a few companies asking if they plan to expand their size ranges, with varying responses.) Then more companies will be like Le Mystere, which has developed a strapless 40G bra set to be available in stores in July.

The e-boutique also has Felina, Wacoal, Badgley Mischka, Le Mystère, SPANX, Honey Dew Intimates, … An extremely good list of lingerie labels — so like I said; expect them to be mentioned on TLP again soon!

This Figleaves sale is a pretty big one. They’re throwing 40% off select sleepwear and lingerie from brands such as Elle Macpherson Intimates, Betsey Johnson Intimates, Princesse Tam Tam, Chantelle, Charnos, Felina, Diesel and Eberjey…

Figleaves Holiday Sale — Check it out!

The strength of Figlevaes.com has always been their huge stocklist, and their sleepwear stock is continuously growing… Big names such as Eberjey, Elle Machperson intimates, Bodas, PJ Salvage, … but also a lot of smaller labels!

No images, just two links: FIGLEAVES UK and FIGLEAVES US Sleepwear!

Spend $125 or more (probably very easy for all of us!) and receive a free gift! With brands in stock from La Perla to Betsey Johnson, you’re bound to find something that suits your fancy. Out of town on business? Pulling all nighters this week? You are in luck. Pre-sells will be available prior to the event. So get yourself there and celebrate that spring has sprung! See you there.