A new Cacique bra is hitting stores this week that’s got the perfect mix of style & substance for America’s plus-size beauties that can be worn under spring & summer’s lightweight tees: the T-Shirt Bra from Cacique, available exclusively at Lane Bryant. Claiming great support, this could be a great daily-wear-solution…

The Lane Bryant people say: “The new T-Shirt Bra is a must-have for the upcoming season, featuring a great new shape with support and coverage while disappearing under any top! The versatile new bra comes in basic colors ($32, see photo) and fashion prints ($36).”

The Shortee uniquely features underwire foam cups and a no-roll curved front to prevent ride up.  Made of breathable, cool-tex lycra, the lightweight Shortee will appear smooth under your snuggest sweaters and your slinkiest shirts.  As with the other Shapeez styles, sizes A – E are available so nearly everyone is included!  This style retails at $75 and is available at Shapeez.com and numerous boutiques throughout North America.  For more information on Shapeez, visit the website.

Panty styles include bikini, boyshort, cheeky, hipster, and thong in cotton, mesh, or lace.  Choose from a variety of patterns, prints, and solids.  Prices for panties range from $7.50 to $10.50, but are also available 5 for $25 or 3 for $24 depending on the style.

I plan on trying a few pairs out to see how they compare to my staple favorites – Commando, Cosabella, Honeydew, and Hanky Panky!  Many of the panty styles resemble these popular department store and boutique brands.  I’m also interested in hearing about the quality and fit of the bras as compared to other brands.  They are out of my size range so I’d love to hear about your experiences.  Please share in our forums.  I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions.

The figleaves.com Lingerie Awards received thousands of consumer votes for categories such as ‘Best Lingerie Brand,’ ‘Best T-shirt Bra,’ ‘Best Sleepwear Brand’ and ‘Figleaves Favorite,’ among others. For the first year, the brands and pieces on the shortlist for voting were pulled from the consumer favorites – the top items that consumers had reviewed favorably on the site throughout the year.

And the winners are…

· Best Lingerie Brand: Chantelle
· Best Value Brand: Triumph
· Sexiest Lingerie Collection: Le Mystere Francesca
· Best DD+ Brand: Fantasie
· Best Controlwear: Spanx Power Panties with tummy control
· Best T-shirt Bra: Fantasie Allure molded balcony bra
· Best Sleepwear Brand: Eberjey
· Best Swimwear Brand: Panache
· Best Menswear Brand: Calvin Klein
· Figleaves Favorite: Vanity Fair Floral spot underwire bra

Back to me. As soon as I entered the store, I was greeted by a helpful sales attendant, Nisha, who asked me a few questions before leading me back to a changing room. She analyzed my current situation and made a few recommendation. She frequently checked to see how each of the bras fit, how I liked them, etc. Before I knew it, she had brought me a few more. After a few tries, I finally settled on the Chantelle Senso. It’s truly amazing how a perfect fit can make a drastic difference. While I love my pretty things, today I was only in the market for the practical. (Although the ones she showed me were very pretty for sure!)

I love this store because they have a wide variety of options for a wide variety of sizes. And you are in luck, if you are in NYC (or even online – check out the interactive store), La Petite Coquette is having a great sale! What more could you ask for?! Enjoy!

The Lula Lu Petites collection was developed in line with the feedback received by many of Lula Lu’s store and online customers. Many of these customers had expressed frustration at the sizing of the AA cups currently available on the market, which they felt were inaccurate and too large. As one customer, Stacey, explained, “I want a bra that touches my skin, not one that dents in because there’s so much space in the cups!”

Unlike traditional bra companies who generally use a 34B fit model to determine the sizing of their bras, Lula Lu used a group of AA cup store customers to more accurately determine the fit of the bra cups, especially for the AA and A cup customers.

“We wanted to be as accurate as possible when it came to the AA cups so we enlisted the help of our customers, who were more than happy to provide feedback,” comments Ellen Shing, owner of Lula Lu. “We were as frustrated as our customers because we couldn’t fit some of them with the existing AA cup styles on the market so we decided to make our own!”

The first collection of Lula Lu Petites includes three styles, two basic T-shirt bras and a more frou-frou one with lace. Bra sizes start at 30A and one of the styles even comes in a 38AA, an extremely hard to find size. T-shirt bras retail for $45- 48; lacey bra retails for $48. Matching panties and thongs are between $16 – 18 and come in sizes S, M and L. More on lulalu.com!

Upon entering the ballroom after a cocktail party, guests took their seats around the runway where models were already placed on stage wearing designs from the competitors. Following dinner, guests were treated to the runway show and the presentation of awards. The competition in each category was tough indeed, particularly in the Best Fashion and Best D+ competition. That one is closest to the heart, of course.

Perhaps what stood out in my mind the most, that many others attending the event also mentioned, is that women of all shapes and sizes were represented in the runway show.

One line, Best Plus Size award winner Tia Lyn (also appearing at the trade show), is an all-inclusive line that spans sizes small to 3x. This vintage inspired line features a variety of chemises, gowns, camisoles, and panties.

Also a contender for both Best Plus Size and Best D Plus finalist, Empreinte, is seeking to become more of a presence in the U.S. with its beautiful and well constructed pieces for fuller figure women. This 60 year old company based in France offers numerous options in sizing (up to a G cup) as well as high fashion and glamour. I am most impressed with the delicate embroidery and variety of moods the collection fits.

Other contenders for Best D Plus include my personal favorites, Panache and Elixir, Barbara, and the amazing Australian based line, Bendon. So expect more about some of those lines soon!

Best Fashion was probably my other just-can’t-pick-my-favorite category of the evening. With TLP favorites Marlies Dekkers, Madame V, Chantelle, and Elle MacPherson and one of my trade show finds, Lou, it was stiff competition! Lou will be debuting this fall with parts of the collection arriving in both September and November so check your local boutique. Perhaps my favorite part of the evening might have been when the team from Marlies Dekkers was accepting their award and shared their design philosopy. They design pieces to please women, but if it also happens to please men, then that’s great. I like their way of thinking!

Overall, it was a phenomenal evening of great food, great conversation, and GORGEOUS lingerie. You can drool over all the beautiful pieces like I did! See the video coverage of the show at Zoozoom.com.

What is decent? Depending on the shop, prices for complete sets start at approximatly $45 for the basic underwear. The Sensual Curves line for example (the pictures that come with this entry are from this Sensual Curves collection) looks basic, but playful.The stretch lace tanga features a high-cut leg, the bra has a printed mesh lace overlay on smooth graduated padded cups and thick floral lace bordering the cups. It looks sexy at very, very low price.

DKNY is a great choice for basic lingerie. If you decide to choose a DKNY set you’ll enjoy quality underwear at a great price, and that sounds like a fair deal to me!