Curve Expo New York 2012 – August 5-7 At The Jacob Javits Center A Huge Success
Watch The Show Video At The End Of This Article
Click Images To See Larger View
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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t is not often that a photojournalist gets an assignment that is one that he will enjoy. I usually enjoy most of mine, because I am the boss…yes as President of International Press Association and Editor-In-Chief of IMPress Magazine, I get to select which assignments I want to cover.
[box_light]Previouos Shows I Have Covered[/box_light]
Of course IPA is made up of independent media, so most of our members can select an assignment and cover it for IPA, but in my position, I have to be sure that it will be worthwhile, will enable me to write an exciting article or review and most important get readers to visit our site to read the article. With all the challenges I do try to select those that make sense. I cover the NY Automobile Show, the International Beauty Show, the National Association of Broadcasters in Vegas, The PDN PhotoPlus Show in New York and others I feel our readers will enjoy seeing on our site.
In 2008 I had an opportunity to cover a wonderful lingerie show Lingerie America, no longer in business and has been replaced now by Curve. it was a small show then, but to my surprise they had a great fashion show and I was able to have a front seat the record it.
You can see the videos I shot of the exhibit and the fashion show on YouTube, unfortunately YouTube didn’t allow videos longer then a couple of minutes, so I had to keep these tight and short. You will see I broke the fashion show up into 5 parts to include it all. Visit my YouTube channel to see these videos. Here are just a few links, you can find the rest at my channel. Trade Show Video – Fashion Show Part 4 – Fashion Show Part 5.
Now I covered last years Couture Fashion Week and you can read my review and see that video here too and it was a great show, but when I received the invitation for Curve 2012 a few weeks ago, I knew I had to go. Not knowing exactly what to expect, I assumed it would be another show where manufacturers would meet potential buyers and show their lines.
Coming from a background in the lingerie and women’s apparel business, I have sold both lingerie and women’s sportswear, but I wasn’t quite sure what to expect at this show. I should have realized from the title of the show that this one was going to be special. After all it is the showcase for Designer Lingerie & Swim Wear had to be special. No dollar store stuff at this show.
[box_light]Preparing and Attending The Expo[/box_light]
So I grabbed some gear, not much and decided to go into New York on Sunday the first day of the show. Once there, I soon discovered I was ill prepared to give this the type of coverage it needed. I was surrounded by gorgeous models, wearing truly spectacular bathing suits and lingerie. Each booth either had one or more models. As I walked the aisles with my camera in hand and my iPad in my other hand, I soon discovered I would have to return on Monday to really do this show justice. I needed a tripod, lights, proper sound equipment and the time to interview some of the exhibitors.
I had to share this photo with you.
I spent a few hours on Sunday just meeting and seeing what I wanted to cover on Monday and had an opportunity to meet some of the great exhibitors like Pain du Sucre which I thought meant Pain and Suger, but it actually means Bread of Sugar. I was able to meet two beautiful models Nikki and Lulu and their spokesperson Marie-France Pleau.
At first they were reluctant to share their new line with the press. All companies in the clothing industry are very protective of their new designs. After showing them the IMPress website on my iPad and the work I do, they felt more comfortable. After all seeing a small YouTube video in our article doesn’t give one the ability to really “knock off” these garments.
I began to shoot some images of the Nikki, Lulu and Marie-France. You can see from this photo, these models towered over petite Marie. I decided to give them a break and promised to return the next day and we would do it the right way. Watch the video to see their beautiful swimwear and these three beautiful women.
As I continued my journey through the aisles I could see all the exhibitors seemed to be busy with customers, especially he larger designer labels, so I decided to select some that had beautiful garments and might appreciate being featured in our article.
[box_light]Lingerie For Every Type of Woman[/box_light]
I noticed that there were quite a few companies there that specialized in larger sized or full figured garments for those BBW ladies. I spent many years as a VP of sales in what was called the “Large Sized Women’s Sportswear” industry in the 1970’s and worked with Perry Ellis on one of the first sportswear lines made specifically for the market.
I stopped by Anita International, a German based company that manufactures foundation wear and lingerie for the maternity, active or athletic, medical care, full figure and other women with special needs. I spoke to their U.S. general manager Steven Bernstein about the market. This of course is a great market today for these specialty lines and they even have their Rosa Faia line for everyone else. From what I could see, this company has it covered. My visit brought back fond memories of my days in the women’s sportswear business and I was the one that would shoot all the photos we would give to our buyers and those we needed for publicity.
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As I moved on, I stopped by Naked Princess. I met Becca Frank their co-founder and chief creative officer and Michael Montanez their director of marketing and public relations. In the few moments we had they explained that their company is unique in this business because they don’t simply manufacture exquisite lingerie, but rather beauty and boudoir “luxuries” that engage the senses.
This includes their private collection of wonderful cosmetics and scents and lingerie made from the finest lace, silk and cashmere’s imported from France and Italy. Of course they also offer a collection of wonderful gift items that include books and papers. Visit their site to see more and learn more about their “Luxury Lifestyle” products and indulgences.
My next stop was with Julie France (by Eurotard) where I met Jan Swan their VP of Sales. I don’t know much about this industry anymore, but do remember the old days where women would struggle pulling on their foundation garments. I sold many in those days myself working for Loveable Bra.
Today women don’t have to wear the corsets of yesterday, they have something new. Spanx seems to be the company most of us have heard of, but there are now competitors that are doing a great job at offering a product that is more comfortable, easier to wear, has unlimited styles for every type of clothing and even has tabs that hook on to a woman’s bra to hold it in place and offer them at a cost that is well, very competitive to the others. Their product is made of a finer and softer yarn and offers powerful, graduated compression with maximum breathability.
Jan showed me some of their garments and her line was extensive. Their are Cami Body Shapers, High Waist Panty Shapers, High Waist Thong Shapers and Tummy Shapers just to name a few. Of course the offer a full line of dress shapers and some look good enough to wear as outerwear. Want to wear a tank top or capri pants, no problem, they have those shapers as well. I think I may have to ask Jan to send me their men’s body sculptor T-shirt, my body needs a lot of help. Be sure to visit their website and see their entire collection.
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[box_light]And Then I Met Anne Krystel[/box_light]
One of my favorite stops was visiting Anne Krystel. I passed this booth a couple of times and they were so busy that I didn’t want to take them away from working with their buyers, but I knew I had to return to talk to them. I didn’t realize at the time that Anne Krystel Goyer was a Playboy centerfold and a famous model who has appeared on the covers of some of the best international magazines. Anne comes from Montreal, Quebec, Canada and her native language is French.
Her partner and designer is Pascal Labelle and very likeable man with a friendly manner. I wanted to do a little video of them as I have done for other companies, but their booth was located in a very noisy area and I was having sound issues, so as you watch the video, please understand, I messed up :-). I have been testing a lot of new audio equipment for manufacturers, not necessarily a good thing to do on an assignment.
You can see some of the beautiful models they had in her booth and some of the absolutely gorgeous and sexy swim wear and lingerie. I have shot a lot of women when I was running my glamour and boudoir seminars, but none as beautiful as the women at Anne Krystel. Be sure to stop by their website. I believe it is still under construction, but you will be able to view some of their styles by downloading their PDF version of their catalogue.
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Jane Woolrich Design, makes beautiful nightwear and corsetry. All of her designs are hand made in the heart of the English countryside, so you can expect the finest quality laces, silks and materials in all of her garments.
Jane is a lovely lady and you will see her in our video with her beautiful model Olga. From her website…For over 20 years, Jane Woolrich has established herself as one of the leading Designers in Nightwear and lingerie.
With little publicity and the minimum of fuss, Jane is renowned within the trade as a creator of styling that represents the epitome of romance.
Store buyers and boutique owners throughout the world know that few can emulate her touch. Effortlessly using exquisite laces on bias cut shapes that really do fit. Jane manages to bridge between couture and commercialism. They have a short video on their website that will give you a better idea of what they do.
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Kristin Omdahl representing Eucalan a company that produces Eucalyptus No Rinse Delicate Washing products. Eucalyptus oil is a natural moth and flea inhibitor, so use Eucalan Eucalyptus regularly on woolens and particularly before storing them for the season. So when you spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your beautiful lingerie, you have to be certain you treat it with care when you wash it.
Kristin is also a celebrity in her own right. She has written books and creates patterns for those that knit and crochet. Visit her exciting website and see what she has to offer as well. Frankly, when I saw this beautiful woman at this booth, I would never have thought this is what a woman that knits and crochets looks like. You be the judge when you watch our show video.
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One last company I visited was Freegun Underwear. This company sells a million garments a month and is a popular priced print underwear company for every youthful member of the family. See the video, they have hundreds of prints and styles.
[box_light]The Fashion Show[/box_light]
Well it was finally time to attend the CURVE Fashion Show in collaboration with the Crazy Horse Paris and cocktail party. The show organizers wanted to think outside the box and do something a bit different. So they decided not to do the traditional cat walk fashion show but rather an entertaining show that would feature the famous Crazy Horse performers, flown in from France for the show. Due to copyright restrictions I was asked not to include any of the dance numbers, so you will see the end of the show as the dancers came out wearing the sponsoring companies garments, sorry about that. For further information about this show and their Las Vegas Curve show please visit their website.
If you like style, beauty and fashion, you may also enjoy my show coverage of the 2011 Couture Fashion Week and the 2012 International Beauty Show.
[box_light]The Show Video You Won’t Want To Miss[/box_light]
Watch this in full HD Video. See settings on bottom right of video.
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