At a recent visit to the optometrist, while my glasses were being adjusted as they need to be once in a while to improve the fit – I had a “lightbulb” moment … we offer the same “tune-up” service at Linea Intima for bras, but I think very few of you know about it!

As you wear your bra day after day, similar to your glasses, parts of it tend to stretch – like the band, which you can adjust with the hooks yourself. But the straps also stretch out and as a result your bra doesn’t quite fit or support the way it did when you bought it.

We want to remind you that you can bring any bra into Linea Intima and we will gladly adjust the straps and improve how it fits. OR so it fits like new once again. Yes … even the bras you didn’t purchase from us!

It’s a good idea to do this a couple of times over the course of a year to help maintain the perfect fit, a cornerstone of our customer service. Our experts will also give you other helpful fit tips or answer any questions you might have.

It’s important to treat your bra just like other investment purchases you make – your glasses, your car, your watch – and bring it in to Linea Intima for a “tune-up” to extend the life of your investment and improve the way it performs.

It’s our “added-value” that we are pleased to offer all Linea Intima customers!

It takes hours of work and the co-ordinated efforts of many people to make an event the magnitude of CIBC’s Celebration of Hope: Chocolate Sunday Luncheon such a huge success. As a result of this effort and commitment – 800 guests (who gladly paid $125 a ticket) had an absolutely amazing time while supporting a worthwhile cause.

Arriving at the elegant Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites Conference Centre we first found our table assignment, then along with the other guests, spent time shopping the many stores which were set-up exclusively for the event.

Just past noon we entered the beautifully decorated hall – which felt like an elegant wedding!

Erin Davis and I

CHFI radio celebrity Erin Davis was the MC. She was so entertaining, elegant and eloquent. We loved her sharp wit – “Do you know what coffee, chocolate and men have in common? They are all much better rich!” She even sang (and she was quite good).

Her friendship with Allan Bell, the driving-force behind the event, was very evident. If Allan wasn’t laughing then he was crying – both sad and happy tears!

They were hilarious on-stage together bantering back and forth. But there were times when their stories brought tears – especially for Allan, who lost his sister to breast cancer.

The Chocolate Sunday Luncheon program was jam-packed and included Motown-inspired music artists and TV actor Christian LeBlanc star of Young and the Restless who helped with the fundraising auction.

We all applauded when The 2014 Hope Award was presented to Dr. Alexandra Ginty, Family Physican, Author of “Both Sides”, and double breast cancer survivor.

It was an exciting time bidding on the TA TA Celebrity Bra Designer Silent Auction. Linea Intima was thrilled to place the winning bids for the beautiful Erin Davis and Frankie Flowers (Breakfast Television) bra designs. They will have the perfect home at Linea Intima and will each spend shared display time among our stores.

Not to be forgotten – the food, wine and chocolate desert were absolutely delicious.

I cannot think of a more uplifting way to spend my Sunday than to be among women linked by a common cause – the fight to conquer breast cancer. What a fun and heartfelt way to join together!

Allan Bell and I

It is such a powerful feeling when you give to others and at the same time receive so much in return. I honestly feel when you thank Allan for everything he does to organize this event – he thanks YOU just as much if not more!

Here’s a link to photos of the CIBC Chocolate Sunday Luncheon 2014.

We can’t wait to participate again next year!

Liliana

There is a saying that goes … Use any excuse to have a party!

This past week we did just the opposite – The party we threw was the excuse!

It was our Bayview Village store’s 10^th anniversary – and to celebrate we hosted a party, not only to mark a successful decade in the bra business at this location, but to also raise funds for the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation’s Breast Cancer Centre and Chemotherapy Clinic.

My friend Allan Bell, who spearheads the Foundation, asked for Linea Intima’s help to provide bras for this year’s TA TA Celebrity Bra Designer Silent Auction.

With the help of our generous suppliers, Amoena and Simone Pérèle, we donated 12 bras for the celebrities to embellish with their own personal “creative stamp”. Each design masterpiece was auctioned at this year’s CIBC Foundation of Hope: Chocolate Sunday Luncheon, to raise much needed financial support for Allan’s Hospital Foundation.

Our ten year celebration at the Bayview Village store was the perfect opportunity (excuse) to showcase some of the celebrity bra designs, help promote the Chocolate Sunday event and at the same time raise funds, together with our customers, in support of a great cause.

That evening, we rolled out the red carpet, raised a glass of bubbly to the success of our store, enjoyed a macaron or two and successfully raised $340. Linea Intima had committed to double the donation total – but instead we decided to round it up to a nice even figure of $1,000 – which I presented to Allan Bell at the Chocolate Sunday Luncheon on October 26^th.

It was our best store anniversary party ever!

Thanks so much to each of you who donated – together we always accomplish great things.

Liliana

Fashionable one-stop shopping and stylish support for plus size women!

We are always looking for new ways to offer our knowledgeable bra-fitting service to women, so when the owner of Toni Plus approached me to open a plus size lingerie department at her Sherway Gardens shopping mall location – I said YES!

It is a marriage made in heaven so to speak – both Linea Intima and Toni Plus have the same customer service philosophy with highly trained associates and both carry top-quality fashion labels that not only mirror the latest trends but also offer a figure-flattering fit.

Liliana discussing Empreinte’s Thalia bra with CityLine

“We are thrilled to offer our customers the opportunity to enhance the fit and look of our designer fashions with the perfect lingerie, expertly fitted by Linea Intima specialists,” our partner, Toni Plus Founder and President Toni Tiraborelli, says. Our passion is plus size fashion and Linea Intima brings that same passion to plus size foundations.”

As you know, I’ve always maintained, what you wear under your outfit is as important as the clothing itself and the perfect fitting bra is the secret to looking and feeling your absolute best. We couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to offer this experience to the Toni Plus customer!

Toni Plus Sherway’s new Linea Intima Intimates plus size department will include our most popular European brands which all of you love – each designed to provide serious shape and support for curvaceous figures – PrimaDonna, Empreinte and Simone Pérèle bras, shapewear and panties.

We will also be adding new exclusive merchandise to our Toni Plus Sherway location – specially designed plus size sleepwear, silks, robes and caftans as well as new bra collections that extend our plus range from 38-44, B-C and 36-44, D-I up to a size 48 and a J cup. We will also carry sexy panties up to 5X and shapely swimwear up to size 24.

We recently threw a media party to introduce our new partnership to Toronto’s top plus size fashion bloggers as well as editors from DARE and Fashion magazines. TV cameras from Cityline and Rogers Etobicoke Now came to capture the exciting evening. We’ll keep you posted when our event segment airs on Cityline and Etobicoke Now but in the meantime, check out what our guests had to say on social media.

Beautiful @LineaIntima bra display at @ToniPlus14_22 Sherway. Such gorgeous styles! @LilianaMann @jbarrpr pic.twitter.com/vnLKFwEUqU

— DARE Magazine (@daremagcanada) October 9, 2014

Models looking gorgeous in black & blue at the @ToniPlus14_22 x @LineaIntima event. #LineaIntimaforToniPlus @jbarrpr pic.twitter.com/SkDtH7qmKU

— DARE Magazine (@daremagcanada) October 9, 2014

My Curves and Curls wrote a fabulous blog about attending our event here.

If you missed our CH Morning Live plus size fashion and lingerie segment with me and Toni Plus fashion spokesperson, Diana Di Poce you can watch it here.

We look forward to getting to know all of our new Sherway customers…please visit us soon!

Liliana

As was mentioned in my previous blog, Allan Bell from the Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation asked me recently if we could supply bras for its TA TA Bra Design Silent Auction. Linea Intima is a proud supporter of Breast Cancer initiatives every October, so of course I said “YES!”

The TA TA Bra Design Silent Auction benefits the annual CIBC Celebration of Hope for Markham Stouffville Hospital’s Breast Health Centre and Chemotherapy Clinic.

I had the privilege of getting the inside scoop from some of the designers on their design inspiration and their experience as a Bra Designer. I will be sharing these on my blog, leading up to this year’s CIBC Celebration of Hope: Chocolate Sunday Luncheon on October 26^th. I hope you will attend this amazing event and support this worthwhile cause.

Don’t forget to bid on one of our TA TA Designer Bras!

Liliana’s TA TA Celebrity Bra Designer Q&A with CHFI’s Erin Davis, Emcee of the Chocolate Sunday Luncheon.

Liliana: What was the hardest part and the easiest part of designing your bra?

Erin Davis: The hardest part – actually getting going!  I had ordered some felt pieces online, and they never arrived (grrrrr…) so I had to switch from a “donut” theme (must’ve been hungry when I came up with it) to something a little Disney.  I decided on “Under the C”.  The second hardest part: finding 8 hours to do it, but the easiest was doing it once I’d started – the inspiration just kept flowing until it was done!

Liliana: How long did it take?

Erin Davis:  – 8 hours.  I had help from my husband who ended up as totally covered in sparkles as I did (and the cleanup took about another hour, because there were sparkles everywhere!) but where Allan Bell and any request through him is concerned, it’s never too much.

Liliana: What’s your favourite element of the design?

Erin Davis: My favourite element is that it looks like a Vegas Mermaid outfit.  I wanted it to look like an ocean fantasy from the rhinestones and pearls (to look like bubbles) to the blingy starfish that adorns the centre, and real starfish that are on the straps.  Tiny shells are dotted on the “foam” at the top of the cups – so that it all combines for a lovely (if not slightly busy) ocean scene.  The “C” of course, is my bra cup size…the play on “sea” was actually what inspired the whole design.

Liliana: Did you have someone in mind when you designed your bra? Is there any special significance to your design, in addition to the fact it’s helping raise funds for breast cancer?

Erin Davis: Actually, Allan (Bell) was in my mind when I designed this.  Because of his close association with breast cancer (of which his sister Lesley passed away) I wanted it to be something that he’d be proud to say his friend Erin made.  I didn’t want to look like I grabbed a glue gun and slapped something together.  I made it with love and opted to forgo the pink of breast cancer this time.  I mean, this is the ocean, baby!

Erin Davis’s “before” and “after” of her bra

What is more rewarding – to give or to receive?

I had a milestone birthday a short time ago, and it is indeed so nice to receive well wishes and thoughtful gifts, but the feeling of giving is, in my opinion, more rewarding!

I was so proud that my “old” friend Allan Bell, Director Community Relations and Corporate Partnerships, Markham Stouffville Hospital Foundation thought of Linea Intima when he came up with the idea of the “TA TA Bra Design” project – a truly “uplifting” experience!

Nobody knows more about lifting (breasts that is) than me and I immediately jumped to the call!

Linea Intima donated 14 bras. We selected and sent along Amoena and Simone Pérèle bras to be decorated by celebrity designers for the TA TA Bra Design Silent Auction benefiting the CIBC Celebration of Hope for Markham Stouffville Hospital Breast Health Centre and Chemotherapy Clinic.

The bra Erin Davis designed “Under the C”

Designers include Erin Davis of CHFI, Frank Ferragine and Kevin Frankish of CityTV, fashion TV host Jeanne Beker, actor Christian LeBlanc of The Young and the Restless, Olympic Gold medallist Natalie Spooner of Canada’s national women’s hockey team, and NHL legends Darryl Sittler, Wendel Clark and Johnny Bower, along with their wives.

This year’s Celebration of Hope event, the “Chocolate Sunday Luncheon” takes place October 26^th.  Here’s the link for details and to purchase tickets. I hope you can attend to support this amazing event and worthwhile cause.

Well, this rewarding experience inspired me to continue the “giving” and as it happens our Bayview Village store celebrates its 10^th anniversary on October 16^th!

To mark this milestone…for “10” days, from October 6^th to October 16^th, we will post a different Bayview Anniversary celebration “gift” for you – on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Website. Make sure to keep an eye on all of our social media sites for details of the celebration savings.

During our anniversary celebration Bayview Village customers can make a donation in support of the TA TA Bra Design Silent Auction and Linea Intima will match those donations (up to $2,000).

Then, on October 16^th Linea Intima Bayview will host the TA TA Bra Designer Party. We’ll have some of the celebrity designer bras on display in the store that day and the party will take place from 6pm-8pm.

Allan Bell and his celebrity friends will be on hand, to celebrate and answer your questions, plus we will present Allan with a cheque from Linea Intima benefitting the Markham Stouffville Hospital Breast Health Centre and Chemotherapy Clinic.

If you’d like to attend the TA TA Party, please let us know and we’ll send you all of the exciting details. The $10 admission will also be part of Linea Intima’s donation cheque. Let us know as soon as you can, space is limited.

Our mission is always to help support your “girls” with the perfect fitting bra and in October, we’re asking for your support to help us raise funds for this very worthwhile cause. Together we can help to make a difference!

Liliana

August is a big month for the lingerie industry!

While the stores are busy with the summer sales and the buyers are busy with the orders for the upcoming spring season and the office is inundated with receiving and distributing the fabulous fall merchandise…the lingerie industry across north America gears up to celebrate itself in a big way, with an Oscar-style gala party in New York City.

Kevin (our Spanx and Wacoal supplier), me, and my husband.

You know the words to the famous song, New York, New York: “If you can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere“? Well, I am incredibly proud and most humbled to let you all know that Linea Intima did MAKE IT!

Last month, at the exclusive Best of Intima Awards, the 10th Anniversary Event at the posh Tribeca Rooftop restaurant, the who’s who of our industry (all dressed t -“kill”, met for schmoozing, appetizers and of course cocktails. It was a perfectly beautiful evening and I was so happy to be there with my husband and my peers. I was also very relaxed – I knew Linea Intima had been selected once again as a finalist (430 stores were nominated and 33 were finalists in 5 categories), but since we won the Best Retail Development Award last year, I was sure this year we would be only spectators.

To my complete and utter surprise, Linea Intima won the coveted award for Best Reference Shop – described as “A large community landmark with a complete and varied product offer. A shop where customer service is key, with the guidance of a fully qualified staff and the communications and advertising campaigns extended and diverse“.

I’ve always felt it is such an honour just to be nominated, to be included among the best of the industry. But to be the only Canadian store to win this year left me speechless and very excited.

Well…I wasn’t really speechless (as you know me, that would be hardly possible..) and in fact I got to have two speeches. During the first one, still under shock, I thanked all the suppliers for their beautiful products which help us improve our customers lives one bra at a time!

The second speech, graciously awarded to me by Francesca Spinetta, editor-in-chief of the Best of Intima magazine, the organizer of the event, gave me the opportunity to truly thank the love of my life – my husband, for standing by me and helping me accomplish my dreams. I also thanked my wonderful staff, without whom I would have a problem being everywhere at the same time – they are the ones that make me look good!

But now I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you that you make everything worth while, and you make us strive to be best at what we do.
I want to thank you for your loyalty and your trust – so….THANK YOU!

The beautiful view at the Best of Intima Awards

Although we carry many European brands, we  are proud of our Canadian designers and here are our favorites:

Christine Enchanted Robe

Christine Vancouver was the first line of silk lingerie both designed and manufactured in Canada.  We work closely with the fabulous Christine Morton, the owner and creative force behind the label. We love all her collection and we are so proud and excited when we get the special groups, created exclusive to Linea Intima.  Her silks have been featured in numerous television shows and movies.  Fans of the brand include Ophra, Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Hendricks and Katie Holmes.

Arianne Teri Cami

Montreal-based lingerie and ready-to-wear brand Arianne have been known for the affordable high-quality sleepwear and daywear for over sixty years.  Their beautiful camis specifically have been a great seller in our stores and come in a wide range of colours.  Perfect to wear with a blazer for the office, a skirt on date night and jeans for a casual outing with friends.

Fortnight Luna

Fortnight Lingerie is still relatively new-only four years old, but has already generated a huge
following.  The romantic, vintage-inspired lingerie has been featured in Women’s Health, Cosmopolitan, In Style, Fashion Magazine and GQ.  The minimalistic look of their long-line bras and slip dresses caters to the niche market that is looking for something other than the padded push-up bras found in chair retail stores.  Fortnight is designed and manufactured right here in Toronto!

Family-owned and operated company Diamond Tea was founded in Montreal in 1920.  Their extensive line of top quality women’s robes and loungewear are designed and manufactured in Canada using the finest fabrics and trims.  In the early years, Diamond Tea primarily made hostess gowns and bathrobes, later branching out to include a full range of loungewear, robes and casual wear.  Loyal customers of this brand at our store love the glamorous long wrap and zip robes. The new beech wear line is a great addition to the mix of the quality line.

Celeste in Blackcurrant

North American women often envy their European counterparts – especially the French.  We romanticize about everything they do.  We imagine them sitting at outside cafés on the streets of Paris and skirting around cars on their Vespas.

The Parisian woman is confident, strong, and seductive. She knows that the secret to great style and looking your best is to dress well from the inside, out.  For her, matching bra and panty sets are a must and French women will purchase at least two matching panties for each bra!

A new bra will most certainly make your clothes fit better and give you more confidence by making you look younger and thinner. But a matching panty is the icing on the cake so-to-speak – the extra special detail that gives your inner confidence an extra little boost.  As I always say, “It’s something that only you (and a lucky partner) can see, but everyone will notice!” And it’s why our Linea Intima lingerie experts always encourage you to buy matching panties to go with your bra.

Caressence in Azalea

It’s no secret we’re passionate about matching sets – I’ve written about it before here and in our Newsletter. So in case you’re still not convinced about their benefits, our June special offer just might help.

This month when you purchase a Simone Pérèle bra, you get the matching panty for 50% off!

During Simone Pérèle month at Linea Intima, we want you to experience the beauty of a luxurious French lingerie set, and feel the same confidence that French women have for generations.

I’d love to hear how much you enjoy your new Simone Pérèle matching set and whether you notice a difference in how you feel wearing it – please drop me a note.

Liliana