Nowadays the La Senza Corporation, based in Montreal, Canada, is a major retailer of women’s lingerie and apparel, offering a quality product range including women’s and men’s underwear, loungewear, sleepwear, bodycare and various accessories.

It currently operates around 200 stores in its native country and a further 140 stores and licensed operations in countries throughout the world, including the U.K. and the Middle East. And via its 80 La Senza Girl stores, it appeals to girls between the ages of eight and 14.

Although it only entered the U.S. lingerie market in 2003 with La Senza Lingerie, it has sold products to its main neighbour since 1984 through its subsidiary Wet Seal.

La Senza is a public company, but 90% of the shares are owned by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Irving Teitelbaum.

Teitelbaum, along with brother-in-law Stephen Gross, teamed up to open Suzy Shier in 1966, on behalf of their store owning father-in-law Irwin Shier. Suzy Shier was aimed at the junior fashion market and after Irwin Shier died two years later, Teitelbaum and Gross began to aggressively market the store.

Over the next ten years, the number of Suzy Shier stores grew to 22 throughout Canada and in 1975, in search of fresh capital, the brothers-in-law sold a majority share (50.1%) share in Suzy Shier to Toronto-based Dylex Ltd, which had a number of retail operations in its company portfolio. With the backing of Dylex, Suzy Shier added a further 50 stores.

Also in this period, they acquired 80% of the U.S. company, Wet Seal. The deal was struck in 1984, with Dylex owning 40%. In 1990 Wet Seal was floated as a public company, raising $41 million which was used to pay back Dylex loans, reduce debt following some heavy losses and fuel Wet Seal expansion. Which it did, growing to around 600 stores.

Also in the 1980s Teitelbaum and Gross, thinking that many of their businesses had peaked, saw the growth of Victoria’s Secret in the states, and decided to emulate their success. The team wanted to avoid the overtly sexual nature of the Victoria Secret product range, but still offer a range of exciting lingerie. La Senza was born and in 1990 the first shop was opened in Ottawa’s Place D’Orleans Shopping Centre.

The concept was simple: create a private label (Senza means without in Italian) range of lingerie and sell it within a boutique format. Throughout a number of corporate acquisitions and traumas, the brand went from strength to strength, growing throughout Canada, the U.S. and then worldwide.

Agent Provocateur likes to shock, with a range of lingerie that is naughty, yet at the same time mainstream. It treads a fine line between what is acceptable and what is over the top for the bulk of the market.

The company believes that a person’s inner passion and desire for intimacy should be indulged, and it’s only when a person explores their inner desires and fantasies, that they can enrich their life. And the range at Agent Provocateur is designed to unlock those inner desires, with a range of lingerie that is both suited for the bedroom, and the boardroom.

It’s a formula which has worked in many respects.

Founded in 1994 by Joseph Corre and his wife Serena Rees, it now employs around 130 people in the U.K. and has a network of shops and concessions numbering 43. It trades in 18 countries which as well as the U.K., includes Bahrain, Dubai, Hong Kong and the U.S.

Ambitious growth plans pencil in a doubling of the number of stores and concessions over the next three years, and it has ear-marked a period of significant investment.

In November 2007 the company was bought for a total of £60 million by private equity group 3i and it continues to forge ahead. Latest figures reveal that it sales figures rose 26% to £21 million in the year to March, 2008.

Founder Joseph Corre is the son of famous British designer Vivienne Westwood and the former manager of Sex Pistols Malcolm McLaren. Corre upset the establishment in June 2007 when he refused to collect his gong (an MBE) for services to the fashion industry awarded in that’s year’s Queen Birthday’s Honours list. He cited outgoing labour prime minister Tony Blair as the reason for his refusal, saying he didn’t agree with the government’s decision to engage Iraq and their erosion of civil liberties.

Agent Provocateur bases a lot of its marketing strategy on controversial advertisements. The one featuring Kylie Minogue in December 2001 was only shown in cinemas due to its raunchy nature. It was then swiftly distributed via the internet as an ‘underground’ clip, demonstrating the power of viral marketing.

Agent Provocateur is a brand popular with many celebrities, including Christina Aguilera, Carmen Electra and Paris Hilton.

Having an implant will affect your bra size perhaps more than you might think. You will have of course decided upon your size with your doctor, but you will need to bear in mind that implants usually make the breast wider than a natural breast. So, even if you thought you might have gone up a cup size from B to C say, it might be that following the implant, you might actually have to go to a D cup, in order to get the correct fit. And when doctors say that after the implants you will have a ‘full’ cup, this usually entails at least a half cup increase, which means you effectively have to go up a whole cup size anyway.

Remember that breast implants tend to be measured in cubic centimetres. An increase in say from 150cc to 175cc is in effect a half cup increase. So when it comes to having the correct size of bra after your implants, it is important to remember their cubic size in centimetres.

With breast implants, when it comes to measuring your bra size, it is the same as measuring for a bra without implants. You take your tape and measure horizontally around your chest directly underneath your breasts. If the tape measure gives you an odd number, you add five inches; if the tape reads an even number, you add four inches.

Discovering your cup size when you have implants, is not the same as when you don’t. So, take the measuring tape and with it running parallel to the floor (when you’re standing upright), and measure from where your breast begins at the cleavage, across the nipple, to where it ends near the armpit.

You then take both measurements and work out your cup size. For example, if your band measured 34 inches (which translated to a 29 to 30 inch ribcage) and your breast measured seven inches, the you would be a cup A size. If your ribcage measured say 38 inches (a 33 inch to 34 inch ribcage) and your breast measured 11 inches, you would be a C cup size.

Note: chart below is straight lift, so choice is optional.

So what should you do? Here are ten ideas for the way that you can ask that all important question, will you marry me.

Now, if you’re not a romantic, you’re going to struggle with this whole concept. You might ask, what’s wrong with asking while watching an episode of East Enders, or waiting for the traffic lights whilst in the car going to work? Because, quite simply, you have to try harder than that. Hopefully, in your time on this mortal coil, you’re not going to be asking the question too many times, and this will be one of the key milestones in your life. So, on this occasion, a little effort is needed.

Okay, lets start with one of the most popular ways to pop the question. Basically, it’s all a variation of the central theme of either asking the question, getting someone else to, or signalling the question with some neat device.

First up is the expensive restaurant, tête-à-tête. Okay, it doesn’t have to be expensive, it could just be ‘significant’ (as it was the first restaurant you ever went to on your first date) and you can do a lot to make it that bit more special. Consider having a violinist in the background; although keep a sense of decorum here, as some old chap screeching away through a grade one self-taught violin lesson is not going to endear you to your future partner, or the other diners. And maybe get the waiter to deliver the ring and a proclamation of your love on a card. That seem a bit cheesy, but if you’re worried you’re going to fluff your lines at that special moment, having your partner read the proposal, might help.

So, that’s the basic theory behind a good proposal. A great venue, a nice mood and the romantic delivery of the key question.

Once that’s appreciated, you can build various nuances.

How about ‘dressing’ the route, say when you’re bringing your loved one back from somewhere. You might start with a couple of notices along the road that x loves x, until you arrive at your place with a big sign asking the question. You can then reveal your t-shirt which says the same thing.

A big one is the holiday. Take your intended to their favourite spot in the world and then pop the question.

How about during a flight, snuggled up on the back row of a Jumbo, watching the movie, lights down and the food run finished; use this special moment to ask the key question. It would certainly bring a new meaning to the mile high club.

And for a subtle variation, buy a hot-air balloon flight for you and your partner. And while you’re in the clouds, ooh and aahing at the quarter mile drop to oblivion, ask them if they want to spend the rest of their lives with you.

Just one general point though, don’t use the venue, or the activity, to scare them into submission. The tactic of marry me or we’ll plummet to our deaths might get an initial positive answer, but they’ll change their minds once safety has been reached.

But how about this one. Hire some street artists and put on a little performance for your intended. Say a five minute show which culminates in you asking the question.

Again, a note of caution here. Don’t plan anything that will cause your partner major embarrassment. A clever joke is one thing, ridicule is likely to put off marriage for a good many years.

Perhaps you could plan a party, getting all your friends and family around. And as with the idea above, hire a magician to pull a dove with a marriage proposal out of a hat.

If your intended reads the local newspaper, or has a favourite magazine, then you might consider buying an advertisement which shouts your question from the pages.

And how about a treasure hunt, much like the annual Easter Egg hunt. You can hide clues all over the place, until the final message is encountered as the excitement builds up.

And finally, of course, is the sudden down on one leg and pop the question. On one hand this had its advantages; if your intended bursts out laughing, then it can all be carried off as a big joke and no harm done. The disadvantage is that the down on one knee manoeurve can be fraught with physical dangers. It has been known for suitors to slip over, or pull their backs, so just be careful when you do the flashing Knight bit.

So there you are. Ten ways to dress up asking that question which you hope will be met with a resounding yes. Good luck

For the men, it’s time to shed those ripped boxers and get with it. Okay, okay, so you might not think a new range of underwear is a priority, but have you seen those saggy things you call pants.

The spring look for boys will be bold colours and graphic prints, with fashion and innovation driving men’s underwear sales. For example, Calvin Klein will launch a range of performance microfiber underwear called Pro Stretch Reflex which is much awaited by the stores. Fun is another key trend, but some stores and buyers are warning that the number of ranges will be down in early 2009, due to the economic slowdown.

But if you had to sum up men’s underwear for 2009, its bold and striking; the time for the man to get up and go.

For women, it’s ditch the drab examples of previous ranges and embrace exotic designs and sensual colours. And look out for polka dots, reflecting the coming summer, and bold, in your face, animal prints.

Black and white combinations, or striking pink print hues are in, as well as shimmering fabrics, floral embroideries and feline laces. Sexiness is playing a large part, as erotic lingerie begins to make its presence felt in the spring. These ranges will feature delicate floral designs and soft ruffles. The sparing use of floral embroidery and exquisite borders will be a major talking point

Another up and coming trend is the re-birth of fancy floral designs, emphasizing neat cutwork and cool colours.

So whether you’re a man, or a woman, spring 2009 is all about being bold and brave, with strong adventurous themes. Spring 2009 is not about being shy, or subtle: it’s all about making a statement.

Sit back and listen to the tale of a German immigrant, Otto Titzling, living in New York around 1912 and working at a factory making women’s undergarments.

The story goes that he met one Swanhilda Olafsen, a large, female opera singer who had all the usual physical attributes. She complained that women’s current undergarments, or more particularly corsets, just did not offer her the support that she required.

So, Titzling and his faithful servant Hans Delving invented what was the basis of the modern bra, although it was first called the Chest Halter. Now that invention might have netted Titzling and Delving a fortune, but the problem was, they forget to issue a patent and as it became a stunning commercial success, rivals were already in the wings.

Up steps Philippe de Brassiere (boo) who spent the 1930s stealing Titzling’s ideas and making a fortune for himself.

So incensed was Titzling, that a court battle ensued and over four years the two protagonists battled it out legally. Titzling sued de Brassiere for patent infringement and in a dramatic showdown case, the two paraded their various wares on models walking up and down the courtroom. Unfortunately for Titzling, de Brassiere was a master of self promotion, won the case and his name was forever associated with the brassiere, or bra.

And the story has been immortalised in a Bette Midler song, in which the first verse goes something like this:

“This next story is a true story.
It concerns two of my favourite subjects:
industrial theft . . . and-a t-ts!
Mmm, what a combo! This is the story . . .
The inventor of the modern foundation garment
that we women wear today was a German scientist
and opera lover by the name of Otto Titzling!
This is a true story.
His name was Otto Titzling.
What happened to Otto Titzling shouldn’t happen to a schnauzer.
It’s a very sad story. I feel I have to share it with you.”

It goes on in much the same fashion and ends with:

“The result of this swindle is pointedly clear:
Do you buy a Titzling or do you buy a brassiere?
Ohhh! Thank you!”

And what of Titzling; no remembers him and he died flat broke?

Quite a tale and all untrue of course. The first hint that it’s a piece of fiction comes in the names. Titzling is a pun for tit-sling; Hans Delving, hands delving; and, Philippe de Brassiere, fill-up the brassiere.

And it’s all the work of one Wallace Reyburn, an author who in 1972 wrote the satirical history of the bra and called it Bust-Up: The Uplifting Tale of Otto Titzling and the Development of the Bra.
The true history of the bra is slightly less exciting of course. The word brassiere actually comes from the word braciere which means, in the strictest sense, arm guard. People think the word was first used in 1907.

And the first bra dates back to 1893 when a breast supporter patent was registered by a Marie Tucek who invented a garment that consisted of material and straps designed for the female chest.

But the name brasserie wasn’t actually patented until 1913, when New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob in effect invented the backless bra.

A few years later the patent was sold by Jacob to the Warner brothers Corset Company who are still manufacturing and selling bras and numerous other kinds of garments.

So, there you have it; it’s not Otto Titzling, or Philippe de Brassiere you have to thank, but Marie Tucek and Mary Phelps Jacob. Haven’t got quite the same ring, have they?

Ann Summers offers a 100% guarantee on all of their products, with freepost return and no quibble refund. Therefore, you don’t have to worry if you purchase the wrong fit – Ann Summers will make sure you get the piece of lingerie that fits like a dream. But who wants to wait for a return? When it comes to great sexy lingerie, you want to pull it on and feel confident as it flows over the contours of your curves. So, this article will explain how to measure yourself for the perfect fit every time.

Measuring for a Bra

Sales clerks in lingerie stores estimate that well over half of women today are walking around in the wrong size of bra. If your bras tend to create bulges on the top or side, if they rise or fall as you move, if they leave red marks on your shoulders, or if the straps keep slipping then you are wearing a miss-sized brazier.

Finding your actual size is fairly easy and requires only a soft tape measure and a little basic math.

First, strip down to your birthday suit and measure the circumference of your rib cage just below your breasts. Be careful that the tape measure remains level all the way around, since it can have a tendency to slip down in the back.

Take this measurement and add either 4 or 5 in order to obtain an even number. For example, if you’re measurement is 30, you will add 4 and come up with 34. If your measurement is 33 you will add 5 and come up with 38. This is your band size.

Next, wrap the tape measure around the fullest part of your breasts. On most people, this is across the nipple, but just to be sure, evaluate yourself by looking at your profile in the mirror.

To obtain your cup size, subtract your band size from your bust size. If the resulting number is zero you are an A cup, if the number is one you are a B cup, 2s wear a C, 3s wear a D, and 4s wear a DD.

Take your band size (number) and cup size (letter) and start shopping that perfect 34A, 32C, or whatever size you need!

Measuring for a corset or basque

In addition to your bra size you will also need to know your waist and, depending on the length, your hips. The best guideline for where to measure is to look in a mirror and determine where the narrowest part is for the waist and fullest part for the hips.

Of course, all bodies are different. For most people the natural waist occurs in line with, or just above, the naval. You will also find that the hips are usually found about 8 inches below the natural waist. His hip measurement is the same one you will use when determining your size to purchase lingerie bottoms. After locating these areas, use your soft tape measure to take the measurement.