{#WordlessWednesday} Photo Highlights from @curvexpo Mode #Lingerie & #Swimwear Spring/Summer 2016 Preview Show! #CURVENY

MODE LINGERIE AND SWIM | CURVEXPO | NEW YORK 2015

I was stoked that CURVE EXPO worked with my crazy schedule this year and while I didn't spend all 3 days there I maximized the time I did spend at the show to the fullest. It was fun getting a sneak peek at the styles and trends that will be prominent for Spring and Summer of 2016. (Is it just me or is this year truly FLYING by?)

As with most tradeshows (and for those who know NYC well, the Javitz can play host to an incredible number of vendors/booths), I can only hit so many booths/exhibitors/vendors. Which makes my natural tendency to go with brands I actually wear and feel I 'know'. But I also seek out unique stories and brands with 'heart' and 'soul'.

Most trade shows are so focused on retailers/buyers that press/media can very much get lost in the shuffle which is sad, but not entirely surprising. (Not my first time at the Rodeo). So in some cases I will have mostly pictures (making this perfect for Wordless Wednesday), but with some brands I did get a chance to make a real 'connection'. 

So while this is an overview with photo highlights, expect that some of the brands I connected with during #CURVENY will be featured here again separately.

Here are my Photo Highlights, (in no particular order):

LEFT: ME! Ascending Butterfly Right: Helen Sánchez

ABOVE: Helen is the founder of a Luxury Lingerie Line that you can view at www.helensanchez.com, I connected with her via twitter before the expo and she was super awesome about taking time for me despite the fact I was unable to make a set appointment time with anyone because I was also attending panel press sessions during the time I was there. Her line brings timeless and classic luxury to the forefront with designs that speak to the modern femininity of today's woman. It is the construction and details that stand out and how so many of the pieces can so easily double as 'outerwear', in fact the 'blouse' she is wearing in the photo above is from her collection. Her initial silk collection was inspired by the fashion of the 30's and 40's (and there was actually quite a theme for the entire show in my eyes of lingerie going back to a more classic elegance - the true epitomy of a 'sexy lady', stressing the LADY part!) 

ABOVE: Ladies, men find it super sexy when you wear their shirts to bed, this set gives me that 'boyfriend' borrow feel, but in a cut that's actually flattering to your figure and curves!

I have a strong feeling we both felt a sense of relief to connect with another Latina in this industry, where I don't see enough 'bosses' with faces that match my own. I love seeing a Latina in the forefront of a Lingerie brand that stresses LUXURY and ELEGANCE with quality construction, pieces with a sumptious feel that transport you just by looking at them! I could easily see myself wearing many of her pieces on my next resort vacation. (Which I think I need to take soon - I'm in a bit of a 'burnout' mode lately!) - I'm hash-tagging this meeting #LatinaPride

ABOVE:  You have got to love the name alone, 'Naked Princess' - isn't that exactly what you want to feel like in the bedroom? Luxury Lingerie, Loungewear, Beauty and Gifts were on display and I got to leave with some fun sample size goodies including their Naked Shine Lip Gloss, Body & Boudoir Spray and Body Souffle's in scents like: 'Midnight Bloom' - (a blend of vanilla musk, exotic citrus and eastern florals) 'Vanille Blanc' - (a blend of Moroccan Vanilla, Sweet Almond and Tonquin Bean Notes) and last but not least 'Boudoir Blush' - (a blend of pink peppercorn, White Lilies, Rose and Jasmine notes).

ABOVE: Natori is a brand I thought I knew quite well, but I had no idea about 'Natori + Support' and was happily surprised to stumble upon it. I didn't get to meet with their reps so I can't report much about it but I will be looking into these!

ABOVE: When you see normal size undies and not tiny dental floss sized ones, you stop and honor them with a photo! LOL

ABOVE: It was nice seeing some of Natori's Spring/Summer 2016 pieces as I haven't worn them in awhile, but I do remember them to be well constructed and they were always durable!

ABOVE: This set by Rosa Faia caught my eye, great color! They also offer a wide range of sizes, from very small bust to very large!

ABOVE: I am an Aries - we are known for being ahem 'bold' (understatement of the century!) and our color is Red - so needless to say this set caught my eye!

ABOVE: Buyers are able to ask to see styles modeled before they place their orders. so sometimes where I didn't have a booth appointment I would take advantage and nab shots of the models as they were showing off sets for the buyers!

ABOVE: This set is by a brand we have featured often on these pages, Le Mystere! I have been wearing them for a very long time. I was bummed I couldn't get some time with reps at this booth as I have actually been wearing Le Mystere LONG before my blogging days! Isn't the model totally ROCKING this set? Her hair, the bold white against her gorgeous skin tone, she is FIERCE!

ABOVE: This frilly Emerald set is super cute!

ABOVE: The trends wall by Promostyl featured really pretty pieces, and this vintage looking lace number is so retro I just had to nab a shot of it, I hope the photo does justice to the detail. (Butterflies I will make a pinterest board for this post, just give me a few days -prepping for a Food and Wine Bloggers Press Trip - I will come back and update you guys with the link, and you know I will tweet it out as well.)

ABOVE: Aren't these colors so very Spring! As the Fall is slowly transitioning to Winter it pains me to think the cold is swiftly approaching and pretty Spring things feel so far away right now! These sets are by Le Mystere as well.

ABOVE: Now all this sexy, lacy is nice, but at the end of the day I need loungewear, I can't greet the UPS/Fedex daily deliveries with that kind of stuff (well I could I guess, LOL), I like my comfy PJ's - North East winters are COLD!!!! It was dragonfly PJ's that made me want to peek in, you know I love all things with wings! Munki Munki is a brand I am familiar with but haven't yet tried personally, but these definitely look like lazy, comfy, warm, Sunday mornings to me!

ABOVE: This is the Dragonfly set that drew me in!

ABOVE: In addition to butterflies I used to collect giraffe stuff too, they were my favorite animals to visit at the zoo when I was younger, this set brought me a bit of giraffe nostalgia, I just love their gentle grace!

ABOVE: This one sort of reminds me of nurse's scrubs!

ABOVE: Pampour Couture also gave me a wonderfully retro vibe, and after checking out their site I love that they do custom and made to order so you know for sure your piece will fit just right!

ABOVE: There is something a little 'superstar' about this one! #PajamaBallin

Elila booth at #CurveNY Model Asia Mone't #CURVENY 2015

ABOVE: OK, I haven't been this excited since I hit on Le Mystere (before the Oprah craze I might add!), I got to connect with Elila on Twitter as well before the Show and after checking out the Elila Website I was even more excited to see the line up close and personal! I got to see Asia model a few pieces for Elila, and I fell in LOVE pretty much with the entire collection! They re-sized me at the booth, (my sizing for them is a bit different than I am used to with other brands) and when I got to try a few styles on the very first thing I noticed is that 'the girls' were very much back up where they should be, (ahem and how woefully poor the bra I came in with was doing for me!), and the fact that the styles were absolutely beautiful and so were the colors. Variety is still lacking for plus size lingerie, and while we have made strides in the past few years, you either sacrifice style or support, very rarely do large size bras truly give you BOTH, these do!

I know the struggle is real when it comes to sizing ladies, all I can tell you, is get sized individually by a very knowledgeable 'fitter', you can very well be a totally different size from brand to brand, and suprisingly from style to style even within your fave brand! I know it can be time consuming, but you have to try every bra on BEFORE you make that purchase. Even a style and brand you wear consistently you should re-check every so often as your weight fluctuates, so to will your bra size my friends! (You know how some people say if they eat something it will go straight to their butt? Apparently my cheesecake indulgences go straight to my boobs!!!) Thankfully Elila will have me covered if my weight changes again! And my years of blogging have helped me learn the right styles to accentuate (yes accentuate because nothing can really HIDE them, at least Elila will help me keep them pointing in the right direction!).

Left: ME! Right: Naama Laufer from Elila

ABOVE: Elila sizing runs from 34-54 | B-N cups, and they offer seasonal color palettes to their key collections (Jacquard, Lace, Leopard, Soft Cup, Underwire, Strapless, Specialty, Shapewear, Molded and more). They recently sent me some styles to test out and as soon as I have given them all a good 'road test' I will update you guys! Having the girls up where they belong will make you look and feel a good 10 years younger! The team behind the brand was awesome, straight talkers, knowledgeable and with a deep understanding of the needs of us curvy lingerie lovers. Not all plus size bra wearers want under-wire, and with a well constructed bra you don't really need to make them all underwire if you don't want to. When you are lingerie shopping, go to a good bra store, ask for recos and start to get a look AND feel for quality construction, design and construction MATTER that is what constitutes perfect fit. Different weight and different stages of my life has brought me to various brands, I'm glad that a 'day at the office' brought to me a brand that truly took the time to not only 'measure me' correctly, but help me find styles that fit with my wardrobe and lifestyle needs. And also I was getting into a 't-shirt bra rut' so the fact they added some much needed lace to my life is awesome, stay tuned to my instagram feed, they will go up on there first! (I have to do something on the social channels that I don't do here to keep you all guessing and keep the content fresh on each channel).

ABOVE: Love+Grace has actually been on my radar WAY before CURVENY so I am glad I had the chance to meet them in person. I am a loungewear addict and I know you guys responded quite well to our loungewear/PJ giveaways in the past so comfy PJ's are definitely a fave of yours as well, I am always happy to put new PJ's on your radar, especially with the holidays coming up! I got to see some pieces from this season's Holiday's Collection as well as from the upcoming S/S 16 collection. They actually get extra brownie points from me for something you probably wouldn't expect. I arrived at their booth when some of their team was getting ready to order lunch and they asked if I would like something for lunch as well, I declined, but made mental notes that I would mention it, at tradeshows so often booths shoo shoo press away, particularly if there is a retailer or buyer in the immediate vicinity. They usually want to get rid of press quick, so I thought it was an incredibly thoughtful gesture and one that speaks volumes! The 'Cassie in Prints' PJ's offer some cute holiday styles you should check out, c'mon you know you want a new set for those Christmas Morning Selfies, Snapchats and Periscopes!

First Bra Foundation and their amazing brand partners share their story with Press at #CURVENY 2015

And last but not least a give back story that truly touched my heart, First Bra Foundation shared about the amazing work they are doing giving Breast Cancer Survivors a symbol of renewal - a bra - First Bra Foundation provides survivors with a free bra of their choice that includes a private, personalized fitting experience.

MY TAKE:

Whether you are in 'sexy kitten', 'boardroom to bedroom' mode or just plain cuddle bunny, CURVEXPO definitely had a little 'something something' for everyone, and with the styles and sizing that covered ALL body types and body shapes I have to admit it was worth the trek to the Javitz in the middle of a super cold New York City Winter to get there. I am amazed by the work First Bra Foundation is doing and I hope to see their list of cities expand and their list of Brand Partners for donations as well. C'mon bra brands fork over more bras to First Bra, what they are doing for Cancer Warriors deserves some extra help! Readers visit their site and consider donating as well. Let's all ban together and give a collective rally cry '#FUCKCANCER'!

All the brands listed above are now on my radar and are definitely ones I will be watching. They are all brands I hope to be able to deepen the relationship with!

Readers, here's YOUR call to action: Which Brand Featured Above Interests YOU most? Brownie Points: If you visit their website, share a specific style that you liked best, who knows, maybe I can have them come back and do something fun for YOU as well.

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FTC Disclosure: All opinions are 100% MY OWN. This is NOT a Compensated Post, it is an Event Recap. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway and Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure.