Be brave my SOL Girls and wear those fun dresses or tops without fear!

Bring on the summer days! I am so excited to finally see the thermometer read above 80 degrees. Summer is my favorite time of year. I love to wear sundresses and every year they have new necklines and straps designs. It definitely can be tricky to find the right bra for some of these dresses. Sure, you can wear a bra with cute straps if the style permits. However, there are special cases! The genius solution is a little tape that holds your boobs right in place. 

Bring it Ups are a product I first found years ago at the trade show in NYC. While I waited for my badge to print, I was watching an informational video from the company. I shouted out to Jeanie to come and see the video. It is an amazing product that holds up your boobs whether they are small B cups or roundy E cups. They work in humidity or heat. I never travel without them. They are a godsend at the price tag of $26.00. The Regular (A-C cup) includes 8 pair and Plus Size (D cup) includes 3 pair. Be brave my SOL Girls and wear those fun dresses or tops without fear!

xo,

Cindy

Happy Mother's Day from Cindy and SOL!

Mother's Day is one of my favorite holidays. Everyone knows a special mom! She might be directly related to you or someone that is so special she just feels like it. I have been blessed in my life to have an amazing mom and lucky enough to have a super cool mother-in -law. 

Both of them bring such joy to my life that I would be lost without them. They have both inspired me to be the best mom I can be for Bella. The love of the outdoors in the form of gardening, learning to bake, and smiling are some of the gifts I have passed down to Bell. 

This Mother's Day they are both getting a little something from SOL and O'Toole's Nursery. I was thinking of matching the perennial we choose to the Natori nighties they are getting. Since Bella has a flare for both fashion and flowers, she will be instrumental in helping me choose! 

Hugs, Kisses, and Love to all the Mommy's of the world! Thank you for every special thing you do for us!

Smiles,

Cindy

Cindy ♥ NY

Zipping back from Paris to New York City just in time to see the sleepwear selection from Natori's fall/winter 2013 collection is pretty cool, I'm not gonna lie! For quite a few years, Jeanie, our buyers, and I flew to Las Vegas for this last part of the buying trip. This year was different since our cute rep Danielle is due in April and the Vegas show has had a lower turn out than in years past. So, off to The Big Apple! We found some fabulous nighties and PJs from Natori as well as enjoyed great dinners and shows.

Natori’s designers really stepped it up this season. I was so excited to see the same soft fabrics we have been loving in jewel tones. They have added chemises everywhere which is perfect for Sol because we sell more chemises than any other style of sleepwear. In years past, we would struggle with basic colors. Our Sol Girls love fun colors. I sat down with the design team two years ago and asked for this new direction. They listened and it will be great fun for all of us!

A sneak peak at what Mrs. Natori has in the works for fall/winter 2013!

Dinners included some of our favorites. Macelleria is a great Italian restaurant right in the heart of the Meatpacking District. They serve a Florentine bisteca that is out of this world. It is a porterhouse cut that they tout for two. We split it four ways with our friends from Empreinte, Kim and Paolo. 







The Meatpacking District has loads of choices. Sushi at Morimoto... 






 ...street tacos that are to die for at Dos Caminos...








...and the French bistro Pastis are all great choices if you are in the ‘hood. 






We ventured out to a neighborhood that is close and tried our luck with Indian. The Bombay Talkie has Indian we will be dreaming of until we go back to NYC in August. 

The grand finale of the excursion was having our daughters join us for the last few days of the trip. Done with work, Jeanie and I were ready to play! 

The Sleeping Beauty Ballet was simply magical. Our seats were close enough to see everything, but the opera glasses let us see the costumes even more clearly. It was a stunning display of beauty, strength, and grace. Another highlight was cruising around Soho with my 13 year old daughter. We had a blast checking out all the stores and the store windows. Our last big fun adventure was seeing the exhibit they had at the Met: Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity. It was about the impact fashion had on Impressionist paintings from the late 1800's. They had a vast display of gowns, fans, parasols, shoes, and corsets on display along with the painting of women wearing the garments. It was fantastic; I highly recommend checking it out if you're in New York. The exhibit runs through May 27th. 

We can't wait to go back to New York in August!

Xoxo,

Cindy

Be a Valentine's Day Hero - by Cindy your SOL Girl

   

I love getting and giving gifts. Over 20 years of selling panties and Valentine's Day is still my favorite holiday. It's the perfect opportunity to give and receive an intimate gift like lingerie. I am part of Team SOL Girl and we love to help all the great guys coming in to shop for their sweetie. Some guys come armed with sizes. Others walk into SOL with a dazed expression. Either way, the awesome SOL Girl team is ready to help. Here is the inside scoop for shopping at SOL for your Valentine's Day gift.
 

First - Don't worry! You don’t have to know anything about lingerie! If she has shopped at SOL before, we have her sizes and styles on file (how easy is that!). If this is your first time shopping at SOL, no worries! The SOL Girl team will help you find just the right item quickly. No matter if you are new to SOL or a long time veteran, we will help pick out the perfect pretty thing and gift wrap it while you wait!

Rosina Chemise a SOL exclusive!

Second: Beers, Brats, and Bras. Yup. I did figure out that when we serve beer and brats guys really enjoy shopping for lingerie. This is our 10th year of our signature men's event and it is this  

Sunday, February 10 from 12-5pm. Bring a friend, or even bring your squeeze and make a date out of it!

 

Third: Valentine's Day is Thursday February 14. That's just the part you need to remember - so come in before then!

And ladies! Are you wondering what to get your guy? Did you know we are now selling Men's underwear? We call them Manties or Mangerie. Saxx is our new brand of stylish men's boxer briefs with a design focus on an ergonomic comfort pouch. Great for our guys and they are easy on the eyes. My husband loved them so much he switched out the whole drawer (no pun intended).

SAXX Underwear at SOL

Speaking of my cute husband... What o' what will I be getting Todd if he already has these great undies? Fly fishing gear of course. We love fly fishing together. It's a super fun sport if you haven't tried it. We love Trout's Fly Fishing on 6th (www.troutsflyfishing.com). They are the SOL of fly fishing stores. Service and expertise is their mantra and they have a great selection of top of the line products. The guys are always up to date on the fishing report! Trout's is located just a few blocks away from us and they are offering 10% off to any customer who mentions SOL when they shop between Feb 11th and Feb 14th. 

Hugs and Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers out there in SOL land!

Cindy

Day 5: Our Sol Friends in Paris

Steve Chotin, a long time customer, introduced us to a great book called "Hug your Customer" by Jack Mitchell. After reading this genius book, Jeanie and I learned even more about making SOL customer service outstanding. There is also a chapter on creating partnerships with all of the vendors you work with. Jeanie has always said, "you attract more bees with honey." Between Jeanie's pearls of wisdom and Jack's advice, we have become very good friends with the vendors we carry at SOL. We just wanted to say thank you for all the great dinners and fun times we had with everyone. This blog post is dedicated to those super SOL friends that made Paris so cool!

You all are the BEST! Thank you for all of your super service and for taking such great care of us!

xoxo,

Cindy

Day One in Paris: Becoming French

 It is always such a joy to see my sister tear up when we spend our first day in Paris.  She is such a Francophile (French lover for those wondering) that she nearly bursts on arrival.  I must admit, I too have grown very fond of Paris as the years of traveling to the SIL fair have grown to 10.

For each of us there is something very special.  I adore all of the divine lingerie and I think Jeanie just loves the language, architecture and everything about the city of lights. While we are there we transform ourselves into Parisians.  We speak quietly, eat divine food and walk everywhere.  We pride our sense of transformation to such a degree that we are delighted when a local ask us for directions. 

I can't wait to share all of the special moments we had together last week. Stay tuned for  fun Paris topics this week in the  blog...  neat insights for fall/winter 2013 fashion collections and trends, restaurants, shopping and more!

Bon Jour all my Sol girls 

xoxo,

Cindy

An American in Paris: SOL Girl Amanda's first time in the City of Lights

SOL's newest buyer Amanda talks about her trip to Paris with SOL:

Check back soon for Jeanie and my take on this year's trip to Salon International de la Lingerie in Paris! 

xoxo,
Cindy

SOL Takes Europe by Storm: 2013!

It's that time of year once again! This year's buying trip first brings us to Schellebelle, Belgium. This gorgeous little city is home to Van de Velde, the company responsible for some of your favorite brands:Marie Jo, PrimaDonna, Twist, and L'Aventure. 

Check out our Facebook page for up-to-the-minute updates, sneak peaks, and our miscellaneous finds during our travels! 

The next step on our European adventure? Paris, the City of Lights! Our agenda includes visiting vendors and attending SIL, Salon International de la Lingerie (plus some seriously amazing food and wine!). And don't get me wrong -- I love LOVE Denver but Paris steals my heart every time I visit!

Au revoir!
Cindy

Happy Holidays from SOL!

2012 has come and gone faster than I could have imagined! This past year brought with it wonderful additions to SOL. I am so blessed to be a part of this wonderful SOL family. 

SOL will be closed from Tuesday, December 25th through Tuesday January 1st so we can spend the holidays with friends and family. We will reopen at 10am January 2nd -- Ready to celebrate 2013 with each and every one of you!  

Before I sign off for the year, here are a few pictures of SOL's Christmas party at Denver's Crimson Canary (you have to eat there. The food, drinks, and atmosphere are beyond fabulous). Great times all around! 

My sister Jeanie and SOL's newest addition Brittany

Janelle and Doug, our bookkeeper and our Santa Claus ;)

Maggie, Jocelyn, and Barb (and a Jordy photo bomb!)

Emily, Jordy, and Jocelyn

Lisa, Amelie, Melissa, Anna, and Anna's beau Cody

Sister love! That's our sister Nancy in the middle. Sister Julie was at home with her new twins!

SOL truly has the BEST sales girls!

Anna, Brittany, Amelie, me, and Jordy

Eddy (Gloria's hubby), Jeanie, Gloria (aka the best seamstress EVER!), and me

Sandy and Laura ("Lulu") with their handsome husbands

Kendall and the SOL Man, Bruce

Ah, young love ;)

May each of you have the happiest of holidays and we'll see you in 2013! 
xoxo,
Cindy