I still remember the first piece of Aubade lingerie I bought for myself. It was the Bahia & Moi Half Cup Bra in white. I remember instantly wanting it the second I saw it. And guess what? Twenty years later, I still have it and HerRoom still sells it. That’s the essence of the lingerie brand Aubade; lasting, timeless, sensual beauty and quintessentially French.
Walk by any upscale lingerie boutique and you’ll see Aubade lingerie prominently displayed. Frenchman Claude Pasquier founded Aubade in 1958. Its focus then and still today is the art of seduction. All Aubade lingerie items are ultra-feminine and visually alluring by design. Even the name Aubade is romantic. Its literal translation is “dawn serenade” but an aubade means a song or poem used by lovers when parting at dawn. The most famous aubade by John Donne from The Sun Rising begins:
Busy old fool, unruly sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows, and through curtains, call on us? Must to thy motions lovers’ seasons run?
Celine Gerard-Laugel is the lead stylist (their term for designer) in a 3-stylist team that designs the Aubade brand today, which includes band sizes 30 – 40 and cups B – G(D4) with select H(D5) cups arriving this July.Celine’s Stats:
Age: 48
Years Designing: 15
Location: Near Paris in Eure-et-Loir
Bra size: 34B
TOMIMA: What was your journey that landed you at Aubade?
CELINE: As a child living in Alsace, France, I always enjoyed drawing clothes. I was trained in graphic and plastic art and decided to move to Paris. I received a graduation contract (50% company, 50% school) in ready-to-wear. Opportunities and circumstances led me to lingerie designing. I applied to be an Aubade stylist – a brand I have always dreamed about – and now am one of the company’s 3 stylists.
TOMIMA: Unique to the Aubade brand, you have a long-standing collection of bra frames, and each season you simply refashion/update them while maintaining their same fit. Can you elaborate on your most popular bra frames? (I specifically selected all black bras so you could better see their silhouette as Celine addresses each.)
CELINE: Our brand has developed iconic bra frames over the years, which we use as our base for designing. So, a woman who bought and loved, say, our half cup bra style years ago, can come back years later and buy a new version of the half cup bra knowing the fit will be the same.
We have 6 very popular bra frames. Of course, we also have more and are constantly developing new ones. The bras with the word “Comfort” in their name means their sizing begins with a D cup size and are specifically designed to give a similar look but with more coverage for the fuller bustline.
The half cup is the iconic Aubade style. It lifts your bust while creating a voluptuous and rounded shape. The underwires provide excellent support for both small and fuller cup sizes. Bands 30-38, Cups B-G(D4)
Our triangle cup styles create a deep, sexy plunge for great cleavage, while also containing breast tissue. They are also very comfortable to wear. We have modified this frame for larger cup sizes. Bands 30-40, Cups B-F(D3).
Our plunge t-shirt bra also happens to be a push-up bra. It boosts smaller busts and gives fuller busts a very appealing rounded shape. Also popular is our demurer spacer t-shirt bra with a comfortable, full-fitting, and supportive shape. It’s invisible under clothes. Both t-shirt bra styles: Bands 30-40, Cups B-G(D4)
TOMIMA: We carry pieces from your Aubade collection Boîte à Désir. Can you elaborate for our readers about it?
CELINE: Yes! It is Aubade’s collection for lovers with the promise of countless pleasures and seductive games. We were the first and are famous for it. We have much fun designing it each season. It’s cheeky and shows off a woman’s femininity.
Our plunge t-shirt bra also happens to be a push-up bra. It boosts smaller busts and gives fuller busts a very appealing rounded shape. Also popular is our demurer spacer t-shirt bra with a comfortable, full-fitting, and supportive shape. It’s invisible under clothes. Both t-shirt bra styles: Bands 30-40, Cups B-G(D4)
TOMIMA: We carry pieces from your Aubade collection Boîte à Désir. Can you elaborate for our readers about it?
CELINE: Yes! It is Aubade’s collection for lovers with the promise of countless pleasures and seductive games. We were the first and are famous for it. We have much fun designing it each season. It’s cheeky and shows off a woman’s femininity.
TOMIMA: Aubade has a specific size range (Bands 30-40, Cups B-G(D4)) Can you elaborate on why?
CELINE: We feel inclusivity is very important to our brand. And, we have heard women tell us Aubade is not a brand they can relate to because of sizing. Though we have tried, most of our existing average figure bra frames are not able to adjust to a larger cup size. We are, therefore, working on developing additional bra frames that allow for cup size extension. We have already expanded into G(D4) cup sizes with our “Comfort” frames and are having success with some H(D5) cup sizes as well. Our goal is to reach more women, help them realize how beautiful they are, boost self-confidence, and find their sensual side.
TOMIMA: Do you have a personal favorite Aubade bra style?
CELINE: In my youth, I was a huge fan of Aubade’s iconic half cup bras. Today, I prefer the shoulder triangle bras, which I feel perfectly mix comfort with sexiness.
TOMIMA: How does your design team approach a new Aubade collection?
CELINE: First, all our products are tested by our employees. Aubade is famous for having a perfect fit regardless of body type. We, therefore, test our products at every developmental stage. Every detail is scrutinized – fabric comfort, body aesthetics, proportions, support level, and washing fastness to ensure fabric texture does not change with washing.
TOMIMA: Are there any new design concepts we should be looking for from Aubade?
CELINE: Yes! We are paying more attention to eco-friendly fabrics, and fabrics that have high comfortability. Then we enhance with stunning details. Combining creativity with comfort is a huge challenge and then finding new fabrics that respect both is even harder. But we are determined!
TOMIMA: How do you keep your designs exciting with each new season?
CELINE: Aubade customers expect newness. Each season we, therefore, offer many novelties which require our design team to come up with new stories. A new season is always very exciting as we see new laces, embroideries, and, jewelry from our suppliers and sketch out new models. Being in fashion requires constant self-evaluation so change is inevitable, and we love change.
TOMIMA: All your collections have interesting names. How are they determined?
CELINE: At the beginning of each season, we all agree on a collection’s theme. We then brainstorm and organize everyone’s ideas, then agree on a name that captures the theme of the collection.
TOMIMA: Your style numbers are rather unique. Is there a system you follow in creating them?
CELINE: Yes. Each style number includes numbers and letters to indicate its season and the item’s frame. For example, our famous half cup bras all end in F14, our plunge styles will have C12, and boyshorts have 70. We do this to improve communication within our teams and for archiving.
TOMIMA: What is Aubade’s recommendation for a lingerie capsule wardrobe?
CELINE: We have concluded that lingerie styles are tightly linked to trendy ready-to-wear clothing. The body revival of the 90s is back so bodysuits right now cannot be ignored.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m a big fan of our triangle shoulder bra. It fits all bust shapes, is both sexy and comfortable, and its low-showing cleavage is lovely and compatible with blouses.
The half cup bra style is a must since it’s designed to accentuate a natural rounded cleavage – pure seduction.
With regard to panties, we have noted a new keen interest in a hybrid style between a thong and Italian brief. It can be worked up on the waist to avoid any hip demarcation under form fitting clothing.
TOMIMA: What causes an Aubade bra style to be retired?
CELINE: This rarely happens since we have established core bra styles we use year after year. I do remember trying to make a seamless version of our half cup bra style. Technically, with our high requirements, it was impossible to realize.
TOMIMA: What customer complaints do you hear that you simply can’t fix?
CELINE: It is actually unusual to hear bad feedback. What we have realized is that many women are buying bras in their wrong size. So, it makes sense when they claim it’s normal to feel uncomfortable while wearing a bra. Well ladies, this is NOT NORMAL! This is why we offer different bra shapes. Some women feel better wearing a half cup, whereas another woman of the same bra size will prefer the feel of a shoulder plunge. So, play with different bra sizes and different bra styles till you find your ideal size and style that makes you happy and comfortable.
TOMIMA: What lingerie product are you still trying to master to perfection?
CELINE: Frankly, all lingerie pieces because anything is perfectible. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by a great team from product managers to modelers and mechanics, including R&D services and industrial boards, just to name a few.
Final Thought…
Have you seen flowers beginning their peek-a-boo in anticipation of spring? Well, the same is true for our new spring lingerie colors. Here’s your peek at our 2022 Spring Lookbook before anyone else. I’ve got my favorites. Come find yours!
YIKES! & YEAHS!
Some of the bras below don’t fit properly. Try your hand at being a bra fit expert and see if you can identify the YIKES! and YEAHS!
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