Lingerie Exhibit Hopes to Boost Exports

EXPORTING INTIMATES: A tribute exhibition to French lingerie that opened Wednesday night at the Pavillon Gabriel has more than a historic aim. The installation, which after showing in Paris until July 26 will travel to cities including London, Dubai and Shanghai, is intended to highlight French craftsmanship and boost exports, compensating for lackluster domestic business in recent years.

“French lingerie is in the midst of a boom in terms of export,” Philippe Grodner, president of Simone Pérèle and son of the brand’s founder, said at the event to mark the exhibition’s launch.

“The export of this exhibition is, as we know, important to the export of French lingerie, which has seen its problems recently, notably one particular company,” said Lyne Cohen-Solal, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of commerce and craftsmanship, referring to Lejaby.

Representatives of the 11 brands that for the first time grouped their expertise and opened their archives, uniting 250 different models for the sake of French industry, were all present, as was Invista, owner of stretch fiber Lycra, the exhibit’s sponsor.

“The event shows the democratization and the revolution of lingerie over the years, starting with elastic, then nylon and now Lycra,” said Grodner.

Designer Jean-Claude Jitrois, known for his stretch leather models, said of the installation, “My work is close to the body, and so is lingerie, and that is what inspires me here.”

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St. Charles County says no to Lingerie Football League

The Lingerie Football League won’t be playing games at the Family Arena in St. Charles.

A news release on the league’s website in May stated the league would play two games at the county-owned arena in 2013. County officials decided otherwise.

A three-member committee, appointed by County Executive Steve Ehlmann to review requests for events at the arena, had discussions with LFL officials and ruled the league would not be in violation of a county policy prohibiting events that advocate violence, suicide, sexual depravity, illegal behavior or violence or degradation of certain groups. Nevertheless, the league could not come up with terms acceptable to Ehlmann.

“We owe it to the taxpayers to look at every event, and that’s what we did with this,” Ehlmann stated in a June 22 news release. “We did our due diligence and talked with the ownership. In the end, we just felt it wasn’t a good fit and didn’t make sense from a business or public relations standpoint.”

Ehlmann said his administration is committed to bringing family entertainment to the Family Arena, but the name of the building doesn’t mean every act booked is suitable for families.

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