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Cotton Incorporated Press Release

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Getting in the Mood for Love ~ For Valentine's Day, Women Choose the Softer Side of Sexy

A lot of men approach Valentine’s Day not with love in their hearts but dread. Along with the obligatory flowers and chocolates comes the inevitable pressure to buy something sexy for their sweetheart. Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with Cupid, men miss the mark.

To most men the word ‘lingerie’ means something totally different than it does to women. He often thinks of scantily clad “glamazons” on television commercials and in catalogs, while most women are thinking of something a little more tasteful and realistic.

It comes as no surprise then, to learn that women value comfort in their intimate apparel as much as they do in the other clothing they wear. In fact, according to the Cotton Incorporated Lifestyle MonitorÔ, an ongoing study which tracks consumers’ attitudes and behaviors toward shopping, fashion and other related topics, 61% of women said they would not willingly sacrifice comfort for fashion. But is Valentine’s Day the exception that proves the rule when it comes to intimate apparel? Do women forgo comfort once a year to don racy lingerie?

Designer Chris Arlotta, who founded her eponymous collection of intimate apparel, believes that sensuality and comfort need not be mutually exclusive. “I think a man focuses on the garment,” she says. “Rather, he should focus on the woman, see her in it, think about her tastes. It’s not the garment alone – it’s the woman in the garment that makes it special.”

So what do women really want in intimate apparel? Does it have to be so different than what men want?

Essentially, no. With all the choices available to them today, women can have their comfort and be sexy too in underwear or flirty pj’s decorated with hearts and trimmed in lace.

Other intimate secrets revealed from the Monitor are: The leading choice of women for night attire is pajamas at 30%, followed by 25% who prefer nightgowns; 22% typically wear just a T-shirt; 2% lingerie, 1% underwear, and 7% prefer to wear nothing at all. And three-quarters of female consumers selected cotton as the preferred fabric for undergarments.

Jannie Whitt, designer and owner of Unusual Babe Undercover, whose collection consists of elegant, yet sexy cotton intimate apparel, says, “Women love the feel of cotton, but that doesn't mean there has to be a trade-off in style. Now women can feel comfortable and look sexy. There are beautiful women in all sizes and they all should wear elegant intimate apparel.”

And while the emphasis on Valentine’s Day is traditionally on women’s lingerie, there is no reason for men to be left out of the fun. For the object of your affection, a cotton Bullseye boxer from Change Daily!, a registered trademark of JOE BOXER Co., gets across its heartfelt message with humor and charm. And it’s a gift that’s right on target when you consider that two-thirds of women surveyed by the Monitor said that a man looks better in boxers vs. briefs.