"WEEKEND STAR" FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2000 - 13 A day in the life of a fashion designer -Undergarment fashion may look simple, but let's look at what happened as one day stretched to one year for just one new bra design: * August 1999: Warner's decides it's time to devel- op an effective and pretty push-up bra but without all the gadgets and gimmicks found in an increasing number of today's designs. * The company brings in at least 25 of its best designers from their stu- dios in New York, Los Angeles, England, France and Canada for a videocon- ference call. They discuss, display, and critique sever- al bras on the European market, and then they brainstorm. * The team decides on features they like - one with a deep plunge between the cups, another with soft cup depth - so that by the end of the meeting they have sketched out a rough draft Career Insight: of a new brassier. With lin- gerie, as in other areas of fashion, there has always been a freewheeling atti- tude about borrowing lib- erally from other designs. * The team reconvenes a few weeks later with a pro- totype in hand. The con- sensus? Not "sexy enough". And, the strap was too chunky, and the tilt of the cup could be better. Several hours of brain- storming and adjustments ensued. Following every change, the bra pattern must be re-cut, re-sized and re-tested. * Finally, a "wear test" commences. It is a process in which about 100 women of varying sizes and back- grounds take the bra home, try it out, wear it and wash it, then after a few weeks they come in for intensive discussions. The results this time? A few more changes to the bra. * Five months later, the company is ready for the Every fashiqn magazine. has marked the look for Fall as "Money". Fierce '80's glam- our, updated of course, has brought luxury items to the top of the gift list this holi- day season. Logo mania has been resur- rected beyond the likes of Chanel; note the name of Giorgio- Armani's newest perfume Mania. Socialite style dominates, as the key to looking good this year is all about luxury at any price. Take note of the python stiletto's that appeared on almost every European run- way and touches of mink . added to almost every fash- ion must-have. After one' season to0 many stressing minimalism, women are ready to indulge in more than a sober black dress. If the outfit is simple than the accessories are sure to com- pensate. Bold colour accents and prints should play a part in updating your look but not before indulging in something gold. TARTRATE WEY Luxury items top most-wanted the list H Gold is the equivalent of glamour these days. Who could question your status when you're outfitted in gold pantyhose after all? You know your right on the money when you add some diamonds to gold. Omega is the ultimate in luxe with its ultra-feminine Jewellery Collection. Described' by Omega as a "tribute to the eternal woman" it is at the top of any woman's most- wanted list for sure. Each piece from the collection inspired by the stars, is named after a remarkable constellation. Gentlemen, take .note. For gift giving it doesn't get more luxurious than this. 5 opinions of a consumer focus group, which is a detailed test conducted by an independent research firm. Four, unidentified bras were presented to 40 women and the pros and cons expressed. According to this data, and to a sub- sequent interview in the Wall Street Journal, for the first time in Warner's histo- ry, all 40 women claimed they "liked the bra". * In July 2000, Nothing But Curves hit the Canadian scene. Warner's is betting that its strongest selling point will be the bra's abil- ity to boost cleavage with- out any added padding - and that bet could reap great rewards in the current $5 billion+bra industry. Savings in every Direction from the North Pole to Henshall s LS Clothing & gifs for HIV & HERS tithes od A