One exhibitor that provoked a good deal of interest and conversation at the recent Curvexpo in New York was NightLift, showing a bra, babydoll and bra-camisole, all specifically designed by a plastic surgeon to provide maximum support for the breasts during sleep. NightLift first went on sale to the public in December, 2014, and the New York Curvexpo in February was the first time the product had been exhibited at a trade show.
Randal Haworth, MD, FACS, who has maintained a private practice in Beverly Hills for 20 years, was on hand to explain and demonstrate the advantages of the bra. He was joined by partner Martin Terzian who is in charge of the sales effort and working with retailers and representatives.
In its sales documents, NightLift describes itself as “the first and only sleep-wear collection specifically designed to protect the breasts and décolletage during sleep. It does this by helping prevent breast sagging and drooping over time by keeping the breasts perfectly immobile (but always in total comfort).”
Dr. Haworth told BODY at Curve that his invention, which required 47 prototypes to perfect, is a “bra for each breast as opposed to a bra for both breasts.”
According to the company’s description, “In his years of private practice, Dr. Haworth observed that his patients who were wearing a bra to bed had firmer, perkier breasts and smoother, less wrinkled decolletages than those who were not. Yet looking at traditional bras, he realized they did not offer the correct kind of support if the wearer is lying down.”
Thus, according to the surgeon, the so-called sleep bras currently on the market do not provide sufficient function. Rather such a bra has “just tags on it that say sleep bra.” According to NightLift, Dr. Haworth’s “first goal was to deconstruct conventional notions about brassiere technology and re-envision the bra from the ground up. He understood that an effective night bra needs to support the breasts from the sides and not from below. Adding to his challenge, Haworth was determined to provide this unique support without the help of a uncomfortably constricting under wire or overly compressive material as seen in many modern sports bras. He wanted this revolutionary garment to be like a second skin, comfortable and seductively appealing.”
According to the company, “Cooper’s ligaments, connective tissue, and even the skin itself are what hold the breasts in position. These tissues are like rubber bands in that once they stretch out, there’s little anyone can do aside from surgery to tighten and elevate the breasts back to their original youthful appearance. So the key to keeping breasts at their best with a smooth décolletage is to prevent stretching and drooping in the first place.”
“Though brassiere design has been perfected over the decades,” the statement continues, “its basic function is to provide vertical support which solely protects the breast from gravity’s downward pull while in an upright position. Unfortunately, it does very little to protect the breasts when the wearer is lying down when gravitational stress is lateral (i.e. side to side).”
According to NightLift, “Back sleeping nude means that a woman with a C cup or larger will have her breasts fall outward and sideways into her armpits. While wearing a regular bra is better than nothing, stretching and splaying are still going to occur.” In addition, “side sleeping nude means that the top breast on a woman with a C cup or larger will sag and compress [the] bottom one while etching deep wrinkles into the décolletage. While wearing a regular bra offers some support, the breasts will still stretch and distort and wrinkle the décolletage.”
Wearing NightLift “sleep support lingerie while sleeping on your back means that even those with a C cup or larger will have each breast supported individually – firmly in place but in maximum comfort too – so that neither will move or stretch.”
Moreover, the company explains, “Side sleeping in NightLift sleep support lingerie means that even for those with a C cup or larger, each breast will stay separate and in place without distortion or creating deep, unattractive creases in the décolletage.”
As Dr. Haworth summarized at Curvexpo, “just because they are going to sleep their breasts are not going to sleep.” He emphasized that his bras “have no under wire.” They do not rely on binding or compressive technology. He added that he believes that “under wire is a cheat” when it is used in bra design. His sales literature claims NightLift is “nothing less than a total reinvention of bra functionality as a solution for sag prevention.”
On the NightLift website, bra styles retail for $98, and are available in black, cream and lace versions. A babydoll with lace cups retails for $128, and a black camisole design is also $128. A matching floral lace thong retails for $18 and a seamless boy short in either cream or black is $18.
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