You’ll have two chances to meet celebrity stylist, designer and Yummie Tummie creator Heather Thomson at Fashion’s Night Out on Friday, September 10th!
Visit Intimates on the 8th Floor and have Heather style your fall look! Learn how she combines her fashion design expertise and celebrity styling insights in the creation and design of her revolutionary shapewear collection that is all about showing it off and feeling great. She’ll help you decide the best style for your body type and how to wear it as your third daily essential.
Heather will only be at Lord & Taylor for an hour, so make sure to stop by so you don’t miss her!
Grab your second chance to meet Heather at the Soho Bloomingdales! She’ll be on the intimates floor, hosting a trunk show. The highlight will be a selection of pieces from her new signature fall collection: beautiful fashion with shaping built in!
Plus, buy any Yummie Tummie while you’re at Bloomingdales on FNO, and receive one free!
Today we’re so excited to announce that our own Heather Thomson has been selected to receive the SPIRIT OF LIFE® Award from the East End Chapter/Jeanne Kaye League of City of Hope.
As you may know, Heather gives all of her energy to making people’s lives better, and it’s a great honor for her philanthropic efforts to be recognized.
In a conversation full of her usual energy and enthusiasm, Heather shared her thoughts on a range of topics related to this recognition.
Heather, tell us about City of Hope and the SPIRIT OF LIFE Award.
City of Hope is a biomedical research and treatment and education center. They treat patients with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
Since they were founded in 1913, they’ve been responsible for many breakthrough procedures that have had world-wide significance. For example, they conducted pioneering research in bone marrow transplants. They were the first to figure out how to do it and they have the most successful program in the country.
The SPIRIT OF LIFE® Award is their highest philanthropic honor. They recognize the notable contributions that women have made to their profession, community and charitable causes. So in my case, they focused on my advocacy for pediatric causes, particularly with the New York Organ Donor network.
The Kellner Pediatric Liver Foundation was founded the year my son, Jax, was diagnosed with bilary atresia, a rare and life-threatening disease of the liver, and I’ve been active since the organization’s inception. Jax’s life was saved by a liver transplantation, so this is a cause that is very close to my heart.
Through the Kellner Pediatric Liver Foundation we raise money for fellowships to further research, and to help pay for the costs associated with transplants. This year we saved the life of a baby girl from Guatemala. We flew her to New York, paid for a place for her family to stay, and all of her medical costs.
How does it feel to be honored like this so soon after starting your own business?
My success will be the success of pediatric charities – one of my friends always says, it’s not how you go down, it’s how you get up off the mat, and for me that means being able to support the charities that are important to me.
You work so hard so that you can give back, and it feels amazing to be recognized. Particularly since I am the youngest recipient of the award to date, just prior to the big 40! In fact, I’ll be celebrating my birthday in LA with my husband, touring the new City of Hope research facility.
What are you most looking forward to seeing when you visit the City of Hope facility in LA?
I’m excited for the whole trip — to see the biomedical research center, meet the doctors and scientists in charge of the research, and talk to the administrators about how we can use the funds we raise on their behalf. Before I accepted the award, I asked if we could focus the money on a specific area, they said yes. So my donation and fundraising will all be focused on pediatrics.
But I am most excited about touring the children’s oncology unit. For the past few weeks, my husband and I have been buying hats to bring with us, so we can set up a yummie hat closet. All of the kids who have lost their hair from their cancer treatments can pick out a cool hat. It’s a small thing, but it really raises their spirits to have something fun to look forward to.
How did you get involved with City of Hope?
They found me! People get recommended for the honor. They review your contributions, and see who they think can help bring awareness to the cause. Some of the past honorees are Hoda Kotb, Kelly Ripa, Brooke Shields.
Kristin Chenoweth and Kathie Lee Gifford are also being honored this year. What’s it like to be such great company?
It is amazing to be in such great company! I really respect and admire, Kristin Chenoweth – she’s a Tony Award winning actress, and is really inspirational to young actresses. And Kathie Lee Gifford is an icon. She’s a brave and outspoken woman, who’s been through a lot, and her spirituality just shines through. I can’t wait to meet them both in person!
And your friend Kelly Rowland is presenting the award. That must make it even more special!
It does. I’m so thrilled that Kelly Rowland will be there. She’s an amazing advocate for children – just one of the warmest, most sensitive people I know. Kelly was one of the first phone calls and visits when Jax was born. When he went into organ rejection, she was there at the hospital, cradling him, singing to him.
Kelly was very involved in trying to help a little girl in New York City named Jasmina Anema, a young leukemia patient, who at the age of six lost her battle to cancer. Kelly was there to help her find a bone marrow donor. That’s why I asked her to present this award, because our hearts are in the same place when it comes to bone marrow, organ transplantation, anything to help a child.
How is Yummie Tummie contributing to City of Hope?
We are raising over $50,000 immediately. And this summer we’re launching the Survivor Tank, which is specially designed for women to wear post-mastectomy, and 100% of the proceeds will go to City of Hope.
We’ll also be communicating with our entire Yummie Tummie community all year, raising awareness and keeping the momentum going.
Tell us more about the Fashion Show at the awards luncheon. We hear you’re partnering with Rue La La– what’s your goal, what are you going to highlight?
We’re making this one of the most exciting fashion shows to ever be held during a fundraiser luncheon!
We want to show people what Yummie Tummie is all about, how the three-panel, patented design we invented has revolutionized the industry. We’ll start with an homage to the girdle, where it all began, and fast forward to the future. We’ll get into the fashion that demonstrates who we are, what we invented, and the tank that turned the industry on its ear. And the music is incredible! We’re using Beyonce, the Rolling Stones, the Eurythmics, Lenny Kravitz, and Simon and Garfunkel.
Given your experience with Jax’s life-saving liver transplantation, and all of your advocacy for organ donation, what are your plans for raising awareness of April, National Organ Donor Awareness Month?
I strongly believe that everyone should be an organ donor. In fact, I think we should all automatically be organ donors on our license, and have to opt out, instead of opting in!
In April, organ procurement centers across the nation sponsor special awareness events, recognition ceremonies. At Yummie Tummie we have a special lime green tank for Organ Donor Awareness, and 50% of the proceeds — $31 from every tank – go to organ donation awareness causes.
There are five life-giving “Points of Life” that you can donate:
organs
tissues
marrow
palettes
blood
Some you can give while you’re alive, others after death – there’s no reason for anyone to be buried with a healthy heart, liver, or pair of lungs! It’s a chance at life for someone. The moment when Jax’s donor came through, it’s something we’ll never, ever forget. And every time I site in a clinic and look around at the hundreds of people in the waiting room who are alive because someone chose to donate life, I’m just incredibly moved by the generosity of the donors.
What else can we expect from Yummie Tummie?
The new ready to wear collections! We are changing the face of fashion, building shapewear into everything, to make you look and feel great. We’re eliminating the need for the 3rd layer and keeping you on trend.
If I have to pick one thing, I think the new leggings that are coming out next week are going to be explosive. In true yummie style, they bring together form and function – they rock! They’re comfortable, they don’t stretch, they look amazing – talk about a must have basic, I just wore a pair for three days in a row!
Please join us in congratulating Heather on this honor, and thanking her for the inspiring example she sets for all of us: giving back is the best way to be Yummie!
“Community is about giving people opportunities and a helping hand.” - Heather Thomson, creator of Yummie Tummie
Being “Yummie” includes looking, feeling and doing good. This holiday season, the Yummie Tummie team will bring this value to life in our local community, volunteering and donating to The Homebound Cooking Program.
It’s a group that cooks and delivers over 350,000 meals annually to the homebound and needy in New York City. We’ll be making 125 of those meals on the first Wednesday in December!
Yummie Tummie is grateful for our customers, fans and everyone who makes a difference each day by giving joy to those less fortunate.
We’re supporting and rewarding your Yummiest efforts — one story at a time, with a grand prize that benefits the non-profit organization of your choice!! Tell us about all the ways you bring joy to those less fortunate, and we’ll help you spread the goodwill by:
Featuring five of your stories on our site
Donating a grand prize of $2,500 to one non-profit organization
Giving the grand prize winner seven Yummie Tummies — one for every day of the week!
Enter now! Share your Yummie deeds by completing the contest entry form. Use photos and videos to bring your story to life!
Grand Prize
Win $2,500 for the charity of your choice, plus seven Yummie Tummies for you — one for every day of the week.
Everybody wins!
In addition to the grand prize winner, every qualified entry submitted will receive a $25 Yummie Tummie gift card!
Lately you’ve been asking me, “How can I update my wardrobe without spending a ton of money?”
My approach to fashion is to take the latest trends and mix a little bit new with a little of what you’ve already got. The result can be a sophisticated-meets-funky-relaxed vibe — and a whole lotta fun!
Here are my Top 10 Affordable Fashion Style Updates!
1. Dress like a lady! Fun ladylike suiting adds a bit of lux to your look.
Try the 40’s inspired suit: belted jackets with peplums and shoulder pads over slim pencil skirts with platform pumps or booties
Choose a darling ruffled blouse that will take you all the way through the season and even on to spring
Wonderful wool, wool-blend and tweed pencil skirts are all the rage in this season — timeless classics worth snatching up
The Yummie Tummie Briefie gives you an hour-glass shape, to show off these ladylike styles!
2. High platform heels, boots and booties If you buy one thing this fall, choose shoes.
The stylish will be waltzing around in towering heels or booties, or the not-to-be-missed items this season, the over-the-knee or biker boot.
OTK boots will work with a bevy of looks from super short mini-dresses and last year’s tunics to the slimmest of jeans or cuffed shorts and patterned tights
Designer styles are delicious but work a number on your wallet — take a trek to stores like Aldo or Steve Madden and save enough to stock up on other fall tidbits too!
3. The Secret Chic of Fur Vests Show your wild side!
You can make a fur vest work with just about everything – jeans, dresses, even jumpsuits. The secret? Accent the waist, and get the right length.
The perfect fur vest is either a bolero style or belted, which allows you to show off your figure and avoid looking like a walking fur ball.
A faux fur vest – or even a jacket! — just reeks of retro chic
Stop in to your local vintage shop and snag a real one… it’s a good way to support local business while simultaneously recycling!
4. Strong Shoulder Boyfriend Blazer
Simply a great, flattering, versatile, go-to piece for the season.
Wear your new boyfriend blazer with weighty boots and a chunky chain necklace over a girly top and skirt or dress
Black leggings in leather, lycra, shiny, matte, even velvet for holiday fun, are great paired with a slinky and long boyfriend — but watch the length if you’re under 5’4”, too long will make your legs appear short!
Throw over your favorite Yummie Tummie Tank and a tissue soft cotton t-shirt, ruffled blouse and pencil pants, or a high-waisted skirt or cuffed shorts and tights.
You cannot go wrong with this look even with basic old blue jeans!
5. Patterned Tights A flirty way to dress up an otherwise sedate outfit!
Black patterned tights are the hot ticket, and pair best with above the knee skirts, dresses or shorts, especially if you are vertically challenged
Stick with black on black to lengthen the leg, and add little black booties or shoeties with at least a three-inch heel for a long and lean look
If you are blessed with height you can definitely rock the flat boot or shoe, but skip the colored or metallic shoes to avoid looking like you just stepped out of an 80’s revival band
Remember the best rule: One pattern per outfit is enough — play it safe with solid color frocks!
6. The Statement Necklace One of these sparklers in a can’t-miss-it size is all you need.
Chunky stone and beaded necklaces look great with almost everything from pencil skirts to fitted dresses and even boyfriend jeans.
Not into necklaces? A chunky embellished cuff will also add a little flare to any outfit
I love the pieces by Chanel and YSL this season but check out trendy spots for the best bargains that won’t break the bank!
7. It’s in the “It Bag”! Carry something big or small — or sometimes both!
Ladylike satchels and clutches are grabbing attention away from slouchy hobos
The timeless Chanel with gold chain is so right now
With the hectic lives we lead, we need to have everything with us at all times, so I still say the bigger the bag, the better!
Best of both worlds? Grab a big bag and throw your structured purse inside for a quick night out switch!
8. Wrap it up! Effortlessly classy wrap coats carve your waist and look sexy.
Invest in this look and you’ll wear it to death over last year’s clothes and jeans
Go for a classic camel or bright red one as a counterpoint to a basically black wardrobe
Stick with light-weight wools and knits to avoid a bulky bathrobe look
9. Really Ready for Red Choose the right shade for you: crimson, ruby, scarlet or rose!
Red is really hot in dresses, coats and suits
An eye-catching extra long wool scarf provides that shot of trendy color with anything
On a budget? Red lipstick is an inexpensive way to change your look in an instant!
10. Dabble in Daring – but Subtle – Makeup Trends A little makeup switcheroo will make any outfit look fresh and updated!
When rocking those ruby red lips, go soft elsewhere
Slicked back hair — whether a tight pony or a messy bun — always look super chic
A little polish change can do wonders — try a deep gray like YSL’s, or a jade shade like the one used backstage at Chanel’s runway shows
Remember, just because someone says a look is hot, that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. I always encourage people to be brave and branch out. The best way to find a new look is to experiment.
But never buy something in doubt — go home and think it out! If it’s right, you won’t be able to stop thinking about it. And those are the purchases you enjoy for the longest, season after season!
It’s so exciting to see a collection come together each season. Starting with Heather’s inspiration, moving through refining the designs, patterns and production, and then into the final stages when we photograph the new pieces and get ready to preview it with the fashion editors.
Last week we did the Spring and Summer 2010 line photo shoot. As you’ll see, the latest designs continue the evolution of Yummie Tummie’s “show it off!” approach, with styles like the new “Undercover” Tank — it’s your favorite tank covered in cotton and concealing the shapewear panel!
While we can’t show you the whole collection (yet — it’s all available in January), here are a few glimpses from behind the scenes. Enjoy!
It starts with a blank canvas: the set
Add a model and a photographer, you have a shoot!
Des strikes a casual pose.
Even though our model, Des, looks like she’s standing alone in a room, there are lots of people there to help.
The team watches as Dez gets her makeup touched up.
You can see the team ready to style the set, adjust lights, and touch up make up at a moments notice.
Checking the shots
As each look is shot, the team confirms that everything looks the way it should — or they go back and redo the shot.
Making everything perfect.
Everyone works to make sure the new styles are shown to the best advantage.
The planning board
Prep for the shoot starts long before the actual day, with the team considering which color and style to use with each pose.
The table of tools and tricks!
It’s good to see that everyone needs a little help looking beautiful for the camera, even gorgeous models like Des!
Everyone pitches in to get the look right
Putting together an outfit takes a little help from your friends!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and like so many of you, personal experience has made this a significant cause for me.
In the 70s my grandmother underwent a mastectomy which saved her life. More recently, my dear friend Leslie was diagnosed with breast cancer and received radiation treatments. Those treatments left her tender and sore, but she kept fighting and I’m so proud of her!
At Yummie Tummie we’re inspired by the courage of all the amazing women and men who fight and survive breast cancer every day, thanks to research that develops new treatments and medical breakthroughs.
For the entire month of October, Yummie Tummie will donate 50% of the proceeds from these Pink Ribbon Tanks to BCRF.
Show your support for breast cancer research with a Pink Ribbon Tank or Pink Ribbon Strappy Tank, and enjoy the comfortable, stylish and smoothing control of Yummie Tummie.
Remember: pink looks yummie on everyone, and this is truly an important cause!
Congratulations to Mary Beth Rabon, a Yummie Tummie fan and new mom from Charlotte, North Carolina! She was selected to receive a pass to the Type-A Mom conference, along with a “Kid Con” pass for her 8 month old daughter, Violet.
As a mom and an entrepreneur, Yummie Tummie creator Heather Thomson is delighted to support this gathering of blogging women who are pursuing their creative passions.
If you’re going to be at Type-A Mom, look in your welcome gift bag for an “Are You Yummie Yet?” button. Yummie Tummie Brand Ambassadors at the conference will be giving Skinny Tanks to ten lucky attendees who are spotted wearing their buttons!
Also, follow @YummieTummie on twitter for a chance to win a Skinny Tank from home during the conference. We’re giving one away on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, September 24, 25 and 26th!
Check out the Fashion’s Night Out PSA, with 20 celebrities including my good buddy Diddy!
Have you heard aboutFashion’s Night Out, a “global initiative created to celebrate fashion, restore consumer confidence, and boost the industry’s economy”? In the US it’s sponsored by American Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, and the City of New York.
On September 10, 2009, around the world, there will be fun nights of shopping, celebrities and designer appearances. In New York, more than 700 stores will stay open late so shoppers can enjoy the special events — and hopefully bring home some fantastic fashion finds!
Special Fashion’s Night Out events will also be held in the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy, Russia, France, Brazil, India, Spain, China, Germany, Japan, and Taiwan.
I’m participating here in NYC, appearing at Saks between 6-7pm along with Donna Karan, Carolina Herrera & Rachel Roy. If you’re in New York, I hope you’ll stop by and show me your Yummie Tummie!
Even if you can’t get to New York, if you love fashion consider supporting the industry with a retail celebration wherever you are. In New York alone, the fashion industry employs 175,000, and provides $10 billion dollars in wages. That’s a lot of families who are supported by fashion!
For more info about Fashion’s Night Out, including how you can volunteer, check out the site!
Thanks to all of you yummie fans who stopped by our booth at the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) Super Saturday 12 Designer Garage Sale.
Judging from how busy we were, and all of activity at the booths around us, Super Saturday 12 was a huge success, raising awareness and research funding to prevent — and we hope one day cure! — ovarian cancer.
It’s always a thrill when someone well-known stops by and shares her love of Yummie Tummies. And Super Saturday was packed with thrills!
Kelly Ripa came by and told us that Yummie Tummie “is the only thing that gives her a waist!”
Gayle King, best buddy of Oprah Winfrey (who picked Yummie Tummie for her favorite things!), came by and insisted that her friend buy several tanks, sharing that Yummie Tummie has revolutionized her wardrobe!
Lorraine Bracco is such a big fan that she scooped up five tanks and posed in front of our Yummie banner!
We’re honored to have such smart, stylish women wearing Yummie Tummies, and showing women everywhere how to look fabulous! And even more glad that we could be part of this great charitable event for OCRF.
I am so excited to let you know that Yummie Tummie is participating in the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (OCRF) Super Saturday 12 Designer Garage Sale.
The fundraiser takes place this Saturday, August 1st, from 1pm to 6pm, at Nova’s Ark Project in Water Mill, NY. This year’s hosts include the fabulous Donna Karan, Ariel Foxman, InStyle, special guests Kelly Ripa and Blake Lively.
In addition to the Designer Garage Sale, there are games, rides for the kids, and food and refreshments served all day long.
The fabulous Donna Karan founded this event in 1998 with Liz Tilberis, the late president of OCRF. They’ve raised over $11 million to support ovarian cancer research.
Yummie Tummie is proud to support the OCRF, and I encourage you to attend if you’re in the area. And if you do attend, make sure to look for Yummie Tummie at the Designer Garage Sale!
For more information about purchasing tickets, you can visit the OCRF site or call 212-759-2800.
You’ll have two chances to meet celebrity stylist, designer and Yummie Tummie creator Heather Thomson at Fashion’s Night Out on Friday, September 10th!
Hey Yummies!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and like so many of you, personal experience has made this a significant cause for me.
Congratulations to 
