Pole dancers model lingerie at New York Fashion Week

By Jan Paschal

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lingerie creator Heather Thomson got a jump-start on the New York Fashion Week, turning to some of the city's best pole dancers to display her new line of Yummie Tummie underwear on Thursday.

Clothes designers will present their spring collections at the annual fashion show that opens on Friday along catwalks under tents in New York's Bryant Park.

Thomson chose a novel way to promote her lingerie. She held a competition of dancers who perform gymnastics-like routines on brass poles at some of Manhattan's poshest strip clubs and picked eight to model her Yummie Tummie Shapewear.

The lower level of the West End Cafe near Times Square was transformed into a gentlemen's club where the dancers -- four at a time -- climbed the poles and turned upside down, this way and that, wearing long-line tank tops and camisoles.

The models represented a cross-section of skin colors and body sizes -- from "AA" bra cups to "C" and up.

"Every woman of every size deserves sexy lingerie that can be worn underneath her clothes or that's meant to be seen," Thomson told Reuters during her fashion show.

Her Shapewear line, which has received rave reviews from Oprah Winfrey, among other style mavens, is designed to smooth women's midsections with the help of a little microfiber plus trendy colors and trims.

The line is sold by specialty apparel shops and higher-end fashion retailers, including Henri Bendel, owned by Limited Brands, and Bloomingdale's, owned by Macy's Inc, the department store operator.

Thomson, a celebrity stylist, previously worked with Sean Combs, also known as P. Diddy, to mold his Sean John line of clothing before branching out on her own. She has also worked with Jennifer Lopez on her Sweetface brand.