• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, September 2, 2011

Lane Bryant is getting ready to flex its denim fashion muscles, rolling out its T3, Tighter Tummy Technology Trousers and Jeans. Themed "Technology Just Got Sexy," the new marketing campaign showcases the retailer's new line of slimming denim jeans and classic fit trousers.

Lane Bryant first announced the campaign to plus-size fashion bloggers back in June, during Full-Figured Fashion Week, as the jeans first began arriving in stores. The full launch of the campaign is scheduled for Sept. 6 and includes promotions, in-store signage, and TV spots.

The company is celebrating the effort with a cocktail event on September 8, Fashion's Night Out, at its Fulton Street Store in Brooklyn, which is scheduled to feature the ladies from TLC's reality TV Show "Big Sexy." In addition to checking out the new line, guests will have a shot at winning $500 gift card and photo shoot with Plus Model Magazine.

The new technology, which uses a built-in mesh control panel of nylon and spandex, can make women look up to a size or two smaller, Richard Zielinski, technical design director of Lane Bryant, tells Marketing Daily. "And an invisible elastic waistline eliminates gapping," he adds.

He says the company spent six months developing the technology, and then tested it extensively. "What we're trying to do is not build a gimmick. It's not Spanx -- it's not a girdle. It's a different way of manufacturing clothes to make them as comfortable as possible. We took the idea of sweatpants with an elastic waist and then made jeans and trousers with that in mind. They are that comfortable. It's not enough to make her look smaller and smoother. It had to feel good, too."

Still, he says, the idea was not to create everyday jeans, "but special jeans -- these look sleek and sexy and are the ones you will want to wear out to clubs."

Lane Bryant is owned by Charming Shoppes, a Bensalem, Pa.-based company that also owns Fashion Bug.