PARIS – “You’ve just got to be in Paris if you’re going to sell in Europe,” says Wolfgang Huth, an elegant, bespectacled and mustached German manufacturer of intimate apparel. Huth was one of more than 500 exhibitors at the International Salon for Lingerie – Interfiliere, the leading trade fair for intimates and beachwear fabrics. He is offering fine-gauge, silk-knit camisoles and panties – a set of which wholesales for well more than $100.

During this high-fashion weekend in January, representatives from more than 30 countries offer their latest creations in underwear, nightwear, swimwear, home wear and accessories. For Durango fashion designer Christina Erteszek, this is the place to find inspiration, validation and affiliations for her line of affordable luxury lifestyle wear – Hermosa Creek by Christina E. Her fall/winter line for 2011-12 has been offered through Nordstrom’s stores and online, and she went to Paris seeking ideas, materials and trends for her spring line, which is currently in production, as well as her fall/winter line for 2012-13.

Clearly, being in Paris for Interfiliere differs from the traditional Eiffel Tower and Louvre tour. The series of pavilions at Porte de Versailles matches the scale of John F. Kennedy International Airport terminals. Inside the cavernous steel enclosures, throbbing sounds of pounding indie-rock-pop reverberate off the metal ceilings. Bold banners beseech event attendees to be chic, be sexy, be lounging and be essential.

The atmosphere resembles a high-intensity version of an ancient Byzantine bazaar, with multiple mini-showrooms – each with a different aesthetic take and artistic flair. They radiate a veritable rainbow of colors – from the creamy whites and soft beiges of lingerie to the vibrant fishbowls of multi-colored Hankie Pankies. Other booths are bathed in spicy colors – tamarind, lavender, rose hip and paprika. Svelte models stroll the miles of aisles in the briefest of underclothing, typically set off by their high-heeled stilettos.

“This experience provides me with the seeds of many new ideas,” said Erteszek, who has attended the show several times during her 30-year career in apparel design.

She was looking for body solutions that offer clean lines, ease and comfort – ideal for relaxation or meditation. As the media kit for the show suggests: “The trend in loungewear is toward veritable cocooning in a pure state. Designers today are interested in well-being from the inside out.”

As the granddaughter of a corsetiere who made tight bodices of whalebone and the daughter of lingerie leader “Olga,” Erteszek also is looking at the mechanics of women’s undergarments. The engineering challenge of today is to create a better shape. As figures evolve with breast augmentation – consider a KK cup size – as well as reductions, the quest for a smooth, clean line continues.

But for Erteszek, it’s the inside feel of a garment that sets it apart. She closely examined seams, stitching, trims and grain of the fabric to find those that reinforce her concept of comfort. Husband and business partner, Fritz Geisler, stopped to interview an Italian manufacturer who, along with his designing daughters, produces T-shirts without seams because they are knit on unusual circular machines.

Just like his counterparts in Europe, who tout their goods manufactured in Portugal or Turkey, Geisler and Erteszek insist that the Hermosa line be made in the United States.

As Herr Huth said, “My entire line is manufactured in Portugal because my customers demand this superior level of quality.”

So, too, do the Hermosa Creek line customers.

“That’s what we do,” Geisler said.

Mary Nowotny is a freelance writer in Durango. Reach her at marynowotny@earthlink.net.