Getting intimate about work with Terri Fisher, senior VP at Soma

Terri Fisher COURTESY PHOTO Twenty years ago, when Terri Fisher was given the news that she was being promoted to intimate apparel, she cried. They were not tears of joy. No, Mrs. Fisher was horrified at the thought of dealing with bras and panties all day, every day.

Up to that point, her career in fashion had taken her from menswear to sportswear, each line holding its own fascinating appeal. And while the promotion from buyer to merchandise manager intrigued her, the thought of intimate apparel was disappointing.

"My mentor at the time said 'Trust me. This is the right move,'" she says, adding, "It turned out to be my favorite job."

Today, as senior vice president and general merchandise manager for Soma Intimates, a division of Chico's, Mrs. Fisher gushes about her work. "I absolutely love what I do. It's my passion."

And women who discover Soma either online or by stopping in one of the 75 retail stores around the country, in turn, love Mrs. Fisher. "I've had women come out of the dressing room and hug me," she confesses.

Why all the love? As Mrs. Fisher points out, Soma is a solution brand. From Vanishing Edge panties to seam-free camis, Soma underpinnings enhance a woman's figure so that she can appear her best in her clothes. "Women who are forever 39 in their mind are not dumpy or dowdy. They are fabulous," she says.

While other clothiers were targeting the teen market, Chico's saw an opening in the missus market and in 2004 opened 10 Soma boutiques offering comfortable, high-quality intimates. Having established a solid reputation in the industry by that time, Mrs. Fisher was called upon just as Chico's was starting its Soma division.

"It was a combination of an unbelievable opportunity, a concept I believed in, and a line I could build from the ground up," she says. There was no hesitation. She and her soon-to-be husband quickly left New Jersey for the sunny shores of Southwest Florida, a place that was like a second home to them.

Even though the two had met and fallen in love in Mrs. Fisher's native New Jersey, her husband originally hailed from Fort Myers and the two would make frequent visits to see relatives. Now a Naples resident, she hopes she "never has to live in the north again."

In addition to enjoying all the area has to offer, including the beach (where she and her husband exchanged vows two years ago) and outdoor activities (she's learning tennis and says she's "decent but not good at" golf) in her downtime, she loves her professional life, too. Even though her childhood dream of living the glamorous life of a buyer didn't live up to her expectations in reality and the world of intimates didn't excite her at first, she's found fulfillment in helping women to look their very best.

As she spoke about her goal to transform Soma into a multibillion-dollar business, she was headed out the next morning to Europe to browse the shops of Paris and London for inspiration, a trip she makes about once a year. She also travels to Asia every year on business. "I get to meet the most incredible people from all around the world," she says.

Interacting with fascinating people, plus the fact that she's filled with new ideas every day, has certainly made her position at Soma the highlight of her career thus far. "As long as you are growing every day and doing something you believe in, then yes, it is the pinnacle," she says.

Her fashion career has taken her from the bustling streets of Chicago to the affluent Detroit suburb of Birmingham to her home state of New Jersey, but she's hopeful her personal life will someday land her and her husband in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

"We go there every year. It's our favorite place in the world."