Among the "essentials" a bridesmaid will want in her fashion arsenal is at least one SPANX product. SPANX -- the name of the SPANX company's footless pantyhose -- lives up to the hype. No joke. Just check out the before and after photos on the site's homepage!

I was already an admitted SPANX fan but now my adoration for the whole product line goes company-deep. Tonight, I attended the annual NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) gala for our local chapter. The keynote speaker was SPANX founder Sara Blakely and she was absolutely captivating.

I tagged along with a popular newspaper columnist friend -- Charlotte Observer "Insider" Jeff Elder -- as he interviewed Sara before the event. Privately and publicly, she was an incredibly dynamic yet very approachable entrepreneurial superstar. If you don't know Sara's story, check out this blurb from the "about Sara" section of the SPANX website. This is what she accomplished in her first seven years of business with just $5,000 in savings:

"...this former salesgirl turned her $5,000 into more than $150 million in retail sales, 55 employees, 100 different styles of Spanx, four patents, and ASSETS, a new brand at Target."

If you've ever seen Sara on one of her appearances on the "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as a judge on ABC's "American Inventor," or the runner-up on FOX's "The Rebel Billionaire" reality show with Sir Richard Branson, you can get a sense of her vibrant personality. But to hear her speak in person is truly inspiring.

So it makes sense that she created the Sara Blakely Foundation, which, according to the website, is "dedicated to helping women globally and locally through education and entrepreneurship." Branson believed in Sara so much he gave her his $750,000 paycheck from the reality show so she could start the foundation. She's pledged to give a portion of her SPANX and ASSETS sales to the foundation. Sara also plans to fund 100% of the foundation's administrative costs so that every dollar donated will go directly to the women in need.

SPANX has products for women... by women. Now we know they benefit women, too. Your purchase -- and donations -- help Sara fulfill her foundation's mission to make "herstory" one woman at a time. SPANX a lot!