Independent lingerie brands big love bomb!

It’s time to gear up for the lingerie Mecca that is Valentine’s Day; the one holiday that transforms retail into a blubbering mess of cupids, hearts and promises of naughtiness in a bid to inspire a little bit of romance. The origin of this celebration is hazy and ended up taking off in a flurry of Hallmark cards and heart-shaped chocolates to become a major shopping event.

The market becomes swamped with big brands elbowing their way through smaller companies in order to compete for the shoppers’ attention, which made us think – why should we? It is rare that independent lingerie brands are in direct competition with each other, thanks to each having a unique style, so why not celebrate this!

Playful promises, What Katie Did

You will often hear the phrases “independent brands” or “boutique brands” being thrown around the lingerie world, but ultimately it may not be clear as to what they mean. While a boutique brand might give the impression of being a small home-grown brand, thanks to quirkiness and the size of stockists, they usually have a larger corporation supporting or operating behind the scenes. A true independent brand does not, although that doesn’t always mean it won’t have investors, just that it is usually run by a handful of people compared to the mega structure of mainstream brands.

Some of the most profitable indie lingerie brands have grown up on their own, gradually employing more people as they go. Some brands are one person companies that make their own products, market them and sell them successfully, often giving the impression that they have several pairs of hands. This usually means we are all lumped in together and assumed that we are competitors, when it couldn’t be further from the truth, as the high-street remains our biggest competition!

You are most probably here because you want something a little bit different, a tad naughtier and innovative than you can grab off the rack at Marks and Sparks. You support indie brands not because they are closer to home but because no matter what style the brand may fit into, their designs are always quirky and unique. We are not afraid to take risks and experiment with new trends, many of which are picked up by the mainstream once sales figures are proved. We listen to your thoughts, your sizing issues and your favourite pieces and we constantly work on improving, refining and creating to make our collections more suited to YOU. No matter how friendly the big brands may seem on their social media, your thoughts will probably never reach the decision makers, whereas you are often speaking directly to the designers at independent brands.

Miss Mandalay bra and brief, Velda Lauder corset, Playful Promises Garter Skirt, Kiss Me Deadly bra and pantygirdle, masks by Pearls and Swine, hosiery by Adrian and Cervin from Hepburn and Leigh

Unlike the big spenders we are in this game for the knickers – like you, we can’t get enough of them! Many a day is spent lusting after other brands’ lacy wonders and structured glories, so we thought what better way to encourage support for indie lingerie than to gather together for a big, sloppy Valentine’s love bomb!

Each day, one independent lingerie brand will be offering a giveaway or competition, while the other 9 brands will explain exactly what they adore about the featured brand, and which item they would love to receive as a Valentines gift! We even put together a sumptuous photoshoot for it, which you can see a preview of below!

Keep your eyes peeled and your twitter hashtags firmly set to #lingerielovebomb from the 30^th of January until the 10^th of February for freebies and blog posts galore in celebration of our favourite fellow lingeristas! 

Brands  joining the Love-In:

What Katie Did – faux vintage lingerie, corsetry and swim

Candy Baker - glamourous diamante embellished hosiery

Miss Mandalay - B-HH cups in trend-led bra sets and bikinis.

Kriss Soonik - edgy loungerie with signature motifs.

Kiss Me Deadly – femme fatale stocking and suspender sets

Fraulein Kink - Sensual accessories to inspire adventure, lust and sexual exploration.

Ayten Gasson – vintage inspired silk lingerie, nightwear and Giftwear trimmed with vintage Nottingham lace

Playful Promises - fun and flirty trend led lingerie, swimwear and Giftwear

Paolita – high end beachwear with that celebrate individuality and vitality

Velda Lauder Corsetiere  - Couture and ready to wear corsetry and lingerie.

See the full set of images at our Facebook page!

Credits for the images:

Venue – Cirque Du Soir, Soho 

Photographer – Anna Swiczeniuk

Models – Jessica Louise Abidde , Tessa Kuragi, Miranda Barrie

MUA – Cheyenne Raymond

Thank you to - Pearls and Swine, Natacha Marro, Hepburn and Leigh

Bodysuit by Kriss Soonik, Mask by Fraulein Kink, shoes by Natacha Marro

Valentine's Day in Japan

Image from tastymiso.com

For those of us with a cynical streak or, dare I say it, a bitter taste when it comes to all things lovey dovey, Valentine’s day often feels a bit of a drag. Well, at least you (probably) don’t live in Japan, where everything is bigger, brighter and more extravagant. From a country that brings you panty vending machines and computer generated Pop idols, it goes without saying that Japanese corporations will use any excuse to sell sell sell!

The Japanese are as influenced by the West as we are by the East, so you can often see Western traditions and holidays trickling into their culture. Naturally good businessmen, Japanese companies and brands have altered and adapted any Western holiday that has made its way over. Valentine’s Day is possibly one of the best examples.

In 1936, the Japanese confectionary and cake company Morozoff Ltd ran an advertisement aimed at foreigners living in Japan, encouraging them to buy products for the 14th February. Later in 1953 it began to promote heart-shaped chocolates, which served as a eureka moment for the company’s competitors.

The Western tradition, however, was slightly lost in translation. Instead of Valentine’s Day serving as a day for both parties in a relationship to buy each other cards, chocolate or flowers, in Japan it is all down to the ladies. It is said that a typo in one of the chocolate adverts led to the custom that only women give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day (don’t fret, the men do have their chance, as I’ll explain later!).

Image from sakura-zen.blogspot.com

Deeply ingrained in Japanese culture is the obligation to thank others who have done them a favour, which is where the concept of “Giri-choco” (obligatory chocolate) stems from. It became common practice for women to give all the men in their lives Giri chocolate, including co-workers, friends and bosses. The poor fella that doesn’t receive any chocolate feels embarrassed, so there are even cheaper chocolates for the co-worker that nobody likes – “chō-giri choko” (ultra-obligatory chocolates)!

Chocs for that special man is a whole other board game, and needs to be a whole step up from the cheaper Giri-choco. These are called “Honmei-choco” (favourite chocolate) and are either more expensive or prepared by hand by the lady, so he better bloody well appreciate it. More recently, many young Japanese women have begun exchanging chocolate with their female friends on Valentine’s Day, known as “tomo-choco” (friend chocolate). Needless to say, that’s a hell of a lot of chocolate.

Thanks to another set of clever marketing gurus, a month later on the 14th March, men are expected to shower their ladies with gifts at least two or three times more valuable than what they received. In the 1980s the Japanese National Confectionary Industry Association launched a “reply day”, which became known as “White Day”, after the colour of the chocolates given. No matter what the excuse, if a man doesn’t return a gift then he is perceived as placing himself in a position of superiority, while returning a present of equal value equates to one of those “I think we should go on a break” text messages.

You would think that this intense amount of spending over a space of 2 months would be enough for the Japanese corporations; after all they do make half their annual earnings during this time. But no, never ones for being subtle, the brands have err... almost got it correct in Western terms, by encouraging men to buy women chocolate on Valentine’s day also. A survey by confectioner Morinaga, which is probably just a little bit forced, shows that 90.8% of Japanese women would also like to receive a gift on the 14th Feb.

So what do they do? Reverse chocolate of course! Never ones for subtleties, the confectionary companies have started producing chocolate in packaging featuring backwards text. The cherry on the cake: the slogan reads “This year, give in reverse”. 

Scrumptious stockists: Beautifully boudoir

Every now and then we like to say a little thank you to our fabulous stockists around the world, and who better to start things off than part photography studio, part boutique Beautifully Boudoir!

This Scottish all-girl team specialises in boudoir photography and corsetry, with boutiques in Glasgow and Edinburgh. They were, in fact, the first dedicated boudoir studio to open in Scotland, embarking on their quest boost confidence in November 2006. In the stop-the-body-snark revolution, these girls are certainly proving that it doesn’t matter what your size, age, or shape...

The biggest obstacle we face is confidence. The Beautifully Boudoir experience is extremely empowering, and it is fantastic confidence booster. So many of our clients are shocked at the results, and are surprised at how natural and confident they look.

With a wide range of photography packages, including couple sessions, a boudoir experience and the ultimate boudoir, they have something for every budget! Each package includes an image and styling consultation as well as fully trained makeup artists and hair stylists that will either boost your natural beauty or transform you into that burlesque star you always dreamed of being.

Beautifully Boudoir also has a special shoot package especially for Valentine’s Day, the “Valentines Surprise”!

If that wasn’t enough to tantalize your tastebuds, beautifully boudoir doubles as a stunning lingerie and corsetry boutique. The ladies offer a wide range of both everyday and amazing couture corsets (I’m in LOVE with this one) as well as faux-vintage lingerie from What Katie Did and the stunning Vargas range from Kiss Me Deadly. Scots can also grab themselves some Playful Promises goodies from the Beautifully Boudoir boutique, including our gorgeous Morgana garter dress and the Lyla satin playsuit.

For those that are baffled by boning (corset-wise of course) and being driven loopy by lacing, BB also offers free corset consultations, and has a bespoke made-to-measure service.

Sizzling swimwear: How to stay on trend this Summer

If you really think about it, Summer is just around the corner. No really, we are already in January, we got the hardest part over with and now we just have to gradually peel off our layers and cardigans for the next few months. Magazine’s have already started telling you what to cut out in order to get that “Beach Body” (we like you just as you are, thank you very much) and new swimwear is all the rage.

So what kind of prints and colours will you find gracing the shelves this summer?

Swimwear often mirrors current trends in fashion and lingerie, so it’s no wonder that bikini waists are high and prints are inspired by retro classics to coincide with the vintage trend. Embracing curves is one major theme of retro inspired swimwear; details such as cinched waists and fuller cupped tops are being mixed with modern pieces.

Ruffles, too, have found themselves adorning bikinis across the catwalks in another body-shaping trend. Frills and ruffles can add volume where you may be slightly lacking, perfect for balancing out the figure and sticking two fingers up to that diet book.

It’s all about getting you in the mood for a laze around on the beach or by the pool, so bright colours are a constant never-changing trend in swimwear. Designers cannot be as experimental with swimwear as they can lingerie or clothing; therefore the unique detail is often in the print!

And boy, are prints looking bold thanks to digital printing. The wonders of technology are allowing designers to update their printing methods, giving more freedom of detail and colour.

If there is one thing that causes swimwear to sell like hotcakes, it’s the promise of warm sands and tropical climates, so it’s no wonder that designers are channelling this straight into their prints. Sumptuous colours, exotic plants and parrots are everywhere, and we just love it. Our Digital Print Hummingbird bikini rides this trend without being cliché, using bright blues, purples, oranges and greens to inject that exotic look.

Walking hand-in-hand (preferably in the shade of palm trees) with the tropical trend are bold prints, inspired by various cultures and their traditional techniques, particularly those of tribal Africa and Native America. Digital printing is again a catalyst for this trend, but we also see designers using more traditional methods such as embroidery and crochet. We, too, were inspired by far-off lands for our Future Tribal Embroidery bikini, which contrasts a black bandeau bra and side-tie briefs with neon-bright ethnic embroidery.

The New Years Eve Outfit Dilemma

CONGRATULATIONS! You survived Christmas, and it seems we did too, which is the perfect reason to celebrate. Well done. 

But wait. Theres more. The celebration of the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012, also known as New Years Eve! Before we start complaining about the onslaught of the Olympics, it's one last excuse for a worldwide party, and thousands of women (and, I assume, men) are already starting to panic about what they could possibly wear. 

There is always the old faithful, but you wore that last year.. and the year before. Perhaps this is an excuse for a new old faithful, or something new and eye-catching because 2012 will be GREAT and you will definitely be keeping all those New Year Resolutions! 

So, why not consider something a little bit different this year? Something none of your friends will be wearing AND you will be bang on the underwear as outerwear trend (bare with me here..). 

Here is one idea: We styled our luscious black silk shirt and satin pencil skirt with one of our underbust waspies for a classy, yet eye-catching outfit.

Not only does the waspie and the curve of the pencil skirt create that classic hourglass figure, but this could be dressed up or down as much as you like! 

Wear this outfit with black stockings, bright red shoes (either small retro heels like our Pin Up Couture shoes, or if you are feeling really naughty, these fierce Bordello shoes!) and a statement chunky ring or necklace. 

The Underwear as Outerwear trend has been going strong since 2010, seen on celebs and fashionistas worldwide. This article over on The Lingerie Addict explains the do's and don'ts of this look and when it is done right, it looks amazing.

For example, here is The Only Way is Essex's Maria Fowler rocking some of our lingerie at the amazing The Box nightclub!

Teaming a longline bra with a black waspie and skinny jeans looks stylish and gives a little bit more to a casual look.

Overbust corsets look stunning if you happen to have lost your shirt - whoops! Team with a black pencil skirt for a vintage tease.