Ageless Fashion Revisited

Back in April we released our Ageless Fashion campaign, challenging our society's obsession with youth by working with 2 models in their late 60's, Lina and Pam. You can read about our director, Emma's, thoughts about the project here. We've decided to release some more images from the photoshoot, as they are just so fabulous!

As a women-run business, it's important to us to think about and challenge the expectations that women face. The response from the first campaign was eye-opening, in many different ways. It was inspiring to see positive responses from women of all ages, and also from men taking the chance to praise their own partners. Unfortunately, there were also not-so-positive responses, which goes to show that we still have a long way to go to make diverse images of women the norm.

Pam wearing our Emerald set

Lina rocking the Bettie Page Overwire Set

The thought of getting older results in a wide variety of emotions from different women of different ages. I'm 28, and I'm excited by the idea of what I might do in my life, and how attitudes might change towards me. I still don't feel like an adult, will I when I'm 38? Will I feel like I'm taken seriously when I'm 48? I've certainly spent a vast majority of my life trying to present myself to seem older!

Pam relaxing in the Jasmin robe and chemise

I don't think, as a teenager, I understood that older women still thought about their sexuality. I mean, female sexuality was barely discussed to start with, and is something many still can't wrap their minds around. I see now, how ridiculous this is, how it implies that women's bodies cannot have a function aside from reproduction and male pleasure. 

Now, I think most of the women I look up to are over 40. They seem powerful and in control, like they couldn't care less what people think. None of that might be true, or at least not all the time (women deserve love, adoration and respect no matter what their mental or physical state), but for that snap of a camera it is true, and that's what inspires me. 

Lina wearing Karine Wine and Jasmin Robe

We'd love to hear your feedback on this campaign - how old are you, and how do these images make you feel about yourself? How do you feel about getting older?

Hair/makeup by Sandra Silva Make Up & Hair

Shooting Peek & Beau - By Anna

A few weeks ago Emma discussed the design decisions behind our mini-brand Peek & Beau, time for the next step: Photoshoots!

Once our designs are made real and samples are (almost! First samples almost always have some fun surprises that require a bit of rigging on photoshoots – they haven’t yet been through the fitting and refining process required to go into production) ready to be photographed, we start organizing photoshoots. For our main Playful Promises collection this usually requires a lot of juggling with models, locations and the dreaded budget, however Peek & Beau was a little easier!

We decided to shoot some simpler shots at our in-house studio, using coloured lighting to make the images pop. As this line was a little more alternative and experimental than Playful Promises we wanted to use a model that gave off an effortlessly cool vibe to match. Georgina Clifford at Profile caught our eye because of her awesome undercut!

I love the idea of exploring what is “feminine” and how lingerie plays a part in this discussion – much of the Peek & Beau collection steps away from traditionally feminine lingerie shapes to more androgynous options, combined with lace textures and cut outs. Styling Georgie’s hair with curls, eyes a heavy blue and black with nude lips balances a punk aesthetic with a softer edge. 

Thanks to Richard Marz for this BTS photo - sneak peek of a piece that is arriving in August!

As we loved this collection so much, we decided we’d like to invest in some more elaborate imagery to sit along with the shots we’d already done. We’d followed Tilly Dinmore(a.k.a Demonpuff) for a while, and just adored her style – she was just who we had in mind when we thought up Peek & Beau!

As I was visiting LA in January, it seemed a great idea to fit in a photoshoot with Tilly (we also shot our competition sets  and some extra imagery on Miss Miranda the same day). Tilly was super bendy from contortion work, which makes for some interesting poses – the shot on the swing was a little harder to get as it was covered in a slippery fabric!

We can’t wait to share the rest of the images with you once they arrive in August, and we’ll be shooting next season’s collection at the end of May, so keep an eye on the Peek & Beau instagram for behind the scenes pics.

Shop the Peek & Beau collection at Playful Promises

Here Kitty Kitty: Halloween photoshoot

It's getting closer and closer to Halloween, and to celebrate we thought we'd shoot some fun new images! 

The stunning Anita de Bauch joined us in the studio with her gorgeous cat Dexter - he's a natural in front of the camera!

Anita wears Kaori's Latex Dreams nipple pasties and a Vamp highwaist brief.

Wearing a Vamp bra and high waist briefs with a Fraulein Kink Kitten Mask.

Wearing Love Bra, Brief and Suspender belt.

Wearing a Dominique bra, briefs and suspender belt with a Romance Waspie and a Fraulein Kink kitten mask.

Retro Fetish: John Willie and the Bizarre

To accompany this blog post I got together with this era's own Sweet Gwendoline, Miss Miranda for a 50's fetish inspired photoshoot! Images (exluding Bizarre artwork)©Anna Swiczeniuk

John Alexander Scott Coutts, also known as John Willie (slang for penis, as if you couldn't guess) was often described as the Leonardo Da Vinci of fetish, famous for producing 1950s magazine Bizarre. 

Born on 9th December 1902 in Singapore to British parents, the family moved back to England shortly after. In 1923 at the age of 18, he joined the British Army. Two years later he rose to the rank of Second Lieutenant of the Royal Scots, but was forced to leave in 1925 when he married nightclub hostess Evelyn Fisher, without permission. 

Coutts moved to Australia but unfortunately the marriage ended in divorce only 5 years later. This gave him the time to work for a Sydney-based fetish club as an illustrator and photographer, and he soon became involved with one of his models, Holly Faram. They married in 1942 and moved in together; it is said that when friends visited his apartment they were greeted with a black-and-white photo of Holly, naked and tied to a tree.

 Miss Miranda wearing our Oh You Tease! set, arriving in October.

In around 1945-47, Coutts moved to New York City, while Holly chose to remain in Australia, however they remained married. This is when Coutts adopted the name John Willie and started producing Bizarre Magazine (no, not the current one of the same name). 

The original Bizarre Magazine was sold via mail order to private consumers, and comprised of fetish-themed photographs (often of his wife), stories and hand-drawn illustrations, all created by Coutts and sometimes a guest contributor. Readers sent letters in covering themes such as bondage, amputee fetishism, transvestism, corsets and more.

It was Coutts' artwork that really set the magazine apart, and secured his place in the fetish hall of fame. Using models or photographs taken himself, he drew in an anatomically correct style, using different techniques for different characters. His heroines, such as his best known character Sweet Gwendoline, were drawn in a smooth form, whereas crosshatching and pen marks characterised his villains. 

Miranda wearing our Dominique set  and some delicious Fabulously Fetish boots!

Other characters that frequented Bizarre included a dominatrix known as U69 (sometimes censored to U89) and the only prominent male character in the series, Sir Dystic D'Arcy, who was a parody of Coutts himself. 

The comics were underscored with classic slapstick comedy, and used innuendos instead of explicit sexual depictions. Each episode featured Gwendoline foiling the plans of D'Arcy, resulting in her being restrained in complicated rope bondage for the majority of the story. It was obvious that Coutts genuinely liked women, as his female characters were always portrayed as intelligent, and his males as dimwitted muscle. 

 Miss Miranda wearing our Dominique corset

The art of John Willie influenced later artists, including ENEG and Eric Stanton, with the latter later creating his own version of Sweet Gwendoline, signing his name J.W. Stanton (for "John Willie") in tribute.

Although Coutts was friends with Stanton, their publicist Irving Klaw did not approve of his artists fraternising. 

If the name Irving Klaw rings a bell, I'm not surprised. He was one of the first fetish photographers and filmmakers, and the one who "discovered" Bettie Page. Klaw began his career selling second-hand magazines, which soon moved onto operating a mail order business selling cheesecake photos of movie stars. Customers began to request more "damsel-in-distress" bondage photographs, which he and his sister Paula began to take themselves using burlesque artists. 

Although still controversial, Klaw was extremely careful that none of his images contained sexual acts or nudity, which would render his business illegal. As the Bizarre Magazine publisher he also asked Coutts to sensor some of his work, feeling that it would be too extreme for some. 

In 1957 after 20 issues, Bizarre Magazine was either given or sold to Coutts' secretary and her then boyfriend, although it is said he was never happy with how they ran it. Coutts moved to Hollywood and sadly developed a brain tumour in 1961, which forced him to return to England.

It is said he died bitter and penniless, and destroyed his archives in anger. On the 5th August 1962 he died in his sleep.

"I've tried a corset on myself and it was nothing else but damned uncomfortable. It gives a women a beautiful shape which I like but I shall get double pleasure out of using it as an 'instrument of correction'...I don't like extreme cruelty, I simply apply as much as is needed to correct disobedience."

- John Alexander Scott Coutts a.k.a John Willie

Ode to an eyelash

When Kiss Me Deadly posted this gorgeous photo of Jess in their Gio Peach Stockings and Van Doren Suspender belt, we noticed a few people lusting after our bra and brief that KMD borrowed for this shoot! The black lace and peach mesh makes a perfect match with their stockings and suspender belt, and has previous only been available in our London boutiques.

Until now.

Last week we shot our AW12 lookbook and, as I seem to have the knack of shooting very quickly, we decided to get some shots of eyelash on our model Hannah. 

Eyelash has a similar colour palette to Margot, fitting in perfectly with the rest of our SS12 collection (which will be available in January), which is inspired by Film Noir and vintage glamour. 

The eyelash brief is certainly a little bit naughty.... The light peach colour feigns innocence, while the sheer mesh behind begs for a closer look (however not revealing enough to put Jess off from posing in the middle of the street with a Pussy Wagon...).

Personally, I'm not a girly girl, but the Eyelash set has just enough quirkiness for me to fall in love with it. I'm definitely going to be combining it with a black suspender belt and black Cervin stockings!