Bluebella...again.

I really don't want to get too repetitive but Bluebella are really tempting me into debt at the moment. Although they have always produced gorgeous lingerie, they really are stepping up their game this season by re-developing some old designs. Previously i had fallen in love with this lingerie set by Bluebella that unfortunately i never managed to purchase. This is the Vivienne set, which although not my normal style (the soft pink base fabric is a little too girly for my liking normally) i really like. The Vivienne set seemed to be quite popular, so maybe this is why it has been developed, but this basque is definitely much more my kind of lingerie. I love the lace and anything even slightly see through, as always, but i think what tempts me even more is the shapes created on the basque which would give the illusion of a smaller waist. This can be particularly flattering and on top of this, the matching knickers are my preferred brief style, as some of Bluebella's basques can only be bought with a more boy short style which i never find all that flattering on myself.

These products can be bought at:
www.bluebella.com
www.asos.com

Welcome, Gigi Noir.

  The time has finally come...Gigi Noir accessories are now being stocked on ASOS. Ive been waiting for this since the Lingerie Journal announced this in late July along with a few pictures of the new accessories being stocked.
Although I'm not normally a fan of anything sequinned, i do really like these bondage style accessories for their quirky edge. I think its the rejection of thread tasselling that i love, being replaced by beading so that there is an extra level of detail on each Gigi product.

Nipple Fact Fridays

Well i thought there ought to be something that i did regularly on the blog that gave you something to look forward to, so Friday's are going to be all about nipples (until we know all there is to know).
For today:
FACT 1: No two nipples are identical.
Weird, right? Even the two that you have are different...

FINALLY, normal models.

I was scrolling the internet and came across this American brand called Dear Kate.Their lingerie can be bought all around America and in Canada and the aim of the brand is to create knickers that don't focus entirely on aesthetics, but more on creating lingerie that is comfortable and the perfect alternative to the typical period pants. They are stain and leak resistant and very soft, making them very comfortable and very fairly priced at around $36 USD (around £22).
And then there is the best bit...their new range ADA is being promoted by models in a range of sizes, which is exactly what i want to be seeing in the lingerie market. Its not that i think women with tiny physiques aren't attractive, they can look amazing, but i would like to see more curvaceous women out there. After all, isn't it the figure that a lot of men claim they are looking for? And its certainly a more healthy look that will leave a much better impression on younger girls so that they don't think they have to look absolutely tiny and airbrushed. I applaud Dear Kate for their new campaign featuring these New York beauties, more brands should definitely be following suit!

Triangl Swimwear

If someone asked me which swimwear company succeeded the most this year i would have to admit that it is Triangl Swimwear. Even though the designs are fairly simple, the fabrics and colours used made them this summers must-have bikini! And i have to admit, a massive amount of celebrities have been wandering around the beach in these gorgeous two pieces;including Renee Somerfield, Caitlyn Paterson and Examples girlfriend, who posted a picture of her and her bump announcing her pregnancy in one of the lovely pieces.


On top of this, only a few months ago, Triangl launched their lingerie label Triangl Underwear, offering similar shapes and styles in an intimate apparel range.
Although i want to see what this brand have planned for the next summer season, I'm hoping that they don't change their stock too much as i definitely want to be buying this metallic and khaki set for my next holiday...

BARE ESSENTIALS: August '14

I thought i would do a bare essentials post before i run off to Reading festival for the weekend tomorrow...

There are a few things that have caught my eye this month that I'm hoping to get before i go back to university at the end of September (some that are more realistic than others). I discovered a brand called SJ Lingerie a while back. It is an australian brand that creates very feminine and sophisticated lingerie pieces, featuring a lot of gorgeous laces. Some of these pieces came to my attention when reading a new blog that i discovered called Scarlet's Letter; another lingerie blog that is well worth a read! My favourite from the new SJ collection has to be the Raw bodysuit. I will always have a soft spot for a bodysuit, they are quite literally my favourite style of lingerie. However what makes this quite different has to be the low back and delicate lace detail, which can only be described as absolutely beautiful.

Ive also fallen completley in love with the Neoteric collection. The bralet and knickers that have been matched with a midi slip skirt create the perfect outfit with a slight vintage edge. The lace is really interesting, using a more geometric lace rather than the classic floral pattern that you would find in a lot of laces. With the set coming to around $400 AUD this really isn't all that much considering the company go out of their way to source beautiful fabrics and laces predominantly from European countries such as France.

Lastly, a little bit of high street lingerie. I saw this set in the Oxford Circus Topshop and loved the knickers so decided to try the set on. It fitted really well and I'm sure I'm going to have to make this my Happy September treat...any excuse to buy new underwear...I think I'll have to be doing a review post on this bra as a lot of people seem to have different opinions on the fit of Topshop lingerie and although I've never had this same problem, this really is one of the best fitting bra's i have ever experienced.

All of these products can be bought from the websites below:
http://sjlingerie.com.au
www.topshop.com
www.asos.com

Bluebella Eloise Quater Cup Bra Review

  I have quite physically been pining over this bra for months. I'm very guilty for spending hours on the ASOS lingerie department when i should really be doing something more productive, but i always ended up wishing that i had the money to buy this beautiful bra from Bluebella. Eventually, as anticipated, i gave in. At only £30 you can't really complain; this quarter cup bra has soft padding in the sling for that extra support and a fine layer of mesh to cover the nipple, making it absolutely amazing. This bra is sold in dress sizes, so i purchased a 10, which was probably the best size for me. Normally if bras are sized in dress size then i would buy a bigger size so that the cup would be slightly bigger, however because this is a quarter cup i thought that this would not make a lot of difference and this seemed to be the right decision. I have never bought anything from Bluebella before, however this will definitely not be the last purchase that i make with them. Lets face it, with their new campaign featuring the favourite of the MIC group, Binky Felstead, they can't really do anything wrong. The Caterina bra, suspender and knicker are definitely next on the list...

 Keep up to date with all the offers and competitions that Bluebella are featuring on their Facebook page below:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialBluebella?fref=ts

The Eloise bra can be bought at:

www.Bluebella.com

www.asos.com

My Harness Obsession.

So harnessing has been a pretty predominant trend the last few seasons in lingerie, and i can even admit that maybe it has been overdone a bit. Don't get me wrong, as the post states, i love it. However i do feel a few high street brands have used it just as a last minute idea rather than to add to the detail of the bra. 

Aside from this, there are many brands that have been doing it right; Hopeless (i'm sure that you will be getting a few posts from me in awe over their garments) definitely being one of them.

  I bought this bra from ASOS a while ago when harnessing was just coming into the market. It is a lace demi cup bra with adjustable strapping detail. i love that you can adjust the harnesses so that it can be seen from under a camisole and it does fit very well (also a 34D) and even though i have bought nicer bras with strapping detail since, this will always remain the bra that started the obsession.

  So this is what i have been doing recently...

  I got bored one night and decided to get out my sewing machine and start making a few bits and bobs, when i decided to have an attempt at my own harness. I have never made one before and had some excess elastic from a previous project so thought i would give it a go...This was the result.

Obviously I'm very happy with it, in fact ecstatic may be a better word. I have a good feeling about this, there may be a whole lot more harness posts in the near future...

Agent Provocateur, The Classics: Annoushka

  As you well know, i am a massive fan of Agent Provocateur. It is just one of those things. So when i took a trip to Selfridges, this of course was the first place i wandered to. I was very impressed by the detail of their new collection, as it really is something seeing the garments in the flesh rather than just on the website, but i will always stay a loyal fan of their Classics collection.
  Although realistically i wanted to walk away with every lingerie set in the shop, there was one bra that really caught my eye. I'm not entirely sure how i haven't noticed it before, but i fell absolutely in love with the Annoushka bra. In fact the whole set was amazing. It looks slightly different online and i probably wouldn't have fallen for it so much for it if i hadn't of been able to see the detail of the gorgeous eyelash lace in reality. It is a wired, lace bra with a high neck, extra straps for support and the basic hook and eye back. It

comes in sizes 2,3 and 4 and although i have no idea which is small and large, i know that the size 3 that i tried was a medium. Normally i am first to criticise any bra that doesn't come in the generic back and cup size measurements, but i was very surprised to see that this bra fitted perfectly. The back was easily adjustable and for someone who normally wears a 34D, the fit of this bra really couldn't be faulted in any way.
  I always find when i go into the Agent Provocateur department in Selfridges (Oxford Street) that the sales assistants are very attentive and couldn't be happier to help you find the right fit. After trying on the bra, i was also shown the matching knickers and suspender - which are also gorgeous.
 

So it was a bit of an expensive trip to Selfridges, but it was totally worth it.

All can be bought on the links below:
http://www.agentprovocateur.com/lingerie/classics/info/annoushka-bra~black
http://www.agentprovocateur.com/lingerie/classics/info/annoushka-suspender~black
http://www.agentprovocateur.com/lingerie/knickers/info/annoushka-thong~black

4 Things i hate about Pattern Cutting

  Pattern cutting is probably my favourite aspect of my course, however i think 90% of all designers who have had to experience pattern cutting, would say that it is the single most confusing thing they have come across throughout design. You really can't explain until you attempt it. So I'm going to try:
1. There is so much math.
  Math was never my strong point at school. I have to admit at GCSE my teacher gave up on trying to teach me math and just let me and one of my friends sing ABBA from our iPod's each lesson. However the math in pattern cutting can literally lead to you staring at a piece of paper for 40 minutes having no idea what to do. If you need this curve to be a bit longer, it has to bend to the left and then the side seam of the knicker is too long so that has to go to the right...CAN THIS STOP BEING SO CONFUSING PLEASE.
2. There is so much paper involved.
  Im not going to go off on one about how we should save the trees, however the constant development you have to do in pattern cutting always leads to a pile of 100 pieces of paper. This is fine, until you lose that perfect pattern piece that you made...or have no idea which of the gusset patterns in the pile is the one that you needed...
3. There are so many ways to pattern cut...of which none are easy.
  There is always the measuring and drafting of a garment, however it always gets a little too confusing. And like i said, numbers really arent my strong point. Then there is pin copying, but who seriously wants to get a gorgeous pair of satin knickers and make tiny (but noticeable) holes in them with a pin. NOT ME. And of course, the most heart wrenching method. Unpicking. I guess if you are told to pattern cut an ugly piece of lingerie, unpicking really is a god send, merely because you don't have to look at the awful lingerie anymore. However, when you are given a gorgeous french lace knicker, there is nothing that can make you happy about pulling it apart. So although this is the easiest method, i normally want to cry.
4. When the patterns seem perfect and when you make the garment it just doesn't work out.
  There is nothing to say here except HOW.

  Although, i can sit here and complain as much as i want, after all of this stressing there is nothing better than to have created the perfect pattern. I think i just like the challenge...even if it does make me cry sometimes.

Control Yourself.

Lets face it, if you like lingerie, you are bound to have an intimate relationship with the Agent Provocateur website. It really is the only way. 

I used to work with a girl who also suffered from the same problem, every time a new set came up on the website we quite literally would talk about it for the majority of the shift. However, there is one thing better than pining over the luxurious suspender belts that they had to offer; the campaigns.

I couldn't tell you one that i didn't honestly love, however i do have a favourite. The campaign 'Control yourself' really is something else. I guess you could say that there are a lot of things that i like to criticise about the fashion industry, after all there is a lot to hate, however i do think that the treatment of models really is a big issue. I know there are a lot of people out there aspiring to be a model, however i can't think of anything worse than being poked and prodded all day only to be told at the end of it that you are finally beautiful enough.This campaign really shows this, with a little added humour and A LOT of gorgeous lingerie. I swear i will never get bored of it.

The video can be found below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZzRP5xLTxg

Marie Meili Gym Bra Review

I've recently had a bit of a health kick (okay, it's on and off) but i thought after having joined the gym for over a month i might have to start investing in some proper gym kit. After scrolling through ASOS looking for some affordable gym tights (which by the way are very expensive for what they are) i started looking at gym bras. This was definitely something that i needed to invest in and surprisingly i have never actually owned one. I then remembered why...gym bra's are generally quite ugly. Surely a bra doesn't need to be that high up on your chest to keep your breasts in place? However, when i saw this Marie Meili bra for the small price of £18 I really couldn't resist.

STYLE:

As mentioned i love the scoop neckline on this bright pink sports bra, it makes it much more appealing for a younger customer. The back has to be my favourite characteristic though. It crosses over at the back, giving a great design detail, rather than the high back that most of the gym bras featured. I even felt that this was more supportive, keeping everything in place during exercise.

COMFORT:

I bought a size 12 in this bra, as even though i would normally wear a dress size 10, bras in size 12 normally fit my chest size better. I found this bra was perfect fit, therefore i would say that it is a fairly accurate fit to sizing. The fabric used is super soft and smooth and the bra has padded cups, which gives that extra support, the only downside being that the extra thickness of the bra makes it slightly warmer to wear. 

PURPOSE:

I know i have never had a sports bra before, but all i have to say is that everything stayed in place. I'm very happy with it. 

I also noticed when scrolling through ASOS looking for the pictures, that this has actually been reduced to £10 along with some other Marie Meili bra's...so i bought the same gym bra in a different colour for £12 (featured on the right)...you would be silly not to really.

Both can be bought on ASOS through the following links:

http://www.asos.com/marie-meili/marie-meilli-micro-padded-gym-bra/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3437806&clr=Neonpinkmidnight&searchterm=gym+bra

http://www.asos.com/marie-meili/marie-meili-micro-quick-dry-padded-gym-bra/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=3749208&clr=Midnightneonorange&SearchQuery=gym+bra#

WANTED: Everything Zimmermann

I don't think I can actually begin to explain my obsession with Zimmermann swimwear. Basically, I'm in love with everything that they create...quite literally everything. From floral triangle bikinis to classic floaty two pieces, they stock all your holiday bikini essentials.
One of my favourite one-pieces they design is the haze wrap swimsuit. After the high street obsession with the wrap around anything (skirt, short, skort, trouser...), finally the style has made its way to the swimsuit. And i have to say that along with it's slightly pixellated pattern, it really gives the piece that classy edge. If you are spending your days off in the sun by the pool, this swimsuit really is the one for you.
  My other favourite piece from the summer 14 collection is the Sundown frill bikini. Although paisley has been absent in the swimwear trends for quite a few years, i think that this really dainty pattern makes the top subtle and rather cute, looking almost like a floral print. However, the thing i love the most about this set is that the top completely clashes with the bottoms. As proven by popular brand Triangl, mix and match is a big must-have this season and this set really hits the nail on the head. I have to say, i haven't seen anything i would rather buy this summer.


  One criticism of the brand is that they currently do not have a UK store. Us brits love any excuse to buy a new bikini (mostly because 99% of the year is spent in the rain)...but maybe it's a good thing. I know for a fact if they had a store here i would not have a penny left to my name...

Both can be bought at www.zimmermannwear.com/swim-and-resort/swimwear along with a lot of other absolute gems.