Freya Fuller Bust Padded Plunge Review.

I bought this bra from the John Lewis in Leicester. Ive always worn a 34D as this always seemed comfortable, however as a size 10, I knew this was not the right back measurement to be wearing. I decided that I would go for a bra fitting and get my first plus size bra. The woman in John Lewis was very accommodating and after trying a 32”  back, it was deided that a 30E fitted much better. I had been measured a year before this for a university research file and i remember that this was the size that was suggested to me then.
After trying a few soft cup Freya bras i came to the conclusion that the lace didn't sit completely flat on my breast, therefore we tried this slighlty padded bra.
This bra is made from a beautiful, yet subtle pinstripe jersey in a plunge and slightly balconette style cup. It has a soft and very minimal amount of moulded padding in it and has a satin bow on the center front of the bra. Regularly in a plus size bra, there would be 3 cup panels rather than the 2 panles that you find in A-D cup bras on the high street. With this bra having 4 cup pieces the bra is going to give a much smoother shape to the breast. The bras slight padding will give a little extra uplift to the bra. With it being moulded padding, this will mean that the bra has a better fit to the wearer rather than the generic cup size, generally making it more comfortable. 

I have worn this bra twice now, and i have to say that it fits perfectly. I haven't experienced any problems with it at all and will definitely be investing in another. This bra was meant to be £28 but cost me around £22. John Lewis often have offers on their Freya collections so it's just a matter of keeping an eye out for these online and in-store. This is my first Freya purchase, and i will definitely be investing to expand my collection.

TOPSHOP: Soft Bra Review

I do really love a soft bra. It is really rare that i will but a padded cup bra unless its a gym bra or a strapless bra, and Topshop soft cup bras seem to fit me perfectly no matter what style. I bought this bra a few weeks ago in the hope that it would suit me. Ive been wanting a non-wired soft cup bra for a really long time, however they are usually in the popular triangular style that don't suit anyone above a B cup. Surprisingly, being a D cup, these do not suit me. This set cost me £30 and i have to say it is the comfiest underwear set that i own to date. I don't need a massive amount of support, however the fabric (although it has some stretch) is quite firm so keeps everything in shape. Although it doesn't do anything for your cleavage; it does give a really nice shape to the breasts and the lace detail on the cups is absolutley beautiful. These were sold in dress sizes, so unsure of what the best size for me would be, i bought a size 10 and 12 to try. The lace on the size 12 was better placed on me, however the back size was a bit too loose. I would say the size 10 is better suited to a 32 back. There is also the choice between a thong and a high waisted knicker (which i already have in another colour and are by far one of the most flattering pairs of knickers i have ever bought).

Giles Deacon for Ann Summers Part 2.

It wasn't all that surprising to me when i found out that Giles Deacon was doing another lingerie range for Ann Summers. Although the last collection was not necessarily to my taste, it proved amazingly popular with the rest of the population. A lot of the collections sold out in most sizes and the rest of the stock was quickly snatched up in the sale. Ann Summers may not be to everyones taste, but it seems that there is an ever-lasting gap in the market where not a lot of lingerie is sold between high street and designer levels. Im excited to see what Deacon has in store for us this time...this slip is definitely a positive looking preview.

Dear Kate Campaign: The critics have got it all wrong.

• These women won't be taken seriously by male colleagues when they return to their jobs.
• "Posing in your underwear undermines the message that you want to be taken seriously as a technologist"
• This campaign is a set back in the fight against objectifying women.

WRONG, WRONG AND WRONG.

Why should it make a difference if their male colleagues have seen the photoshoot? There is nothing about being able to flaunt your beautiful body in amazing lingerie to a camera that makes you any less intelligent than the men of the office. And there is no reason that it should make you be taken less seriously. After all, this campaign has amazing aims behind it and showing the younger generation and the intimate apparel industry what beautiful bodies really are is surely admirable rather than degrading. On top of this, i can see in no way that this is a campaign that fights for the degrading of women. And nowhere in this campaign do i see scantily dressed females with their pouting seductively with their legs apart in seductive and provocative poses like any other lingerie shoot you will see. 

I really do think critics are picking it apart for the sake of having an opinion; it's the principle behind the campaign that really matters. It's about time brands started thinking about what kind of effect their campaigns will have on the industry as a whole.

Arikia Millikan did a blog post on her experience modelling with Dear Kate which i found really interesting and inspiring, the link can be found here.

L'Agent.

So the last week all i have been seeing on other lingerie blogs is L'Agent posts showcasing their new A/W collection, which if I'm honest I'm really bored of seeing over and over again. So i thought i would do something a little different. Instead of showing you the whole collection or telling you why certain sets are my favourite i thought i would show you which garments have the most gorgeous  back detail. A bit different i know, but here goes....

   The Idalia Playsuit                                     The Rosalyn Ouvert                                     The Esma Slip

 I love a good cut out on the back and you really can't go wrong with an overt back knicker, but i do think that the Idalia playsuit really is the most beautiful piece created by L'agent so far. As well, for £110 instead of the £300+ you would pay for the Agent Provocateur core range you really can't go wrong.

Stella does Pyjamas.

Personally, I'm not really one for pyjamas. They always seem to shrink in the wash, the legs of the trousers somehow get too short (even though you swear you haven't got taller) and the tops twist around your body when you move in your sleep. Its a nightmare. So the only nightwear you will ever catch me buying is a nightshirt. However, when i saw this Stella McCartney romper style playsuit i decided that it was time for me to broaden my horizons with nightwear. It is slightly baggy so would also be perfect for loungewear and has the most beautiful mustard and navy pattern. I then discovered that maybe i would have to buy more than one piece out of this collection...

Go Nude Or Go Home.

It has come to my attention in the last few years when looking for nude bras that there really isn't a massive variety of shades to choose from, meaning that whenever i wear a nude bra it really doesn't match to the colour of my skin at all, essentially defeating the object of wearing it. However it never occurred to me how little choice there is in nude bras for darker skin until i heard that lingerie company Nubian Skin are launching a collection of nude bras in darker skin tones. The company will be specialising in hosiery and lingerie for women of colour and it looks like so far they are doing a brilliant job. Photos below are from their most recent photo shoot for their website which launches in 4 weeks.

Their website can be visited at: http://blog.nubianskin.com

The Best Lingerie On Instagram

This was a fairly difficult one to decide, but i really do think that Baby Likes To Pony (Babylikestopony on instagram) deserve this. Ive been following them for a really long time now, and their posts never disappoint me. If you want to be first to know about the new Nichole De Carle, Lascivious and Bordelle products then you do want to be following this brand. They will also let you know when popular items are back in stock and provide you with a lot of reposts from very very happy customers in all the beautiful luxury products that they stock. And best of all, they don't post all these very happy phrases and sayings that we all don't want to see at 9am in the morning, everything they post is lingerie. It's the best kind of instagram account.

"Nasty Gals Do It Better": Everything Black.

I've always been a massive fan of Nasty gal ever since i was introduced by following the beautiful fashion blogger, Kavita on www.shewearsfashion.com but i never realised how beautiful their lingerie was until i was browsing their website the other week.

It's impossible for me to hate any kind of black lingerie, so inevitably i wanted pretty much  everything. Unfortunatley and surprisingly i couldn't really afford a basket of about £200.

One of my favourites is the smoke and mirrors bra, mainly because of the higher centre front making it rather different in shape to most bras. I also saw this layering style as a trend prediction on Stylesight in my last term of university and although Topshop made a few triangle bras in this style, it never really hit off as a trend. Personally i think this is a massive shame as it looks so different to your average non-padded bra. Aside from this, the back of the bra is also unique. Rather than the regular hook and eye back, they have used elastics to create a bit more detail to the back of the bra. And at £18 there really is nothing to complain about.


The skivvies bra is another that i know i'm going to be pining over for the next few weeks. It has the very popular triangular cup shape; however this one is very low cut, disallowing itself as a full cup bra. It cuts intentionally close to the nipple, which would be very flattering for those with smaller breasts and is beautifully decorated with embroidery all over the cup on a very transparent mesh backing fabric. The back of this bra again is very interesting with elasticated harness detail, however it does not have any hook and eye fastening. Therefore i would say that although this is not an issue, it is probably more suited to smaller cup sizes because it doesn't provide that extra support that you get with adjustable fastenings.

 Finally, the most amazing robe that i have maybe ever seen; The Skivvies by For Love and Lemons Anastasia robe. The mesh and lace panels make it a statement piece, as well as the lace running at ankle length with slight dipped hem sides. This ribbon bound robe is definitely the show stopper out of all the Nasty gal Summer to Autumn transition pieces. Styled perfectly with the Skivvies mesh panel slip, it really is a difficult one to resist.

H&M Black Lace Bodysuit Review

I bought this a few months ago in the Oxford Circus store and unlike when you buy new lingerie and start to get a little bored of it, i still adore this just as much. It quite literally is everything i want in lingerie; its black, laced and mesh...it's the sort of thing i would actually design.

I bought this in a size 12 merely because that was the only size that was left, however it fits absolutely fine because the mesh fabric has a really high stretch, so could probably fit sizes 8-14. It's not often that i would suggest this, but maybe a S,M,L sizing system would have been more appropriate for this garment.

There is a piece of elastic which sits on the waistline of this garment, which makes the garment more fitted. This combined with the lace meeting at the waist gives the illusion of a smaller waist, making it a really flattering garment. The back of the garment is also lovely. Although it is far more simple and mainly mesh, there is a nice little cut out at the back from the top of the neckline to the waist which adds that extra bit of detail.

This cost me £18, which to be honest i think is underpriced. With a beautiful lace being used and the fit of the garment being so perfect, i think this should have been priced much higher. Even better, i saw it in the Oxford circus store again last week, so even though its not online it is still available in stores.

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

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!

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...