Bans, football fans and spring plans …

Bans, football fans and spring plans …

While we’re all glued to the Sochi Olympics, a quiet but troubling change has been taking place in Russia. It’s all to do with sexy underwear and Russian women are so outraged that they have been protesting in public about the trade ban.

It’s an unusual situation – any lacy undies that contain less than 6% cotton will be banned from manufacture or sale in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan and that includes import lingerie. And the populace is furious at the reminder of the bad old pre-glasnost days when Soviet underwear was apparently riveted together out of girders!

Women protesting in Kazakhstan were vociferous, and the police arrested them for wearing lace underwear (on their heads) and shouting a phrase that most closely translates as “freedom for knickers”! They weren’t the only fighters for underwear choice; thousands of people began to tweet pictures of old style Russian underwear to show why they were so unhappy at the proposed legislation that will come into effect in July. And, of course, the Russian Olympic team’s female members got into the act, appearing in their sexiest lingerie to show just how feminine they are. Whether the whole thing is just a huge stunt is difficult to tell, but it’s certainly the case that Russia is one of the world’s biggest consumers of sexy undies and the ban could reduce lingerie sales in the country by up to 90%.

Savage underwear revealed

Also in underwear – Robbie Savage! Yes the blond-haired footballer has been revealing his smooth torso for an underwear shoot. Somewhat to our surprise, while Robbie has a gorgeous golden tan, there’s not a hint of a six pack in the video which was released in advance of the actual video, a sort of underwear prequel we suppose. Here in the office we’re always delighted with gender equality so having Robbie and the Russian women Olympians posing in their underwear in the same week seems just right. And for those of you who haven’t seen Robbie in his skivvies and can’t wait for the official video release, here’s an unposed shot that we hope will satisfy your curiosity.

Investment lingerie for spring 2014 in Pantone’s top colours

Spring, we’re being told, is just around the corner, but it doesn’t feel like that to most of us. We’re still pulling on our woolly tights and contemplating whether or not we need our thermal vests on a daily basis, but it’s never too early to start planning your spring underwear wardrobe. Babydolls are a key feature of the lingerie spring clean, offering a sweet but sensual introduction to the full heat of summer. This year Pantone predicts that the most fashionable colours will include freesia, sand and a muted green called hemlock. Our Lise Charmel Garden Folie babydoll combines these shades in a beautiful pastel fashion, so if you want to be on-trend for spring 2014, it’s a real investment buy … perhaps as an early Easter present to you and the one you love?

Valentine’s Day gifts, models and tips

American Apparel has used images of Jacky O’Shaughnessy several times, but the most recent features her wearing a bandeau bra and sheer panties and has the tagline

‘Sexy has no expiration date.’ So what, you ask?

Jacky is 62 years old. 

Now that’s pretty special! Of course she probably looked gorgeous all through her life, but let’s give credit where it’s due, American Apparel have stuck their necks out to use a woman who’s three times the age of the average lingerie model and she does look absolutely stunning in these pictures.

Want to emulate Jacky’s look?

Strong colours and sheer/lace fabrics aren’t the usual first choice of older women but Jacky’s pictures show how to make it work. Wear two different colours, red and purple like Jacky or any other two strong hues and choose a strong lipstick shade to bring life to your face. Let your hair be loose and tousled and keep jewellery to a minimum for a natural, powerful, female look.

Choosing the best Valentine’s Day underwear

Choosing a Valentine’s Day gift can be fraught with complications – is it cheesy, is it too much (or to little), does it give off the wrong signals?

Add to that the idea of choosing that most intimate of items, underwear, as a gift and the whole process can become terrifying. So let us help you find the perfect underwear solution so that your Valentine’s Day gift is just right!

Tips for him

1. Remember what she normally wears. Women know what feels comfortable to them and moving too far away from her standard style could leave her feeling that you’re trying to change her into somebody else. Even if it doesn’t, she probably understands which lingerie styles work best for her build and curves. Buy something a little smaller, and little more risqué than her usual underwear and check it’s easy to get on and off and you’ll be off to a great start.
2. Lace is lovely for a reason. It’s difficult to go wrong with a lace garment. For a first time Valentine’s Day purchase, something lacy, rather than sheer, leopard-skin leather or rubber, will be a gentle easing into the world of erotic underwear.
3. Have a fall-back plan and a follow through. If your main gift falls flat, make sure you’ve got something totally romantic to restore the balance. A box of her favourite chocolates, some beautiful stud earrings, a journal in her preferred colour for her to write in. It will at least restore you to favour. And if your main gift goes well, have a little something extra to back it up – the Luxxa Lion Leo mask is so beautiful that any woman would be thrilled to wear it, and a mask can free the inner animal … so beware!

Tips for her

Don’t emasculate a man’s man. Some guys are totally up for fun and games outside their standard ‘bloke’ apparel but some feel acutely uncomfortable with anything that seems to threaten their masculinity. Start with something totally macho – black leather cuffs, a plain black mask etc and if that is well-received you can move onto your ‘extra’ present, which might be a black thong or, and this is our favourite man-present for this year, the Sargento from Sensualle, a no-nonsense camouflage pattern brief with sexy thong side ties. It totally rocks the bedroom!

Don’t ignore his hints. Some men are very ready to play games, and if your guy has been talking about master and slave stuff (Game of Thrones can be a good resource) or other role play, this is the time to get him some equipment so you can both try out his dream.

Trust your instincts. Many partners actually know their man’s desires and secret wishes but have never chosen to voice them. If you see a candy-striped thong and wand and think ‘he’d like that’ then go ahead and buy it! It’s far too easy to censor a man’s fantasies by sticking to the standard themes – let your intuition guide you and it could lead to the Valentine’s night of a lifetime!

Love-test underwear, games you shouldn’t try at home and mind-boggling news about Bradley Cooper

Ravijour, the Japanese lingerie brand, is definitely a high tech company. Their latest creation is a bra that will only unfasten when the wearer is having a ‘true love’ experience.

It sounds a bit like a modern-day chastity belt and the video that accompanies the launch of the love –bra definitely picks up on that theme, showing a scantily clad model whose bra stays resolutely clasped despite a creep waving a bunch of cash at her and a geek trying to seduce her with words. Of course it’s not quite that simple – there’s a heart rate monitor installed in the bra and a mobile phone app that responds to the heart rate of the wearer by unhooking the bra when the wearer’s pulse hits a certain level. According to the boffins who created the device, it can distinguish a raise pulse as a result of exercise or a heated environment from that which happens when the wearer is feeling romantic excitement. All I can say about that, is the designers haven’t tried doing hot yoga with my particularly fit male instructor – I think this bra would keep popping undone in those circumstances!

If you want a bra that raises temperatures, why not try the Gracya Mon Amour half-cup bra set – it’s a sizzler that doesn’t need technology to unlock it!

Don’t try this at home!

They have to make their own entertainment in Australia, specifically the sleepy (but very clean) little town of Mooroopna, north of Melbourne, where one lively chap was playing a game of hide-and-seek when things went wrong.  Here are our tips if you’re going to play games at home:

• Hide and seek is fun – but don’t climb into household appliances (the twenty-year-old Australian got stuck in a top-loading washing machine)
• If you’re going to play grown-up games, limit them to a safe and secluded environment (he was naked)
• Remember that accidents happen so it’s a good idea to have your mobile phone handy (he was there for twenty minutes)
• Even if your partner’s favourite fantasy involves uniforms and lube, it’s still not a great idea to be freed from a piece of white goods by the local fire crew using olive oil … sure, he or she will never forget the moment, but for all the wrong reasons!

Really, if your home town is boring, and you want to have fun, we suggest you invest in our Fifty Days Of Play NaughtyKit which will give you hours of grown up fun without the high risk approach taken by that daring Australian chap!

We can’t wait for Bradley Cooper to reprise his role …

Or can we? Those of us who saw Benedict Cumberbatch in Frankenstein were amazed at how the cerebral ‘Sherlock’ persona gave way to a vigorous and frankly disturbing ‘creature’ and revealed that Cumberbatch has a sinewy and powerful body!

However, we’re unsure about the Bradley Cooper Elephant Man commitment. Bradley’s already starred in the piece in 2012, to great acclaim, and he performs without prosthetics or make-up, which is a dazzling performance by all accounts, but we might give it a miss – we like to think of Bradley the way he looks here. Of course, if we were offered tickets for the Broadway show, that might change our minds, but we’re pretty sure it isn’t going to happen, so we’ll feast our eyes on the classic Bradley instead!