Wind, women footballers and winning the lingerie gift game - post-Christmas lingerie stories

Windy undies?

Online specialist publisher Marketing reports something quite fascinating - according to their marketing expert the future of advertising is going to depend, in large part, on using real time information to adjust what we see from advertisers. The example he used is that Asda sells more lingerie when it’s windy …

We’re still trying to work that one out too! Is it because people think of washing their scanties when they can line dry them (we all know not to tumble dry our precious silk underwear, don’t we!) or is it because women expect their skirts to blow up and reveal their less than glamorous knickers? We have no idea and that’s not the only question on our minds, we’re wondering about the thought processes of the computer expert who spotted that statistic too …

Lingerie league outclassed?

In a week when Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs have been lauded (again) for letting squatters stay in their Manchester hotel, the legends, plus Gary’s brother Phil, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt are under fire for hosting a Lingerie League match at their Hotel Football. Oh, just to be clear, it’s not the Man U dream team who are out in their non-regulation kit, it’s women. This week saw two women’s football teams strip off to underwear to play football to advance the future of the game.

According to the UK founder, Gemma Hughes who says, ‘I want to see a football revolution in my lifetime’ this event is going to return income and investment to the women’s game. Well, we’re not so sure. In a week where Serena Williams because the first Sports Illustrated's female "Sportsperson of the Year" since 1983 - and wore a lingerie inspired dress to pick up her award, we can’t help noticing that Serena and her sister Venus never played lingerie tennis. There is a difference between lingerie and technical underwear, and the whole point of technical clothing is that it helps you do whatever it is you’re doing a bit better. Whether that’s a control panel undergarment or a set of compression socks for marathon running doesn’t better - it’s designed for performance first and appearance second. The other way round is lingerie, designed to be comfortable for sure, but primarily, and we thing, vitally, designed to look awesome. So you look awesome wearing it. Once those boundaries start to blur, it’s difficult to know how to respond - are we looking at sportswomen in lingerie or lingerie models playing sport? So we like to keep our lingerie where it belongs - on our bodies, when and where we want to display it, and them. Not on a sports field.

Choosing lingerie for your lover

Another survey, by Debenhams this time, shows that in the UK 78% of women are thrilled to receive a gift of sexy lingerie at Christmas but that for a third of those women the feeling of being flattered becomes one of disappointment when the garment in question turns out to be the wrong size.

Overwhelmingly, our men buy us underwear that is too small. We have a great tip to help you get the right lingerie from your loved one - our wish list!  Simply save the items that appeal to you into your wish list and then your partner can pick from your selection, confident that you’re going to love their choices. This year, for example our plus size tuxedo redbaby doll has been flying off to destinations around the world, and that’s no surprise as this uber-sexy lingerie with its black trimmings is both gorgeous to look at and easy to wear … a winner in every sense of the word.

Appropriate and inappropriate underwear gifts this Christmas season!

 Inappropriate underwear the Kardashian way

Before we show you how to choose the perfect naughty gift for your partner, let’s talk about what’s really not so appropriate - Caitlyn Jenner, 66, giving her 18-year-old daughter, Kylie, lingerie. Most people might find that a little strange, given the age difference and Caitlyn’s recent and very public gender change. But that’s not what makes it totally uncool - it’s the fact that (a) Caitlyn choses to make the gift on live TV (well, this is the Kardashians after all) and (b) the undies in question have Caitlyn’s own face printed on them.

Kylie is herself a model but her shock, and clear distaste are obvious as she handles the bra and panties covered in Caitlyn’s portrait. It takes her a few seconds to sum up the situation, and then she nails it, “I have my dad on my underwear,” she says. Exactly!

Women who don’t want lingerie for Christmas

A survey by CouponCabin in the USA claims that not only do 61% of American women NOT want lingerie for Christmas but that 68% prefer to buy underwear on solo shopping trips.

We know for sure than many women prefer to buy lingerie online, but we suspect that’s because it’s easy to browse a lingerie site with a partner, without having the pressure of trying garments on and (literally) exposing yourself in changing rooms. Not only that, intimate conversations, jokes and teasing are natural when pondering your underwear choices in private with your lover, but much more difficult to enjoy when you’re in a lingerie boutique or the underwear section of a department store.

How to choose the perfect Christmas underwear gift

Picking a naughty present for your loved one can sometimes seem a high stakes exercise, but we can take the risk out of it. Here’s the perfect gift buying guide:

1.    Pick a gift that is appropriate to the stage of your relationship - if you're relatively new to each other, then something too intimate will carry a lot of baggage, whether it’s a guy buying underwear for a new girlfriend or a woman choosing a gift for her new lover. 

2.    Choose a gift that allows you to share an experience - if you’re hoping your lover will model their new underwear for you, don’t just buy undies - invest in a scented candle, a box of luxury popcorn and a romantic DVD … the collection of gifts, together, suggest an intimate evening with special moments and nothing could be easier than parading in a gorgeous new undergarment in such a setting.

3.    Don’t opt for  an item that suggests you’re trying to change your new partner - if you love thongs but your partner loves briefs, then buy him or her briefs! Investing in what you love, rather than what they love, is clearly an attempt to change them and that’s going to be badly received - buying gifts that are more for you than for the recipient is always a little creepy and controlling. It could even end your relationship!

“Santa baby” and other Christmas lingerie stories!

Underwear phone-in sparks lively debate in Dublin

When Dublin’s 98fm talk radio station hosted a call-in that asked if lingerie is an appropriate Christmas present, they got some surprising responses - one lady rang in to say that, a woman should receive a gift that says, “I  love you and NOT I want to mount you. I would be disgusted if my husband bought me lingerie for Christmas.”

Well that really provoked some debate with many other listeners stating that they would be delighted to receive lingerie for Christmas, not least because it would help “keep things interesting”.  As an online lingerie shop, we know just how interesting lingerie can be at any time of year, but there’s no doubt that we sell more sexy underwear at Christmas than at almost any other time of year.

Perhaps the funniest part of the whole proceedings for us was when the presenters began to ask the listeners what was on their list of Top Ten things Women Want for Christmas - to whit!

1.    Xbox 360

2.    Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

3.    Make-up

4.    Perfume

5.    Engagement ring

6.    Pyjamas

7.    Mop (!)

8.    A weekend away

9.    Hair products

10.  Concert tickets.

We’re frankly amazed - who wants a mop for Christmas? But when it comes to pyjamas we definitely have a recommendation - Jane Woolrich pyjamas are made to order so they are stunningly well made and they couldn’t be more capable of ‘keeping things interesting’ as they make wonderful boudoir garments but are sophisticated enough to be worn around the house too - a perfect Christmas gift. 

Golden undies

China’s super-rich have been having a good year, for many reasons, not least of which is that designers all over the world have been looking for ways to help them spend their money. In the summer we saw shirts for men made out of gold mesh being shown in Chinese catwalks. At a cost of £40,000 per shirt (which looks a bit like a gold string vest) there was very definitely a sense that this was clothing for the man who has everything.

But that’s not all. In Pingliang, China, some amazing underwear went on show at the weekend - a jewellery shop was hosting a catwalk show with a difference, which included a golden bra and pants set weighing 700 grams. The brassiere in question was handcrafted and featured gold chains flowing down the back of the bra, matched by chain links in the panties. The cost for this extravaganza? Around £310,000 in total.

Of course it’s an utterly gorgeous outfit but 700 grams is a lot of weight to be carrying - we think it would get very uncomfortable pretty quickly. If you want some jewelled underwear that doesn’t either cost the earth or weigh a ton, why not invest in something equally stunning but a little more realistic - our Unique Design Venus by Lola Luna is a beautiful G-string with gold accents, decorated with genuine semi-precious stones.

Theft and bare-faced cheek - this week’s most dramatic lingerie stories

Top shoplifts of 2014 - undies!

The Global Retail Theft Barometer has produced a shocking report about shoplifters in the UK. It turns out that shoplifting increased by 3% last year, and the total value of stolen goods over the year is reckoned to be around £800 million. That’s a lot of pilfering! The thing that makes it all so interesting is that petty theft from retailers has become a middle class hobby with the top ‘theftables’ including lingerie, wine, sunglasses and prosciutto ham.

You’ve probably noticed supermarkets security tagging large pieces of meat such as sides of beef and salmon but they are struggling to keep pace with the disappearance of such items as Manuka honey, stockings and video games - items that are much more the preserve of the middle classes than the starving poor who supposedly steal to feed their families.

Much of what is going on is the result of stealing to obtain Christmas presents that maintain the living standards that a family has previously had and means that the the ‘shopping list’ for shoplifters trying to please the women in their lives includes underwear and shoes, perfumes and purses.

How to wear your underwear as outerwear

So if you do receive lingerie for Christmas, how do you get the most out of this luxurious gift?  Well if you emulate Kim Kardashian and Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and Ellie Goulding and even Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss, you can wear your gorgeous underwear out in public.

Slips and teddies as day wear

Rihanna has one way of doing this - she wears a chemise with Converse trainers and a denim jacket and it looks just right. If that seems too exposed to you, there’s another way to parade your silk slip during the day - slide it over a long-sleeved T-shirt and pop a pair of thick tights underneath then finish the look with ankle boots and a blazer. The overall effect is cute without being too sexy.

Lace bra to evening wear

If you’ve got the blazer that worked so well to cover up a teddy, you can create another stylish lingerie as outerwear look with its help. Lacy bras, particularly those with contrast lace, can make a gorgeous evening top if you wear them under a blazer that you’ve buttoned up until just a small amount of the bra shows, then loop a chiffon scarf around your neck and pin it to one of the lapels with a pretty brooch. This approach gives a range of focal points: brooch, scarf, bra that are all feminine and the combination ensures that you don’t look slutty, just mysteriously womanly! This is definitely not office-wear but it’s perfect for drinks with your partner or a romantic dinner.

Corsets and bustiers

Traditionally a gown has an inset corset to give the figure shape, but it’s very easy to make a corset into a beautiful evening dress. Choose a satin corset with a vibrant colour such as red, purple or blue and then find a long skirt to wear with it - our favourite options include wearing a wrap-around piece of sari fabric in similarly rich shades or opting for a black circular skirt with a net petticoat in the same hue as the corset. Our emerald green pleated bust corset is ideal for this approach as it works with all skin tones and is elegant enough to act as a cocktail dress. High heels and a bolero or cropped jacket will complete the look, as will a high up-do if you have long hair. It’s a dramatic and ultra-womanly look that particularly suits mature women who are confident about their sexuality.

Halloween tricks, bra secrets and David Cameron’s underwear - a week of surprises in lingerie

Dressing for Halloween

If you’re planning a Halloween costume but feeling self-conscious about the amount of flesh on display - don’t despair. It’s certainly true that many Halloween outfits have become skimpier and skimpier and more and more revealing as the years go on, but you can still rock the Halloween lingerie look with our tips and tricks:

•   Focus on the face - there are some astonishing looks that you can create with Halloween makeup. Brit+ Co have pulled together a wonderful set of ideas that you can play with and by ensuring you have a dramatic face, people will focus on your makeup artistry and not your costume. Not good with makeup, no matter … the next tip is for you

•   Cover up with class - opt for some long gloves, patterned tights or stockings, a vibrant mask and then you can cover up your basic look with a long cape or even a black coat, because your accessories create points of focus that make it clear you’re in costume without you having to bare too much body

•   Wig your way through - a great wig will always draw attention to your face and head, not your bod. Neon wigs are fantastic but don’t stop there - embellish your wig with a few focus points such as large fake spiders, tiny vampire bats or even rubber rats weaving in and out of your tresses - you’ll look fantastic and yet you won’t be over-exposed.

The way you put on your bra tells us everything about you

A body language expert claims that there are four personality types revealed by the way we do everyday tasks such as putting on underwear:

1.    If you wear a back fastening bra and you put it on then fasten it with your hands behind you, you’re a supporter - you like to stick to what you know and you generally get on with people pretty well

2.    If you put your back fastening bra on with the fastening at the front, then swivel it round and slide your arms through the straps, you're an influencer - you like to be appreciated and you take pleasure in making statements or experiencing new situations

3.    You opt for front fastening bras? You’re a driver - you are super efficient and make good decisions, but you don’t hang around.

4.    If you fasten your bra and then slide it over your head with the clasp or hooks and eyes already fastened you’re a corrector - a personality type that likes to do things exactly right and don’t feel the need for frills or fusses.

The Prime Ministerial underwear …

It turns out that the Camerons had a gift from Michelle Mone, CEO of Ultimo lingerie brand. In August 2014, a bunch of her merchandise arrived at Downing Street. Was it for Samantha … or Dave? Sadly we’ll never know, because gifts of over £140 in value must be declared and are then held by the Cabinet Office, so the sexy undies (whoever they were meant for) never made it to the bodies in question!

Cate Blanchett’s scanties, the lingerie sales problem in Saudi and how to pick Halloween lingerie

 Cate Blanchett’s shameful underwear

According to Cate Blanchett, her underwear doesn’t match up to the designer gowns she wears at film premieres. What she claims is that “[people] would be horrified if they could see my underwear drawer” and she goes on to say that the only reason she does photo-shoots is to get more underpants. Wow!

First, we can’t remember the last time anybody called women’s panties underpants - knickers, pants, undies, ‘bottoms’ and scanties yes, but underpants - straight out of a 1950s boarding school novel. Second, Cate goes on to say that she’s still wearing lingerie her mother made for her when she was in high school and we can certainly get behind that - there’s something very special about handmade underwear that makes it both durable and comfortable but that’s not the only reason it lasts so long. We also think that when we’ve got made-to-order lingerie like our Jane Woolrich range, we tend to treat it better by washing it more carefully and storing it with more love, which makes it last much longer.

Saudi undies at risk

Then again, there’s a genuine problem with underwear in Saudi Arabia - changes in legislation that required Saudi fashion and lingerie boutiques to employ only Saudi females have led to around 40% of those shops closing, according to one report. Owners of underwear shops have called on the Ministry of Labour to change the rules because Saudi women are said to fail to turn up to work for weeks on end and to quit jobs without notice.

On the other hand, the Ministry suggests that the failure to provide staff rooms that are female only, and the lack of provision of toilets for women are contributing to the problem. We can definitely see that having no female only toilets would cause women to give up work!

Choosing lingerie for Halloween

Maybe you're aiming to dress up and go full out as a Halloween witch, vampire or some other sexy spectre - if so, good for you! On the other hand, many of us are still quite reserved about Hallowe’en, or consider it to be a celebration for kids rather than adults - we’re equally comfortable with that approach. One thing we would like to urge though, is the opportunity to view Halloween as a chance to try some lingerie shades that might not normally strike you as your first choice, such as … orange.

The hue of pumpkins is rarely considered to be particularly sexy in the west, although as ‘Persimmon’ it’s a highly popular shade in South East Asia in particular. We’d like you to reconsider this particular colour as part of your lingerie palette. The harvest orange shades of the Lise Charmel Vibration Sutracamisole make it work for every skin tone and the beautiful bias cut of the design and the gold embroidery give it an autumn richness that could the ‘Night of the Dead’ into an evening that’s very lively indeed!

Celebrating our similarities - a week of wonderful lingerie stories

 Women with a difference

A collection of women with Crohn’s disease have stepped up to appear in their own lingerie calendar - their purpose is twofold; to raise funds for the charity Purple Wings, which supports those with bowel disease and to demonstrate that stoma bags can be sexy too.

Every one of the group has had surgery to remove a part of their intestines, which means they require ileostomy bags to manage the function of the missing parts. For a lot of women this can prove challenging - whether its Crohn’s disease, cancer or any number of other causes that have led to needing ileostomy bag or a colostomy bag - learning to redefine sexiness with a bag can be tough. But not impossible. We think the calendar is utterly beautiful, and we love the idea of celebrating the whole range of our bodies and our sexuality, however we are shaped, placed, built or altered by life.

As the women in the calendar say, very few people know whether another person has an ileostomy bag, but in an intimate relationship it’s impossible to conceal the fact. Lauren Henderson who appears as Miss November, said, “It’s so hard trying to get the message out that these women are still beautiful. I'm so proud. It's epic. I really can't put it into words.”

Underwear with a difference

If you, or somebody you love, is adjusting to life with a bag, of either kind, you can rest assured that the team at lingerie.co.uk works hard to ensure that our lingerie collection works for everybody, not just perfect bodies. We’ve got a particular suggestion for those trying to find sexy lingerie that works with a ileostomy bag, it’s our Roza Genesis shorty briefs! Beautifully constructed with an elegant V shaped net insert at the rear, this briefs comfortably accommodate a bag and also look stunning.

 

Recycling with a difference

 

In a fascinating story in Plastic News the link between the underwear worn by Muslim women in the staidest part of Egypt, plastics recycling and the entrepreneurial nature of Chinese business-people has been stunningly unravelled.

Upper Egypt is home to some of the most conservative Muslims in the world, and the racy lingerie worn under the women’s concealing garments is sold to them by a syndicate of Chinese merchants who barely speak the local language. One Chinese couple who were creating a small lingerie business in the region became aware of the amount of plastic in the landfill around the city of Asyut and they imported a PET bottle recycling plant from their home in Jiangsu, China. The ground plastic is sold to a Chinese group in Cairo which makes them into polyester thread which is then used by garment manufacturers who make lingerie … that is sold back to the Chinese entrepreneurs who sell it in Egypt. How cool is that!

Hot, curvy and pink - a week of lingerie from www.lingerie.co.uk

Hot news this week is that curvy is missing. As singer Meghan Trainor has it, ‘Bringing Booty Back’ hasn't made it to September’s issue of American vogue! Criticism of the autumn issue of Vogue, often seen as the trend-setting issue for the whole year ahead, relates to the fact that in the 832 pages of the publication there are plus sized models on only two pages. Those two pages aren’t even editorial, they are a paid for advert from a mysterious organisation called plusisequal.com which has an, as yet unpublished, website.

Vogue USA under the lingerie microscope

The advert itself shows six plus sized women in lingerie and stilettos, but they are in silhouette and there’s a countdown to the date 14 September 2015 with the strapline ‘It’s time for change …’ Overall the approach seems to related to Lane Bryant, a lingerie retailer that has attacked Victoria’s Secret for their ‘perfect body’ campaign by promoting their own versions of attractiveness under the hashtag #Imnoangel in which they showed women of many different body types posing in lingerie to show that you don’t have to be ‘perfect’ to be gorgeous. We’re all in favour of that!

But there’s a bigger question about magazines like Vogue, which have taken to using older models quite regularly, simply because the ‘silver market’ is worth competing for, and that question is - are they simply sticking to featuring skinny ‘perfect’ bodies because they believe many women will still strive to achieve the ‘size 10’ or thigh gap that they think will lead to fulfilment? It was all too common for magazines to only have pubescent or even pre-pubescent models at one time, because all women were encouraged to aspire to eternal youth, now are we being asked to aspire to impossible slimness instead?

Talking about eternal youth and underwear …

We were charmed to see Lisa Snowdon in her latest undies! Aged 43, Lisa, who is a successful TV presenter and radio host, revealed just how good she looks in lingerie. Perhaps it’s no surprise that  the presenter of Britain's Next Top Model between 2006 until 2009 is in great shape, but the wonderful thing about Lisa’s glamour shoot for the Triumph brand is that she’s no skinny wraith, she looks like an ample, beautifully proportioned mature woman, which is what she is.

We also love the bright pink - we’d call it fuchsia - bra and pants set that she’s debuted. While many women think that strong lingerie colours might be difficult to wear, we consider that fuchsia and cerise work for almost everyone. Other colours that just about every woman could comfortably fit into their lingerie drawers include royal blue and a proper emerald green. It is true though that bold underwear takes a little more work. So, taking our Reve de Luxe bra in pink as an example, we’d recommend that any woman aiming to work this hot pink number would probably benefit from:

1.    Finding a strong lipstick to offset the rich lingerie shade

2.    Plan special hair - either a full tousled bed hair look or something sleek and sophisticated

3.    Accessorise with care - dainty necklaces and tiny earrings won’t cut it with such a glowing underwear collection - instead consider chunky bangles, a risqué anklet or even a velvet choker or a fascinator … something to really rock your undies!

Stars, bras and lingerie movers - August’s big stories in lingerie

Stephanie Davis and that tattoo

So … after Stephanie Davis was unexpectedly and unceremoniously sacked from Hollyoaks, she’s taken no time at all to launch her next career. Apparently she wants to emulate Kylie Minogue by writing and performing her own songs, but she’s started in the traditional fashion, but stripping down to her undies for a lingerie shoot for Zoo magazine.

It’s an absolutely classic approach, a front clasp black bra and suspender set, super high black stilettos and sexy big hair. What’s quite novel is her new tattoo - a chest mandala that spans the whole of her upper abdomen, just below the bra line. 22 year old Stephanie, who’s been a Hollyoaks stalwart since she was sixteen years old, speaks in the article about how tired she became working on the soap six days a week, and how she eventually “just walked … the producers told me if I didn't come back they'd have no option but to terminate my contract, but that it was my choice.”

The rumours swirling around her are that she got so drunk she couldn’t stand up, and after telling the production company she was too sick to film an episode, went back out and drank some more. Stephanie’s version is a bit different, “The drunken thing was there for people to believe if they wanted to but I know people in the industry know me for what I really am.”

Top selling bra at a bargain price!

And my, oh my, do we have a deal for you! If you’ve fallen in love with that black satin balconette bra that Stephanie is wearing then you won’t believe your luck because we have a virtually identical sexy little number for a complete steal of a price! The Vikki black satin bra by Insinuate is so cheap you can probably afford a bottle of wine too … although you might not want to invite Stephanie round to share it, if those rumours are true!

Marks & Spencer and that shake up

Since the beginning of this month, beleaguered high street underwear retailer M&S has taken another pounding. At one point the share price dropped 2% overnight, because of yet another reorganisation of personnel. Womenswear head, Frances Russell, has departed, and Jo Jenkins has stepped up. Jo Jenkins was previously the lingerie director but now has a portfolio covering womenswear, lingerie and beauty. Hard on the heels of the departure of John Dixon, this little shake up is rattling the investors badly. Why? Well Steve Rowe, who took over general merchandise when Dixon left, appears to have decided to pull all the ‘female’ product areas under one director. Previously this has been separated to ensure that the perennial M&S woman who buys not only her scanties but her husband’s pants in the store, is not in any way subject to the vagaries of the fashion market. Well … we’ll see!

Lusciously large, Life Peer and Losing Out … a week of lingerie surprises

Large women model for empowering photographs

Brazilian photographer (that is, she’s from Brazil, not a photographer of Brazilian trims!) Mariana Godoy has a new project that’s been winning attention in the international media. Her portfolio entitled Empoderarte Me, which roughly translates as ‘empowering myself’ features five self-proclaimed fat women. The aim of the project is to remove any stigma associated with the word ‘fat’ and the photographs are a loving and lively series of portraits of semi-clad and topless women who are clearly very much at home with their bodies. Some of the women have chosen to write slogans on their bodies in Portuguese such as “My Body My Rules” and “Fat and Healthy”.

Interestingly, Godoy sheds a sidelight on the project that might not be instantly recognisable to us. She commented that whilst curvy brunettes are the dominant body type in Brazil, it’s slim blondes who are seen as the epitome of attractiveness. Now, while many larger women have experienced the negative response to their size that comes from a narrow view of physical perfection, the surprisingly strong ‘blonde standard’ that operates through much of Central and South America often passes under the radar. In linking the two attributes of slim and blonde to reveal the unrealistic demands made on many women in the name of beauty, Godoy explicitly shows us that such standards are based on media representations of women rather than on a realistic view of women’s bodies.

When she began to post photographs on social media of the project, Godoy was impressed by the amount of interest and support she received for the work which has inspired her to continue.

Michelle Mone, Ultimo Founder, will be a Tory Peer

Lingerie boss, Michelle Mone is going to become a Tory peer! Apparently she received the news of her potential life peerage from David Cameron himself in a phone call. The elevation is thought to be in part due to her strongly declared support for maintaining the England/Scotland Union in the Referendum debate. Michelle left school at 15, was pregnant at 19, and founded her international lingerie empire from scratch, essentially at her kitchen table.

Business predictions say that Victoria’s Secret may lose market share

A couple of business gurus have suggested that Victoria’s Secret, which has a massive 35% of US market share, might be going to lose a considerable proportion of that share simply because of the way it refuses to carry plus-sized lingerie in its lines.

The claim is based on market research that suggests that in the next half-decade plus size women’s underwear will be a $9 billion income generator - and Victoria’s Secret will not have any of that share.  Several top lingerie brands offer up to size 28, and a couple of high profile campaigns have attempted to get Victoria’s Secret to carry larger sizes, including online petitions requesting bigger clothing and feedback on marketing campaigns such as “The Perfect Body’ which has been criticised as denying women with less than ‘perfect’ bodies the right to legitimacy.

Given that the USA has more than 100 million plus sized female consumers, it’s going to be interesting to see how Victoria’s Secret deals with this increasing public awareness. While we’re on the subject, if you want to see what stunning plus-size lingerie looks like, our ribboned babydoll comes in the gorgeously named ‘queen size’ and is utterly, utterly sexy - empowering myself indeed!

Paying it forward, underwear throwing and full spectrum lingerie - a campaigning few weeks in the world of underwear

Bra love

From Australia, heart-warming campaigns by Mummie’s Paying It Forward. This month they have asked for bras to be donated to the Uplift Project which supplies brassieres to women in disadvantaged communities. The power of social media is fuelling the organisation which has now provided donations and volunteers to no fewer than 16 separate charitable aims. Women use spare time in their day or spare rooms in their homes to store and sort donations. The Sydney based campaign is seeking the following bra sizes:

            •           Size 8 to 16 (A-D) in good condition

            •           Size 18+ in any condition 

            •           Size E+ in any condition 

            •           Maternity and mastectomy bras in any condition 

            •           Swimwear in good, clean condition.

As one of the volunteers said, ‘It’s the little things you don’t think about that makes a difference.” Of course we’d agree, and being able to donate a bra to a woman who isn’t in a position to buy her own strikes us as not such a little thing at all.

Underwear protests

The female students at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath found a novel way to protest against a campus dress code - the statues and sculptures in the college grounds were draped in lingerie. The protest was in response to a notice posted around the college asking girls to dress with ‘levels of respectability in mind … students are not permitted to wear provocative clothing’. One student says girls were asked not to wear sleeveless tops and shorts as they were distracting and could make male students feel uncomfortable.

As a result, the girls protested that the restrictions would limit their own comfort and male students have backed the girls in their call to be allowed to choose their own clothing. Describing it as ‘creative and non-violent’ methods of protest, they helped dress the statues in bright lingerie. The latest news is that new posters have been put up, stating that the previous dress code has been rescinded. 

Really nude lingerie

In a thought-provoking article, Theresa Avila has rounded up some of the difficult questions being asked of the fashion industry, including lingerie manufacturers. We’re really aware that our customers come in every shape, size, colour and of all ages, and try to cater to their needs, but if you can’t find it, you can’t sell it! So in going the extra distance we’d like to highlight our stunning Milk Chocolate Ujena bikini - nude for darker skin tones, beautifully constructed to work for all sizes, and with an elegant coordinating cover-up, the whole ensemble is just perfect for summer.

A lingerie challenge, a lingerie hotlist and how to have the coolest lingerie in the hottest weather!

Jodie Layne (@jodielayne) has a challenge for you! In an article entitled I Wore Sexy Lingerie For A Whole Week And I Think It Changed My Self Image for Bustle, she talks about how wearing her best underwear changed her view of herself on a tough old week. The points she makes are valid ones:

1 - she did it as a challenge, because she wouldn’t have opted to wear sexy lingerie except for ‘a reason’

2 - she let somebody else have a say in what she wore - not that they picked her outfit for the day, but by being sent a box of lingerie she was presented with new ideas about underwear

3 - the best moments came when she least expected them; through wearing lingerie every day she was surprised by how often she felt more accepting of her body or more happy with her appearance.

So what can we take from this experiment of one? 

•   Maybe that we could wear our best underwear more often and more naturally - instead of using it as a strategic statement ‘today is the day I’ll feel good about myself’ we can use beautiful underwear on any day, without forethought, because we should feel better about ourselves.

•   Perhaps that getting some input on our underwear choices is a good idea - for example, if you love a particular bra in one colour, why not order it in another too? That way you’ll be able to explore something that you know already works and you may learn something about your choices. Or maybe find out what this season’s hot colours are and order lingerie in those shades, even if you’d never normally wear them.

•   Finally, if lovely undergarments make us happier with ourselves, we should probably wear them a lot more!

Best of British lingerie

And then Forbes says that the British are coming! To their list of amazing British lingerie designers we’d add our own Jane Woolwich who is quite simply the quintessential British underwear designer. Her work is ultra feminine and flattering but what makes the Jane Woolwich brand so special is the innately intuitive use of colour and fabric which gives her lingerie real wow factor.

Cool underwear for hot babes

Baby it’s hot outside! If, like us, you're trying to stay cool in the hottest days of the year, here are a few tips that might surprise you:

•   If you own cotton undies, put them in the fridge! Yes, that old T-shirt trick really works but only for cotton or cotton and other natural fibre mixes - you can chill down your bra and panties overnight and pull them on the following morning to have a really cool, calm and collected start to the day.

•   Cologne sticks are your secret weapon! Granny knew what she was doing and a stick of solid cologne run around three areas of your body will keep you cool and beautifully fragrant. Slide it behind your knees, over your inner wrist and along your hairline at the neck to give yourself an instant temperature drop.

•   Baby powder prevents chafing, so if you're going to be wearing an underwire bra, for example, you can apply a small amount of baby powder around your bra line with a blusher brush before putting on your lingerie. It will stop the constriction and rubbing that tight underwear creates in hot weather.

•   If you need to wash and dry a special bra in a hurry, use a salad spinner! It’s just as quick as a tumble dryer but it won’t ruin your special lingerie, nor will it add heat to you, your undies or your environment!

Wedding dresses, feathers and having fun in relationships … our week in lingerie

Gown to nightie

Would you cut up your wedding dress? A Mexican lingerie company invited women to do just that. In a commercial aired on Mexican TV, five women discussed how the fun had gone out of their marriages, and the passion had slipped away from their bedroom lives. Then they were asked to bring out their wedding gowns which designers cut up in front of them!

The idea was to turn their once-in-a-lifetime gowns into sexy underwear … in one case a shortie nightie but in the other four, a bra and knickers set. Then the women disappeared to put on their new lingerie and the camera recorded their responses, and the responses of their husbands, when they emerged in their new undies.

Well … we think that’s a bit extreme, personally. A wedding dress is not just about intimacy - it’s a garment worn on a public occasion, it’s a record of a very special day and, for many women, it’s an heirloom that they set aside in the hope that a daughter or granddaughter might one day want to wear it, or at least, adapt it for their own special day.

Goose feathers to lingerie

La Perla’s evolution from mid-range underwear to haute couture continues. Their latest show in Paris included a goose-feather bra and sleeveless hoodie - and the bra alone retails at just over £1,500!

To be fair, each single feather is hand-coloured and hand sewn into place on a brassiere that is constructed to the buyer’s exact measurements. The work is done at La Perla’s Bologna factory by trained seamstresses who specialise in lingerie construction. Oh, and if you want to hoodie too, that’s a further £8,000 thank you very much!

So we decided we’d combine this week’s top lingerie stories with a suggestion of our own. If the life has gone out of your relationship, there’s no need to cut up your wedding dress. If you fancy some feathers in your lingerie drawer, there’s no need to fork out £1,500. Let www.lingerie.co.uk bring these two concerns together in the BijouxIndiscrets sexy set: leather nipple pasties, a pearl waistband, a sensual candle and a feather boa … just the thing to re-ignite your bedroom life, and at a considerably cheaper price! And we aim to send out your order the following day, no hanging around for seamstresses to hand sew each feather …