Burlesque and Beating Hearts at Boxpark!

To RSVP and for more details, check out our facebook event page!

And here is a little look at Roxy Velvet's performance for our press event at The Box! 

Love Bomb: Candy Baker

Candy Baker hosiery and Natacha Marro shoes modelled by Jessica Louise Abidde. Photo by Anna Swiczeniuk

Being a lingerie designer often creates the assumption that I sit around in girdles and fully fashioned stockings all day. If only this was the norm, but in my busy lifestyle I often have to make sacrifices, and dare I say it, jeans are sometimes put into play.

This is where Candy Baker and her glittering hosiery promises to be the salvation of the working woman!  The perfect accompaniment to throw on with a little black dress, these hosiery designs are great for a range of situations when you just can’t be bothered fiddling with straps, without compromising on sexiness.

Inspired by the lost glamour of the 1920s and 30s, each pair features a little sparkle to ensure you stand out from the crowd, a perfect gift or tempting indulgence!

Gallium

True to their inspiration, the newest Candy Baker collection for 2012/13 is the Art Deco Collection, which features some beautiful deco patterns. I can just see this gorgeous Gallium print teamed with a fringe flapper dress for a night on the town!

The Back Seam

One of my favourite picks from the Classic Crystal Collection (which is available now, full of designs inspired by the glitz and glamour of broadway), is the stunning Back Seam. I love seamed stockings and these just add a new level of sparkle to a retro staple.

Keep your eyes peeled on Candy Baker's site and their facebook page for their Lovebomb giveaway, where they will be giving away one S/M and one M/L Classic Crystal Backseam!

Love Bomb: What Katie Did

Playful Promises and What Katie Did modelled by Tessa Kuragi and Jessica Louise Abidde. Photo by Anna Swiczeniuk, MUA by Cheyenne Raymond.

First on the bill for the Big Love-in is vintage-style brand What Katie Did, specialising in 1940s and 50s style lingerie and corsetry, leading the way in the recent retro trend.

Founded by Katie Halford in 1999, What Katie Did initially began by selling just stockings, particularly the fully-fashioned stockings that have remained popular to this day. Katie’s love affair with 1940s and 50s fashion started in her mid-teens and led her on a hunt for the perfect vintage wardrobe. She soon found that while vintage clothing was easy to come by, underwear was deeming tricky.

Sticking as close to authenticity as possible, What Katie Did’s glamorous bullet bras, delicious shape wear and beautiful stockings are all designed based on vintage patterns, only slightly adapted for the modern woman. Authentic fabrics and old-fashioned production methods are employed to ensure retrophiles are not left disappointed.

Choosing a favourite item from the vast collection is far, far too difficult, but I have to say, I am a sucker for her corsets!

Cabaret Lace Morticia Corset

This addition to the Morticia corset range is perfect for a romantic, sophisticated look. I love the use of lace contrasted against the pink, and the (even more!) slimming effect of the black waistband detail.

Leather Gina Corset

For the times when I’m feeling a little less sophisticated, this leather corset is perfect for a naughty Bettie Page look!

Keep your eyes peeled on the What Katie Did blog for their Lovebomb giveaway of a Cabaret Torsolette (featured above) and Kate knickers, available in black or vintage peach, plus a pair of retro seamed stockings in the winners choice of colour! If that's not enough they are offering 10 runners up prizes of their new 80 denier black hosiery with contrasting red seam (tights or stockings, your choice!), to add a bit of sauce to february. Make sure you sign up to the What Katie Did mailing list to be entered. 

Independent lingerie brands big love bomb!

It’s time to gear up for the lingerie Mecca that is Valentine’s Day; the one holiday that transforms retail into a blubbering mess of cupids, hearts and promises of naughtiness in a bid to inspire a little bit of romance. The origin of this celebration is hazy and ended up taking off in a flurry of Hallmark cards and heart-shaped chocolates to become a major shopping event.

The market becomes swamped with big brands elbowing their way through smaller companies in order to compete for the shoppers’ attention, which made us think – why should we? It is rare that independent lingerie brands are in direct competition with each other, thanks to each having a unique style, so why not celebrate this!

Playful promises, What Katie Did

You will often hear the phrases “independent brands” or “boutique brands” being thrown around the lingerie world, but ultimately it may not be clear as to what they mean. While a boutique brand might give the impression of being a small home-grown brand, thanks to quirkiness and the size of stockists, they usually have a larger corporation supporting or operating behind the scenes. A true independent brand does not, although that doesn’t always mean it won’t have investors, just that it is usually run by a handful of people compared to the mega structure of mainstream brands.

Some of the most profitable indie lingerie brands have grown up on their own, gradually employing more people as they go. Some brands are one person companies that make their own products, market them and sell them successfully, often giving the impression that they have several pairs of hands. This usually means we are all lumped in together and assumed that we are competitors, when it couldn’t be further from the truth, as the high-street remains our biggest competition!

You are most probably here because you want something a little bit different, a tad naughtier and innovative than you can grab off the rack at Marks and Sparks. You support indie brands not because they are closer to home but because no matter what style the brand may fit into, their designs are always quirky and unique. We are not afraid to take risks and experiment with new trends, many of which are picked up by the mainstream once sales figures are proved. We listen to your thoughts, your sizing issues and your favourite pieces and we constantly work on improving, refining and creating to make our collections more suited to YOU. No matter how friendly the big brands may seem on their social media, your thoughts will probably never reach the decision makers, whereas you are often speaking directly to the designers at independent brands.

Miss Mandalay bra and brief, Velda Lauder corset, Playful Promises Garter Skirt, Kiss Me Deadly bra and pantygirdle, masks by Pearls and Swine, hosiery by Adrian and Cervin from Hepburn and Leigh

Unlike the big spenders we are in this game for the knickers – like you, we can’t get enough of them! Many a day is spent lusting after other brands’ lacy wonders and structured glories, so we thought what better way to encourage support for indie lingerie than to gather together for a big, sloppy Valentine’s love bomb!

Each day, one independent lingerie brand will be offering a giveaway or competition, while the other 9 brands will explain exactly what they adore about the featured brand, and which item they would love to receive as a Valentines gift! We even put together a sumptuous photoshoot for it, which you can see a preview of below!

Keep your eyes peeled and your twitter hashtags firmly set to #lingerielovebomb from the 30^th of January until the 10^th of February for freebies and blog posts galore in celebration of our favourite fellow lingeristas! 

Brands  joining the Love-In:

What Katie Did – faux vintage lingerie, corsetry and swim

Candy Baker - glamourous diamante embellished hosiery

Miss Mandalay - B-HH cups in trend-led bra sets and bikinis.

Kriss Soonik - edgy loungerie with signature motifs.

Kiss Me Deadly – femme fatale stocking and suspender sets

Fraulein Kink - Sensual accessories to inspire adventure, lust and sexual exploration.

Ayten Gasson – vintage inspired silk lingerie, nightwear and Giftwear trimmed with vintage Nottingham lace

Playful Promises - fun and flirty trend led lingerie, swimwear and Giftwear

Paolita – high end beachwear with that celebrate individuality and vitality

Velda Lauder Corsetiere  - Couture and ready to wear corsetry and lingerie.

See the full set of images at our Facebook page!

Credits for the images:

Venue – Cirque Du Soir, Soho 

Photographer – Anna Swiczeniuk

Models – Jessica Louise Abidde , Tessa Kuragi, Miranda Barrie

MUA – Cheyenne Raymond

Thank you to - Pearls and Swine, Natacha Marro, Hepburn and Leigh

Bodysuit by Kriss Soonik, Mask by Fraulein Kink, shoes by Natacha Marro

Valentine's Day in Japan

Image from tastymiso.com

For those of us with a cynical streak or, dare I say it, a bitter taste when it comes to all things lovey dovey, Valentine’s day often feels a bit of a drag. Well, at least you (probably) don’t live in Japan, where everything is bigger, brighter and more extravagant. From a country that brings you panty vending machines and computer generated Pop idols, it goes without saying that Japanese corporations will use any excuse to sell sell sell!

The Japanese are as influenced by the West as we are by the East, so you can often see Western traditions and holidays trickling into their culture. Naturally good businessmen, Japanese companies and brands have altered and adapted any Western holiday that has made its way over. Valentine’s Day is possibly one of the best examples.

In 1936, the Japanese confectionary and cake company Morozoff Ltd ran an advertisement aimed at foreigners living in Japan, encouraging them to buy products for the 14^th February. Later in 1953 it began to promote heart-shaped chocolates, which served as a eureka moment for the company’s competitors.

The Western tradition, however, was slightly lost in translation. Instead of Valentine’s Day serving as a day for both parties in a relationship to buy each other cards, chocolate or flowers, in Japan it is all down to the ladies. It is said that a typo in one of the chocolate adverts led to the custom that only women give chocolates to men on Valentine’s Day (don’t fret, the men do have their chance, as I’ll explain later!).

Image from sakura-zen.blogspot.com

Deeply ingrained in Japanese culture is the obligation to thank others who have done them a favour, which is where the concept of “Giri-choco” (obligatory chocolate) stems from. It became common practice for women to give all the men in their lives Giri chocolate, including co-workers, friends and bosses. The poor fella that doesn’t receive any chocolate feels embarrassed, so there are even cheaper chocolates for the co-worker that nobody likes – “chō-giri choko” (ultra-obligatory chocolates)!

Chocs for that special man is a whole other board game, and needs to be a whole step up from the cheaper Giri-choco. These are called “Honmei-choco” (favourite chocolate) and are either more expensive or prepared by hand by the lady, so he better bloody well appreciate it. More recently, many young Japanese women have begun exchanging chocolate with their female friends on Valentine’s Day, known as “tomo-choco” (friend chocolate). Needless to say, that’s a hell of a lot of chocolate.

Thanks to another set of clever marketing gurus, a month later on the 14^th March, men are expected to shower their ladies with gifts at least two or three times more valuable than what they received. In the 1980s the Japanese National Confectionary Industry Association launched a “reply day”, which became known as “White Day”, after the colour of the chocolates given. No matter what the excuse, if a man doesn’t return a gift then he is perceived as placing himself in a position of superiority, while returning a present of equal value equates to one of those “I think we should go on a break” text messages.

You would think that this intense amount of spending over a space of 2 months would be enough for the Japanese corporations; after all they do make half their annual earnings during this time. But no, never ones for being subtle, the brands have err... almost got it correct in Western terms, by encouraging men to buy women chocolate on Valentine’s day also. A survey by confectioner Morinaga, which is probably just a little bit forced, shows that 90.8% of Japanese women would also like to receive a gift on the 14^th Feb.

So what do they do? Reverse chocolate of course! Never ones for subtleties, the confectionary companies have started producing chocolate in packaging featuring backwards text. The cherry on the cake: the slogan reads “This year, give in reverse”.