WIN a pair of tickets, drinks and pizza at THE BURNING BEAT

The Burning Beat is back for a Bank Holiday special on the 25th August in the heart of Shoreditch!

Taking place in Concrete, almost directly opposite our shop (so do pop in beforehand!), The Burning Beat is bursting with Cabaret Curiosities, Masterful Musicians and Devilish DJs.

Prepare to be entranced by unforgettable exotic goddesses of ambiguous eras and fascinated by feats of incredible dexterity!

Acts include:

- UBERKABOOM! - Rock 'n' roll and ska tones from Musical Meastros Uberkaboom!

- VICKY BUTTERFLY - Part Burlesque starlet, part innovative performance artiste, part music hall Vaudevillian, and all dreamer!

- AURORA GALORE - Winner of Miss Paris Burlesque Festival 2012 - A Petite Powerhouse of Peculiar & Passionate Performance!

- THE ROUSTABOUTS - Cabaret's finest Dapper DJ Duo return to the decks to subvert your expectations with an impressive set of classics and guilty pleasures, old and new, mashed in manner like you've never heard before! 

Vicky Butterfly

We have a pair of tickets to give away for you + a friend!

Tickets include:

2 x Delicious Whole Pizza from the Pizza East Kitchens

2 x A glass of House Red/White Wine or Bottle of Beer

2 x Reservation at one of the best tables for the performances

All you have to do is:

Like The Burning Beat on facebook

&

Comment on this post telling us you have done so! 

Entrants must be over 18 and able to get to London on the 25th August 2013. A winner will be picked on 16th August, good luck!

WIN a Hella Bodysuit

Here at Playful Promises we are all for the forever popular underwear as outerwear trend, and nothing lends itself as well to that as a bodysuit!

Our Hella body is designed with that in mind, as it could easily be worn for during the day, during a workout, during a lounge-session or to tantalise in the boudoir. Emma, our designer, even wants to try it out as swimwear, whereas I've already worn it with a sheer cardigan as day wear.

We want to give one lucky PP fan the chance of winning one of these gorgeous block bodies!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post describing how you would style this bodysuit, and for what occasion (the office? A mad shopping spree? Hug time with your cats?)

Our favourite comment will win a Hella bodysuit in your size (available in small, medium or large, see website for sizing details). 

A winner will be picked on Tuesday the 13th August!

Shop all our bodysuits HERE

Festival Survival Guide

Love it or loathe it, festival season is upon us again.

Why do we do it to ourselves? Surely the sanitary horrors, the medieval standards of personal hygiene, the food poisoning/sunstroke/hypothermia (suspected) and the post-festival trench foot (confirmed) would teach any creature with the ability to learn and evolve that these are places to be avoided?

I don’t have the answers I’m afraid. What I do know, as someone who’s done more than her fair share of festivaling both as a performer and a partygoer, is that there are some basic rules to remember if you want to go to a festival and come back with your sanity (relatively) intact.

1. No matter how good the forecast, how many offerings you’ve made to the weather gods, no matter what the evidence of your senses tells you, NEVER, EVER ASSUME IT’LL BE SUNNY.  The mere inclusion of a bikini top in your backpack is enough to make the skies darken and clouds gather ominously. However the corresponding principle is also true; come prepared for the worst and you’ll end up lugging an unopened backpack full of baggy jumpers and spare blankets halfway across the country. Only one thing to do really; tempt fate with your finest Playful Promises bikini top.

2. Accept that at some point you’ll be served a grotesque parody of food for which you will shell out hyper-inflation levels of cash. Literally wheelbarrows full of notes. You can bring as many of your own healthy snacks as you want but your tent will seem an awfully long way away after a couple of ciders and a few rounds of Gangnam Style (you were dancing ironically of course, we believe you.)

3. Buy a watch that you don’t mind losing. Sounds weird right? But you’d be amazed at how the time can slip past you when you’re far away from your laptop and your phone has run out of battery, and your nice designer timepiece has been (sensibly) left at home for fear of it ending up lost somewhere in acres of churned mud. Besides, if you’re planning on catching any of the scheduled bands, it might be helpful to be at the stage they’re playing  ten minutes (to five hours, depending on how popular they are) before they’re supposed to come on.

4. Leave the onesie at home where it belongs. It may seem delightfully whimsical to dress in a baggy felt badger costume but I’ll wager you’ve never tried to use a public toilet in one. Undignified doesn’t start to cover it. Instead, keep it classy and cool in our new shorts and trapeze top combo.

5. Bring socks. Lots of them. And for the love of god, all the baby wipes you can carry.

6. This might go against all the dire warnings above, but be open to spontaneity.  Some of the best festival times you will have will be after you lose the booklet and find yourself embracing the carefree spirit of the event; discovering new music, embracing new experiences, and generally just cutting loose and enjoying yourself.  You’re there to have fun; now go find it!

An Ode to Pastels

When this is posted, I'll be half-way through my week's holiday, visiting my parents in glamorous Cornwall.

Ok, so it's not the natural habitat of tanned billionaires, but it's a damn good Great British Seaside and I just find it dreamy.

So, here's my Ode to Pastels, the perfect coloured lingerie to wear under sundresses or countryside chic!

Top left: Eva Limited Edition | Top right: Heather Frilly Knickers

Bottom left: Ghost Bodysuit | Bottom Right: Absinthe set       

Minibreak Style Tips: Como

The 66^th annual Cannes Film Festival was a few weeks ago, and was, as usual, a veritable red-carpet of Hollywood stars and style-conscious celebs soaking up the spotlight. (So I’ve been told - I’ve never actually been to Cannes. Unless you count a camping holiday when I was 8.)

Ok so I didn’t get to attend the event, but I approve of the idea. There’s a part of me that’s always wondered what it would be like to be a screen siren living the high life in glamorous resorts in between shooting movies and having torrid love affairs with my leading men. Floppy hats and oversized sunglasses, paparazzi-dodging and hob-nobbing with the rich and famous - it’s a far cry from the reality of my usual day which tends to feature more running for buses and battling for the last salad at Pret, and fewer chauffeur-driven Bentleys and personal pastry chefs.

Strangely the tabloid press don’t seem too interested in documenting my days, which, I’m sure you’ll agree from that thrilling glimpse into my world, would make for compelling reading. However a girl can dream…and to that end, this week’s City Style Tips is dedicated to the gorgeous Lake Como, Italy, where I once spend a sumptuous long weekend swanning about and pretending I was in a Fellini movie. 

Romany Tea Dress | Magenta Bikini Top | Magenta Bikini Brief | Rorschach Kimono

There is definitely something cinematic about Como – maybe the fact that it’s been used as a backdrop in countless films, such as Oceans Twelve, Casino Royale and er, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. (It also counts George Clooney amongst its famous residents, if that sort of thing interests you…) It’s a great excuse to embrace the escapism and try something different.

Our Romany tea dress, with its pretty but striking rose print, has a soft femininity to it which is also bold and bright, both classic and contemporary, like Como itself. The lightweight fabric is perfect for beating the heat as you explore the old town, enjoy a pleasure cruise, or take in the amazing galleries and villas around the lake.    

If you happen to be in Como in mid-June, look out for the wonderful dance festival Swing Crash – it’s difficult to miss with lindyhopping couples filling the streets and live music until the early hours. Hundreds of sharply dressed hep cats and kittens make it their mission to cut a rug come rain or shine, and with competitions, classes and dance-offs in the central square of the town centre, you’ll be grateful for a cool frock with a loose skirt if you decide to join in the fun!

It’s not a great idea to go swimming in the lake itself, as the waters can become choppy when speedboats (captained by louche Italian playboys) zip past. But there are several local ‘beach clubs’ or lidos which provide a place to meet, sunbathe and swim, with a beachhouse bar serving up the favourite local tipple of ‘spritz’. If you’re planning on taking a dip, a one-piece is advisable (or risk an embarrassing bikini malfunction – this warning comes from experience) but if it’s lounging in the sun whilst looking every inch the movie star that interests you, grab yourself one of our magenta bandeau bikinis before they sell out (swimwear is flying fast off our shelves at the moment!) and a Rorschach Kimono Jacket to drape around your shoulders when the sun dips behind a cloud.

And if you do happen to end up partying on a yacht with Clooney and co, don’t forget to invite me – I’ve already done my packing…

Lydia x