Get The Look: Superheroines! Part 2

It's not long until Halloween; time to start planning your costume (or you could just be a superhero any day of the week, your call). And nothing says "badass" more than a reinvention of classic superheroines!

Patience, who has been interning over at our sister brand Whistle & Wolf (check out the blog!), has put together some stylish versions of these awesome heroes! 

Storm 

Ororo Munroe-codename Storm can be considered one of the most powerful females in the Marvel Universe with the power of flight and total control over the weather. Over the years, Storm’s look has gone through many transformations, from an anarchic punk with a Mohawk to a regal and glamorous African Queen (she was formerly married to fellow superhero and king of fictional Wakanda, Black Panther) yet she has still kept her signature bright white locks.  Storm is in my mind the most fashionable of the X-men, so channel her look with grey and yellow shades and mix punky and refined fashion genres.

The Ghost Retro Body is suited to Storm as it features a delicate and elegant grey patterned panel clashing with more daring mesh.

1. Liberty Headband by Clemmie Watson at farfetch.com - £423.25 

2. Esmeralda Robe Dress by Piamata at Les Nouvelles - £110.43 

3. Lightening Bolt Cuff by Alexis Bittar at Neiman Marcus -  £132.52

4. Lightening Strikes Shoulder Bag by Betsey Johnson at Forzieri - £35.50

5. Sheer Split Maxi Skirt by Just Female at ASOS - £65 

Black Widow

Natasha Romanov, A.K.A the Black Widow is a master spy and Assassin, trained in Russia and made popular by Scarlett Johansson‘s portrayal of the seductive agent in Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. Super-soldier Romanov is a morally ambiguous character by nature, and is willing to kill if anyone gets in her way, making her a dangerous adversary despite her not possessing any notable superpowers. Her intelligence, wit and intense combative training have meant that she has outsmarted figures like Iron Man and Daredevil. The Black Widow’s style is sleek and sexy, with a mysterious and lethal charm.

Our Hella Block Body is ideal for a femme fatale such as the Black Widow!

1. Bullet Cuff Bracelet by ASTALI at AHALIFE.com - £93  

2. Colpeta 100 Patent Leather Pumps by Christian Louboutin at Net-A-Porter - £395

3. Spiderweb Tights by Emilio Cavallini at ASOS - £17

4. Dripped Chain Belt by Cecilia De Bucourt at free People - £125 

5. Leather Panelled Pencil Skirt by Isabel de Pedro at Jules B - £184.99

Catwoman

Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, is the ultimate female superhero anti-hero. As part of Batman’s gallery of rogues yet also his most notable romantic interest, Selina constantly treads the lines between good and evil. She is primarily a cat burglar with a taste for dangerous thefts although she sometimes engages in crime fighting. Catwoman has been portrayed fashionably in film on numerous occasions, notably by a retro Julie Newmar in the 1960’s, a crazed Michelle Pfeiffer in the 90’s and an elegant Anne Hathaway in 2012. Replicate Catwoman’s current look with daring black leather and PVC, expensive jewels and a cute cropped hairstyle.

The Dominique Longline Bra is definitely Catwoman’s style: sleek and classy, with a touch of naughtiness hinted at with its cage straps.

1. Pearl and Crystal Necklace by Tom Binns at Ssense- £396.90

2. Leather Leggings by Alice and Olivia at Flannels - £620  

3. Precision Ink Eyeliner in Abyss by Illamasqua - £18

4. Cat-ears Headband by BCBGMaxazria - £30.70  

5. Evening Gloves by Dents at House of Fraser -  £18

Get The Look: Superheroines! Part 1

It's not long until Halloween; time to start planning your costume (or you could just be a superhero any day of the week, your call). And nothing says "badass" more than a reinvention of classic superheroines!

Patience, who has been interning over at our sister brand Whistle & Wolf (check out the blog!), has put together some stylish and affordable versions of these awesome heroes! 

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman, also known as Diana, Princess of Themyscira is the quintessential female superhero. A member of the ‘big three’ of DC Comics along with Batman and Superman (yet the only one without a blockbuster movie, tut tut DC), Amazon Princess Diana’s trademarks are her passion for justice, equality, her golden lasso of truth and her bullet deflecting bracelets. WW and her image have reached an iconic status within popular culture with the 1970’s TV show starring Lynda Carter still beloved by fans and even a Mac makeup collection under her belt! A character who first appeared in comics in 1942, Wonder Woman’s costume has become a classic, so channel her look with retro hair and make-up, metallic accessories and bold red white and blue!

The Love vintage stitch corset is the perfect shade of red for an inspired Diana costume!

1. Wonder Woman High Rise Knickers by kickerrocker on Etsy - £13.84

2. Retro Matte Lipstick in Ruby Woo by MAC - £15 

3. Smooth Double Cuffs by ASOS CURVE - £15  

4. Gold Eagle necklace by ARK - £11.99 

5. Red Star Stud Earrings at Play.com - £6.82 

 Zatanna

Although not quite as well known as Wonder Woman, Zatanna is a popular superheroine in her own right with a signature style.  Like her father Giovanni Zatara, Zatanna Zatara is both a stage magician and a real magic user with skills in sorcery and illusion.  Fun fact: when making spells, Zatanna speaks backwards! She has had relationships with both Batman and Constantine, proving she definitely has a preference for bad boys! Channelling old style magicians, Zatanna usually styles herself in a modified top-and-tails, along with her trademark fishnets.

Our Red Satin Waspie would be a great waist-cinching replacement for Zatanna’s traditional waistcoat!

1. Fishnet Tights by What Katie Did at Playful Promises - £9

2. Blouse with Bow Tie by ASOS - £32 

3. Tuxedo Jacket by Whistle and Wolf - £65 

4. Top Hat by Catarzi at ASOS - £30 

5. Sequin Knicker Shorts by Fashion Union - £20 

Diary of an Intern: So Long!

I am very sad to say, my time here at Playful Promises is almost finished, but instead of sobbing into the keyboard, I am going to tell you all about my time here, what I have been up to and what I have loved the most!

I have been at Playful Promises now for three months and have really enjoyed all my visits here. I have been involved in loads of projects and have always been kept busy! So you can see the variety of things I have been up to, I’ve compiled a list:

• Researched different companies, publications, blogs and boutiques
• Developed relationships with different members of the press through call rounds
• Made press packs
• Written press releases
• Contributed to Playful Promises blog (read all my posts HERE)
• Contributed to the Playful Promises Boutique Facebook page
• Helped write the company’s newsletter
• Visited the Playful Promises boutique
• Helped organise a press and blogger event
• Organised the Playful showroom and sorted samples

As you can see I have been up to loads of interesting things!

I am really grateful for this opportunity Playful Promises has given me because I have learnt so much! I have had a real insight into how a companies marketing department works and has strengthened me desire to work in a marketing role.

Originally, I wanted to work within a womenswear specific company, but having worked here at Playful Promises I want to work in the lingerie industry! After experiencing this great company and seeing how well the products are designed and constructed, how good the team is and how well Playful Promises customer service is I am actively going to pursue a marketing role in a lingerie firm – I just wish I could stay here forever!

My experience at Playful Promises has also made me want to work for a smaller company. At Playful Promises, everyone is valued and no one goes unnoticed, unlike a big company. Working for an independent retailer has also opened my eyes to all the amazing brands out there that guarantee their customers’ excellent products that you won’t see on every other person on the high street.

Playful Promises have really spoilt me while I have been here – they took me to London Fashion Week, which was so exciting! We went to the Felicities Presents…Show and saw seven emerging designers – Ada Zanditon, Arianna Cerrito, Beautiful Soul, Evmorfia, Phannatiq, Tramp in Disguise and Xsenia & Olya. I can’t believe my luck really!

I am really going to miss working here and I am now completely hooked on Playful Promises and I can’t even think of one thing I haven’t enjoyed about my experience here! I know one thing I won’t miss though – the commute!

(Note from the PP team - Caitlin was a pleasure to work with and we would love to pass on her details to anyone in the industry who has a vacancy available. Please send info to anna@playfulpromises.com)

Introducing.... Shop Desh!

Playful Promises is ecstatic to announce that we are now a featured brand on the amazing new lingerie bible of a website that is Shop Desh! 

Shop Desh is the brainchild of Erinn Brown (previously of fab blog The Bare Intimates, which is soon to be merged with the new platform) who wants to make lingerie shopping as stress free as possible for any woman. Shop Desh is not only a massive lingerie database, including everything you could need or want in your underwear drawer, but everything on the website has been carefully selected so you only get the best products different brands have to offer! In this way, the website can be a little dangerous – as you end up wanting every beautiful item you spot!

Shop Desh caters for various sizes and the seach function makes it so easy for you to find what you are looking for; you can search for an item by size (from 32A to 40F or XS – XL), colour or brand. You can even refine your search further and search for an item by price or sex factor (LOVE IT)! It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

Shop Desh carries an amazing array of both British and international lingerie designers, including: Huit, Freya, Affinitas, Chantelle and Marlies Dekkers so is a great way to introduce yourself to some new brands and to continue to support your old favourites!

Here at Playful Promises we are so excited to see this grow and expand into the number one lingerie database! So pledge your allegiance to Shop Desh and Playful Promises!

Let us know if you have used Shop Desh and what you think of it!

Time for Tea: The Tea Dress

We all know us British love a good old cup of tea; it has become a miracle elixir prescribed by every English person in every conceivable circumstance that you could think of, curing anything from a bump on the head to a broken heart. So, with this in mind it is no wonder that an entire culture developed around tea, which was embraced whole-heartedly by our nation of tea-lovers and is still, in some form part of our culture today!

The origins of the Tea Dress is inextricably linked to the fashion of Afternoon Tea, which was a tradition believed to have been started by Anna Maria Stanhope, the seventh Duchess of Bedford in 1841. At the time, lunch was served at midday and dinner was then served at 8 or 9o’clock at night, so the clearly starving Duchess began having tea and other nice little titbits brought to her private chambers at about 4o’clock.

When Anna’s habit became public knowledge the craze of taking Afternoon Tea spread like wildfire throughout the upper classes in England and soon ladies across the land would dress up in their finery and visit each other’s houses to have a good old natter over a cuppa (not at all different to today!).

Well, with a new social craze, a new wardrobe was essential – hence the Tea Dress! Any excuse to enlarge our wardrobes! Etiquette books at the time contained entire chapters devoted to the proper etiquette of Afternoon Tea and the Tea Dress was created to be worn at such events.

The Tea Dress started life as a garment made solely for informal entertaining within the home. The main characteristics of the Tea Dress were unstructured lines and light fabrics that was easy to put on, creating a comfortable dress that was easy to manoeuvre in. Originally, Tea Dresses were inspired by the Orient and Asian clothing and the kimono was a primary source of inspiration for the design. The dresses were not worn with corsets, and so were a form of liberation for the women of the time with the beginnings of a slightly more relaxed style of women’s clothing.

Clearly, Afternoon Tea became a setting for the new freedom advancing both women’s clothing and their place in society.

Afternoon Tea slowly began to take on some rather raunchier connotations as the French christened it ‘le fif-ó-clock’ or ‘four to five’, becoming an acceptable time in which a lady could entertain her lover in the knowledge that her husband would agree not to enter the drawing room in that hour. Oh la la.

The Tea Dress became an essential part of any self-respecting, fashionable woman’s wardrobe and became a way for a lady to express her tastes. They were luxurious, loose and floaty often accessorised with parasols, fans, fur, handbags and jewels, to fully portray status and wealth to any observers.

Tea dresses have of course altered slightly during the course of history to become shorter, however the loose skirt and fitted bust harkens back to the original Victorian style. 

Here at Playful Promises, we think that Tea Dresses are too gorgeous to only be worn indoors! So strut your stuff in our offerings of the Abstract Print Tea Dress and the Vintage Floral Tea Dress and show us how you accessorize to entertain ;)