Christmas gift review: Etti

Amy was taken on by the Playful Promises team as part of their internship scheme, where she designed our gorgeous Etti set! She is now in her 3rd year at Leeds College of Art studying BA (Hons) Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern Design, and she specialises in print design for fashion and lingerie. To keep up to date with this rising star, check out her blog and follow her on twitter @amyselina

The ‘thing’ about Playful Promises for me is that extra spark their lingerie gives to the wearer, the feeling of flirtation and instant sex appeal, which I feel is personally hard to come by. Playful Promises set themselves apart as they ‘mix quirky, directional design with all things playful and flirty’, they’re always sexy, always sassy and always confident.

I often see, hear or read that people are surprised that prints are engineered in house by designers rather than sourced and bought from elsewhere. Playful Promises prints are designed in house and this makes them extra special, giving me an extra special feeling when being asked to design the print for Etti so soon into my internship (a big step up from my own disillusioned expectations of tea girl rankings, and my internship outshone every one of those).

Having already seen the design drawn up for Etti, it made designing a print to fit the mould a little easier.  I knew the print for Etti needed to fit with the feel of the fabrics - a look of luxe. I wanted to revitalise beautiful retro aesthetics in a fun, fresh and flirty way, upholding Playful Promises trade mark characteristics. It was the quirkiness of my own creativeness that I wanted to put into Etti as well as keeping the magic and creating that spark.

The print itself consists of bold brush strokes with painterly qualities and a floral overprint. The colour palette given was on trend for the upcoming colour blocking season, and I wanted to give it a quirky twist. Explosions of apricot, magenta and purple against a dark background gave for a sexy and seductive print. I added depth and opacity to aspects of the design to create a luxurious layered print that would work perfectly with Etti’s already amazing aesthetics.

The initial design of Etti set an amazing background for emphasising the print. The contrasts of print against dark mesh and sheer panels along with glimpses of flesh really add to the over all feel of this set. The fit speaks for itself, the designs offer retro yet modern and sexy underwear, flattering all bust sizes and engineered for the shapes and curves of the women’s body. The fit and feel of Etti is pure perfection, hugging all the right places and accentuating just what is needed. My favourite piece out of Etti being the longline bra, the cage effect giving the right amount of flesh flirtation with a cheeky hint towards fetishism and ultimately, what we all want to feel when we wear beautiful underwear; sexy. These sets do exactly what Playful Promises describe, beg to be shown off. Etti encapsulates freedom, rebellion and vast sex appeal, where dynamic energy and provocation are key.

When I see Etti I see the excitement reflecting in the print that I felt when I first started the design, and I hope that when everyone slips into the set they feel that same excitement.

When Etti was delivered to my door, I un-wrapped the parcel, folded back the black tissue paper and there it was, that spark. Definitely keeping the all important promises, Etti is pleasure providing, perfectly playful and definitely magical.

Christmas gift review: Lady Unmentionable

A knicker in a tin, what a remarkable invention!

Lingerie is always a welcome gift from anyone. I truly believe that you can never have enough underwear, so whether a lover buys you a steamy set of lacy pieces or whether a friends treats you to a knicker in a tin, its just a win win situation.

Emma and the Playful Promises team make these rather delicious tins with a brief hidden inside. The tin itself has a very cute illustration and each brief is special with customized details like bows, lace and detailing.

I've been asked to review the Circus Pin-Up tins, but they really sell themselves. These tins are just great for the Christmas season, and for hen parties and even birthdays, and small treats for no reason. There doesn't have to be a reason to treat someone!

The Circus Tins are inspired by three typical circus performers. The hand-drawn illustration on the tin lid is delicately drawn to represent the; Ring Mistress, the Tiger Tamer and the Snake Charmer. Each circus act is wearing the brief that lays beneath.

What I really like about the tins, is that you can use the tin for other means than storing the brief. I've seen the Playful Promises girls propping up their computer screens with them! They need to be displayed, the tin is begging to be shown off as more than just a tin for a brief. The potential for the tin is limitless. Or you can simply store your beautiful brief in the tin in your knicker drawer!

The briefs themselves, are foxy pieces of cheek-wear. I'm not sure which one I prefer, it changes from day to day.

Tiger Tamer is a vivid pink, with just a simple bow on the front, it looks like any other brief. Turn around and a heart shape cut-out greets the observer with a pink lace centre revealing your buttock cheeks, this is a rather cheeky brief! This is very girly, and breezy, but I like the idea that it's a pant that can be worn every day, under any choice of clothes, it's subtle and only when undressed does it reveal it's cheeky secrets.

Snake Charmer is today's favourite. I like the rich purple colour of this brief, topped with a stripe of black its a dark and mysterious panty. I like the simplicity of the brief, the richness of the colour and the silky satin fabric exudes seduction and mystery. The two ribbon bows finishes off the pant and makes it that much more special. The tin illustration, of a snake charmer, is also my favourite. I like the envious green of the snake against the purple brief.

Finally Ring Mistress, a sleek all black number at first seems a little too common. On closer inspection this brief is all in the detail. The fine finish of the gathered seam on the back is very original. And the delicate lace trim at the top of the legs is subtle and beautiful making the panty more like a piece of delicate porcelain that needs protecting. The button detail on the front brings a little charm and cheek to such a graceful knicker.

At just £15 each, these briefs are a charming little gift, especially this Christmas. The receivers gets not only a playful and promising knicker but a tin, hand illustrated with more than just one purpose!

Promises team keep nudging me to also mention that these three tins are limited edition, so once they're gone, they're gone for good. Make sure you get hold of all three! Available in small, medium and large, something for every bottom.