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)

To match or not to match?

Along with the Big Knickers versus G-Strings war that constantly rages throughout the lingerie world, I have stumbled upon another hot topic that everyone seems to have an opinion on with regards to underwear – to match or not to match, that is the question.

After researching the subject online, it became clear that everyone has an opinion and were more than happy to voice it. The articles, chat rooms and polls I found regarding the subject of matching underwear were extensive, but inconclusive and no decision was ever really reached, which left me pondering, does it really matter if your underwear matches?

I did find an evident divide between the opposing sides, so clearly it is an issue people feel strongly about, but I had never really thought about it myself.

As a child, we are all told by our Grandma to wear good underwear in case something awful befalls you; giving strangers just cause to see your smalls. However, I have never been in an accident that caused me to be stripped down to my underwear, and anyway I always thought that if someone refused to give you medical attention based on whether or not your underwear matched was a pretty bad doctor. However, I’m not sure if there is anything about the treatment of patients based on the state of their underwear in the Hippocratic Oath so airing on the side of caution may be wise there.

So as you have probably gathered, matching my underwear has never been high on my list of priorities when it comes to getting dressed in the morning, normally, I’m too busy concentrating on waking up that I am just happy to leave the house with all my clothes on in the right order – I am definitely not a morning person! I used to just be satisfied with underwear that was clean and had no holes in; also, being a recently graduated student, I would have rather spent my money on nights out instead of underwear. So I did agree with the many people I found on the internet claiming that matching your underwear took too much time and cost too much.

However, my mentality is slowly beginning to change since I have started my internship here at Playful Promises. While being here, I have invested in three matching sets of underwear – The Heartbreaker Set, The Etti Set and the The Kitty Set, which I have started wearing together. 

Since buying the sets I have slowly started to feel bad when I don’t wear matching underwear, and sort of off balance. Wearing matching sets have definitely made me feel more grown up and sophisticated and just generally start my day off that little bit better. So I think I have become a convert! Not only have I now vowed to only buy matching sets, I have also organised my underwear draw – which if you knew me, you could contest was a big deal – evicting the old and unmatchable undies lurking in there.

I am now ready to expand my underwear collection to include more matching sets, I have come to realise that the boost you get out of wearing matching underwear is one that never fades, making you feel sexy and confident all day!

Let me know whether or not you match your underwear – I’ll try and make you a convert too!

A birthday wishlist

My favourite thing about working for Playful Promises is the fact that I get a peek at all the amazing collections and sets in next seasons product ranges, I love it so much, but my money is mentally spent before most of the lingerie and clothes has hit the shelves of the Boutique!

This time of the year is a really interesting time to work with a fashionable company like Playful Promises as I have had the chance to familiarise myself with the SS12 collections as well as the new AW12 ranges that will be available soon for you all to lust over!

As my birthday is in September I have already compiled an ever-growing wish list of Playful Promises goodies, which have been mentally assigned to people (I’m quickly running out of people however!). I consider this a mark of a good friend though, as not only am I solving everyone’s dilemma about what to get me, I am also introducing them to the wonder that is Playful Promises, that’s a win-win situation in my book.

Visiting the Playful Promises Boutique is definitely not helping either; at this rate I will have started my Christmas List by October! I love the store, and find it a really nice place to visit. Not only does it offer a friendly and inviting environment to shop in but it is almost like a haven from the outside world as you get so absorbed in all the interesting things around the shop, you don’t want to leave!

Well with little help from Playful Promises to encourage saving my money and to ignore the hedonistic devil perched on my shoulder, my wish list includes the following:

 The True Love Soft Cup Bra and Brief set (which you can pre order now!)

 

Love Corset

September’s Beauty Queen Tin (12 beauty tins containing a brief for each month of the year – already looking forward to building my collection!)

Black Aztec Dress

Vintage Floral Tea Dress

As well as my little heart just desiring Playful Promises new seasons collections, I find myself wanting half the stuff that’s already available on the website! After treating myself to the Kitty set, the Etti set, a pair of Frillies and pre-ordering the Heart Breaker set, I found that my appetite for Playful Promises lingerie is far from satisfied. I still crave Margot set and the Love range! Someone better confiscate all my bank cards!

Well after reading all of this, let’s hope all my friends and family are feeling really generous!

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.