Lingerie Search UK

Today, a woman need only tune in to Oprah or open any fashion magazine, and the message is clear: An ill-fitting bra or visible lines will undermine her best efforts to look her best. And the most beautiful of gowns just won’t fit right without the proper bridal lingerie piece. So, what’s a girl to do?

Meet us at the Paris show!

We’re heading to the Salon International de la Lingerie at the end of the month, and if you’re coming too we would love to meet you! We’ve only got a few appointments booked so far so if you want to make sure we see your collection or hear about your store, drop Danae an e-mail at danae@knickersblog.com.

Modern Courtesan show pics and new pieces!

Modern Courtesan have been busy little vixens, holding two glamorous parties with Fashion TV back-to-back during Christmas and New Year. The shows were held at the gorgeous Coco club and Movida, and MC not only showed off their Christmas collection, but also some pinstriped peeks into their upcoming pieces. We are loving the Wall Street look! Check out all the behind-the-scenes and show photos in Modern Courtesan’s gallery. The show video will be available on Fashion TV’s site sometime this month.

New issue of IAB Magazine out

A new issue of Intimate Apparel Business is now out, free online for your reading pleasure. This issue has a ton of great swimwear picks, and the feature article profiles boutiques that have expanded not only into swimwear, but also accessories and beauty products in a more holistic approach. The lovely Faire Frou Frou was highlighted in the article, and we’d like to add that their blog is kicking butt lately - it’s a great example of a retailer’s blog that adds a ton of personality to the online shopping experience. Well done, ladies!

Time is running out for last shipping days for Christmas, so we’re going to hurry up and finish out our Christmas Picks series with a big bang: here are our favourite lingerie picks for Christmas 2007, categorized from the Lingerie Virgin to the Vixen.

Virgin: Dessous by Sophie Simmons

For a woman who doesn’t want frills and doesn’t want too much fuss, the simple Dessous by Sophie Simmons is a lovely gift - luxurious, simple, and still guaranteed to make her feel amazing. You can get Dessous at Catriona MacKechnie

Other Virgin picks:

• Eres lingerie (US)
• Alice & Astrid (UK), US stockist

Cozy Cutie: Elizabeth Cotton

It’s been a while since we checked in on loungewear designer Elizabeth Cotton, and we’re loving all of her new lines - in addition to the original cropped-leg PJ’s, Elizabeth has full-length pajamas, nightshirts (pictured above), robes, and some adorable lounge shorts. All lines are available in printed Liberty cotton, sateen or flannel - perfect for any cozy cutie!

Other Cozy Cutie picks:

• Argentovivo Cashmere Pajamas (UK)
• CyberJammies (US)

Athlete: Pure Lime

Scandinavian label Pure Lime takes workout wear to its bare basics - brilliant fabric, great support, and 100% comfort. Pure Lime offers a style for every kind of Athlete and uses simple colours and pared-down design to create a classic look. Pure lime is available at Elliegray in the UK and StepnPump in the US.

Other Athlete Picks:

• Elita (US)
• Running Bare (UK)

Sophisticate: Christies Lingerie

Given its rather unassuming name, Christie’s is a little gem of refined, indulgent Italian lingerie. Definitely on the sultrier side of the Romantic spectrum, Christie’s perfectly captures that savage glamour and cold loveliness of any Sophisticate. The lingerie looks amazing on her, and the Sophisticate will look as if she couldn’t care a fig. Christies is available in Europe at Cazar and in the US at Nancy Meyer.

Other Sophisticate picks:

• Courtworth Lingerie (US)
• Cotton Club (UK)

Romantic: Sally Jones

The Romantic likes lace, soft colours, feminine shapes and gorgeous fabrics. To fit this bill, we went to Sally Jones lingerie, a Welsh designer living in Australia who has beautifully blended European glamour with Australian chic. Read our entire write-up of Sally Jones here.

Other Romantic picks:

• Julianne (some heavenly pieces this season, UK)
• Carine Gilson (US)

Flirt: Ravage

French label Ravage has been doing some gorgeous collections lately, and their whimsical retro-inspired “Free Collection” is perfectly suited to any Flirt. These frilly, lacy sets are positively Audrey Hepburn but still saucy enough to make her feel amazing. Also don’t miss the Diva collection (particularly the Gupiere) for Flirt-bordering-on-Vixen pieces. (all US, also available in Europe)

Other Flirt Picks:

• Mimi Holliday (UK), US stockist
• Patrick & Skinner (a variety of UK stockists)

Vixen: Nichole de Carle

Nichole de Carle, a line that we’ve been anticipating for over a year, has finally launched, and just in time for your Vixen’s perfect Christmas. Read our full write-up of Nichole de Carle here.

Other Vixen Picks:

• Kiki de Montparnasse (US)
• D&G Animal print cami sets (UK)
• RCrescentini by Cotton Club (Europe)

There you go, no more excuses! You’re on your last shopping days of Christmas so hop to it, and don’t forget to wrap all her gorgeous lingerie up in our silk lingerie bag!

Tags: christmas, lingerie, shopping, women, men, knickers, advice

If you’re in the UK, today is your last day to order a Knickers Travel Bag before Christmas! We’ll be posting all remaining orders tomorrow via Next Day delivery, so to get your silky lingerie travel bag, be sure to order before 9a.m. tomorrow, 21st December 2007. If you’ve been waiting till the last minute but still want to give a gorgeous gift, we’ve got you sorted. The bag is 100% silk, dual-sided for “Dirty” and “Clean” knickers, and £50 at our online store.

Tons of lingerie bargains

Looking for more last-minute options? Katie has written up a near-novel of designer lingerie sales and bargains over at Knickers Bargains. There are some must-read bargains over there but be quick, these sales go fast!

We’ll be back on the 27th after some much-needed Yuletide downtime. Happy holidays to everyone and thanks for reading!

We know Christmas is often a bittersweet moment for lingerie lovers - we know beautiful lingerie when we see it, but sometimes our gift-givers don’t quite have the same taste. If you got some less-than-stunning lingerie this Christmas and want to return it, here’s some gorgeous picks you can buy instead - treat yourself!

Natori ‘Zen’ Loungewear

This would be a gorgeous loungewear gift for any woman - classic, simple, practical, and undeniably elegant. It’s the kind of gift that you didn’t know you needed, but can’t live without afterwards. Lucky for you, this ‘Zen’ set from Natori is on sale, marked down from $250 to $148 at Saks.

Free People camisole set

Every woman has a few essential cami sets - they’re great for summertime, perfect for layering in the winter, and help you look great slobbing around the house. If you didn’t get a set this Christmas, try this babydoll cami from Free People for just $36. The set is made from a mix of cotton and the oh-so-lovely modal, and the extra-long waist means you can go skimpy on the shoulders without baring your tummy.

Beau Bra Nightgown

If you were hoping for something really special this Christmas, try consoling yourself with this stunning honey silk nightgown from British designer Beau Bra. Available in two colours, this stunning silk gown is marked down from £160 to £106. If that’s still too rich for your blood, try this stunning mink silk gown from Lunadiseta for just £56.

There are a ton of beautiful pieces marked down in the Winter Sales, and we highly recommend you check out Knickers Bargains for a more detailed list of bargains - they’ve got everything from larger-cup bras to great menswear!

Tags: christmas, gift, lingerie, bargain, winter, sale

With 2007 now under our belt, we’ve combed through the Knickers archives to highlight our favourite posts of ‘07. These are the lingerie articles that were tremendously popular, the ones we really enjoyed writing, or just the ones featuring lingerie that we can’t live without!

January

In January we went on a chic French kick, featuring Aubade’s Lingerie de Luxe label and the heavenly C. Gilson. We also introduced Undrest and Bela’s Dead as stunning newcomers into the lingerie industry.

February

We continued our French theme in February by sharing our Paris show catwalk photos and highlighting Gentry de Paris and Cadolle. Naturally, we spent much of our time focusing on Valentine’s Day - our 25 perfect labels for Valentine’s Day featuring beautiful labels from around the world.

March

In March, the burlesque bug bit - Strumpet and Pink became available online, we discovered La Magia Lingerie which has developed into a mecca for burlesque lovers, and we wrote How to Wear Nipple Tassels, one of the most popular Knickers posts ever.

April

With April the bridal season got in full swing, and we featured a ton of heavenly lingerie picks grouped by dress style (low back, halterneck, and strapless) . We didn’t forget the wedding night, either - on top of some elegant made-to-measure nightwear, we introduced two new come-hither labels: the sultry Modern Courtesan and a sophomore collection from Kiki de Montparnasse.

May

In May the sunshine and exercise obviously did us well, because we wrote our most popular Knickers post ever, Britney Spears is wearing the wrong bra (and it’s driving us crazy). We also told you 28 things you could do with your old bra, introduced you to the adorable Foxers, and gave you some lovely Mother’s Day picks.

June

June’s posts included my personal favourite from the whole year, the one where my mom wrote a review of her Danskin sports bra after I challenged her to do her own charity race. We also highlighted the killer “Doll” video from Lascivious and their equally killer collection, told you about the boob-job bra, and told you about the gorgeous Lake and Stars.

July

In July we mourned the loss of Rigby and Peller’s line of lingerie but welcomed Eveden’s replacement, the elegant Fauve. We also celebrated a two-year anniversary and found some stunning corsetry picks. In addition to a beautiful corset designed especially for brides, we found Spanish designer Maya Hansen and the incredible Art of Vanity.

August

August saw the launch of edgy-chic retailer Madame Gigi, as well as the deliciously ruffly LouLou Loves You. After all that corsetry and burlesque earlier in the year, we took August to focus a bit more on the practical, pointing out great plunge bras, reviewing a brilliant multi-way larger-cup bra, and doing some trendspotting to see how women were turning everyday looks to designer with Marlies Dekkers.

September

In September, Danae was off on her ridiculously long holiday, but found time to review her “hundred-dollar bathing suit,” or Miraclesuit to anyone but Danae’s mom. We also helped a reader track down the bra style in a famous Dita von Teese photo, and featured the gorgeous Foundations collection from Made by Niki.

October

October ushered in the new Autumn/Winter collections, and we spent the entire month luxuriating in the new palette of minks, chocolates, ivories, blacks and reds. We were blown away by the new Lascivious collection (and got a new interview), loved Simone Perele’s deeply romantic set and couldn’t resist some fantasy nightwear from Jonquil. Towards the end of the month we found our senses, and strayed from the romance long enough to point out some essential lingerie accessories and great new shapewear. We also told you about the ultra-cheap Just Peachy bra, and that reminds us, we’re due for an update!

November

In November Danae’s dad took ill, and Alison bravely took the reins to tell you about some stunning lingerie accessories and the Marlies Dekkers ‘Shibari’ set. We also launched the Knickers Bargains blog authored by bargain shark Katie, who has continued to impress with her indefatigable bargain hunting. A ton of new lingerie stores opened in these final weeks before Christmas, most notably the infamous NY boutique Catriona MacKechnie and the innovative Knicker Picker.

December

December saw the launch of our painstakingly-designed lingerie travel bags, and we spent the rest of the month collecting perfect Christmas picks for lingerie gift-giving. We also featured some picks for menswear, and after Christmas, showed you some gorgeous loungewear you could pick up in the sales.

Phew! On top of those posts, we also raised over $300 for cancer charities, and visited the shows in Paris and Harrogate. We’ll be heading back to Paris at the end of January, and can’t wait to kick off an exciting new year here at Knickers. Thank you all for reading Knickers, we’ll keep working hard to keep you (or your loved ones) feeling gorgeous!