La Perla: Italian Couture Lingerie brand rises again

A few years back La Perla seemed to have lost its way

☆

Then out of nowhere came a collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier which inspired the whole lingerie industry with it's beautiful vintage embellishment techniques and unapologetic fashionability.

Now the La Perla brand is on a mission to establish itself back at the top of the luxury lingerie industry with a major restructure and the planned opening of new stores in the big cities of emerging markets, it's all exciting stuff.

Today an indulgent new book about the heritage and development of the La Perla brand was released by Rizzoli.

Beautiful archival images and illustrations it's a must see for all lingerie lovers

 

TREAT YOURSELF

It's on my Christmas list

Bond Girls: Ready for Action

What a glorious year of Bond excitement 2012 has been

☆

I saw the Bond exhibition at the Barbican last month and marvelled over the the gadgets, the costume illustrations and fabulous props like the golden gun. Then this weekend I got to see the new Bond movie Skyfall. 

I think I had whipped myself into such an excited frenzy that it wasn't quite as ridiculously amazing as I thought but still a good watch and after all, a good Bond film is for watching on a Sunday afternoon at home when you can dream in private about working for MI6 or being a Bond Girl.

Lets pay homage to some of the most fabulous Bond Girls, with names like Honey Ryder, Pussy Galore, Solitaire and Jinx, always ready for action even when naked or semi dressed, now theres a skill.

SPOILER ALERT

I got all excited at the end thinking the twist was going to be that the new M was Eve (Naomi Harris) a young black girl with her natural hair who's not afraid to admit her mistakes, oh well.

I borrowed a Bond Girl dress once lent to me very kindly by Jenny Packham. Worn by Caterina Murino in Daniel Craigs first Bond film Casino Royale. It was a an incredibly designed dress, made with real womens curves in mind in bias cut red silk satin.

I wore it to the launch of the Madame V brand in Ukraine, it was quite a show stopper.

Kelly Osbourne: Purple Haze

A little while ago I was commissioned

 to create a unique piece for Kelly Osbourne to wear for a photoshoot

☆

It was a great brief, create something unique, purple, ruffled and Fabulous.

I had this amazing dip dyed silk chiffon in my studio and I started to work on the stand twisting, gathering, ruching and fraying to figure out the different kinds of shapes and effects I could create. 

The final scarf piece was made with a variety of these techniques some clever handstitching and a sprinking of soft blousey rose corsages in the same fabric.

Here are the final shots and a bit of work in progress.

♡

 FABULOUS Magazine out this Sunday

Kelly Osbourne

Tim Walker: Storyteller

Tim Walker is telling some fantastical stories through his photographs at Somerset House

☆

Here's a little taster of his lingerie fantasies but you need to go see for yourselves as there's lots more and you can also see some of the incredible props featured in his shoots too.

It's FREE, so really no excuses

TIM WALKER PHOTOGRAPHY

Lingerie and Tattoos

For someone that doesn't have any tattoos I probably have an unhealthy interest in them

☆

I love the way that tattoos dress the body like a permanent protective cover up. I am in awe of the confidence of character to choose a design for life and also to the other extreme by the incredible complacency that designs are sometimes chosen. Unfortunately as much as I am inspired by tattoos it would be like me waking up each morning and looking at my body dressed in the same outfit, a groundhog day nightmare.

I have been collecting this set of images below to look at the interaction of the line of lingerie on the body juxtaposed with tattoos. I wonder if women think about the line of their bra, a garment which most of us wear every single day when they think about the placement of their body art. I had a friend who took her favourite pair of shoes to the tattoo studio to figure out the best place for the art on her foot but do women think about bras, or knickers? The few examples I can think of are the trend for a tattoo at the base of your spine when low rise trousers came into fashion and underarm tattoos when drop armhole T-shirts and sleeveless tops have been on trend over the last few years but maybe these are just 'fashion' tattoo adoptees.

Maybe we will look to design lingerie that better shows off your body art in the future so I will watch with fascination the evolvement of tattoo placement. 

Great tumblr 

INKCREED

Hard Day at The Office ?

♡ 

 photoshoot for SELF SERVICE Magazine by Venetia Scott

☆

 

 www.selfservicemagazine.com

Tekinoktay: Copenhagen

I've been on a little vacation to visit my family in Copenhagen so have been a bit quiet on twitter and blog but very active on Instagram taking pretty pictures of my nieces!

☆

I haven't visited Copenhagen for about a year and although the Danish economy is suffering like most in Europe there's still plenty happening in this capital. With new metro stations being built all over town, an airport that looks increasingly like the luxury corner of a Westfield shopping centre and the Meatpacking district which is managing to successfully manage a balance between commercial and underground scenes.

Of course I also looked at lingerie while I was there and I headed to see a boutique I have heard about for many years, Tekinoktay.

It opened in Copenhagen about 9 years on a quiet side street moments away from the main shopping area. Housed in a beautiful old shop front much of the original features have been kept and the products and artwork add a beautiful flash of colour creating a welcoming, cozy atmosphere.

The lingerie, accessories, parfums and some select swimwear pieces are hand picked from around the world by the owner Evren Tekinoktay and range from gorgeously fluffy FiFi Chachnil mohair cardigans to rhinestone encrusted Damaris lingerie sets right through to luxurious everyday underwear pieces by Wundervoll.

The best thing is that you have to visit as they don't have a website

TEKINOKTAY

Silkegade 13

1113

Copenhagen K