Overbusts

Sophia is the most popular of What Katie Did’s corsets, with a gently curved silhouette that’s neither too extreme-looking or constricting to put off corset newcomers; but with just the right amount of cinching to satisfy experienced wearers. Its curved cups ensure that A-E-cup breasts are pushed delicately upwards and together. Those who are considerably more endowed needn’t despair though, because decadent Dolly combines the same classic cut with slightly more room in the bust; perfect for those lucky ladies whose D+ cups runneth over.

These two have a naughty big sister, Laurie - an overbust style with real va-va-voom. It features the same shaped cups for perfect uplift, but with WKD’s signature gored hips, Laurie gives a fantastically well-defined waistline. It’s enough to make even Jessica Rabbit jealous!

The 18th Century-inspired Antoinette is the WKD’s newest overbust style. Its balconette bustline and innovative pointed sides mean that even the most well-upholstered needn’t fear an overspill of fulsome flesh – simply a ravishing pair of (well-supported!) heaving bosoms. With gored hips for a truly ravishing silhouette, it’s just like its antique counterpart, but considerably more comfortable.

Underbusts

Gina was the very first corset that What Katie Did designed, and it’s still a firm favourite amongst their customers. It gives a smooth and defined shape, but, like Sophia, not one that’s too extreme. The addition of the signature gores to this basic underbust created Mae. The beauty of the goring is that hips are not compressed, and waists can therefore be cinched down even further, for a very pronounced hourglass shape. Those with a large waist-hip ratio look particularly spectacular in the gored hip versions of What Katie Did’s corsets for this reason!

Wickedly tempting, Morticia is a slightly longer-line style based on the Mae shape, and the latest version to incorporate goring. The longer busk and lower hip-line ensure that shapely derrieres are shown off to their full advantage, while the waist is pulled in as tightly as desired. Morticia is so well cut and designed, that many customers find they can actually go down a size!

The newest underbust style, Baby, is a little 7” waist cincher designed to be worn under clothes. It’s directly inspired by Christian Dior’s post-war New Look fashions, and the boned waist-nippers that his models were tightly laced into to achieve that incredibly dramatic silhouette. Baby’s clever cut allows the waist to be substantially reduced, but its small size makes it incredibly comfortable.

As always – more info on whatkatiedid.com!

Far from the standard runway show, Enamore’s 2010 catwalk was a fashion performance/striptease, featuring burlesque dancers and models selected for their boisterous personalities and striking natural attributes. With amazing burlesque performances from Fifi Fatale, Violet Crumble and Miss Dolly Rose, who could resist!

The show featured the Enamore 2010 lingerie collection designed by Jenny Ambrose and matching jewellery and accessoriess designed and hand made by Catarina Vassalo as well as a sneak peak at the Miss Toy for Enamore collection. Miss Toy is a sultry silk collection of come to bed ensembles with a fashion twist winking to the fantastical. The Miss Toy collection is set to come out before Christmas 2010.

This was also the launch of the cheeky nipple tassle and pasties range designed for Enamore by Alice Holloway. Holloway-Smith Femme studied jewellery at Central Saint Martins, and dressmaking in the backroom of a dance costume shop and can now turn any breast, boob, or bap in to a veritable feast for the eyes. Watch out for the first designs coming out on our website in time for Christmas 2009!

The venue décor was opulent, original and playful, with amber coloured lighting, rich mahogany furniture and luxurious fabric in lush reds and gold with a stunning set design by Tom Abel and Willow Hilson. The stage set combined with the fabulous soundtrack and the scene was set for guests to experience the sensual playful world of Enamore, where models danced, strutted and flirted their way down the winding stairs and across the centre catwalk.

The entire show has been captured on camera and a film will be released in the coming weeks.

Show makeup by Laura Tucker & Gosia with hair styled by Amanda Bowler, Emma Rees & Riccardo Mazzocco. Photos thanks to Nick Grant. More info on Enamore.co.uk!

First time and returning exhibitors found the show an ideal platform to launch new concepts and brand collections to a wide audience of key independent boutique owners, store groups, on-line / high street retailers, and a selection of press/media guests. The overall feel during the three-day exhibition was positive and a general understanding that there is a light at the end of this recessionary tunnel! More than 1,200 buyers attended over the three days with about 300 returning for a second or third day at the show; a good sign that buyers are making the most of their visit.

Organisers feel the new exhibition layout, the return of many high profile exhibiting brands, the introduction of professional specialist fit and fuller figure presentations, and the launch of the Carlin trend prediction seminars offered an extended reason to visit Harrogate this season.

Jo Smith, event director, commented: “It was encouraging to see such a positive outlook from both visitors and exhibitors at Harrogate. The industry was well represented over three packed halls and the educational seminars were well attended throughout. I am looking forward to building on this to re-enforce Harrogate as the one and only national show for this industry in 2010.”

An exquisitely stylised catwalk showcase repeated three times daily in Hall B presented exhibitor collections within a professional runway production. Scenes included The De Montfort University Graduates, The London Fashion Week Preview, The Harrogate Boutique, and international branded collections including Karen Millen, Panache, Lejaby and more.

Leading international trend agents Carlin presented complimentary seminars within the Harrogate Royal Hall (adjacent to the exhibition halls). Offering buyer audiences a key insight into the forthcoming season’s trend influences, style, colour, and market predictions, they were standing-room-only throughout.

On Monday 17th, the newly crowned Miss England 2009 (Rachel Christie, niece to Linford Christie) took centre stage on the catwalk for a press photo call, modelling a stunning yellow swimwear piece by Jantzen. Rachel visited the exhibition to get a sneak preview of forthcoming swimwear collections and to choose pieces for her trip to Miss World in South Africa in December.

The Sun & Swim London Show collaborated with the Harrogate Exhibition to host a special preview for swim, beach and resort brands during a Monday night BBQ soirée, held at Harrogate’s beautiful Sun Pavilion. The evening included an art deco style fashion show with brands such as Valery Blu, After Eden, Mendels, Mya Blue, Naturana, Agua Bendita, Cyell and Chaslyn.

The 1950’s-inspired bridal lingerie set is absolutely stunning in ivory silk with brocade panels, comprising of a balconette bra, cincher girdle and brief. The underwired bra features brocade and pintuck quilted cups, ruched silk straps and gold hardware. The steel-boned lace-back cincher girdle sits under the bust and provides an excellent waist reduction whilst also shaping the hips, with quilted and brocade panels and detatchable ruched suspender straps. Matched with the silk brocade briefs and some pearls, this lingerie set is ideal for retro brides. (Balconette bra: £95, Cincher girdle: £135, Brief: £35)

For more control over the tummy and hips, the steel boned longline corset girdle provides wonderful curves all the way from the bust line down to the hips. Again created from pure ivory silk and a delicate ivory brocade, the corset girdle features four detachable ruched suspender straps with gold hardware, back lacing and quilted hip panels. Wear with Maxine’s matching balconette silk bra to complete this glamorous shapewear ensemble. (Balconette bra: £95, Girdle corset: £295, Brief: £35)

The unique waistcoated bra, suspender belt and brief set is handmade from ivory pure silk and brocade with pintuck quilting to create a luxurious ensemble – a must-have for any lingerie connoisseur! The waistcoated balconette bra fastens at the back with mock front lacing and features pintuck quilting panels. The set is completed by matching silk brocade knickers and a front-fastening suspender belt with detachable ruched straps. (Waistcoated bra: £135, Suspender belt: £55, Brief: £56)

This attention-grabbing futuristic ensemble is FairyGothMother’s absolute favourite, available in black silk with pintuck quilting. The underwired plunge bra has quilted panels on the cups and fits perfectly with the steel-boned girdle corset, designed to cinch the waist whilst also shaping the hips and tummy for maximum impact. The four black suspender straps with silver hardware are detachable, and a matching brief is also available. (Plunge bra: £125, Girdle corset: £325, Brief: £56)

The Belle Amour nude silk bra has a layer of pretty black lace which ruffles under the bustline, which matches perfectly with their trademark flirty peep-hole hipster boyshorts, in luxuriously comfortable black stretch lace and nude silk. The nude theme is continued in their Snowdrop set, featuring a balconette bra with gathered silk chiffon and French lace overlay, finished with a cute pale peach silk bow in the centre, again with a matching hipster peep-bole boyshort, this time in nude lace with a silk waistband.

The scarlet Rosada oozes glamour and sex appeal, and the silk chiffon and thick lace which delicately decorates the cleavage will make you feel a million dollars. This is the perfect lingerie set for the temptresses amongst us, especially when worn with the matching bow-back chiffon thong, red lipstick and sky-high heels! And ooh, shiny – the Zepherine with its plunge padded bra and matching sheer-back knickers is for all disco divas. In black silk chiffon with a sprinkling of sequins, this set catches the light beautifully.

Photos thanks to FairyGothMother (go shopping!) – press release via the FgM blog – previous Mimi Holliday collections can still be seen in our Mimi Holliday archives.

And now, in a fantastic boost to her fledgling design career, she is looking forward to the moment when her winning design rolls off the production lines.

When it arrives in Triumph stores throughout Europe and Asia early in August, Midori’s intriguing design is destined to be the talk of the town.

Midori called her concept “Under Skin”. She says, “When women feel like crying, they tend to hide it. What this kind of delicate feeling and lingerie have in common is that both are only revealed to the important people in a woman’s life, those who are closest to her. I designed my lingerie to look like the face of a crying woman to illustrate this closeness and intimacy.”

The students participating in TIA08 were asked to interpret the theme “Female Fascination” and to create a unique showpiece including an under-wired bra and brief, that reflected the enchantment of women.

70 international design schools in 31 countries and regions took part in the competition which was judged by fashion experts including designers Viktor and Rolf; supermodel Helena Christensen; photographer Ellen von Unworth and creative director Sarah from Colette in Paris.

After winning the Triumph Inspiration Award 08, Midori met Triumph designers at the company’s design centre in Hong Kong. They discussed the developments that would transform her winning showpiece into a design that could go on sale commercially.

The result is remarkably faithful to the original. The stunning, multi-way, black padded bra (£50) sparkles with silver threads, diamanté and crystals and is trimmed with black satin and “eyelash” fringing.

The matching tanga (£25) is in nude stretch net appliquéd with radiating narrow black lines. The padded lips at the front are removable.

The set will arrive in Triumph stores in Cambridge, Cardiff, Leicester and Walton on Thames early in August. Bra sizes are 32 – 36 B & C and the brief is in S, M, L. Each item will have a special descriptive hang tag.

Meanwhile, students from top design schools all over the world are again busy creating designs for the Triumph Inspiration Award ‘09. The theme this year is “Icons”.

James Nolan from Central Saint Martins will represent the UK at the grand final in Milan on September 23rd with his beautiful “swan” design inspired by the story of Odette and Odile. More news about the final on TLP soon!

Right now the US is having its largest lingerie show of the year in NYC (it’s the CURVExpo : Designer Lingerie & Swim Show, and soon we’ll have reports on it on TLP as Krista is attending for us!) – and only two weeks from now, it’s time for the United Kingdom with the ever so popular Harrogate Lingerie & Swimwear Exhibition.

As a little preview, here are some of the special things going on at Harrogate this season:

The Buyers’ Seminar

Not just for new buyers, but everyone looking to improve their business skills inthe lingerie and swimwear sector.

Carlin International

Exclusive to Harrogate; presentations from Carlin International, the leading trend forecasting agency, will reveal which fashions and styles are going to be most popular over the next 24 months. A must for retailers and press guests!

Fuller Figure Forum

Karen Forbes will be giving up the secrets of this often challenging aspect of the industry.

London Fashion Week Preview

High fashion brands including Janet Reger and Ell & Cee will be previewing their LFW exhibition appearances on the catwalk in Harrogate.

Expert Bra fitting

Expert fitter Lindsey Brown focuses on the absolute essentials in a supercondensed presentation – a must for new buyers and press!

Over 200 collections are already showing including those from: EL Marketing, Chantelle, Janet Reger, Ell & Cee, Eternal Spirits, Cake Lingerie, Pour Moi, Purple Ronnie, By Caprice, Aguaclara, Moontide, Feraud, Verde Veronica and many more!

The show is 100% free to visit, but you should really register at lingerie-show.com in advance!

Having enjoyed three fantastic years of growth with La Magia, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our new website, ForLuna.co.uk – specialising in high quality, branded retro-inspired and faux-vintage swimwear.

For Luna takes inspiration from a time when ladies carried themselves with grace and poise, whether by the pool or on the beach. We have chosen swimwear that has some kind of retro or vintage design element, whether it is a modern bikini with a retro-style print or a faithful reproduction of a 1950’s one-piece swimsuit.

Our two websites share the same key aim, to provide a unique selection of high quality garments to customers who appreciate classic style, and enjoy the glamour and elegance our pieces offer.

For Luna has been created with the same level of enthusiasm and passion that launched La Magia in 2006, and we are sure lots of La Magia’s customers will love our selection of swimwear. We are very much looking forward to introducing them to the new website.

For Luna ships globally and delivery is a flat rate of £2 per order, worldwide.

This new Cyell beachwear collection boasts a true colour explosion and stunning contrasts. Peach, coral rosy red, orange, aqua and fresh green shades with contrasting black, ivory, grey shades and deep gold.

In the global mix – all the patterns come together. Multi-colored ones with subtle fluorescent accents, brown shades with shells and wooden beads as accessories. The azure sea is reflected in iridescent fabrics and special aqua shades. A new feature are the “tube” details in Cosmo, the plain-colors line, the tubular ribbons, that are playfully attached to bikini tops and bottoms.

New stuff

New in Cyells collection are the tankinis with removable foam pads, push-up bikinis and twist-style bandeau-tops. The fabrics are becoming softer and smoother and therefore even more comfortable.

Beachwear

Dresses are still very much in fashion, and there’s a wide range of patterns and plain colors to choose from. And there’s also a plain-colored light wear lycra line with pareo, skirt and dress as the basic equipment. And once again Cyell presents “a choice of accessories in airy Modal without which your outfit for the beach would hardly be complete”.

I like this Cyell SS09 Beachwear line. Loads of color, loads of variation! More info at cyell.com…

The new Miss lingerie site...

Miss Mish (at www.missmish.com) is a website designed for the boutique shopper offering complimentary personal shopping services and only a few but worthy lines demonstrating functionality and the latest trends. A company rule of thumb is “Shop for lingerie as you would for clothes, discriminating against designers, brands or stores in the pursuit of fashion reflecting your personal style.”

Taking into account importance personal style and fit, the Miss Mish staff provides personal shopping services via telephone. Lingerie has a very specific fit and each designer and each brand differs in sizing so customers truly need guidance and expertise when making a purchase. A Boudoir Specialist will walk customers through the site and ordering process and advise when desired items arrive on the site. This feature is not only practical for lingerie fanatics but also useful for guests looking for an intimate gift as well. The company even goes as far as making local deliveries and bringing merchandise to private residences for home shopping.

In keeping up with the boutique feel and customer interaction, Miss Mish cooperates with local spas to host unique lingerie parties and offers tips for date night wear, activities and venues.