Michelle Patrick

Patrick & Skinner Lingerie – The Sweetie Shop

June 26, 2008 by Michelle Patrick

The panties patisserie is now open for your indulgence.

As on our ‘Chocolate’ menu, our new theme ‘The Sweetie Shop’ ’ will be designed for the P&S goddess, with all the naughty & nice of candies in mind. Influence for your sweetie indulgence were being drawn from the era of classic Hollywood glamour, feminine pin-up sirens and 1950’s and 60’s ultra ladylike swimwear patterns. The indulgence itself is taken from delightfully traditional British candies and musty candy shops, hard-boiled sweets & picks a mix creating a scrumptious canvas for us to play upon.

The sweeties on offer to you will have roots in the community of all sweetie fanatics, though those of you who are not familiar with our selection will develop a Moorish taste for them! Presenting ‘The Custard Creams’ as the opening assortment, this vibrant collection is laced with the irresistible color palettes of a traditional hard-boiled sweetie.

The opening menu includes soft bra, brief, thong & robe. Flavors available for your indulgence include Apple & Custard Rhubarb & Custard and Banana & Custard. The custard creams are scrumptiously crafted by hand with the finest silks, incorporating luxurious silk sashes to be tied in delicious bows and details such as silk covered bra straps to appeal to your sweet tooth…

Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.

Read all posts by Michelle Patrick right here!

Patrick & Skinner Has a New Site!

June 10, 2008 by Michelle Patrick

Fini! www.patrickandskinner.com! The web site is done and I have learnt to exhale though out the process. Ah the joys of lessons learned, sometimes you feel like you are being schooled continuously, that the light at the end of the tunnel is there, but too far to walk to in your stilettos!

We did everything in house, which was satisfying, building a simple but sweet canvas to which we can evolve, and the most important thing, Made By P.S.

‘Chocolate’ is on sale at the moment in order to make way for our delicious new indulgence ‘ The Sweetie Shop’ promises to be a yummy one! The first part of our custard Creams photo shoot is done! Though as it drew near, im slowly lost 80% of my body weight, I was so excited I was afraid i may spontaneously combust! It was predominatly a Graphic shoot. I will attach some behind the scenes shots but untill I have final art work, im not giving up too much. I want the surprise to be imense. Our direction has evolved so much over the past year from the beginnings until now. We have finally found home and know that Pantie fanatics will love it as much as we do!I don’t just mean the product, as we are about so so much more than that alone. Too pretty to wear but too good not to springs to mind. The look we are about to deliver, we have come to the conclusion will be like marmite to some. They will either love it ( if you have any alternative taste at all! ) or hate it. I am one of the most unconventional people I know. I have birthed P&S since the beginning, fed, watered, and protected her. Should the brand be more of a representation of who I am… absolutly. Based on that, I will be loosing some of the ‚ conventional‘ items included in the new collection already and focasing on some scrummy accessories. Not your usual wrist and ankle cuff or blind fold. A completely luxurious option that those visiting can explore and still feel completely satified in their choice.

On a boring business note, and one does have to indulge in boring also, I have been doing my monthly research of the industry stats and figures and have come across something that astonded me! 63% of women in the UK only spend £10 on lingerie a month! 63%! That’s over half of all women in the country! Cleo Patra used to bath in milk, setting the example of how women should indulge for us all and we are spending less than a lipstick on panties a month! How glamorous. I will definatly be implimenting a few things that’s put the love back into buying. Guilt free buying sprinkled with ultimate satisfaction. I belive a womans intimate wear should reflect her perfectly . Not to fear! P&S is now hell bent on making it our soul mission to giving the glamour back to women private parts everywhere. Why spend a fortune on outerwear when what is underneath is a shambles! Having no underwear makes more sense! (Done regularly here in the P&S camp) How can you call yourself a goddess if you do not pay attention to fine detail! Booty wear is back with a vengeance and you will defiantly struggle to resist the temptations offered for your indulgence by this camp!

Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.

Read all posts by Michelle Patrick right here!

Fittings & Fun

May 1, 2008 by Michelle Patrick

Fittings and fun is how best to describe the past few weeks in the P.S camp. We are well into completing our serving of “The Custard Creams” for a very artistic photo shoot we have planned. Though it has not been without sweat and an occasional tear of frustration. The samples for the shoot are being made to measure Victoria, our muse for the project. This process is quite exciting, as our pattern cutting skills have been put to the test. I must say i am impressed! Working with Victoria has been and will continue to be creatively liberating for us. As the photo shoot nears I am filled with both anxiety and a childish excitement. It will not be, shall we say, the most conventional imagery. There is something quite nerve moving about that. The fight between allowing creativity, as a designer to overflow, and following the trend of conventionality has been a long one. We will be going with the overflow.

The website will be back up within the coming weeks with a new look. Doing most things in house now, this has taken longer than originally assumed. Patients is a virtue, and being happy with the way the project is unfolding, the delay has been stress free.

I have learnt that it is valuable to have an advice point through the madness. Mine has been one of my fabulous stockiest. They have been a rock to say the least. I also have to thank Kelly over at The Modern Courtesan who has given me a breath of fresh air in regards to taking allot of the technical pressures away. I will not even touch on the sweat she has wiped from my brow.

Sarah and I have been taking ‘research’ trips to a scrummy sweetie shop in London’s Brewer Street after fittings. Gathering endless inspiration sprinkled with tooth ach for our future assortments, it has become a scheduled appointment I refuse to miss before the push and shove of the Underground.

Scrumptious Regards

M.P xox

Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.

Read all posts by Michelle Patrick right here!

The Pantie Patisserie

March 31, 2008 by Michelle Patrick

Amidst the fury of ideas that has been my torment and my excitement thus far, I think we are finally beginning to tame my ideals into a fertile base that is both sensible and fun. My branding has been admittedly turbulent since launching but we have found calm after the storm! Being so concept driven in the direction of personal indulgence and what would be desserts at the moment, I wanted to put an extra sprinkle of uniqueness on top. From that we have decided that in order to deliver that freshly baked feel we will be doing made to order. This not only allows me to get the personal touch across I want, it allows for you to really feel it. Lots of changes will be apparent over the coming months from our website to our collections, everything is getting a make over.

To follow with ‘ The Custard Creams’ I wanted to offer a more accessible range without skimping on quality, so the idea of ‘Pick ‘a’ Mix’ is born. Fine chiffons and tulle will be my canvas, whisked in with inspirations of liquorice and bonbon’s. The fabric gathering is one of the most exciting parts for me. Though I love nothing more than trailing through mounds of samples and swatches, it is valuable to have a reliable source that can be consistent with your needs. My Custard Creams have taken longer to finalise than I thought. It is all in a days work and there will be hiccups. The silks that arrived were not the silks that I was expecting, and along with the shudder in my solar plexus came that dreadful feeling of delay. We moved like wildfire and the panic paid off! I have managed to source an exact match for my crazy colour palettes with absolutely no compromise at all. Sarah and me have argued endlessly about lace but have come to an agreement thanks to a source given to us by Kelly over at The Modern Courtesan. The cooking is underway and though delayed, worth the wait. I can now move on with imagery and model madness that actually was not as painful as I thought. I have found a muse who is key inspiration to my designs. Gone are the days of pinning my artwork on torn out editorials of Monica Bellucci! I have a real life mannequin now. The force is strong!

Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.

Read all posts by Michelle Patrick right here!

Patrick & Skinner: From Paris with Love

February 6, 2008 by Michelle Patrick

What a deliciously busy start to the New Year, I am yet to exhale since it has begun and am still learning daily lessons in branding, marketing, and design. Birthing Patrick & Skinner has been more valuable in gaining knowledge than any lecture I have attended. Now it is truly born, I must nurture, love and cherish it like a child, those of you who are parents will know that all the nurture, love and cherish needs to keep coming! I have been in a cyclone since I last touched base here. We had pieces in the Lingerie Buyer, WWB, and Scarlet that have been valuable. The Women’s Wear Daily in NY has used some Raspberry Bits for an editorial in Feb and kindly sent me a snap shot of the model pre-shoot that I have attached for you. I had a phone interview with ‘Body’ Magazine in the States in order to broaden the awareness of P&S to a global one. I found myself slipping in and out of the American twang the more I was sucked into the interview much to the amusement of those sitting around me. The interview was most valuable and I’m thankful that the contact was made.

Look Books are finished and have been flying out like hot cakes! We are hand making them in house leaving Sarah my fantastic assistant falling asleep on the laminator most evenings but she has done a fabulous job. I have been creating the look for the new collection “The Sweetie Shop” inspired from old school sweetie shops, hard-boiled candies, and 1950s & 60’s swimwear patterns. I would like to get 3 trilogies out this year starting with “The Custard Creams”. We will be bringing you Rhubarb & Custard, Apple & Custard and Banana & Custard as an introduction. The sleep-deprived nights have already begun though made much easier by my magic fabric genie (fabric specialist Mike) that dives into every corner of the world sourcing only the most luscious silks & lace for our creations.

I’m actually typing this on a Train from Gare De Nord to the CDG airport in Paris returning from The Salon international de la lingerie which can I say was stunning. The world’s most beautiful brands mixed with rustic scent of the Parisian atmosphere brought a UNdeniable feel to the expo. I did not exhibit but was there having some power meetings as well as getting a glimpse of future trends and the creative boom seeping from some of the Lingerie Houses. While tottering around the expo I could not help becoming aware of the sea of ‘Men in Suits’ controlling most brand stands. Do they really know what women want? It’s so odd to hear the bustle of buyers discussing cup comfort and underwire with someone who has never worn a bra! Or maybe this is the secret to their success; maybe there is more going on under those suits than I thought!

The phrase I will remember most over the past year will be “Structured Bra” the one thing I did not do which will be the most priceless piece I could add to future collections. The high-end niche brand market is defiantly broader than the skinny sloanies.

I’m learning more and more daily about the markets suited to my brand. The U.A.E being one of them. DiaDiwan the fabulous Saudi fashion site is aiding me in opening this market by featuring us in a major give away of extremely high retail worth. It really is another world, one I defiantly plan to explore. I had better stop there or I will be going to terminal 2 for my flight instead of 3. I’m leaving as the sun sets on Paris to return to pool of work and timescales and you know what, im excited!

Scrumptious Regards,
P.s xx

Michelle Patrick – Patrick & Skinner
Designer of the scrumptious Patrick & Skinner label, director and extrovert lingerie-fanatic. Her homepage is located at patrickandskinner.co.uk.

Read all posts by Michelle Patrick right here!