Boudoir

More than 50 years after they were shut down, the world we associate with the French term Maison Close (brothel) still sets the imagination running, even though we have little tangible evidence of what really went on behind those closed doors, apart from a few police records. It is this taste for secrecy which has fuelled the imagination of novelists, filmmakers or painters. It was precisely because of these enticing evocations that the lingerie labelwas baptised Maison Close, even if it meant having to come face-to-face with diehard prejudices (the brand was banned by Facebook, censored by YouTube and threatened by the City of Paris!). The people behind the label say about all this controversy: “It is not our role to approve or criticise those who trade in sexual favours, nor to enter into a debate on the merits of their existence, but rather to avoid beating around the bush.” Maison Close is one of the few brands on the market to fully assume its status as a “range of erotic lingerie”. The reason why women buy flirty products is almost certainly the same that once led men to open the doors to brothels. The search for pleasure and excitement.

The Maison Close brand was founded in 2007 on a booming naughty chic lingerie market. Between the American pin-up and Anglo-Saxon glamour movements and the boudoir spirit of French high-end lingerie, the brand was able to forge its own powerful identity by taking a new contemporary look at “Art Nouveau” and “Belle Époque” references, periods during which the search for voluptuousness was almost a religion. From the colour code (black, purple and gold) to the graphic charter (typography, miniatures) which can be found in every model, including the packaging to which particular attention is paid, every effort is made to ensure that the underwear and accessories in the box become an object of desire to give to that someone special, or to treat yourself to. The terminology the label has chosen plays on highly suggestive words. Each collection is named after the name of an imaginary brothel (“Villa Miel”, “Perroquet Bleu”, “Villa Satine”). As for the models, they incorporate the names of various ladies of the evening. “Flore”, “Louisa”, “Jade”, all temptresses who in their delicate finery delight the house host, Mr Le Français. As for the accessories, their name is a humorous definition of the saucy scenarios which everybody can imagine for themselves: “Le plaisir aveugle” for a satin domino mask, “Les suivez-moi jeune homme” for lace hand ties, “La petite leçon“ for a spanking ruler – but the rules of the game are up to you.

Maison Close develops mid-range collections to ensure that stylised products in beautiful materials are affordable for all women. Democratization does not however mean vulgarization. Right from the outset, everything has been focused on ensuring that the products convey delicate eroticism. Maison Close ensures that it does not play into the hands of seasonal fashion by each year going back to some of the timeless symbols of seduction (the basque, the corset, the bustier, sheath skirt, suspender belt) and by innovating with products which are more linked to behavioral changes rather than the effects of fashion (crotchless panties, etc).

Maison Close designed “Flore, Louisa & Jade”, 3 feminine evocations and 3 ways of approaching sensuality.

Flore is a seductress. Whether she is wearing a sumptuous bodysuit or pretty panties and a bra decorated with the famous Maison Close tassel, she plays ith this clever overlap of iridescent (the key word in this collection) netting which reveals carnal glimpses which are waiting to be opened further.

Louisa is the mistress of the game Dressed in her corset or her bra and zip panties, she adopts a conquering pose in order to better dictate the rules for her abandonment. These highly structured pieces open onto a paradise that is anything but artificial.

Jade, the tender innocent who completes the trio? She looks as if butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth in her pencil skirt, satin and lace bustier and little garter. But what of the charming little choker which in fact hides the wildest panty harness imaginable?

I realize this is A LOT of information – but luckily – the photos and the video (below!) speak for themselves. This really is a lingerie collection created for the bedroom and the boudoir, and I’m very impressed with the label as a whole. More information is on maison-close.com!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RNRCBfQoAM[/youtube]