Salon International de la Lingerie: AW18 Trend Report

I have made a true industry comeback: I visited the Salon International de la Lingerie (SIL) just recently and I am here to bring you all the news regarding AW18 season! First before we start previewing the collections, I am here with a trend report on the colours, prints and materials for next season. Enjoy the autumnly ride!

Green

 

You asked for it – now prepare yourself! AW18 season is the season of green. Mostly bottle green, but you do see some shades of mossy and lime green as well. If you are a full-busted gal, look no further than Cleo by Panache to find something in this colour to add to your collection.

Gold

 

This is something that I am personally very excited about! Gold, especially paired to either black or white is a striking hue that will make the autumn season ever-so-luxurious. Metallics in general are in fashion and you can find some silvery and gun-metal coloured pieces as well. To acquire the most beautiful golden-hued full-bust bras, turn to the luxury brand Harlow & Fox

Bralette

 

 

As Lingerie Insight stated in its previous number, 2017 was the year of the bralette. But the season for this fun and comfy piece of underwear is far from over! Now bralettes have been transformed to fit all sorts of body types and needs (see the blue bralette from Parfait) so everyone can enjoy the trend in 2018.

Bodysuits

 

To accompany the bralette trend, 2018 is bringing us an array of bodysuits, both in wired and non-wired options. There is something for everyone: D+ consumers, triangle bra lovers, lingerie-as-outerwear darers and luxury enthusiasts.

Velvet

 

Even though lace and embroidery still dominate the European lingerie markets, we can see some unusual materials in AW18. Some trendsetters have long used velvet to make a statement but this season it will hit the lingerie market big time. What has mostly been used in luxury robes now translates to bralette sets, body suits and small details on eg. see-through bra cups (see Maison Lejaby).

Geometrical & Cage Patterns

 

I first fell in love with “cage” designs when I saw the first Bettie Page by Playful Promises collection a few seasons back. Now the trend is taking on the industry and putting its naughty vibe on everything. This brings us to smaller geometrical prints that adorn many see-through sets and bodysuits this upcoming season. How refreshing after all the winter florals that return every AW season!

How do you like the AW18 trends? Interested to see any particular collection in the upcoming weeks? Let me know in the comments below! xx (…or even just leave me a comment to let me know you’re there, okay?)

Moda Lingerie Preview: Tutti Rouge SS17

Hi everyone! Today I need to start by being completely honest with you even if it hurts just a bit to admit that I haven’t lately been that inspired to blog anymore. I don’t know exactly why, perhaps it’s a combination of so much time spent on the computer already doing my uni essays but also because I have so many samples to review (which are lovely and I am grateful for them!) that I don’t have time to write anything else. This is why I wanted to take a break today from the reviews and start showing favourites for the upcoming spring season. Luckily, I am going to the Salon de la Lingerie in Paris just next month, so hopefully I will gain some inspiration there for my blog as well! I would also like to write more about vintage reproduction brands that are suitable for a fuller bust, so if you have an opinion on that or a brand you would like reviewed, please let me know in the comments.

Also, if any of you have any suggestion for blog post topics, I would be more than willing to hear your ideas. Also, if there is something YOU would like to write about here on my blog, don’t hesitate to email me! I always accept thoughtfully written guest posts unless it’s a company trying to get free ad space. I don’t have money to compensate you but if you have a blog of your own, I am more than happy to link to your blog here as well. Without further a do though, let’s dive into the new spring collections as I am so sick of this winter and most of all, winter blues! Today I’m bringing you some sunshine in a form of the new Tutti Rouge collection, “the Birds & the Bees”.

Sukki & Lexi, both up HH-cup

Tutti Rouge collections are still rather small but what they lack in size, they patch it up with a good dose of sweetness. The first thing we encountered at the Tutti Rouge stand was the lovely new colourway of the Sukki, a style inspired by a pinup model and a burlesque diva Sukki Singapora. I am a big fan of the lady herself but regardless of the inspiration, I truly love this set a lot. The past season colourway of black and cream was something a bit too obviously sexy for my taste but I am now head over heels in love with the new blush colourway. I love the combination of the sweet colour and the naughty (detachable) strapping and I would love to wear this with a crisp white summer dress. The style also looks perfect for us ladies with a little extra fullness at the top of our breasts, so I am really looking forward to trying this style!

Another option in a similar style minus the strap detailing and padding is the new Lexi bra. The Lexi is a true half-cup shape which is rather rare in the full-bust market. It has one seam going vertically in the middle of the cup and re-enforced side panel which should bring your boobs more to the centre instead of giving an east-west sort of look. The style looks promising but I haven’t seen it on anybody yet, which makes me wonder how Tutti Rouge managed to make the fit right for us fuller busted ladies. Here’s hoping the HH-cup fits as well as the F-cup!

The Chloe is a style that makes me really happy just looking at it – the bright lemon-y yellow gives me life and makes me want to jump into spring already. The pink bows add a touch of cheeky contrast to the set and I am absolutely in love with the lacy half-longline addition to the bra band. The shape of the bra is similar to other half-padded bras of Tutti Rouge but I do have to say Chloe looks just a tiny bit more uplifted and centred when it comes to its cup shape.

My only gripe with this set are the panties. I used to love TR pants so so much but lately, I they haven’t been that much to my taste anymore. I like my high-waisted pants HIGH, like up to my belly button so this trend with the middle-rise panties is killing me on the inside. I frankly think it’s one of the most unflattering rises you can wear, for me at least, so I have been pushing designers to make them higher. Let’s see what happens next season, I hope my wishes have been granted! Another interesting panty choice in the collection was the high-legged brazilian knicker. I don’t know what has got into people but these seem to be super on-trend right now in the lingerie industry, and I am not digging it. Don’t get me wrong – I have seen some babes ROCKING them with their wide hips and all but my narrow hips would probably just look very sad in them.

Amelia, Nichole and Liliana in their pretty peachy tones, all up HH-cup

The Amelia is a new style in the TR product family and it’s based on the older Betty shape which is their signature padded balconette bra. I have been a fan of Betty from day one and the one I tried from the ss16 collection was absolutely fantastic. I have high hopes for this bra as it is super pretty and looks very promising fit-wise too! The back of the bra is especially beautiful, as the straps feature a wider lace detailing which reminds me of the trendy smaller bust bras we see on the high-street. The comfort factor of the bra seems to be getting an A+ as well, as the inner material is made of the softest cotton that caresses my skin like no other.

Nichole and Liliana are the staples of this collection but I was happy to see them clad in lovely vibrant shades of the red and peach. The particularly fun twist of the Nichole is the sweet leopard print adorning it all around – in recent years, leopard prints have grown on me more and more and this particular one is very girly and not tacky at all.

This is the set that I reeeeeaaaally wanna get my hands on next spring. It is called Pixie and it’s a whole new style and shape for Tutti Rouge. If you are a fan of the Jessica bra WITHOUT the cookies, just like me, I would suggest looking into Pixie. It is a non-padded plunge bra adorned with the Tutti Rouge exclusive print “Birds and Bees” – something super girly and young yet I still would love to wear this as a 24-year-old. The corset detailing at the centre gore, the cutesy print and the practical shape of the bra makes me go all grabby-hands and I am sure to get this bra for all those low-cut summer dresses. Just perfection!

How did you like the new Tutti Rouge ss17 collection? Any favourites? Please, let me know in the comments so I can take your opinions straight to Jessica in January! The collection will launch in January according to the brochure, but I would say TR usually takes a bit of time with their launches, so I would be ready with the shopping money in February. Hope you are having a fantastic Sunday and I will write again soon! xx

SIL Tradeshow: Panache Favourites for AW16

I love Panache – they have been such a corner stone when building my bradrobe for these past five years and I have affectionate feelings for their Cleo non-padded balconettes (one of them which I reviewed a few days back, check it out here!). The Panache stand is also one of the highlights of my tradeshow visits as it is a huge collection which needs a lot attention. Usually, I tend to post each Panache sub-label as its own post but this time, I decided to share my very favourites from each range. If you are interested to see the whole collection, please head over to Bra and Body Image as she has it all covered! However, let’s jump into my favourites, as I would love to share some true gems with you.

PANACHE (main brand)

Top to bottom: Jasmine in Orchid + Rose Prints (up to K-cup), Elise in Praline (up to G), Ava in Pearl Grey (up to H), Thea in Black Floral (up to K), Clara in Heather + Slate/Teal (up to J)

Panache main line is quite well-known for its habbit of pushing out new prints and colourways of its original styles – with a few completely new additions, of course. I haven’t been too keen on the Jasmine prints since the very first navy/ floral print but now I think Panache has come up with something a bit more feminine and soft than the past animal and geometric prints – I am still a sucker for romance and for that taste, the new Jasmine prints cater very well for. My absolute favourite has to be the Orchid print as I love photo-realistic florals and the dark colourway of it which go perfectly well together for the AW16 season.You can also see the two fashion colours for this AW season with these prints – blue is still continuing to win the colour trend game and burgundy is now making its way to the full bust world along with other brownish red shades.

One of the new styles that kinda stole my heart was the Ava. I have been falling in love with grey lingerie over the past six months or so and I am so happy to see it as an option alongside of black and navy. Grey suits fair skin tones so well and looks lovely with ginger hair (hehe, biased much) and I am quite convinced the Ava’s non-padded plunge shape would be perfect as my bradrobe staple. The styling of it is nothing overtly vavavoom but I like its basic prettiness that speaks to the “Sunday-in-bed” side of me. Unsurprisingly I loved the Heather colourway of the Clara as well, as it’s such a gorgeous hue of grey-ish blue and with the pairing of yellow-ish cream the set is like straight out of Marie Antoinette’s wardrobe.

CLEO BY PANACHE

Top to bottom: The Breeze Longline in Geo Floral (up to H-cup), Hettie in Black/Pink (up to J), Kali in Black/Pink (up to J), Skye in Magenta/Lime (up to J), Marcie in Tangerine (up to J), Piper in Cobalt (up to J) and Della in Floral Print (up to J)

Cleo is the queen of bright and clashing colours and we were not disappointed this time either. I do feel that Cleo could almost go a bit more crazy with its design – I would love to see some more innovative prints which Cleo is so well-known for! The best designs within the Cleo range in my opinion are its boldest ones – the new floral printed Della (go and buy this bra now, it’s amazing!) and the new Piper longline. I adore the electric cobalt blue shade of the Piper and it combines perfectly an amazing fit and gorgeous looks while still remaining young and fresh. If I would have to pick just one set from the whole Panache AW16 offering, Piper would most definitely be it!

With Cleo collection, instead of teal and burgundy the Cleo collection features delicious magenta and brighter blue tones. As a pop of colour, we can see some tangerine and lime contrasts which are super appropriate for the early autumn season. How cute is that pumpkin shade Marcie? Again, the Breeze longline remains a favourite to me personally as it is still such a cute style with a great graphic autumn floral print.

PANACHE BLACK, SPORT & SCULPTRESSE

Top to bottom: Panache Black “Ardour” ja “Etta” (both up G-cup), Panache Non-Wired Sports Bra in Blue Marl (up to H), Sports Bra in Neon Pixel Print (up to J) & Sculptresse “Chi Chi” in Lace Print (up to HH)

The Panache Black, previous Masquerade range, is a rather small sub-label for Panache but for me, it’s one of their most interesting ranges. The size range is a bit smaller as well, which is a shame as these styles are truly stunning – for example, the new Etta design features a striking see-through stripe detail which I am a big fan of. Another favourite from the Black AW16 range is the basic Ardour style – it’s a grey t-shirt bra that would be an amazing option to some people who usually buy beige or black bras for their everyday bradrobe.

My favourite from the different options for the infamous Panache Sports bra was the Blue Marl as it something totally different than Panache has done before. The inspiration for this non-wired version of the classic sports bra came from the British Olympic team colours – what would be more appropriate for a British full-bust brand that makes an award-winning sports bra? What caught my eye from the Sculptresse collection was one of its original styles Chi Chi in this new Lace Print which reminds me of Snow White. This style will also be available in a dark brown Cappucino shade which will be an excellent nude shade for some women of colour!

How did you like the new Panache AW16 collection? Are you feeling the colours and prints? Let me know in the comments! xx

Moda Exhibition Favourites – Curvy Kate AW15 Collection!

I have always loved Curvy Kate and will always love them – and the simple reason is, not many full-bust brands attracted me that much when I first entered the industry. Curvy Kate was all I asked for – something a bit sexy, fun and flirty but also girly and well-fitting. It is a lot to ask from a single brand, but somehow they still managed to shoot straight into my heart with their fun styles that first and foremost came in my size. This AW15 season was no different for CK as they brought back the very style I started with a few years ago in addition to some great newbies on the block. Let’s see what they have on offer when the autumn winds reach us!

THE BASICS

When I was a few years younger, I was obsessed with the Curvy Kate Smoothie set and owned it in every colour. After that came the beloved Starlet and even though the fit wasn’t as good as with the Smoothie for me, I still loved the rounded shape and the fun styling of it. Who doesn’t love hints to mermaids?? This time, Curvy Kate has revisited their old Smoothie shape and come up with a new more romantic version of it – the Smoothie Prowl (D-J cups). It comes in a lovely autumn-appropriate colourway of crimson red and orange with some cute lace and animal print bows that keep the set simple yet detailed enough to be interesting. The bottoms that belong to the set are also amazing and would suit anyone who struggles to find something seamless yet pretty for their underwear.

The other renewed classic has to be the Daily Dream set. It is a revised version of Curvy Kate’s older Daily Boost and what seems to be different this time is definitely the shape of the bra. I think many gals out there will be very pleased to hear the new version offers a much more rounded look to it, meaning the fit will most likely be better for the most of us! The Daily Dream will still be going up to K which makes it an amazing everyday choice for the most full-busted of us.

  
Top to bottom: Ellace, Cascade, Dreamcatcher, Cherie and Portia. (All D-K cups)

EVERYDAY FASHION OPTIONS

As most of the styles mentioned and pictured above are already known to you, I am going to focus on the new interesting fashion offerings Curvy Kate has in store for us for the autumn season. These are the Ellace and Cherie, which both really appeal to me in different ways – the Ellace is such a great basic everyday style whereas the Cherie speaks loud and clear to my pinup style.

To be honest I have never really been into cherry prints but somehow, just somehow, Curvy Kate has managed to create such a lovely one that I don’t think I can resist it! The cups of the Cherie are lamented and it’s the same well-known and -loved balconette shape Curvy Kate started out with in the first place with the likes on Portia (which I love in the blue/orange colourway, btw!). The upper cup panel is made of dotted mesh which only adds up to the cuteness of the bra and makes it a bit more sexy with the sheerness.

The Ellace on the other hands would seem to be something that could steal many girls’ hearts with something we all love – and that is the stretch lace. I am hands down all for stretch lace and I think everyone especially with a-symmetry should try it out. It is such a comfortable choice of material which also suits many breast shapes so I am actually a bit surprised this is the first time Curvy Kate uses this fabulous material in their designs.

  
Dita, Tease, Jewel, Temptress and Bardot

NIGHTTIME NAUGHTIES

Even though Curvy Kate just launched their Scantilly range just for this purpose, I think their core collection has some great options for boudoir purposes too. If you don’t want anything too racy, these are the styles for you! What I loved the most about the more sexy “Showgirl”-like options was that the Red/Blush “Tease” was brought back. This was the style I bought a few years ago from Curvy Kate as one of my first well-fitting bras and was heartbroken when I grew out of it a couple of years back. Now the beauty will be back on the store shelves in two amazing options – the regular padded balconette bra and a flirty babydoll (pictured above). I am pretty sure I will want both of them so need to be quick when they come out!

My other favourites were the Temptress and Bardot in their new colourways as I am all for red and golden hues for autumn and especially Christmas time. Also, I am very tempted (haha) to know what the fairly recently revised padded plunge shape fits like in bigger cup sizes, which makes me want to try the Temptress real bad.

Here’s my roundup of Curvy Kate favourites for AW15 – how did you like them? Are you as excited as me about the comeback of the red Tease? Let me know in the comments! xx

Moda Lingerie & Swimwear Show: Maison Lejaby AW15 Collection

Maison Lejaby is one of those brands that I have been eyeing for quite a few years; first in my teens when I had no money to even dream to buy a set, then in my early 20’s when I thought I had grown out of their size range. Take note in the word “thought” as when I first tried a set of their lingerie at a London lingerie boutique Mimi & You (that’s a whole another post for the future!) I was smacked in the face with a reality: I could literally, actually, REALLY fit my usually-30H bust into a Maison Lejaby 32F or FF. I stood in front of the fitting room mirror, my mouth in a round “o”-shape, that blown-away I was. A couple of days later I rushed to the Maison Lejaby stand at Moda and was ready to learn all about this wonderful brand I had been avoiding all those years for no reason.

The Full-bust line Elixir: Roxane, La Gourmande, Attrape Coeur & Theodora

Maison Lejaby consists of three collections: Premium (including core sizes A-D, with some exceptions going up to E), Elixir (including sizes C-G) and Couture (even more of a luxury line, sold exclusively in Maison Lejaby Couture Salons). I myself was jumping up and down when I saw their Elixir collection for AW15 as the designs were so pretty and sophisticated – to sum it up in one word, very “French”. The Elixir collection consists of seven different ranges which each offer a couple of different bra and bottom styles to choose from. There are also multiple colourways on offer; usually black, beige and/or white with changing fashion colourways each season. This upcoming autumn season was all about petrol and blue which seems to be a big trend among several brands in the lingerie industry.

Elixir includes sizes C-G but as I mentioned before, the cup sizes run quite big (bands are fairly true-to-size). This always makes me happy when I have prepared myself to cry for not being included in a certain size range (and this my dear readers, has happened with so many brands including Lepel and Gossard which are my current favourites!). The cups run at least two cup sizes big, so don’t throw your ax in the well (as we Finns say) if you think you are way out of the Lejaby size range. You might just fit into it!

  
Premium Collection (sizes up to D): Petra, Marani, Divine Guipure in White and Tan, Crystal & Passion

When it comes their A-D offering, I did find some absolutely gorgeous pieces as well – some made me want to me to swap my boobs to a D in a heart beat (haha, not really, just kidding)! What Lejaby seems to be doing exceptionally well is what I call the Marie Antoinette cut, more well-known as a bandeau balconette. I had the pleasure of trying their Attrape Coeur in both the full-cup and the balconette and it seems in both the construction is truly impeccable and well-fitting, even with the larger sizes (I fitted a 32F with the full-cup and 32FF with the balconette, which was also padded so it explains the size difference). The bandeau style was one of the strongest styles in the Premium collection as well and I absolutely adored it!

If I’d have to pick favourites from the collection, I would say Attrape Coeur really stole my heart and it was also the first style I ever tried from Maison Lejaby. The style is made in scarlet red for this spring season and in lovely Imperial Blue, Lily and Black for this upcoming autumn season. Another favourite was the Passion Red Theodora with its massive centre gore bow and fabulous cut (very similar to Ewa Michalak SM shape so fans, take note!). From the Premium collection Divine Guipure was definitely a stand-out piece and I would love to see it produced in bold fashion colours and bigger sizes as well.

All in all, I am super impressed with this huge power house and their attention to detail which absolutely blew me away. I hope to be sharing a lot more about Maison Lejaby this year so stay tuned for any future reviews and news regarding them! In meantime, do tell me what you think of the collection or their fit, if you have tried ML before! What is your favourite piece from them? Let me know in the comments! xx

Moda Trend Report: Autumn/Winter 2014

After I visited Moda lingerie exhibition last spring I decided to do a trend report such as Invest in Your Chest has done for a few times now. I actually met the girls at the show and I have to confess I indulged myself in a little fan girl moment but then tried to got my shit together. I am not usually the shyest kind of girl but when I meet people I really admire I still feel a bit starstruck. Good for me, both Cheryl and Becky are so much fun to be around and I’m kind of waiting to see if they will join me this August as well. 

I enjoyed Moda tremendously last time and saw a lot of upcoming lingerie trends so I think it’s time to share them with you now. Better later than never, right! Well, onto the trends of aw14…

Neon brights – Of course the best are first up! I really enjoyed the amount of neon colours for autumn. I think neons are often seen as spring or summer hues but I think they bring a bit of fun to gloomy autumn nights. I think the most outstanding colour was the neon pink/orange that reminded me of tropical flowers. I also liked neon turquoise and yellow a lot – I think Cleo hit the jackpot with their new Kali design (a must-have for this autumn!). After Moda I was drooling over so many daring designs just for the striking colours they came in.

 
Innocent whites – There was a lot of goodies in the show for some future brides: a whole section of the lingerie fashion show was dedicated to white romantic undercrackers. I am not a huge fan of white myself – I find it too restrictive and impractical but for special occasions it can be a very pretty choice. One of my ultimate favourite sets in white is Mimi Holliday “Coquette” which actually reminds me a bit of Snow White. Again, I felt like the trend was better suited for summer (even the styling featured butterflies, wtf??) so this was definitely not my favourite of all the trends shown on the catwalk.

Smoky & Edgy – This trend is something I love to wear personally and it fits really well the autumn/winter scenery. The smoky greys and blacks ooze sexiness and paint you the scenery of seduction. I am especially in love with the new styles Gossard has created for autumn and guess what? I GOTTA HAVE THAT BLUE/BLACK BRA in third picture. It’s so gorgeous. Also if the bra in second picture came in my size I would die to have it. Simply die. I have yet to try grey lingerie but with the sophisticated laces and trimmings these sets are offering, I am definitely willing to try that too in the future.

Girly vibes – I am not a girly girl myself – not too much at least. I have heard that I’m girly but not princess-y so getting all covered up in pinks and flowers is not my cup of tea. However, recently I’ve been finding myself in the middle of piles of pink lingerie so I guess I must throw that misconception of myself away. I am sometimes a princess – with a big P. I always love a good pink or red bra so I was quite happy to see such beautiful hues on the runway. But again, this style is more summery to me so I find it a bit unsuitable for winter. However, the bras were beautifully styled and as individuals so pretty I think I might indulge in some winter florals next season.

Mistress of Dracula – I love a good red and black combo and this part of the show definitely got it. Red is probably my ultimate favourite colour among pinks and other brights even thought it’s almost too classic and cliched. However, you can never fail with a good red lingerie set. I think especially Lepel did a great job with their reds, so did Curvy Kate. 

So this was it for this time, next time I will be introducing a couple of swimwear trends. Which lingerie trend did you like the best? 🙂 Let me know in the comments! xx