We ran an article on Knickerocker awhile back, but as she’s releasing her new spring collection today I thought I’d put up an update with all of the pretty preview photos.
Knickerocker makes accessible and affordable custom underwear for any body type, size, or occasion. All of her pieces are made by hand to your measurements. I feel like Nic’s newest line represents a natural evolution in her designs. It’s a little more elegant and high end, but still relies heavily on playful every day staples.
Incidentally, I’m behind on my reviews, but I should mention that I bought two rompers from Knickerocker several months ago! I love them so much, and they’re incredibly well constructed and built to last. Both were custom in terms of fabric, colors, and my measurements. If you’ve never purchased from her before, she’s a great introduction to the world of independent lingerie designers.
Check out this gallery to see the full Knickerocker spring line!
I’ve been a fan of Ayten Gasson’s for a long time, but I hadn’t really had a chance to get to know her or her work before this Mary Portas Knickers controversy. Ayten has become one of the voices standing up for real British manufacturing, and I respect how she’s spoken up all throughout this debate.
Image via Ayten Gasson
What finally made me take the plunge and buy something from Ayten was the pattern in this Carla set. I don’t normally gravitate to prints, but I’m a sucker for liberty print things and this was one of the most beautiful versions I’d ever seen. I also love incorporating lingerie pieces into my daily wardrobe, and this kimono inspired bed jacket seemed like just the thing to get me through a hot Southern summer. I almost never buy baggy pieces, but I was hoping that this bed jacket would be flattering rather than make me look bigger. Being me, I was also excited to find a piece that would help me dress up my uniform of jeans and a tank top.
Opening this set was a really wonderful surprise. Occasionally a piece of lingerie looks completely different in person than it does in photos, and the Carla set looked like a whole different set of lingerie to me when I opened the box. It’s still the most amazing print I’ve ever seen, but the colors are less pastel and more fall-centric than I expected. I actually think I like it more this way. I’ve included a gallery here when you can see some of the detail, both in terms of manufacturing and fabric quality as well as the individual pieces. The silk is soft and clearly of superior quality.
I’m not a really high-fashion woman, but I’ve already thought up multiple ways to wear the bed jacket. It looks great with jeans, or with my navy blue satin pencil skirt. I’ve already worn it out two or three times since it showed up on my doorstep, and I’ve gotten multiple compliments each time from both men and women. I love it so much that I’m already planning to get a second one in a different fabric for variety.
The knickers are 100% silk, and fit like a dream. I love the way the cream breaks up the print, and the summery feel that they have. They’re definitely going to be my go to knickers when I need a pick me up.
This set is from Ayten’s Autumn/Winter 2012 line, which won’t be released for several months, but you can pre-order it here. She’s definitely a luxury designer, but I truly believe that this set is more than worth the money I paid for it. If you’re looking for a special occasion set or just splurging for yourself, this set is a great purchase.
Wearing the right size bra is important. Lingerie bloggers and boutique owners tell thousands of women this every year, and lots of them take it to heart. Unfortunately, we don’t all live near a nice little boutique where we can go try on the latest bra in the perfect size, especially if you’re full busted.
I’m one of these women. I live in Jackson, Mississippi, where the nearest worthwhile lingerie boutique is four hours away. When I do a review, I’m generally reviewing something that I’ve ordered online and spent my hard earned money on. I sympathize with all the women who can’t go get fitted locally, or have been fitted incorrectly by less than professional boutiques.
Enter Claire of Butterfly Collection, who is my favorite bra fitter and offers an amazing Skype fitting service. Butterfly Collection is a wonderful D-K cup boutique serving women in Canada and the US, and Claire knows more about how a bra should fit than anyone else I know.
For spring, we thought we’d help you spring clean your lingerie drawer and start the season off in a bra that fits you perfectly! Since we’re always preaching about how a bra that fits perfectly can change your life (especially if you’re struggling with fit due to being full busted), we thought that we’d let someone else do it for a change.
Read the rules and terms below, and then get started with your entries! The winner will be announced on April 13th.
Contest Details:
Are you between a 28D and 38K? Have you changed bra sizes recently, or is something just not fitting right? If so, this contest is for you.
To Enter:
Provide your information in the Rafflecopter box below, and leave a comment about what isn’t working for you when it comes to your current bra collection. You must do both to be eligible to win. Are wires pinching you? Are you a constant quadraboob victim? Leave a comment and let us know! One winner will be picked through random selection and contacted on April 13th.
The Prize:
One professional bra fitting over Skype with Claire the lingerie goddess, and one perfectly fitting bra from Butterfly Collection Lingerie.
Contest Terms:
1. The winner must be located in the US or Canada.
2. The winner’s bra size must currently be in stock and in the right range for Butterfly Collection. No special stock can be ordered for this contest.
3. You will not be charged for anything (unless you would like to buy it, of course) , but you will need to provide a credit card number for insurance purposes so Claire can send you your bras to try.
4. Winner agrees to provide one blog post about the fitting experience along with before and after pictures of the bra under a t-shirt or similar item.
I went to Curve NYC for the first time this year, and it was an amazing and eye opening experience. I also came back with the flu/cough of doom that overtook many of the trade show attendees, so I’ve had a lot of time to reflect on the show in between sleeping and drinking copious amounts of herbal tea.
I touched on this issue briefly in my latest piece for The Lingerie Addict, but wanted to go into my experiences at Curve in more depth. Over the course of three days, I met lots of people who identified me both as a full bust blogger and a plus size blogger and had all kinds of opinions about what those two categories meant. Comments ranged from one store owner telling me, “Oh, they didn’t do plus size” when I mentioned that I was a full bust blogger and from people asking me what I thought of the trends in the plus size market.
I’m currently a size 14 on top and a size 12 on bottom, so I felt a little taken aback at this. There are lots of fabulous and gorgeous plus size bloggers out there, but I’ve never considered myself among their ranks. Put simply, clothes that work for a 12/14 are a very different market from clothes that work from size 16/18 and up, and I don’t know much beyond my own speciality area. When I put my columns together I do try to cover a range of sizes, but I also specialize in an audience that is probably in the size 6 to 14 area. What I do have is J cup breasts, which I think throws people. It’s easy to assume that if a woman wears a larger cup size that she’s part of the plus size market, but it’s much more complex than that in reality.
The full bust market covers everyone from the 28J woman to the 34KK/L woman. People might argue about the definition, but usually if you’re a 34 back or under and a DD cup or over you’re pretty solidly in the full bust market. A 36 band size and up puts you in the plus size market, generally. There are fantastic designers making great lingerie in both of these categories, but they don’t tend to cross over as much as you’d think. For instance, Elomi is an amazing plus size brand that makes larger cup sizes as well, but I don’t talk about them much because they make very few 34 band sizes, and I’m more like a 32 these days anyway.
Ultimately, sticking these two markets together is doing everyone a disservice. Everyone deserves clothes and lingerie that make them look beautiful, but the two markets have very different needs. Acknowledging that is the first step towards equalizing the fashion world and making it a place that serves everyone.
