For a long time I've been a great advocate for high street lingerie... think of me as the Gok Wan of the lingerie blog world (but really I'd rather you didn't). It's reasonably priced, okay quality for what you are paying for and also very fashionable. But what happens when the high street brands begin to "take inspiration" from our favourite lingerie brands, who put so much time into designing a garment?
What is the point of lingerie? Is it functional, is it for covering up your boobs and bum, for support? Or is lingerie simply there for the point of being alluring, beautiful, and making you feel like a goddess? I'd like to think it was the latter but I suppose that when lingerie was first created they weren't as forward-thinking. It wasn't until the nineteenth century was lingerie was created as a visually appealing garment. So why do we have lingerie that purposefully doesn't cover nipples and genitals?! Well, here at Toots & Booty I'm all for the idea of being naked whilst also getting to wear the cutest and most beautiful lingerie pieces!
5"5 of glamour, style and raw sex appeal, the fetishist and model Bettie Page still continues to be a style icon for many of us interested in pin-up, lingerie and fetish. Her jet-black hair, stunning blue eyes and what is now known as "Bettie Bangs" have influenced artists, designers, and models heavily and she is still fresh in our mind! So here it is, get the "Bettie Page" look. First off: get a bottle of black hair dye, cut hair to shoulder length and cut short fringe (hairdresser not necessary)!
I own a lot of leopard print clothes but was recently shocked and appalled to realise that the only leopard lingerie I own is a pair of black mesh panties with a tiny leopard print bow on the front. This is not good enough. My sincere apologies to the lingerie gods and goddesses. To make up for it, this weeks "Nifty, Thrifty & Under £50" is dedicated to that big sexy cat that inspires such beautiful clothing.
No, I'm not talking about the Disney classic. This tale I'm talking about is much, much darker. Directed by Julia Leigh and starring Sucker Punch's (and, erm, A Series of Unfortunate Events...) Emily Browning, this 2011 film depicts the haunting life of Lucy. She delves in to the world of the unknown, and unspoken desires. It explores erotica in a severely twisted and uncomfortable way. I recommend watching it purely because it's fascinating and so disturbing that you won't forget it. And also what I'm really here to talk about is lingerie!
Whilst we temporarily ignore the dark plot, Lucy gets a job waitressing at parties in lingerie. The lingerie she and the other waitresses wear is absolutely gorgeous. Whilst she maintains a fetishised virginal image, the other waitresses are more or less the opposite to that. I've tried to source where the lingerie is actually from but I can't find any hint to where! Therefore here is my own interpretations of the lingerie from our favourite brands. (I also should apologise for the "theme" not being dissimilar to Booty's post yesterday!)
Today I've spent hours doing 5 illustrations of just a small portion of our favourite brands! I enjoy fashion illustration so this was really fun for me and I hope you like them (and I also hope the brands don't mind that I turned their models into my illustrations!). I've been a bit rusty lately trying to get back in to drawing after a couple of weeks of taking a break, but I'm pretty pleased with the outcomes! I've tried to represent the brands through materials and drawing style, although still hopefully staying true to my own (weird) illustrations! My brain is frazzled so sorry for the lack of actual comprehensive writing! So I present to you:
Playful Promises, Bordelle, Lascivious, Kiss Me Deadly, Damaris
It's my (Booty's) Birthday today so I thought I'd rub it in all your faces and demand gifts! Mwaha! Really though, this gives me the perfect opportunity to share some lingerie I've been seriously lusting over lately, my top pick of the past couple of blogging weeks so to speak. Maybe I'll treat myself to one of these bad boys...
With grey skies and dreary mornings we all need to inject a little fluorescence into our lives this month! This seasons neon beauties will be everywhere including your lingerie drawer. Neon colours are surprisingly easy to wear and when you have a peek of a neon-pink strap poking out of your boob tube then don't put on a boring strapless bra! Embrace your fluorescent undergarments with these fabulous finds.
I'm loving the popularity of triangle bras at the moment. As opposed to some other soft-cup bras, they're really flattering on the bust and tie in perfectly with the 'underwear as outerwear' trend (a lot of these bras would look great under a sheer blouse). One of the best places to go for triangle bras is Damaris/Mimi Holliday. They have a great selection in fab colours like the lemon drop bra pictured above right. I also love the scarlet Calvin Klein (top left) with its applique detailing on the cups and the gorgeous lace Intimissimi bra (centre) with pink floral accents.
Here are some more of my favourites:
