Prohibido Lingerie – Uncovering one of Cambridge’s hidden gems..

   When most people think of Cambridge, images of impressive architecture and punting on the river Cam come to mind. However, some of the less overt visual delights of the town also come in the form of the many lingerie stores that the town boasts. Aside from the better-known high street lingerie stores, there are also some gorgeous boutiques tucked away. One of the hidden gems that I came across recently was ‘Prohibido Lingerie, a little boutique situated in All Saint’s Passage (just opposite Trinity College). On entering ‘Prohibido’, I was struck by the beautiful interior of chandeliers, vintage patterns and artistically arranged lingerie displays.

The boutique has a wonderfully intimate feel and the owner, Barcelona-born Mercedes Lee, and her assistant, Katherine, were very chatty and immediately made me feel at home. Mercedes gave me a tour of the shop and spoke to me in depth about the diverse range of brands that she stocks. With 10 years experience in retail, Mercedes is very particular about what she likes and envisions for the future of her boutique. She brings the customer the ‘cream of the crop’ from a array of different countries; Colombia, France, the Netherlands, Barcelona and even as far as Australia, ensuring that she caters for a wide range of customers, age ranges, tastes and occasions. The boutique’s premium brands include:

Andrés Sardá

Ayten Gasson

Cette

Chantelle

Empreinte

Huit Paris

LingaDore

Le Mystère

Passionata

Pleasure State

Plié

Selmark Lingerie

Touché Collection

 (LingaDore, Empreinte, Chantelle, Passionata)

 I was particularly enamoured with 'Empreinte' (a French make which caters for larger busts) and their "Melody" line bras - multiway seamless moulded plunge bras covered lightly with delicate Chantilly lace. The style of this bra makes it extremely versatile - it is perfect for plunging necklines and it gives uplift for back sizes from 30-36 and cup sizes up to a G. The denim 'melody' bra was my favourite - a stunning rich blue that would look fantastic against any skin tone!

Another stand-out brand for me was 'Pleasure State' - a glamorous Australian lingerie and loungewear brand. Pleasure state's lingerie is very cutting edge, with vibrant colours and patterns that are particularly flirty and girly - ideal for any fashion-conscious woman with an eye for detail. 

Pleasure State

I loved the "Sea of Dreams" balconette (above left), which has a vibrant floral design printed on ivory silk, off-set by black embroidery detailing. Pleasure State's underwear is so beautifully designed that any woman cannot help but fall in love with it!

 

This leads me, finally, to talk about the swimwear brand 'Paolita'. You may remember the invitation I posted a while ago, inviting my readers to the brand's first birthday swimwear event! I was very excited to see this up-and-coming designer brand stocked at Prohibido and I loved the zesty colours, stripes and exotic fern prints on their bikinis and one-pieces. My personal favourite was the incredibly striking 'Sonnet' swimsuit, which is a colour explosion of blues, turquoises, greens and purples. The 'Sonnet' contours beautifully to your curves and its key-hole detailing ensures that all eyes on the beach are on you!

I would definitely recommend that you pop into 'Prohibido Lingerie' if you find yourself in the city of Cambridge. Besides, what could be more sophisticated than a day of sight-seeing, punting, picnicking and underwear shopping for some of the prettiest designer brands of the moment?

To find out more about Prohibido Lingerie, check out their website: www.prohibido.co.uk

or visit them at: Prohibido Lingerie, 5 All Saint’s Passage, Cambridge, CB2 3LS

Love,

Kitty xo

Shaken but not stirred - The Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini

On holiday, every girl dreams of emerging from the sea in true bond girl style, so when I spotted the glamorous Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini on sale on Brastop, I had to snap it up! Freya's 'Supernova' collection builds on their previous 'Vodkatini' collection, which features the same bikini styles of an underwired cup bikini top and soft triangle non-wired top. Although only the underwired bikini top came in my 28FF size, I was intrigued to try the triangle bikini top in a 30F, as it was very different from the other bikini styles that I owned...

The Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini is a striking raspberry pink colour, offset by sleek contrasting white and charcoal trimming. This eye-catching combination gives the bikini a feel of glamour and sophistication, whilst remaining quite classic looking. Both the bikini top and briefs are adorned with silvery charcoal buckles, which each feature the 'Freya' logo.

The buckle detailing on the Freya 'Supernova' immediately made me recall the gorgeous 'Bond girls': Ursula Andress and Halle Berry, who have set the big screens alight with hollywood glamour in their seductive buckle swimwear...

Not only is the Freya 'Supernova' bikini a feast for the eyes, but it is also ideal for bigger busts. The shape of the bikini is very curve-friendly and it gives great uplift and shape to your cleavage. The bikini briefs are also extremely flattering, giving good coverage and a smooth fit. The bikini is very comfortable to wear, due to its ultra-soft Riviera fabric and lightly padded non-underwire cups. Although I normally prefer underwired bikinis due to their firm support, the non-underwire 'Supernova' bikini top felt surprisingly secure. With its snap-clasp back, the 'Supernova' keeps your curves in place, so that although they may be shaken, they are definitely not stirred (if you will pardon the pun!)

My one plea to Freya would be that they extend the range of back sizes down to a 28 in the triangle style of the 'Supernova' bikini and in their other triangle styles, as the smallest back size available remains a 30. Although the 30F in the 'Supernova' is not a bad fit, it is a little bit big in the back and I feel that if there was a 28 back available, I would get the perfect fit. This would also mean that there would be less pressure on my neck from the halterneck ties at the top of the bikini, which are put under more strain if the back band is not quite tight enough.

Overall, I am delighted with the Freya Supernova 'Voodoo' bikini and it is clear that a lot of effort has been put into the style and fit. I am also impressed with the continued high quality of Freya's swimwear - the XtraLife lycra extends your bikini's lifespan through high chlorine resistance, meaning that you can 'wow' in your Freya bikinis time and time again! Although the 'Voodoo' model of the 'Supernova' bikini is running quite low in stock on Brastop, if you can't find your size, check out Bravissimo, Leia lingerie and Figleaves for some great alternative patterns, whilst keeping the same figure-flattering style and support of the Freya 'Supernova'!

Love,

Kitty xo