Lingerie de Paris: Chantal Thomass at BrandAlley

Lingerie should never be underestimated in its power to transform the wearer, making them feel confident, feminine and beautiful. As a lingerie blogger, I find myself seduced by quality garments that are exquisitely designed and well-constructed. My addiction to gorgeous underwear combined with my love for a sale have led me to the discovery of BrandAlley, which has since become one of my ‘go-to’ places for designer lingerie at affordable prices. 

BrandAlley recently got in touch with me to let me know about one of their upcoming designer sales for Chantal Thomass lingerie. Chantal Thomass has been dubbed the “Queen of French Lingerie” and her 40 year career has seen her dabble fearlessly in Ready-to-wear fashion, Interior design and of course, Lingerie. Since the beginning, Chantal Thomass has sought to revolutionise lingerie through a strong focus on aesthetics, transforming lingerie into a celebration of femininity and creativity.

(Picture via: http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk)

BrandAlley kindly sent me a sample of Chantal Thomass lingerie to review – a perfect way to whet my appetite before the sale officially launched! I received a stunning set from the ‘Broderie Losanges’ line, which comprised a half-cup bra, garter belt and brief. 

The half-cup bra is underwired and unpadded, featuring cups made from nude mesh overlaid by polka-dotted black mesh. The cups also boast a knock-out lattice design with a triangular fringe and a bow adorning the centre gore.

The knickers match the bra beautifully, with an identical diamond design, nude and black mesh overlay and feminine bow motifs. The black dotted mesh on the back of the knickers allows for a cheeky flash of derrière - a look that is saucy yet sophisticated!

The black mesh suspender belt is also a very versatile piece that adds contrast to the lingerie set, whilst nipping you in at the waist. Featuring a minimalist lattice design, thick adjustable suspenders and bows, this garter belt is modern vintage seduction through and through!

Although the bra is not my size, the garter belt and knickers fit beautifully. The stretch-mesh knickers and suspender belt with boning are very comfortable to wear and both contour to your curves without digging in. The nude and black mesh fabric combination is really striking and the attention to detail makes this Chantal Thomass set delightfully luxurious and elegant.

Chantal Thomass lingerie certainly impresses with its timeless, feminine and seductive pieces. If your underwear drawer is crying out for a Spring/Summer update, get ready to feast your eyes on the BrandAlley Chantal Thomass lingerie sale. You won’t be able to resist a slice of Chantal Thomass’ iconic French style..j'adore!

Shop the exclusive Chantal Thomass lingerie sale at BrandAlley now!

What do you have your eye on?

Love,Kitty xo
P.S. If anyone is interested in the bra, please let me know - it's a 34B!

Le Fabuleux Soutien d'Amelie: Miss Mandalay 'Amelie' bra review

'Le Fabuleux Soutien d'Amelie'

(The fabulous support of 'Amelie'*) 

   Whilst I coo about fuller bust lingerie brands such as Freya and Panache on a regular basis, one of the larger cup brands that I have been more silently enamoured with for a while is Miss Mandalay. Miss Mandalay has catered to the fuller bust market since 2005 and although I have reviewed some of their swimwear back in 2011, the lingerie has not had as much recognition as it deserves on my blog.. 

   Miss Mandalay states one of its points of difference as being its focus on "fashionably different lingerie and swimwear in C-HH cup sizes", catering to busty women who desire "something 'more'..with a great technical fit." Miss Mandalay is very much about the fusion of substance and style - something that is evidenced by the play on fabric textures, prints, colours and detailing from season to season, in both lingerie and swimwear collections.

   Miss Mandalay is slightly more pricey in comparison to some of its fuller bust brand rivals, but thanks to the high quality fabrics that are used and the careful construction of the garments, you can be assured that you are paying for comfort, support and great fit with Miss Mandalay.

   If you remember back to my pre-Christmas fuller bust lingerie wishlist, you may know that the Miss Mandalay 'Amelie' bra featured as one of my top must-haves! What particularly caught my fancy about the 'Amelie' bra is that it represents a slight departure from the fun, flirty and colour/print orientated designs that I tend to associate with Miss Mandalay. 

  Miss Mandalay has stripped back the vivid colours, leopard print and ruffles to create something sumptuous, sophisticated, elegant and utterly classy..say "bonjour" to 'Amelie' (Available in sizes 28-38 C-GG):

   To my delight, the lovely Red Box Lingerie gave me the opportunity to try this beautiful bra just before Xmas (it arrived quickly and beautifully packaged like a gift, complete with a little card too!) 

   In line with some of my earlier findings about Miss Mandalay's swimwear sizing and having tried the 'Paige' and 'Paris' bras (which I seem to remember come up tighter than the average 28 back), I opted for a 30FF in the 'Amelie'..

   As you can see, the Miss Mandalay 'Amelie' looks even more beautiful in the flesh, with its glamorous mink satin set against ornate black floral stretch lace. The bra fastens with two hooks and eyes and has fully adjustable straps (which is always a bonus!) 

   'Amelie' is described as being a 'balconette shape' with three-panel support cups. Although this bra appears to resemble more of a fuller cup plunge in the picture (below), the actual shape when worn is a delightful cross-between of balconette and plunge, which is very flattering and supportive..

   The design of the 'Amelie' is visually very alluring and there is great attention to detail - who can resist those exquisite little ribbon bows at the centre gore and straps? I love the way that satin, lace and mesh have been employed in an unusual way too; the back band is mesh, whereas the rest of the bra is a mixture of satin (along the gore and sling) and black stretch lace (over the cups). 

   The support sling is also unconventional as it does not form part of the internal structure of the bra. Instead, the sling has been externalised and decorated with mink satin, which transforms a design and support feature into one that is highly aesthetic! 

   The sling is, of course, a great design feature for ladies with a fuller bust, helping to lift the breasts up and gently push them forwards. The shape that I get whilst wearing the 'Amelie' is very natural and uplifted and the sling seems to hold everything in place nicely too. 

   Another great construction element of the 'Amelie' is the design of the lace cups - the cups feature a reinforced lace bottom section and stretch lace along the top of the cups. It is helpful to have the extra mesh lining underneath the lace in the bottom of the cups as the reinforced fabric helps to keep the breasts in place more securely. 

   On the other hand, the stretch lace at the top of the cups moulds to the individual's breast shape, stopping any cutting in to the breast tissue. The stretch lace is also clever as it allows for any slight fluctuations in breast fullness during the month..

   I also got on very well with the shape of the wires of the 'Amelie', which are narrower than those of brands such as Curvy Kate (for example). Additionally, the wires are positioned close together at the centre gore, making this bra very well suited to those with closer set breasts.

   I am all in all pleased with the fit of the 'Amelie' although a 28G would have been the ideal fit for me. I need to wear the 30FF on its tightest hooks and the thin straps dig in to my shoulders a little as I need the extra support from a tighter back band. This also suggests to me that the 'Amelie' comes up truer to size than Miss Mandalay's more tight-fitting bras (e.g. 'Paige' and 'Paris). This may be due in part to the materials that have been used in this bra (the back band is made from quite a stretchy mesh material and therefore has more 'give'). 

   I would definitely recommend the Miss Mandalay 'Amelie' bra and it comes as no surprise that it is one of Miss Mandalay's most popular bras! 'Amelie' is delightfully decadent, exquisitely elegant, beautifully boudoir and to top it off, brilliantly constructed to suit DD+ bra sizes! 

   I often brand myself a moulded bra fanatic but this unpadded bra is enough to make me fall in love over and over again..

(Pair the 'Amelie' bra with the matching thong or knickers..or match the bra with any pair of black lacey briefs - these tie-back knickers are by Collette Dinnigan!)

 
   For those wanting to try the lovely Miss Mandalay 'Amelie' bra, rejoice because it is now on sale for £35 (reduced from £46) at www.redboxlingerie.com!

(Click here to see a sneak peek of what Miss Mandalay S/S13 has to offer too...)

Love,
Kitty xo

*(The title of this blog post is a play on words of the well-known French film 'Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain'!)

Spotlight on 'Pull-in' - Coffin on Cake showcase

PRESENTS:

PULL-IN

  As I mentioned in my last blog post, one of the most exciting collections at the Coffin on Cake press launch for Spring/Summer 2012, was the collection by French premium swimwear, underwear and lounge-wear brand, Pull-in...

  Launched 11 years ago, Pull-in is the brain-child of Emmanuel Lohéac, who had the concept of bringing a new wave of directional underwear to the fashion market. Lohéac's passion and drive has been rewarded by Pull-in's successful expansion from a small French business to a growing enterprise of 12 global concept stores and more than 1700 retailers worldwide. Since its launch, Pull-in has built up quite a cult following, counting athletes and celebrities such as Franck Ribery, Snoop Dogg, Madonna and The Saturdays amongst its fans!

  Pull-in's punchy prints and edgy graphics are very 'cutting edge' and the products feature prints of anything from strawberries to tennis rackets to cookies to iPhone application prints! Pull-in has even collaborated with well known names, such as Swarovski, Major League Baseball and DC comics, to create highly sought-after, limited edition designs. 

  Some of Pull-in's key attributes are its elasticated waistbands (made from the same material as in snow goggle straps!) and the use of high quality fabrics, such as Microfibre Lycra Invista.

  The Pull-in showcase at the Coffin on Cake press launch boasted a wide range of beach-wear, underwear and lounge-wear products for both men and women. The designs were extremely eye-catching and I particularly loved the mouth-watering summer fruit designs of raspberries, strawberries and grapefruits. The 'Vermont' raspberry print swimsuit was visually delectable and the print would definitely turn some heads on the beach!

  Another of my favourite prints from the womenswear collection was the bird print - a motif that will prove very popular for Spring/Summer 2012. I love how Pull-in have transformed a black bikini into such an elegant, fashion-forward piece! The bird print has also been carried over to Pull-in's lingerie, complimented by sumptuous black lace detailing (see below):

  It is interesting to see the diversity of styles and colour combinations within the Pull-in collection. There were some paintbox brights along with loud prints that are typical of Pull-in, but also some contrasting softer-toned, more understated and elegant designs. Take for example, this sports bra (below left), which pushes the Summer floral theme further with an edgy poppy print. In contrast, the satin 'Abeille' bra (below right) is very classic, glamorous and 'boudoir':

          VS

There was also a very impressive range of Pull-in men's underwear and lounge-wear at the Coffin on Cake press event...

I particularly liked the wacky Spongebob Squarepants collaboration boxers: 

  The Coffin on Cake showcase really 'sold' Pull-in to me as a brand, with its varied and carefully selected pieces. In the press goody bag, I also received some Pull-in girl boxer-briefs, which I absolutely love. They are made from super soft lycra and are really comfortable to wear!

  My fiancé also fell in love with the Pull-in designs that I showed him - so much, that I decided to buy him his very own pair of Wolverine boxers from the Pull-in Marvel collaboration! You can see an extensive selection of Pull-in products on http://www.blackleaf.com/!

  I am really looking forward to seeing what Pull-in come up with next! One thing that is for certain, is that I am going to have to make some room in my underwear drawer! The Cupcake and Strawberry Pana cotta print knickers look too delicious to resist...

Love,

Kitty xo