Founded in 2002 by artists Melanie Prober and Lisa Z. Morgan, British label Strumpet & Pink captured the lingerie world’s imagination with gloriously provocative knickers made from exquisite materials like silk chiffon, antique lace, and crocheted mohair. Oftentimes, underwear is viewed through a purely practical lens. For obvious reasons, people want to know how their knickers will stand up to all day wear, machine washing, and the various and assorted […]
A little more than a year ago, a young designer, Cristina Aielli, approached me at The Oxford Conference of Corsetry, to ask if I’d be willing to take a look at one of her designs. She was very shy, completely unassuming, and I remember how we went to a little tucked away area because she was worried about showing her work in front of others (last year’s attendees included the […]
I just can’t even come up with the words to describe my feelings for this gown. If ever there was a dressing gown that embodied Hollywood glamour – that was pure, undiluted, old school, cigarette holder, dripping jewels allure – this is it. The Emerald & Palm Dressing Gown has no shame about being what it is, and what it is over the top, lascivious, inspired luxury. There’s no attempt […]
If you follow fashion news, you may have caught a recent story where Hopeless Lingerie accused ASOS of design theft. According to Hopeless, ASOS copied two of their designs, the Darla Knickers and Rosemary Bralette. In a previous post on the modern day reappearance of vintage lingerie trends, I shared how Hopeless’ Darla Knickers reminded me of similar cutaway burlesque styles from the 1950s. Yet this entire fashion copyright discussion, […]
Pre-Code Hollywood is seen by many critics as one of the greatest eras in American cinema, and while I’m certainly no movie buff, when it comes to fashion and costume design, I’m inclined to agree. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, “Pre-Code” refers to films made between the introduction of sound and the mandatory enforcement of Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines (known colloquially as the “Hays Code”). Pre-Code […]
