The visual story of lingerie is everything, and a brand’s lookbook is one of the single most effective ways of transmitting that story. From a lookbook, you can learn if a brand is contemporary or traditional, luxury or inexpensive, French-inspired or American-influenced. A good lookbook conveys a brand’s identity, and it’s no exaggeration to say it can make or break a label.
Since my last article on the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, we’ve seen quite a few updates. On October 24th, VS officially announced this year’s show would be held in Paris. On October 26th, they unveiled the 2016 Fantasy Bra, worn by Jasmine Tookes and encrusted with over 9,000 precious gems. On October 28th, they released the show’s full model lineup. Yet the big question, at least for me, is if VS will be able to overcome their abysmal ratings from 2015. At its peak, the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show could claim over 12 million viewers. Now they’re just barely over 6.5 million, and viewership dropped more than 30% in a single year between the 2014 and 2015 shows.
Victoria’s Secret has had a tumultuous year. Slow to pivot into the bralette trend that’s been taking over intimate apparel and even slower to take advantage of the industry’s shift towards more natural styling and models, VS had been forced into the unenviable position of playing catch-up. This year, the company dropped their catalog and swim divisions and relaunched their athleisure collections, but sales have remained low, especially compared to […]
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 […]
