The Panache Bra Fit Challenge: Reviewed

Panache, maker of two of my favourite bras in the world (the Tango Luxe and the Zara) has recently added a new section to its website – the Bra Fit Challenge. It’s a simple online tool that asks you a few questions about your current bra and then gives advice on whether you need to rethink your choice. I was asked by Best British Bloggers to test out the tool (with some handy Strictly Come Dancing-esque scoring paddles) to see if it really will help women find the perfect fit…

Wishing a Happy 3rd Birthday to Curvy Kate

A couple of weeks ago I took some time out from unpacking at my new flat and melting in the heat to head over to Curvy Kate HQ in West London for a blogger party to celebrate the lingerie brand’s 3rd birthday.

It’s safe to say there are very few brands I love as much as Curvy Kate, and this was exactly the kind of fun night I’d expect from them. There was pass the parcel, ‘pin the bra on Lauren’, bubbly, party food and a sneaky peek what’s to come from the brand. It was a chance to meet or catch up with loads of amazing bloggers – some new faces like Kitty, Callie, Hanna and Jess, some gorgeous girls I’d met before like Lilla and Cheryl, and Becky, who I’d virtually adored for a very long time and couldn’t wait to meet in person…

Tried & Tested: Curvy Kate ‘Tease Me’ lingerie review

I was very excited to recently be invited by one of my absolute favourite online retailers, BraStop, to be part of their Fuller Focus group. I’ve shopped at BraStop for ages and I love their dedication to finding great brands for bigger busts, and the fact they hunt for new reader models every month, letting their customers show off the different sets brilliantly and never airbrushing their pictures. Being part of their reviews team is a great honour, but before I began my official duties, I was sent a special set from one of their key brands – Curvy Kate – to review for this site. They obviously did their research into the styles I love, as the set I got was their very best retro-inspired favourite, the ‘Tease Me’…

Tried & Tested: Panty By Post

If you’re a longterm reader you’ll know I write loads about underwear. I think all good outfits begin with the right foundations, so I love browsing the web for innovations in lingerie. Panty By Post is my latest discovery, a Canadian company which sends out monthly lingerie treats to subscribers across the world.

This is definitely not the first company to offer monthly pants by post. A few years ago I won a competition to get a year’s worth of Coco Ribbon pants by post. But they were rather dull one-colour thongs. Where Panty By Post excels is in the styles that are available and the quality of the knickers themselves. The company imports French lingerie, so it’s incredibly well-made and there are lots of style options, from frilly thongs to hipsters and classic briefs and boxer-esque French knickers. Some items are even photographed alongside suspender belts. I’m not sure if you get the whole set as part of your subscription, but if you do I think that’s pretty fab!

Tried & Tested: Lingerie Please

You all know how passionate I am about making sure the right outfit is supported by the right underwear, so when Lingerie Please got in touch to see if I’d like to review a few of their products, how could I say no? I dropped them a line with my size and told them what I love, and sat back to see what they chose for me.

But first a quick note about bra size. There’s a huge, huge chance (an 80% chance, in fact) that you are NOT wearing the right size bra. So pull your head out the sand and go and get re-measured if you haven’t done so in the last couple of years. And by ‘couple of years’ I really do mean two, not ten. I spent years unwittingly wearing the wrong size, and the difference a well-fitting bra has made is unbelievable. So if your bra straps fall down, if the back of the band rides up, if your boobs overhang (above OR below the cup) or if you just want to double-check, go and get measured somewhere they don’t use a tape measure and finally enjoy the joys of a bra that does its job…

Winter Wishlist: retro-inspired lingerie & nightwear

My list of the best places online to buy reproduction vintage and retro / rockabilly style fashion continues to be one of the most popular pages on the site every month, so I know plenty of you reading have been as seduced by this style as I have.

The right lingerie is the finishing touch to your vintage-inspired look, but I know the classic bullet bra may be one step too far for some (if it’s not, go to What Katie Did right now). Luckily, plenty of more modern brands have now turned to vintage for inspiration. Here are some of my current fave more modern takes on vintage luxury undies and nightwear. Throw away your cotton 6-pack of knickers and flannel PJ’s and get yourself something gorgeous instead…

Tried & Tested: True Corset ‘Dita’ corset

With my passion for 40s and 50s fashion, it’s perhaps a surprise that I’ve never really tried a proper corset before. I’ve worn bustiers and cheap alternatives, I’ve sewn plastic bones into the top of a prom dress, and I’ve even given corset shapewear a go. But until True Corset got in touch, I’d never laced myself into a proper steel-boned number!

So I was excited to be offered the chance to try a really gorgeous burlesque-inspired corset that promised to create the ultimate hourglass figure. I was sent the ‘Dita’ corset in black with polka dot panels, a longer line corset that promised to shape without squishing my flesh too much…

Tried & Tested: Gok Wan ‘Curve Controller’

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of shapewear. I love the 1950s nipped-waist silhouette and wear a lot of wiggle dresses that benefit from a good foundation (and no VPL). That said, I see shapewear as a smoothing, shaping garment, not a miracle fix. I don’t really subscribe to the whole ‘magic pants will make you thin’ idea – this is about creating a shape with the curves you have, not making them disappear completely!

In the past I’ve tried – and been impressed with – pieces from the previous Gok Wan collection for Simply Yours. I was recently offered the chance to try something from the new range, and I jumped at the chance to see what they’d done to improve it.

Vintage reproduction clothing (Pin-up, burlesque & rockabilly) – The ultimate shopping list!

It’s not hard to see why so many curvaceous women turn to fashions from the 40s and 50s when it comes to making the most of their bodies. The era’s pin-up girls, ‘cheesecake’ models and Vargas girls all had waspish waists and sexy curves. Actresses had hourglass figures that their clothes could barely contain (think Jayne Mansfield, Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors) and all women wore girdles that sculpted their bodies to perfection and bullet bras that gave the appearance of a Joan Holloway-esque bosom on even a petite woman.

I know from reading comments and looking at search terms that many of us wish we could eschew badly-designed, poorly-fitting modern pieces for something more flattering from the past. But finding true vintage pieces from that era for a larger figure can be difficult. Most good pieces are expensive, and many come in very small sizes, especially on the waist.

So three cheers for the many great brands and retailers who’ve allowed us to get a bit of that old-fashioned glamour in modern sizing. Some of the labels below stock plus size, some don’t, but I’ve chosen to include them all for reference…

Six sweet lingerie sets for Spring

The DD+ lingerie market is something of a minefield. While more and more retailers are branching out into bigger sizes as they realise just how many women wear (or should be wearing) a D cup or larger, a lot of them are just resizing their main range – and I don’t know many E cup ladies who want two inches of padding and spaghetti thin straps on their bras! Bigger breasts need more support and more attention to cut and detail. I’ve hunted down some pretty but practical sets for Spring that cater well for bigger busts without completely sacrificing style. These are light, floral and fresh – not a black lace overlay or ‘sexy’ red satin number in sight…