Dita Von Teese to launch new lingerie range

After the success of her lingerie collection for Wonderbra, it just makes sense doesn't it? And I am sure I'm not the only person wondering where her next collection was, after her vintage style lingerie was so popular.


So Dita Von Teese, the famous burlesque dancer, is to launch a new lingerie collection after signing with an Australian company Lime Door brands and will design for all sizes from from petite to plus-size.


She originally announced the news on Twitter exclaiming "just signed a new lingerie deal!!! Glam underpinnings in XS to plus-sizes! Launching in Australia, then going global shortly after. Excited!" 
Known for her curvy figure and her love of lingerie and retro styling, she recently said "I love lingerie that fits well and is also beautiful, bringing function together with glamour and sensuality... I am especially excited to be designing lingerie with a vast sizing range so that women of all shapes and sizes can have a beautiful, sensual lingerie wardrobe that suits their body type." (source British Grazia)


She also intends to design retro-inspired dresses at a later point. No launch date seems to be announced yet so in the meantime, a trip down memory lane....this was some of her first collection for Wonderbra - how beautiful are the photos?

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

A small deviation from my usual subjects of fashion and lingerie....to Art!

I was in Rome over Easter and managed to catch a few art exhibitions, my favourite of them being the Tamara de Lempicka exhibition which is still showing at the Vittoriano Complex until July this year; it is well worth seeing. I love the work of this artist as she epitomized the period of Art Deco, which is possibly my favourite era. I love the fashion, the art and the design from this period of time and Tamara's paintings were just beautiful. 

She was born Maria Gorska in 1898 in Poland to a wealthy and prominent family before moving to Russia to live with an aunt following the divorce of her parents. She travelled often to Western Europe, also attending school in Switzerland, and visited the French Riviera and Italy where she discovered a love of the greatest Italian painters. She escaped the Russian Revolution in 1917 by travelling through Denmark and England before finally settling in Paris.

She enjoyed huge success in Europe after having many exhibitions around Europe, mainly Italy, Germany and France, and she lived the high life in Paris as a result of her success, living a Bohemian lifestyle and having an array of affairs. In the early 1940's she emigrated to America where she stayed until moving to Mexico in the late 1970's where she died. 

Portrait of Madame Allan Bott - Date unknown
This painting is significant also for the background  as Tamara de Lempicka embraced modernism and she often featured steel skyscrapers in her work.

Portrait of Madame M - 1933
Tamara was well known for her choice of colours and often played with the contrast of a bright colour against a grey background (of skyscrapers for example!) She was so fond of using the particular shade of blue as she used in this painting that it was nicknamed 'Lempicka Blue' at the time.

Girl in a Green Dress - 1930
Another painting with Tamara's love for the contrast of greys and brights, green this time. Note the skyscraper-esque background again.

The Telephone - 1930
Again, this painting, even with the title, shows Tamara's love of everything modern. As well as skyscrapers, she often featured technological advances in her work such as telephones and motor cars.

And a little closer back to my love of lingerie....
One evening, again still in Rome, we discovered a club called The Micca Club which often features a Burlesque show. The evening in question was an end of season show - well, we couldn't pass that up, could we? And we didn't, as you can see below....

The first act, she had a great voice

Does she look a little like Katie Perry......?

....Or Dita Von Teese?

The dance troupe came on in between each act.

The final act, doing it Carmen Miranda style

Dancing the samba!

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x

Made by Niki - Vintage cool

Niki McMorrough

I love the brand Made by Niki. I think the createur of the brand, Niki McMorrough has really acheived something distinctly different and unique with her brand and in a world of mass manufacture and copycat designing, I think she has really taken a style and made it her own.
Following a degree in European Studies and a 10 year award winning career in marketing and journalism which included Head of Marketing for Ministry of Sound, Niki attended De Montfort University to study Contour Fashion (the same university and degree course as I did) which is a specialised course dedicated to structured lingerie and corsetry, as well as including modules on swimwear and structured eveningwear/bridalwear, so for a lingerie aficionado it gives an excellent base to build a lingerie career.
Since launching her brand in 2006, she has promoted shapewear as a fashion item and not just a practical underwear item as it was previously known for, and her innovative designs have dressed celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Naomi Campbell and KT Tunstall.
She was recently in Hong Kong where she gave a speech at Hong Kong Poly University to lingerie industry members and aspiring design students. Below is an excerpt from an interview she had with online lingerie magazine Global Intimate Wear....

Globalintimatewear: What’s your main design idea in your brand?

Niki: Made by Niki is a fashion lingerie brand creating beautiful, elegant power-lingerie for busy women who need stylish solutions which really lift and support their body comfortably.

Globalintimatewear: What are your favorites when you are free? And what makes your design inspiration?

Niki: I am very rarely free! I spend most of my time working and researching for our collections, so that they are the very best they can be. If I get time, I like seeing my friends, listening to music, travelling and good food.

Globalintimatewear: What’s your opinion on shapewear design and market?

Niki: I think a lot of Shapewear is not even designed! Much of it is inspired by a technological innovation, but not necessarily linked into what a woman really wants in her life. It’s really important for Shapewear companies to remember to be inspired and let this show through in the garments, even if it’s in a really subtle way. I think technological innovations should only be used on the product if they enhance the design idea and comfort. For instance, consumers don’t actually care whether something is ‘seam free’ or what % lycra it contains, but they do care about buying beautiful products that fit their lifestyle, their body and the occasion they are buying it for.

Click here to read the rest of the interview.

And below is a preview from Niki's Autumn/Winter 2011 collection.....

I'm still loving red-haired models, whether dyed or natural! Go the reds!

A bientôt,

Ruby Lou x