Stockist Spotlight: The Rack Shack, NY

So, tell us about your boutique!

The Rack Shack is based in Bushwick, Brooklyn, an upcoming and artsy neighborhood in New York. We sell flirty lingerie for a very broad cupsize range (28A - 38HH) and funky lady sneakers. Sexiness and comfort are very important for modern women. The Rack Shack understands that New Yorkers have busy lives where they need to walk miles, have multiple jobs and still look presentable at all times. The perfect pair of sneakers and the right fitting lingerie can make the most basic outfit look funky, sexy and chic. Where other specialty lingerie boutiques have a lot of beige bra’s for the bigger cups, The Rack Shack looks for styles that are as attractive as possible; from young and girly to seductive and edgy.

The Rack Shack is based in an upcoming arty neighbourhood in Brooklyn, NY

How did you get into selling lingerie initially?

It started a long time ago in Amsterdam when I was 14 years old, I already had a 34G cup. I am from the Netherlands, born in Rockville, Maryland but moved back to The Netherlands with my family when I was 6 months old, so I have dual citizenship.
In the town I grew up in, a small suburb of Amsterdam, there was one specialty lingerie shop and if I was lucky they would maybe have one really ugly bra in my size. I always left the store with an ugly bra and a body image complex. The older ladies that worked in the store had no idea how to talk to an insecure teenage girl.
When I moved from Laren, the small town, to the bigger city of Amsterdam there where a lot more choices. My first Freya bra changed my life! The fit and the design were appropriate for a young girl and gave me confidence. It made me walk straight and proud.
Four years ago I moved to New York, a city of diverse women and the city that has everything. I was so excited because I thought that the bra choices would be endless, but instead I discovered that the collection of brick and mortar lingerie stores for bustier women is still very small, even in such a worldly city. Don’t get me wrong. You have lovely boutiques in New York, but I was still missing fashionable lingerie above a G-cup, even though I knew the brands that make them, where out there. I always wanted my own business, and I decided that a Lingerie boutique was what it was going to be. I wanted to create an environment where everybody would feel welcome and comfortable. A fashionable store where normally only women with a cup size A-D can shop. The Rack Shack was going to be just as fashion forward but with lingerie for a much broader cup size range.
I added sneakers to the concept to give it a unique feel. Lingerie and Sneakers are both very important foundations in a city like New York and especially in an artsy neighborhood like Bushwick, Brooklyn. The neighborhood is full of artists and a lot of young people that have multiple jobs like working in a restaurant, bar or store where they have to be on their feet all the time, on top of their creative and enterprising endeavors.

Gold everything!

What’s a normal day in the boutique like for you?

I am a one woman boutique and I bartend at night. A normal day in the boutique contains of course helping people finding good bra's, fittings, cleaning, sorting out lingerie, answering emails posting on social media, finding new ways to get the word out, organizing events with other female entrepreneurs and local designers, hanging with girlfriends and regular customers from the bar that come in to check out the store. Our opening hours are from noon-21u (9pm).

The Rack Shack aims to be a LGBT-friendly space

Do you have any special customers or experiences?

Most of my customers are from the neighborhood. I have some burlesque dancers that come and check out what I have new in stock every other week. I would like to have more lingerie in stock that connects with the LGBT community. I have some, but I would like to broaden that selection. I know that there are some lingerie boutiques that are not transfriendly and I want The Rack Shack to be a place where everybody feels welcome, beautiful and comfortable. I know that I haven't felt like that in the past, just because my boobs where big. I have a transneutural costumer and it has meant so much for them that they can shop in a place without any judgement. That is why I opened this store and why I love it. We are in the business of making people feel good about themselves.

We love how our designs have been styled here!

What are your personal favourite lingerie styles that you’re drawn to?

I love Playful Promises loungewear. The teddies are great and I love the Anna Sequin Cape and Suspender Belt. Super excited for
Emily Embroidered 1920s Chemise and Gown to come in. I am a big fan of seductive but playful lingerie, fun colors and prints and not to serious.

You can visit The Rack Shack at 155 Central Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11221

All That Glitters is Not Gold - But We Love It Anyway!

Here at Playful Promises, we have a slight infatuation with all things gold. Made a little bit obvious with our recent Peek & Beau releases, we just love to add a bit of sparkle into our lingerie, and definitely don't plan on changing that any time soon!

But what's the deal with gold?

In popular culture, gold generally means something great (we have to agree) - the phrases "you're golden", "golden child" or "a heart of gold" come to mind. Gold symbolises success and wealth. Gold is used as a reward in many competitive events like sports or other award ceremonies such as the Oscars. It's also used to describe age or wisdom, such as your "golden years", or fiftieth wedding anniversaries are known as "golden anniversaries"

However, in some western fables, gold is a cause for corruption. For example, the boastful miller in Rumplestiltskin lies to the king, saying that his daughter can spin straw into gold. When the king insists on the daughter to do so - threatening to chop off her head if she doesn't oblige. When she is desperate, Rumplestiltskin appears and spins the straw into gold for the price of her necklace. The king pushes her to make more, and eventually she is told she has to give her first born son to Rumplestiltskin - a trade he only revealed to her after he'd already spun the straw into gold.

In Christianity and Judaism, gold can be associated with both holiness and evil. In the Book of Exodus, the Golden Calf (where Iraelites created a gold calf in Moses absence) is a symbol of idolatry. However in religious iconography, gold features heavily, particularly on halos.

Gold is often shrouded in mystery, and there are many rumoured found treasures, often following tragedies such as a stash of gold on the Titantic, Jewish treasures in the Vatican following the destruction of the temple in 70AD, or the gold stolen from victims by Nazis in World War II.

It's safe to say that gold is never dull! The juxtaposition of gold used to celebrate, but also symbolic of greed and corruption makes it all the more interesting. Besides, it is of course beautiful and works wonderfully well with our collection of contemporary styles, with a cheeky nod to symbolism and ideologies.

The Curve Collection & Body Positivity

We always listen and read our customers comments, emails, tweets and posts about us and take these on board – and we definitely noticed that bigger sizes were in high demand! As a small company, each new size range is a risky business; all that extra stock costs money upfront for fitting, developing, shooting and warehousing. However, being a small company definitely has it’s perks; we are able to listen to your suggestions, and this time we took the plunge and created our debut Curve Collection!

At Playful Promises we honestly, wholeheartedly believe that lingerie is for everybody, which is why we decided to move forward with a plus size range – especially after the success of our fuller bust collection. As far as we are aware, we are the first indie lingerie brand to create a collection in the UK 18-24 size set! The plus size market is saturated with simply functional lingerie – which are great for the every day, but there's barely anything truly sexy and revealing! We created a range with the same innovation and style as our core range. Everybody deserves to wear whatever makes them feel sexy and confident, and that was the aim of this new collection.

You can sign up to our newsletter at the bottom of our website for first access to our Curve Pre Order!

Which brings us to something very dear to us all – Body positivity! The thing about the fashion and lingerie industry is that it can be quite alienating to many with a lack of size ranges and model diversity. As a result of this, the industry perpetuates often-unrealistic body ideals in a way that isn’t necessarily direct, but still damaging. Representation is important. When you don’t see yourself represented in some way, it can cause feelings of exclusion, and sometimes people do not “allow” themselves to wear something they think is nice because it seems as if it isn’t made for somebody like them. This rings true particularly for lingerie, which is often seen as something only for busty, thin women, and often exclusionary to those with smaller chests or bigger sizes.

Being made to feel as if your body is weird or undesirable in some way is terrible for self-acceptance and happiness. It can encourage you to talk down to and about yourself, saying things like “I couldn’t wear that, because of my ____”, or “I wish I had ____ like that model”. It can make people want to change things about themselves in a way that could potentially be unhealthy, mentally or physically.

As a brand, we try to avoid making anyone feel excluded by encouraging everyone to post images of themselves in our lingerie, and reposting various sizes and body types whenever possible! One of our favourite things is seeing our customer pictures and showing how lingerie works on different people. With models, we try to make informed choices about who we want to represent our brand. We are limited to sample sizes (along with photoshoot and model costs), but are actively trying to diversify more. We are also wary of the way others talk about people’s bodies on our social media; we don't put up with any body snark here! And finally, with the Curve collection we hope that by expanding our size range, we can show that even more bodies deserve nice lingerie.

So what can you do to practice body positivity? Here’s a few tips that we’ve found have worked for us!

·         Dressing up in your fave clothes/lingerie and taking some fire selfies (even if you don’t share them with anyone)

·         Reminding yourself that you are more than your appearance. Think of positive aspects of your personality and say them like a personal mantra when you’re feeling low. Remind yourself that you are kind/friendly/intelligent/empathetic/funny etc.

·         Speak positively about yourself. Try not to put yourself down in front of others – it doesn’t make you conceited to say something nice about yourself every once in a while!

·         Speak positively about others. This helps with the above!

·         Know the difference between mental and physical health. Eating “clean” all the time might be good for your body, but if it makes you obsessive about your food intake, then it’s no longer healthy. Remember you’re only human, you’re allowed “off” days if eating healthy and exercising is a thing you want to do for yourself. Otherwise, focus on your happiness instead!

Do you have any personal ways to practice self-love and body positivity? Leave them in the comments below!

Hooked on a Feeling Part #3 - Wearing Habits

So last week we spoke to five wonderful lingerie addicts about how lingerie affects their mood; Amber - the full bust blogger from Scarlet's Letter, Wen - another full bust blogger shopping on a student budget from Comics Girls Need Bras,  Laura - a small bust blogger who writes on Morning Madonna, Vicky - a photographer who specializes in lingerie & creative director of The Lingeristas, and finally Lamb, the small-bust blogger from Of Lambs and Lace. This week, we're asking them about their wearing habits - does lingerie have the same segregation as we do for clothing? Is there lingerie to avoid for everyday wear? Let's find out what they think!

Do you tend to separate everyday lingerie and special occasion lingerie, or is it just depending on how you feel that day?

Amber: I definitely wear what I like whenever I like. I feel like every day is special and I don't want to save my lingerie for special occasions, I feel like every day should be a special occasion! I buy a lot of beautiful lingerie, way more elaborate lingerie pieces than I do comfortable or "chill" pieces, so I feel a little like Cher in Clueless, shopping through my own collection for the look of the day.

Wen: It only depends on how I feel. I feel like life is too short to wait for special occasions. Also sometimes I need to feel powerful even on a normal day. Lingerie can bring the energy I need to be in a good mood sometimes.

Laura: There's nothing I keep aside for special occasions, I tend to reach for what I feel like wearing that day. Only delicate items are separated into "day off" lingerie so it doesn't get ruined at work. 

Lamb: Nope, everything to me is everyday lingerie unless it has a weird fit or a really delicate fabric. I just wear what I want, whenever I want and it's probably because i have like four special occasions a year and way more luxury lingerie than that, so it would be such a waste to never wear most of my collection.

Vicky: I separate them. I rarely wear my designer lingerie as every day, they’re always saved for something special. I have a completely different style when it comes to everyday wear.

Lamb, Laura & Amber wear what they like, when they like. Even if it's as extravagant as Anna!

Is there any lingerie you avoid wearing for a normal day?

Amber: Some of my more delicate bras, I will try not too wear them too often, as to not stretch out the fabric. especially if the bra is something fragile or has embellishments that could fall off during all-day wear.

Wen: Yes, I have some unpractical lingerie sets which are not appropriate for a normal day (ahah just like my lovely Miranda). But sometimes if I have the right clothes to hide the "unpracticality" of those sets I can wear them for a normal day.

Laura: Daily, I avoid wearing pieces made of very delicate fabrics or items decorated with appliqué. Working as a visual merchandiser for a rather large brand and in a fast paced environment means I'm on my feet for eight hours a day moving heavy equipment and my clothing would rub and ruin anything delicate. Those pieces are kept aside for lounging in the evening or for days off, which are much more chilled.

Lamb: Depends on the day, my outfit, the weather, etc. Lots of factors but I guess my suspenders get least wear because of my short skirt affinity.

Vicky: I can’t wear soft cup bras as a lot of my tops are a very snug fit and I hate VBLs! They also don’t seem to shape your body as nicely when worn under clothing.

Wen doesn't wear her Miranda for everyday lingerie... Any guesses why?!

Do you tend to match your outfit with your lingerie?

Amber: I do this quite often! A lot of times, if I am wearing a red dress, I'll love red lingerie, etc. A lot of times I'll find myself even matching my nail polish to my lingerie of the day, or my handbag or heels to match my bra and panties (which I *need* to match, I'm not much of a mix-matcher when it comes to bras/knickers). Even if no one else sees it, it just feels like an extension of my usual fashion, another layer to my style.

Wen: Actually I like doing that. But it's not always possible.

 Laura: Normally I build my outfits around my lingerie. I'll start with a statement bra and then choose other garments that work with it. I don't buy a lot of clothing but when I do I buy it based on how I can make it work with my lingerie. The lingerie is much more important to me than the clothing when it comes to creating outfits!

Lamb: Sometimes! It truly depends on how lazy I am when I put together my outfit. Often my lingerie choices have a lot more thought put into them than my clothes but I wear lingerie that compliments my outfits a lot, particularly when it comes to flattering shapes under tight clothes, and I'm a repeat offender of the underwear as outerwear trend. 

Vicky: Sometimes, but only really when I’m wearing something a bit more special that my everyday clothing. I also try to make sure I wear a bra the same colour as my tops, so they aren’t visible underneath!

Matching lingerie with outerwear, like the Ada set & mini-mono!

Hooked on a Feeling Part #2: Buying Habits

So last week we spoke to five wonderful lingerie addicts about their wearing habits; Amber - the full bust blogger from Scarlet's Letter, Wen - another full bust blogger shopping on a student budget from Comics Girls Need Bras,  Laura - a small bust blogger who writes on Morning Madonna, Vicky - a photographer who specializes in lingerie & creative director of The Lingeristas, and finally Lamb, the small-bust blogger from Of Lambs and Lace. This week, we're asking them about their buying habits! 

Are there any styles that you lust after, but never purchase?

Amber: Bralettes! I love bralettes and many gorgeous styles that are beautiful but don't offer a lot of support. Usually I'll skip out of those, but not all the time. I'm usually open to buying nearly anything as long as I love it, but bralettes do tend to get overlooked in my buying habits.

Wen: Yes I really want to try some strappy styles and also some bodysuits with underwires but it's hard to find a fashion bra that fits well and is not too expensive for my student budget and it's quite the same for bodysuits. 

Laura: Open cup bras. They don't look so great on my shallow chest. I've grown happy with what I've got but they are the only style that makes me wish I had fuller, rounder boobs. However, as they are often completely unpractical it's not a real heart ache. It's probably better for my bank balance that I don't like how they look on me or I'd end up with a drawer full of unpractical bras and no money.

Lamb: Do Balconette bras count? Because they do not work for my shallow bust at all and make up almost 50% of the lingerie I covet. 

Vicky: I really love the look of balconette bras, but because of the style I rarely buy them, as I rarely wear anything that a balconette bra can complement.

Laura avoids open-cup bras, even if they're super cute like Show Time!

Do you prefer to shop online or in store, and why?

Amber: I love online shopping, because literally all of my favorite lingerie brands and shops are at my fingertips! I am loyal to a lot of brands, so I usually know what size will work best for me even without trying a piece on. When I try a brand for the first time, I have no problem buying before I can try it on. Most places take returns, and to me, shopping for lingerie IN my lingerie is just so much fun and relaxing! No waiting in lines, just glasses of wine ;)

Wen:  I do prefer to shop online because I have more choices and I don't have to deal with the feeling that I am bothering the lingerie fitter when I finally decide to not buy something after trying a lot of bras. But at the end that would be more comfortable to be able to try my bras on before spending money in them, especially the unusual ones.

Laura: Unfortunately Scotland lacks in any decent lingerie boutiques so I shop almost exclusively online. Shopping on the web has given me better access to brands that I find aesthetically appealing and those who sell my size. Although the fear of items not matching the size chart is a constant fear when buying. Being able to order custom made sizes from indie brands online is fantastic though and so far I've been really pleased with the results when I've used this service and gotten some wonderfully fitting pants. 

Vicky: It really depends what I’m buying. For bras, I much prefer shopping in store so I can try them on as some styles work and some don’t. Because of my small sizing, shops rarely have the size I need in store so I tend to have to buy online. I also like the ability to see the quality of the material so in store is usually my preferred choice.

The majority vote is that shopping online is the way forward!

Do you have styles of lingerie that you buy way too much of?

Amber: I'm a babydoll addict, and I have so so many bras, but when it comes to lingerie, I never feel like there is "too much", because there are constantly new styles and colorways being released, and always something new to catch my interest.

Wen: Hum actually I am buying sheer balconette bras as if I couldn't have enough of them in my wardrobe. Sometimes I think I should try to wear more colorful styles (like prints for example).

Laura: There's not really a style but more a fabric, I LOVE black mesh! Luckily all my black mesh items go together so it's easy to throw on two mesh items and be matching without even trying before having to leg it for the bus to work at 6am.

Lamb: Yes, strappy black pieces. Can't stop and won't stop investing in them. I just layer them all up and wear as many at once so I don't feel wasteful about buying them.

Vicky: I buy so many high-waisted briefs yet I never wear clothing that complements me wearing them. I should probably hold back on those purchases and go for the more sensible, hipster cut!

Wen thinks she should try some more prints, like our colourful Sasha set!