Spooky Selfie Competition: #spookyinplayful

We loved seeing all the entrants for our previous spooky selfie competition, and seeing as Halloween is dress up season, we thought we'd run another!

To give you more than enough time (and to prolong Halloween as much as possible), we thought we'd start the competition now, and end it on November the 13th.

We will pick THREE winners, each winning a £75 voucher.

Here's the rules:

1. Follow Playfulpromises on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter (depending on where you plan to post your selfie)

2. Post a spooky selfie (or have a friend take the photo, but it cannot be a professional studio/boudoir shoot) on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter with at least one piece of Playful Promises, Bettie Page or Peek & Beau lingerie or clothing on show*

3. #spookyinplayful and #prettyinplayful so we can see your entry.

* you needn't show your face in the image, and you can also do some creative layering of lingerie with outerwear should you wish. Creativity with styling and composition is what we are looking for, and you can have anything from our current or past collections included. Check out our Shop Instagram page for ideas

By entering the competition you are giving us permission to repost your selfie (with credit) on our social media. You can enter as many different photos as you wish, however they must be a completely different outfit combination each time. Winner's vouchers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Ageless Fashion Revisited

Back in April we released our Ageless Fashion campaign, challenging our society's obsession with youth by working with 2 models in their late 60's, Lina and Pam. You can read about our director, Emma's, thoughts about the project here. We've decided to release some more images from the photoshoot, as they are just so fabulous!

As a women-run business, it's important to us to think about and challenge the expectations that women face. The response from the first campaign was eye-opening, in many different ways. It was inspiring to see positive responses from women of all ages, and also from men taking the chance to praise their own partners. Unfortunately, there were also not-so-positive responses, which goes to show that we still have a long way to go to make diverse images of women the norm.

Pam wearing our Emerald set

Lina rocking the Bettie Page Overwire Set

The thought of getting older results in a wide variety of emotions from different women of different ages. I'm 28, and I'm excited by the idea of what I might do in my life, and how attitudes might change towards me. I still don't feel like an adult, will I when I'm 38? Will I feel like I'm taken seriously when I'm 48? I've certainly spent a vast majority of my life trying to present myself to seem older!

Pam relaxing in the Jasmin robe and chemise

I don't think, as a teenager, I understood that older women still thought about their sexuality. I mean, female sexuality was barely discussed to start with, and is something many still can't wrap their minds around. I see now, how ridiculous this is, how it implies that women's bodies cannot have a function aside from reproduction and male pleasure. 

Now, I think most of the women I look up to are over 40. They seem powerful and in control, like they couldn't care less what people think. None of that might be true, or at least not all the time (women deserve love, adoration and respect no matter what their mental or physical state), but for that snap of a camera it is true, and that's what inspires me. 

Lina wearing Karine Wine and Jasmin Robe

We'd love to hear your feedback on this campaign - how old are you, and how do these images make you feel about yourself? How do you feel about getting older?

Hair/makeup by Sandra Silva Make Up & Hair

Deco Devore Desire

Right now we are all about the Francois Deco Devore Robe and Chemise set. It's the perfect seasonal transition pairing - a floaty nightwear piece for cooler summer evenings, and easily doubles up as something to wrap up in during the day. Velvety and soft, with sublimely coloured florals bursting through the deep blue.

Devoré, or the "burnout" technique is thought to have originated as a cheaper alternative to lace in 17th Century France. The word Devoré means "devour" in French, which is essential to the technique! Chemicals are used to dissolve the fibres in the fabric, which in this case is velvet. The technique was quick, and was likely applied by putting caustic paste onto printing blocks.

Popularised in the 1920s, an era that heavily influenced the design for the Francois (fringing galore!), it was widely used on gowns and shawls, and then revived in the 80s and 90s in more body-conscious styles.

The revival was credited to Jasper Conran, who used the method on theatre and ballet costumes, and said it produced better and cheaper results than applique techniques.  

As previously mentioned, not only is this retro technique gorgeous, but the Francois set is super-versatile. Not just for nightwear, you can create glamorous looks with both pieces.

The Chemise is perfect for layering over tops for more casual attire. Here, we've paired it with a black turtleneck and gold cross necklace for a gothic daytime look! To be worn with lace-up boots and tights, or strappy sandals for something more summery.

As for the robe, it can easily be used in lieu of a cardigan or jumper for chillier evenings. Here we've paired it with a navy-blue bardot-style bodycon dress

We love to see how our customers style our pieces too! How would you style yours?

The Overwire Bra

With the most recent Bettie Page collection we went for authenticity - each piece has exquisite details such as zig-zag stitching along the edges, perfect spiral-stitching on the cups, and finishing touches such as cushioning on the inside of the bras to prevent rubbing from the wires.

The Red/Black Overwire Bra

We're particularly proud of our overwires in the collection, which are hard to come by in modern brands, mostly because the wires themselves are hard to come by. One difference we made was instead of using a single wire for both cups, we updated this to suit busy lingerie drawers and made two separate wires, which mean the bra can be folded in half for storing.

The Black Longline Overwire Bra

In the 50s, overwire bras were largely about creating a fashionable shape, rather than providing support and lift. With the wire being over the top of the bra rather than the bottom, this creates a more projected bust, suited to the "New Look" style that was so popular. The style would have been useful to smaller busts to replicate that famous hourglass silhouette created by Dior. Most of the weight from the breast will be taken by the band, so if you're between sizes it's best to size down in the band for this bra.

The Peach/Black Longline Overwire Bra, shown with the Faux Feather Robe

The bra also worked perfectly to the plunging necklines and strapless dresses of the time because of the unusual V shape of the wires. However, we've added removable straps to our Red and Black overwires to help with support if you want it!

The Teal Overwire Bra

What do you think of overwire bras? Could you wear them daily, or just for fun?

Campaign: The Lingerie Addict x Bettie Page Lingerie

Diversity is important. Important in fashion, but especially in vintage reproduction fashion, where women of colour are rarely given representation. Recreating the designs of a past era shouldn't come with the attitudes to match!

When we envisioned our Bettie Page Lingerie line, we didn't want to just trot out the same tired cheesecake tropes that have permeated the repro industry, but to instead take inspiration from what Bettie Page means to us as modern women. Fearlessness, sexuality, confidence. Messages that are even more important for women of colour, and the lack of inclusion in the vintage world speaks volumes.

We've worked with The Lingerie Addict for a long time, being one of her first sponsors. Since then, she's grown her blog to become THE go-to for lingerie, with articles discussing all aspects of the industry. We believe in being transparent with our customers, and Cora's blog has allowed us the platform to write about issues such as the "Made in China bias". She has also been criticized for writing about racism in the industry, as if the two are completely separate - to not see that racism permeates everything is, to put it politely, blind.

With the above in mind, and our thoughts on diversity, it only made sense to us to ask Cora if she'd like to model for Bettie Page Lingerie.

And doesn't she look stunning? Photographing her was wonderful, and we're glad she is as happy with the images as we are! Make sure to check out her blog post where she discusses how black pinups have been hidden and what this collaboration means to her; she's also included fit notes.