Summer of Love: Indie Swimwear Giveaway

Yazzmin (and a friend!) wearing our Jungle Twist Bikini 

Some of you may remember the Love Bomb that went off this february and the year before that! No, not a literal love bomb (that could get sticky), but a declaration of love to our fellow independent brands!

The Love Bomb is a celebration of independent lingerie and swimwear designers. Each of the brands taking part in the Love Bomb is run by a handful of people (and in some cases, even one!), standing up against the mega-corporations to bring you innovative, quirky and unique knickers!  

Unlike the big spenders we are in this game for the knickers – like you, we can’t get enough of them! Many a day is spent lusting after other brands’ lacy wonders and structured glories, so we thought what better way to encourage support for indie lingerie than to gather together for a big, sloppy Summer love bomb!

There are 3 gift baskets up for grabs! Each giftbasket has a voucher, bikini or swimsuit from each brand, plus eyelashes from Sheeba Raye, as used in the shoot, luxury bath and beauty gifts from Mon Epris and a voucher for vintage designer sunglasses store Lunetier!

We put together a fun shoot with model Yazzmin and John Tyrell, who created these psychadelic, 60′s inspired Summer Of Love illustrations. The amazing makeup was by Cheyenne Raymond and hair by Doubravka Marcinkova!

Yesterday's featured brand was Kiss Me Deadly:

HOW TO WIN ONE OF 3 GIFT BASKETS

You can enter UP to 4 ways:

1. Share our Summer of Love image publicly (make sure you choose "public" in the drop down menu when sharing an image) on facebook.

2. Tweet this link with the hashtag #summerloveswim

3. Blog about the Summer of Love (email us on anna@playfulpromises.com letting us know!)

4. Reblog our Summer of Love image on tumblr

We’ll collate all the entries on the 28th August, and pick 3 winners on August the 30th.

Here’s the list of people taking part so you know who to watch out for:

Kiss Me Deadly, Miss Mandalay, Playful Promises, Paolita

Accessories:

Sheeba Raye, Mon Epris, Lunetier Vintage

Style Guide: Bodysuits

We've all been there. We've bought something we really really love, and find that our mind just draws a blank when deciding what to wear with it!

Bodysuits (because they are just so flexible) can be troublesome in this way, especially when you want to do the underwear as outerwear trend! Don't fret, we've put together just a few ways you could wear our Anastasia Bodysuit. 

Look 1: Dancing the Night Away

 

Whether you are partying with your friends or on a hot date, the bodysuit adds a bit of an edge to your outfit! This body lends itself well to a rock-girl outfit, with black panels and cage strap detail casting a tougher edge against the dark floral pattern.

Team with a chunky statement necklace, wedge heels (in black, purple or pink), a leather-look skirt and an embellished jacket for a playfully dark look.

Look 2: Like a Boss

Kick ass at work with this twist on the traditional skirt-suit!

For an injection of colour, wear the bodysuit with a black pencil skirt, Whistle & Wolf Tuxedo Jacket, black wedges and a matching briefcase. 

And sometimes you just need a bit of time to yourself! 

Settle down with your favourite book or tv show, slip on some warm socks and put the kettle on. Team the bodysuit with a robe (we love Kriss Soonik's loungewear) and get under that blanket!

WIN a pair of tickets, drinks and pizza at THE BURNING BEAT

The Burning Beat is back for a Bank Holiday special on the 25th August in the heart of Shoreditch!

Taking place in Concrete, almost directly opposite our shop (so do pop in beforehand!), The Burning Beat is bursting with Cabaret Curiosities, Masterful Musicians and Devilish DJs.

Prepare to be entranced by unforgettable exotic goddesses of ambiguous eras and fascinated by feats of incredible dexterity!

Acts include:

- UBERKABOOM! - Rock 'n' roll and ska tones from Musical Meastros Uberkaboom!

- VICKY BUTTERFLY - Part Burlesque starlet, part innovative performance artiste, part music hall Vaudevillian, and all dreamer!

- AURORA GALORE - Winner of Miss Paris Burlesque Festival 2012 - A Petite Powerhouse of Peculiar & Passionate Performance!

- THE ROUSTABOUTS - Cabaret's finest Dapper DJ Duo return to the decks to subvert your expectations with an impressive set of classics and guilty pleasures, old and new, mashed in manner like you've never heard before! 

Vicky Butterfly

We have a pair of tickets to give away for you + a friend!

Tickets include:

2 x Delicious Whole Pizza from the Pizza East Kitchens

2 x A glass of House Red/White Wine or Bottle of Beer

2 x Reservation at one of the best tables for the performances

All you have to do is:

Like The Burning Beat on facebook

&

Comment on this post telling us you have done so! 

Entrants must be over 18 and able to get to London on the 25th August 2013. A winner will be picked on 16th August, good luck!

WIN a Hella Bodysuit

Here at Playful Promises we are all for the forever popular underwear as outerwear trend, and nothing lends itself as well to that as a bodysuit!

Our Hella body is designed with that in mind, as it could easily be worn for during the day, during a workout, during a lounge-session or to tantalise in the boudoir. Emma, our designer, even wants to try it out as swimwear, whereas I've already worn it with a sheer cardigan as day wear.

We want to give one lucky PP fan the chance of winning one of these gorgeous block bodies!

All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post describing how you would style this bodysuit, and for what occasion (the office? A mad shopping spree? Hug time with your cats?)

Our favourite comment will win a Hella bodysuit in your size (available in small, medium or large, see website for sizing details). 

A winner will be picked on Tuesday the 13th August!

Shop all our bodysuits HERE

Festival Survival Guide

Love it or loathe it, festival season is upon us again.

Why do we do it to ourselves? Surely the sanitary horrors, the medieval standards of personal hygiene, the food poisoning/sunstroke/hypothermia (suspected) and the post-festival trench foot (confirmed) would teach any creature with the ability to learn and evolve that these are places to be avoided?

I don’t have the answers I’m afraid. What I do know, as someone who’s done more than her fair share of festivaling both as a performer and a partygoer, is that there are some basic rules to remember if you want to go to a festival and come back with your sanity (relatively) intact.

1. No matter how good the forecast, how many offerings you’ve made to the weather gods, no matter what the evidence of your senses tells you, NEVER, EVER ASSUME IT’LL BE SUNNY.  The mere inclusion of a bikini top in your backpack is enough to make the skies darken and clouds gather ominously. However the corresponding principle is also true; come prepared for the worst and you’ll end up lugging an unopened backpack full of baggy jumpers and spare blankets halfway across the country. Only one thing to do really; tempt fate with your finest Playful Promises bikini top.

2. Accept that at some point you’ll be served a grotesque parody of food for which you will shell out hyper-inflation levels of cash. Literally wheelbarrows full of notes. You can bring as many of your own healthy snacks as you want but your tent will seem an awfully long way away after a couple of ciders and a few rounds of Gangnam Style (you were dancing ironically of course, we believe you.)

3. Buy a watch that you don’t mind losing. Sounds weird right? But you’d be amazed at how the time can slip past you when you’re far away from your laptop and your phone has run out of battery, and your nice designer timepiece has been (sensibly) left at home for fear of it ending up lost somewhere in acres of churned mud. Besides, if you’re planning on catching any of the scheduled bands, it might be helpful to be at the stage they’re playing  ten minutes (to five hours, depending on how popular they are) before they’re supposed to come on.

4. Leave the onesie at home where it belongs. It may seem delightfully whimsical to dress in a baggy felt badger costume but I’ll wager you’ve never tried to use a public toilet in one. Undignified doesn’t start to cover it. Instead, keep it classy and cool in our new shorts and trapeze top combo.

5. Bring socks. Lots of them. And for the love of god, all the baby wipes you can carry.

6. This might go against all the dire warnings above, but be open to spontaneity.  Some of the best festival times you will have will be after you lose the booklet and find yourself embracing the carefree spirit of the event; discovering new music, embracing new experiences, and generally just cutting loose and enjoying yourself.  You’re there to have fun; now go find it!