Interview with Competition Winner Caro Elenowitz

Last year, we set a brief for a SS'16 mini-collection, calling for students and recent graduates to send in their designs based on the SS'16 trend forecast: Sartorial. We felt this trend encapsulated the Playful Promises brand with it mixture of femininity and dark detailing, and we wanted designs that could be considered contemporary classics.

We selected the winners back in April last year, and now the winning designs are available to purchase on our website. We wanted to chat to our winners about how they came up with their design, lingerie, and what's next for them! This week, we talked to Caro who created a zodiac-inspired, strappy design.

Caro's Winning Design, Now Available to Pre-Order!

Firstly, tell us about your winning design! Which direction did you decide to take the initial brief?

My initial design is inspired by the night sky and the print design is actually derived from a 1614 print of the signs of the zodiac. I wanted to combine the strappy, bondage-inspired aesthetic with the idea of sparkling stars. 

Caro's Design for Our Competition

When it comes to your work, where do you usually look to for inspiration? And how would you define your style?

 I generally start from either a piece of art or some sort of natural phenomenon that inspires me first, but I try to combine different ideas in an unusual way in order to get something unique. I also love looking at vintage fashion because there is so much rich history to draw from there. My style is mostly pretty feminine and whimsical, but I like to include some bolder, sculptural elements to break it up.

Caro's Gown Design Illustration

What drew you to lingerie?

I love lingerie because it is such a detailed piece that can really change the way you look at your body if it fits you perfectly, both literally and stylistically.

Caro's Gown Design Illustration

How did you begin designing lingerie initially and what made you decide to study contour/lingerie design?

A fascination with the design of lingerie was the first thing that made me realize that fashion was something that really interested me. I actually never formally studied lingerie design-- I got my degree in fashion design from FIT after I had already graduated with a degree in English Literature and had been working in PR. I just knew I needed to do something where I could be creative and I just fell in love with the complexities of fashion. 

Caro's Gown Design

What’s next for you in terms of your future as a designer?

Since submitting to this contest, I have actually started my own label of luxury evening gowns, based in NYC. One thing I'm really excited by is the potential of using technology in luxury, so laser-cutting is a big part of my debut collection. [You can view Caro's designs here.]

You can purchase Caro's design here, available to ship from the 7th April and in sizes 32B - 36D / XS - XL

Interview with Competition Winner Charlotte Holkham

Last year, we set a brief for a SS'16 mini-collection, calling for students and recent graduates to send in their designs based on the SS'16 trend forecast: Sartorial. We felt this trend encapsulated the Playful Promises brand with it mixture of femininity and dark detailing, and we wanted designs that could be considered contemporary classics.

We selected the winners back in April last year, and now the winning designs are available to purchase on our website. We wanted to chat to our winners about how they came up with their design, lingerie, and what's next for them! This week, we talked to Charlotte who created a dark, floral design with a classic silhouette.

Charlotte's Winning Design, Now Available to Pre-Order!

Firstly, tell us about your winning design! Which direction did you decide to take the initial brief?

It was important for me to follow the designer handwriting of the Playful Promises brand, to create something I knew the customer would enjoy and would compliment their other products. I admire how Playful Promises create commercial lingerie which pushes boundaries with print, contemporary shapes with retro influences to create something unique and bold. The competition brief stressed the importance of print design to the company, and this is a factor of design I am very interested in exploring myself. I wanted to explore colour and graphic shapes through photographic print, distorting some floral photographs I took myself, the purple colour I chose is very complimentary to a range of skin tones. My set was very much influenced by retro shapes, with high rise briefs and a suspender belt. I wanted to push this design into a contemporary direction with mesh layering on the cups and insert panels. 

Charlotte's Design for Our Competition

When it comes to your work, where do your usually look to for inspiration? And how would you define your style?

I am inspired by a variety of influences, particularly high fashion designers, films and decades of style. I have always been interested in vintage clothing as I enjoy the novelty quirks and design details, I have always found wearing vintage to be more fun! I particularly admire the work of Heidi Slimane at Saint Laurent, and Miuccia Prada. They find exciting ways to bring retro influences into a modern perspective, creating strong personas in their collections. I also draw influence through painting and photography, which are fields I have studied. I like to collaborate my interests in my collections, for my final university project I have been making abstract paintings of Gaudi's architecture in Barcelona, as the lively atmosphere of the city is something that cannot be captured through photography alone. I have also done a project before based on some pinhole time lapse photography I had taken, called 'solargraphs'. The colours and movement in the photographs came out beautifully and I had to translate them into garments.  

Charlotte's Corset Sketchbook

What drew you to lingerie?

In the past few years there has been a massive rise of popularity in the lingerie market, with exciting independent brands pushing the boundaries of design, and how we see the female body. Around this time I found the Contour Fashion degree at De Montfort University, and my determination to make it onto this very competitive degree program led me to discovering the diversity of lingerie design. I am a massive lingerie hoarder, I don't like to think about how much I own but it is definitely above average, I love the way that lingerie can be worn as a statement, mixed and layered with sheer outerwear, or as a very personal garment. 

Charlotte's Corset Sketchbook

How did you begin designing lingerie initially and what made you decide to study contour/lingerie design?

I could not decide on a university course at all, I was very fine art based up until applying to university and was considering this at degree level. When I came across the Contour Fashion degree at De Montfort University It felt like the only course I had seen that made sense for me, and from that point I concentrated my efforts into building a portfolio for the course. I had always loved lingerie and fashion, working on commercially viable and luxurious garments with more of a technical approach was more exciting to me than studying fashion. I am now in my third year of study and I have learnt so much in my time at university, the teaching has been excellent and has exposed me to many aspects of design, production, business and the industry. 

Photo from Underlines Magazine

Photographed by Sean Goldthorpe and Lingerie by Charlotte Holkham

What’s next for you in terms of your future as a designer?

At the moment I am focusing on trying to survive my Final Major Project, which is proving to be very challenging! I have just had my catalogue photo shoot with my first garments and I am extremely excited to start on the rest, although this does involve 12 hour days, it will be worth it in the end! I will be graduating this summer and will be looking for jobs/placements after a much needed break.

You can purchase Charlotte's design here, available in sizes 32B - 36D / XS - XL

The Vibrant World of Russian Folk Art

Russian Folk Art gives us an insight into the ideologies and history of Russian culture. Russia is well known for its contributions to folk art, the most widely recognised being Matryoshka’s (or Nesting Dolls), which are signature figures of Russian art and craft. However, Russian folk art features a variety of characterful crafts, such as embroidery, lace-making, painting, prints and beading – all of which are of interest to us at Playful Promises! Their crafts are known for being whimsical, vibrant and surreal.

Our Playful Promises Sasha set, inspired by Russian Folk Art

If you hadn’t already noticed, unique florals are kind of “our thing” at PP, and naturally Russia’s vibrant paintings of flora are what we’ve looked to for inspiration behind our Sasha set. Russia has many different types of painting and craft techniques which include florals. One of which being Khokloma, which originated in the 17th century in the Nizhni Novgorod province, which at the time was just recovering from the damage caused by the Mongol invasion. Here, surrounded by woodland, there was an abundance of wood and many began to master the art of wood-work. The crafts were then varnished and decorated in gold and painted with floral patterns.

Khokloma art generally features red, gold and black – and these colours bear a profound symbolism for the decoration of churches, as well as decoration on eating utensils used in monasteries and nunneries. The red symbolises beauty, the gold heavenly light and the black signified the cleansing of the human soul. The “grass-leaves” style of painting featured in Khokloma is inspired by the rural-living folk artists of Russia, as well as rooted in folklore. The golden leaves and flowers are meant to signify a happy life and bring good fortune.

Gorodets painting, another art form which originated from the Nizhni Novgorod region, in the town of Gorodets. Gorodets painting is manifested by it's freehand paint brush depictions of horses, roosters and flora,  and it's graphic black outlines and intense bright colours. Another notable feature of Gorodets painting is that they do not follow the laws of perspective and therefore seem surreal with giant flowers surrounding smaller figurines. The themes are light and carefree, and therefore the technique is also known as naïve art, because of the childlike quality to them.

Playful Promises Sasha set with floral Gorodets pattern

Our Sasha collection takes inspiration from the vibrant, positive energy from the Russian countryside, using surreal and idealistic florals to make you feel bright and happy when you put your pants on in the morning! Our exclusive and designed in-house digital print is slightly modernised and symmetrical for a Playful Promises twist, paired with black mesh and a classic retro silhouette. To finish off the set, a little light blue bow contrasts against the black and compliments the floral design. This set is inspired by the classic, Russian heritage yet updated for a modern-day folktale. 

References:

http://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/folklore-pattern-gorodets-painting-russia.html

http://www.artrusse.ca/khokhloma_en.htm

http://russiapedia.rt.com/of-russian-origin/khokhloma/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folklore_of_Russia

http://www.russia-ic.com/culture_art/visual_arts/970/#.Vv1LyfkrLcs

WIN a set of Angelina

We're giving away a set of Angelina - our new luscious red lace set! Available in sizes 32-34 A-DD, 36B-DD, with a matching naughty cut out brief.

Fancy winning one? Here's the rules!

You must comment below telling us which numbers you have done, so we can count up your entries.

1. Follow us on Facebook (tell us your name on facebook)

2. Follow us on Twitter (tell us your twitter name)

3. Follow us on Pinterest (tell us your Pinterest name)

4. Follow us on Tumblr (tell us your Tumblr name)

5. Sign up to our Newsletter (tell us your email)

6. Tweet the link to this competition (tell us your twitter name)*

7. Comment on our facebook competition post (tell us your name on facebook)*

The winner will be picked at random on the 11th March, good luck!

* - just one per entry, we don't want you to spam anyone!

This competition is open internationally.

The winner has been contacted - thanks for entering!

Valentine's Treats for Yourself!

Each Valentine's Day, women seemed to be divided into two groups: bitter singles determined to drown out the constant stream of heart shaped everything with copious amounts of red wine & dark chocolate, and stressed out lovebirds in a frenzy to find the perfect gift/dinner location/outfit/hairstyle/makeup/etc for their partner while making sure to photograph and post every step along the way. Valentine’s Day has always been a holiday to celebrate love, but it wasn’t until relatively recently that the love celebrated was romantic. While cheeky love notes and giant teddy bears are lovely gifts indeed, there is no better gift than a little self love this V-day. And what better way to celebrate your body and self than a brand new set of lingerie?

Bras, knickers and slips aren’t just confined to the bedroom anymore. While lingerie has a historical connotation of being something that women wear solely to entice men, recent trends and movements in both the fashion and social world have seen undergarments become less taboo, to the point where one can often see them mixed in with ready-to-wear pieces. Lingerie, first and foremost, should be for the women wearing it, because nothing feels empowering in the way that wearing a playful little set that no one else knows about.

Even for a woman who is looking to buy lingerie to entice her partner, the first step to the ultimate boudoir experience is looking and feeling good yourself. By picking out something that you feel sexy and comfortable in, your bedroom confidence will skyrocket. Adorning your body in all its glory and getting in touch with your sexual side will result in a positive body image that carries on into other aspects of life.

Regardless of your relationship status, treat yourself to a bit of self love this V-Day! Whether your vibe is romantic or dominatrix, celebrate yourself with a set that you’re head-over-heels for. So take a bubble bath, pour a large glass of wine, and check out our top Valentine’s picks for singletons and sweethearts alike:

Treat yourself to our luxurious Penelope Gold Eyelash Lace Teddy!

This art-deco inspired playsuit wraps you in a blanket of super soft black matt satin with a touch of elegant gold filigree lace at the edges.

Get your best night’s sleep yet in this dream of effortless glamour.

Nothing says V-Day like our beautifully romantic Ada set. Featuring an embroidered cup with a seashell motif, this bra and knicker combo is sure to make you feel like a mermaid.

Little touches like a fluted edging on the knicker and center front bow add an air of delicate femininity to complete the look.

Available in cup sizes A-G.

Turn up the heat with our sexy Red Cordelia Lace Overlay  Bra and Brief!

Designed for our Fuller Bust Collection, this set will keep you fully supported with strong mesh wings and thick shoulder straps, while still feeling sexy with double straps on the thong and black eyelash lace peeking over the sides.

Available in cup sizes DD-G, back sizes 28-36.

Perfect for any budget, these naughty nipple tassels are a real tease! A little touch of beading keeps you feeling sexy underneath every outfit, or with absolutely nothing on at all!